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To His Wife

Tertullian

Book 2 · Chapter 5

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter V.—Of Sin and Danger Incurred Even with a “Tolerant” Husband.

“But some husband does endure our (practices), and not

‹ Book 2 · Chapter 4 Book 2 · Chapter 6 ›

annoy

us

.

”

Here

,

therefore

,

there

is

a

sin

;

in

that

Gentiles

know

our

(

practices

)

;

in

that

we

are

subject

to

the

privity

of

the

unjust

;

in

that

it

is

thanks

to

them

that

we

do

any

(

good

)

work

.

He

who

“

endures

”

(

a

thing

)

cannot

be

ignorant

of

it

;

or

else

,

if

he

is

kept

in

ignorance

because

he

does

not

endure

(

it

)

,

he

is

feared

.

But

since

Scripture

commands

each

of

two

things

—

namely

,

that

we

work

for

the

Lord

without

the

privity

of

any

second

person

,

and

without

pressure

upon

ourselves

,

it

matters

not

in

which

quarter

you

sin

;

whether

in

regard

to

your

husband’s

privity

,

if

he

be

tolerant

,

or

else

in

regard

of

your

own

affliction

in

avoiding

his

intolerance

.

“

Cast

not

,

”

saith

He

,

“

your

pearls

to

swine

,

lest

they

trample

them

to

pieces

,

and

turn

round

and

overturn

you

also

.

”

“

Your

pearls

”

are

the

distinctive

marks

of

even

your

daily

conversation

.

The

more

care

you

take

to

conceal

them

,

the

more

liable

to

suspicion

you

will

make

them

,

and

the

more

exposed

to

the

grasp

of

Gentile

curiosity

.

Shall

you

escape

notice

when

you

sign

your

bed

,

(

or

)

your

body

;

when

you

blow

away

some

impurity

;

when

even

by

night

you

rise

to

pray

?

Will

you

not

be

thought

to

be

engaged

in

some

work

of

magic

?

Will

not

your

husband

know

what

it

is

which

you

secretly

taste

before

(

taking

)

any

food

?

and

if

he

knows

it

to

be

bread

,

does

he

not

believe

it

to

be

that

(

bread

)

which

it

is

said

to

be

?

And

will

every

(

husband

)

,

ignorant

of

the

reason

of

these

things

,

simply

endure

them

,

without

murmuring

,

without

suspicion

whether

it

be

bread

or

poison

?

Some

,

(

it

is

true

,

)

do

endure

(

them

)

;

but

it

is

that

they

may

trample

on

,

that

they

may

make

sport

of

such

women

;

whose

secrets

they

keep

in

reserve

against

the

danger

which

they

believe

in

,

in

case

they

ever

chance

to

be

hurt

:

they

do

endure

(

wives

)

,

whose

dowries

,

by

casting

in

their

teeth

their

(

Christian

)

name

,

they

make

the

wages

of

silence

;

while

they

threaten

them

,

forsooth

,

with

a

suit

before

some

spy

as

arbitrator

!

which

most

women

,

not

foreseeing

,

have

been

wont

to

discover

either

by

the

extortion

of

their

property

,

or

else

by

the

loss

of

their

faith

.

Notes

1
Comp. Matt. vi. 1–4.
2
Matt. vii. 6.
3
Insignia.
4
Comp. de Idol., c. xi. sub fin.
5
“Speculatorem;” also = "an" executioner. Comp. Mark vi. 27.