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Of the Discipline and Advantage of Chastity

Pseudo-Cyprian

Section 8

About this work

Author: Pseudo-Cyprian

8. But since the precepts of chastity have thus

‹ Section 7 Section 9 ›

briefly

been

set

forth

to

us

,

let

us

now

give

an

instance

of

chastity

.

For

it

is

more

profitable

when

we

come

in

the

very

presence

of

the

thing

;

nor

will

there

be

any

doubt

about

the

virtue

,

when

that

which

is

prescribed

is

also

designated

by

illustrations

.

The

example

of

chastity

begins

with

Joseph

.

A

Hebrew

youth

,

noble

by

his

parentage

,

nobler

by

his

innocence

,

on

account

of

the

envy

excited

by

his

revelations

exposed

for

sale

by

his

brethren

to

the

Israelites

,

had

attained

to

the

household

of

a

man

of

Egypt

.

By

his

obedience

and

his

innocence

,

and

by

the

entire

faithfulness

of

his

service

,

he

had

aroused

in

his

favour

the

easy

and

kindly

disposition

of

his

master

;

and

his

appearance

had

commended

itself

to

all

men

,

alike

by

his

gracious

speech

as

by

his

youthfulness

.

But

that

same

nobility

of

manner

was

received

by

his

master’s

wife

in

another

manner

than

was

becoming

;

in

a

secret

part

of

the

house

,

and

without

witnesses

,

—

a

place

high

up

,

and

fitted

for

deeds

of

wickedness

,

the

unrestrained

unchastity

of

the

woman

thought

that

it

could

overcome

the

youth’s

chastity

,

now

by

promises

,

now

by

threats

.

And

when

he

was

restrained

from

attempting

flight

by

her

holding

his

garments

,

shocked

at

the

audacity

of

such

a

crime

,

tearing

his

very

garments

,

and

able

to

appeal

to

the

sincerity

of

his

naked

body

as

a

witness

of

his

innocence

,

the

rash

woman

did

not

shrink

from

adding

calumny

to

the

crime

of

her

unchastity

.

Dishevelled

,

and

raging

that

her

desire

should

be

despised

,

she

complained

both

to

others

and

to

her

husband

that

the

Hebrew

youth

had

attempted

to

use

that

force

to

her

which

she

herself

had

striven

to

exercise

.

The

husband’s

passion

,

unconscious

of

the

truth

,

and

terribly

inflamed

by

his

wife’s

accusation

,

is

aroused

;

and

the

modest

youth

,

because

he

did

not

defile

his

conscience

with

the

crime

,

is

thrust

into

the

lowest

dungeon

of

the

prison

.

But

chastity

is

not

alone

in

the

dungeon

;

for

God

is

with

Joseph

,

and

the

guilty

are

given

into

his

charge

,

because

he

had

been

guiltless

.

Moreover

,

he

dissolves

the

obscurities

of

dreams

,

because

his

spirit

was

watchful

in

temptations

,

and

he

is

freed

from

chains

by

the

master

of

the

prison

.

He

who

had

been

an

inferior

in

the

house

with

peril

,

was

made

lord

of

the

palace

without

risk

;

restored

to

his

noble

station

,

he

received

the

reward

of

chastity

and

innocence

by

the

judgment

of

God

,

from

whom

he

had

deserved

it

.

Notes

11
“Irrogare.”