124 WORKS OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM. [HOMILY XV. the bruises will not disappear with the day. For they will strip the damsels, and call their husbands for the purpose, and oftentimes tie them to the pallets. Alas ! at that moment, tell me, does no recollection of hell come over thee? What? dost thou strip thy handmaid, and expose her to thy husband ? And art thou not ashamed, lest he should condemn thee for it ? And then dost thou exasperate him yet more, and threaten to put her in chains, having first taunted the wretched and pitiable creature with ten thousand reproachful names, and called her "Thessalian witch, 1 runaway, and prostitute "? For her passion allows her not to spare even her own mouth, but she looks to one single object, how she may wreak her vengeance on the other, even though she disgrace herself. And then after all these things forsooth, she will sit in state like any tyrant, and call her children, and summon her foolish husband, and treat him as a hangman. Ought these things to take place in the houses of Christians ? "Aye," say ye, "but slaves are a troublesome, audacious, impudent, incorrigible race." True, I know it myself, but there are other ways to keep them in order; by terrors, by threats, by words ; which may both touch her more power fully, and save thee from disgrace. Thou who art a free woman hast uttered foul words, and dost thou not disgrace thyself more than her? Then if she shall have occasion to go out to the bath, there are bruises on her back when she is naked, and she carries about with her the marks of thy cruelty. " But," say ye, "the whole tribe of slaves is intolerable if it meet with indulgence." True, I know it my self. But then, as I was saying, correct them in some other way, not by the scourge only, and by terror, but even by flattering them, and by acts of kindness. If she is a believer, she is thy sister. Consider that thou art her mistress, and that she ministers unto thee. If she be intem perate, cut off the occasions of drunkenness ; call thy husband, and admonish her. Or dost thou not feel how disgraceful a thing it is for a woman to be beaten? They at least who have enacted ten thousand punishments for men, the stake, and the rack, will scarcely ever hang a woman, but limit men s anger to smiting her on the cheek ; and so great respect have they observed towards the sex, that not even when there is absolute necessity have they often hung a woman, if she happen to be pregnant. For it is a disgrace for a man to strike awoman ; and if for a man, much more for one of her own sex. It is moreover by these things thatwomen 1 Vid. Aristoph. Nub. 749, yvvaiiea. <tia.pnaici& el irpid/oievo? er- ToA7Ji>. Schol., fj.f\pi Kat vvv ^ap^xaxifie? at erraAat KaAoufTrzi. [What a fearful picture of the cruelties of the mistresses of Chrysos- tom s day ! G. A.] become odious to their husbands. " What then," ye may say, "if she shall act the harlot?" Marry her to a husband ; cut off the occasions of fornication, suffer her not to be too high fed. " What then, if she shall steal? " Take care of her, and watch her. " Extravagant ! " thou wilt say ; " What, am I to be her keeper ? How absurd ! " And why, I pray, art thou not to be her keeper? Has she not the same kind of soul as thou? Has she not been vouchsafed the same privileges by God ? Does she not partake of the same table? Does she not share with thee the same high birth? "But what then," ye will say, " if she shall be a railer, or a gossip, or a drunkard?" Yet, how many free women are such? Now, with all the failings of women God hath charged men to bear : only, He saith, let not a woman be an harlot, but every other failing besides bear with. Yea, be she drunk ard, or railer, or gossip, or evil-eyed, or extrava gant, and a squanderer of thy substance, thou hast her for the partner of thy life. Train and restrain her. Necessity is upon thee. It is for this thou art the head. Regulate her therefore, do thy own part. Yea, and if she remain incor rigible, yea, though she steal, take care of thy goods, and do not punish her so much. If she be a gossip, silence her. This is the very highest philosophy. Now, however, some are come to such a height of indecency as to uncover the head, and to drag their maid-servants by the hair. Why do ye all blush? 2 I am not addressing myself to all, but to those who are carried away into such brutal conduct. Paul saith, " Let not a woman be uncovered." (i Cor. xi. 5-15.) And dost thou then entirely strip off her head dress ? Dost thou see how thou art doing out rage to thyself? If indeed she makes her ap pearance to thee with her head bare, thou callest it an insult. And dost thou say that there is nothing shocking when thou barest it thyself? Then ye will say, " What ifshe be not corrected ? " Chasten her then with the rod and with stripes. And yet how many failings hast thou also thy self, and yet thou art not corrected ! These things I am saying not for their sakes, but for the sake of you free-women, that ye do nothing so unworthy, nothing to disgrace you, that ye do yourselves no wrong.3 If thou wilt learn this lesson in thy household in dealing with thy maid-servant, and not be harsh but gentle and forbearing, much more wilt thou be so in thy behavior to thy husband. For she who, though having authority, does nothing of the sort, will do it much less where there is a check. So that 2 [This is direct preaching. Some would call it personal. But as Daniel Webster said of preaching, so ought we " make it a per sonal matter, a personal matter, a personal matter." G. A.] s [And what a graceful and conciliatory turn he gives his dis course here! G. A.]