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On the Apparel of Women

Tertullian

Book 1 · Chapter 9

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter IX.—God’s Distribution Must Regulate Our Desires, Otherwise We Become the Prey of Ambition and Its Attendant Evils.

For, as some particular things distributed by God over certain

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individual

lands

,

and

some

one

particular

tract

of

sea

,

are

mutually

foreign

one

to

the

other

,

they

are

reciprocally

either

neglected

or

desired

:

(

desired

)

among

foreigners

,

as

being

rarities

;

neglected

(

rightly

)

,

if

anywhere

,

among

their

own

compatriots

,

because

in

them

there

is

no

such

fervid

longing

for

a

glory

which

,

among

its

own

home

-

folk

,

is

frigid

.

But

,

however

,

the

rareness

and

outlandishness

which

arise

out

of

that

distribution

of

possessions

which

God

has

ordered

as

He

willed

,

ever

finding

favour

in

the

eyes

of

strangers

,

excites

,

from

the

simple

fact

of

not

having

what

God

has

made

native

to

other

places

,

the

concupiscence

of

having

it

.

Hence

is

educed

another

vice

—

that

of

immoderate

having

;

because

although

,

perhaps

,

having

may

be

permissible

,

still

a

limit

is

bound

(

to

be

observed

)

.

This

(

second

vice

)

will

be

ambition

;

and

hence

,

too

,

its

name

is

to

be

interpreted

,

in

that

from

concupiscence

ambient

in

the

mind

it

is

born

,

with

a

view

to

the

desire

of

glory

,

—

a

grand

desire

,

forsooth

,

which

(

as

we

have

said

)

is

recommended

neither

by

nature

nor

by

truth

,

but

by

a

vicious

passion

of

the

mind

,

—

(

namely

,

)

concupiscence

.

And

there

are

other

vices

connected

with

ambition

and

glory

.

Thus

they

have

withal

enhanced

the

cost

of

things

,

in

order

that

(

thereby

)

they

might

add

fuel

to

themselves

also

;

for

concupiscence

becomes

proportionably

greater

as

it

has

set

a

higher

value

upon

the

thing

which

it

has

eagerly

desired

.

From

the

smallest

caskets

is

produced

an

ample

patrimony

.

On

a

single

thread

is

suspended

a

million

of

sesterces

.

One

delicate

neck

carries

about

it

forests

and

islands

.

The

slender

lobes

of

the

ears

exhaust

a

fortune

;

and

the

left

hand

,

with

its

every

finger

,

sports

with

a

several

money

-

bag

.

Such

is

the

strength

of

ambition

—

(

equal

)

to

bearing

on

one

small

body

,

and

that

a

woman’s

,

the

product

of

so

copious

wealth

.

Notes

1
Or, “moderation.”
2
“Saltus et insulæ,” i.e., as much as would purchase them.