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On the Apparel of Women

Tertullian

Book 2 · Chapter 9

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Author: Tertullian

Chapter IX.—Excess in Dress, as Well as in Personal Culture, to Be Shunned. Arguments Drawn from I Cor. VII.

Wherefore, with regard to clothing also, and all the

‹ Book 2 · Chapter 8

remaining

lumber

of

your

self

-

elaboration

,

the

like

pruning

off

and

retrenchment

of

too

redundant

splendour

must

be

the

object

of

your

care

.

For

what

boots

it

to

exhibit

in

your

face

temperance

and

unaffectedness

,

and

a

simplicity

altogether

worthy

of

the

divine

discipline

,

but

to

invest

all

the

other

parts

of

the

body

with

the

luxurious

absurdities

of

pomps

and

delicacies

?

How

intimate

is

the

connection

which

these

pomps

have

with

the

business

of

voluptuousness

,

and

how

they

interfere

with

modesty

,

is

easily

discernible

from

the

fact

that

it

is

by

the

allied

aid

of

dress

that

they

prostitute

the

grace

of

personal

comeliness

:

so

plain

is

it

that

if

(

the

pomps

)

be

wanting

,

they

render

(

that

grace

)

bootless

and

thankless

,

as

if

it

were

disarmed

and

wrecked

.

On

the

other

hand

,

if

natural

beauty

fails

,

the

supporting

aid

of

outward

embellishment

supplies

a

grace

,

as

it

were

,

from

its

own

inherent

power

.

Those

times

of

life

,

in

fact

,

which

are

at

last

blest

with

quiet

and

withdrawn

into

the

harbour

of

modesty

,

the

splendour

and

dignity

of

dress

lure

away

(

from

that

rest

and

that

harbour

)

,

and

disquiet

seriousness

by

seductions

of

appetite

,

which

compensate

for

the

chill

of

age

by

the

provocative

charms

of

apparel

.

First

,

then

,

blessed

(

sisters

)

,

(

take

heed

)

that

you

admit

not

to

your

use

meretricious

and

prostitutionary

garbs

and

garments

:

and

,

in

the

,

if

there

are

any

of

you

whom

the

exigencies

of

riches

,

or

birth

,

or

past

dignities

,

compel

to

appear

in

public

so

gorgeously

arrayed

as

not

to

appear

to

have

attained

wisdom

,

take

heed

to

temper

an

evil

of

this

kind

;

lest

,

under

the

pretext

of

necessity

,

you

give

the

rein

without

stint

to

the

indulgence

of

licence

.

For

how

will

you

be

able

to

fulfil

(

the

requirements

of

)

humility

,

which

our

(

school

)

profess

,

if

you

do

not

keep

within

bounds

the

enjoyment

of

your

riches

and

elegancies

,

which

tend

so

much

to

“

glory

?

”

Now

it

has

ever

been

the

wont

of

glory

to

exalt

,

not

to

humble

.

“

Why

,

shall

we

not

use

what

is

our

own

?

”

Who

prohibits

your

using

it

?

Yet

(

it

must

be

)

in

accordance

with

the

apostle

,

who

warns

us

“

to

use

this

world

as

if

we

abuse

it

not

;

for

the

fashion

of

this

world

is

passing

away

.

”

And

“

they

who

buy

are

so

to

act

as

if

they

possessed

not

.

”

Why

so

?

Because

he

had

laid

down

the

premiss

,

saying

,

“

The

time

is

wound

up

.

”

If

,

then

he

shows

plainly

that

even

wives

themselves

are

so

to

be

had

as

if

they

be

not

had

,

on

account

of

the

straits

of

the

times

,

what

would

be

his

sentiments

about

these

vain

appliances

of

theirs

?

Why

,

are

there

not

many

,

withal

,

who

so

do

,

and

seal

themselves

up

to

eunuchhood

for

the

sake

of

the

kingdom

of

God

,

spontaneously

relinquishing

a

pleasure

so

honourable

,

and

(

as

we

know

)

permitted

?

Are

there

not

some

who

prohibit

to

themselves

(

the

use

of

)

the

very

“

creature

of

God

,

”

abstaining

from

wine

and

animal

food

,

the

enjoyments

of

which

border

upon

no

peril

or

solicitude

;

but

they

sacrifice

to

God

the

humility

of

their

soul

even

in

the

chastened

use

of

food

?

Sufficiently

,

therefore

,

have

you

,

too

,

used

your

riches

and

your

delicacies

;

sufficiently

have

you

cut

down

the

fruits

of

your

dowries

,

before

(

receiving

)

the

knowledge

of

saving

disciplines

.

We

are

they

“

upon

whom

the

ends

of

the

ages

have

met

,

having

ended

their

course

.

”

We

have

been

predestined

by

God

,

before

the

world

was

,

(

to

arise

)

in

the

extreme

end

of

the

times

.

And

so

we

are

trained

by

God

for

the

purpose

of

chastising

,

and

(

so

to

say

)

emasculating

,

the

world

.

We

are

the

circumcision

—

spiritual

and

carnal

—

of

all

things

;

for

both

in

the

spirit

and

in

the

flesh

we

circumcise

worldly

principles

.

Notes

1
Impedimenta compositionis.
2
De suo. Comp. de Bapt., c. xvii. (sub. fin.), de Cult. Fem., b. i. c. v. (med.).
3
See c. iii.
4
Repastinantes.
5
Mundo; κόσμῳ. See 1 Cor. vii. 31.
6
Habitus; σχῆμα, ib.
7
Κόσμου, ib.
8
1 Cor. vii. 30.
9
1 Cor. vii. 29.
10
1 Cor. vii. 29.
11
Matt. xix. 12.
12
Fortem.
13
Comp. 1 Tim. iv. 4, 5.
14
1 Cor. x. 11, εἰς οὕς τὰ τέλη τῶν αἰωνων κατήντησεν.
15
Mundum.
16
In extimatione temporali. See Eph. i. 4 and 1 Pet. i. 20.
17
Sæculo.
18
Comp. Phil. iii. 3.
19
Sæcularia.