Budge_Ethiopic_Alexander

444
THE HISTORY OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT.
those who abstain from carnal intercourse. But
thou, O woman, hast heard the voice of the [p. 264J
Prophets and Apostles, and yet thou hast not re-
strained thyself, but hast gotten for thyself a hus-
band to feed thee, and to clothe thee, and he
would sell himself for thy sake and for that of
thy children, and he would traverse sea and land
to please thee, and he would plough the ground,
or steal, or labour, or sweat for thee so that he
might obtain thy favours! And yet thou dost
steal away thine honour and dost swear false oaths,
which have no advantage, in transgressing the
commandment of God Almighty! Dost thou not
know that the eyeS of God Almighty are brighter
than seven thousand suns?' And dost thou imagine
that He cannot see thee.'^ He knew thee before
He created thee in the womb of thy mother, be-
fore He made thee a creature of this world, how'
much more, then, can He see thee under the roof
of thy house, and through the garments which thou
puttest on? And He is wroth with thee because
thou hast acted craftily with thy husband who hath
The habits gone a journey for thy sake. Thou watchest care-
tress^ ^ de- fully that there be none to see thee, not even a
scribed, member of thy household or any of thine hand-
maidens, and if thou thinkest that they have found
^ The allusion is to Ecclesiasticus xxiii. 1 g (ed. Dillmann,
p. 78, col. 2) foK^hrc hoD s oi^-i : K'in.h'nrh.c = je.