entering a church, we impute her punishment itself as a fault to her. But to baptize either a woman who has been delivered, or that which she has brought forth, if there is imminent danger of death, or herself, in the same hour in which she brings forth, or that which is brought forth, in the same hour in which it is born, is in no wise prohibited; because, just as the grace of the sacred mystery is to be guarded with great discretion for the living and understanding, so is it to be offered without any delay to those whom death threatens, lest whilst yet time is sought to afford the mystery of redemption, a little delay intervening, there may be none found who can be redeemed. Her husband, however, ought not to approach to lie with her until that which is brought forth is weaned. A depraved custom has arisen in the habits of married persons, in that women neglect to nourish the children which they bring forth, and deliver them to other women to be nourished, which indeed seems invented from the sole cause of incontinency, because, while they are unwilling to contain themselves, they scorn to suckle those whom they bring forth. These women, therefore, who from a depraved custom, deliver their children to others to be nourished, ought not to have intercourse with their husbands until the time of their cleansing shall have passed. Inasmuch as, apart from childbirth, women are prohibited from having intercourse with their husbands when they have their monthly courses; insomuch, that the Sacred Law strikes with sentence of death any man who approaches a menstruous woman'. The woman, however, ought not to

1 Lev. xx. 18.

be prohibited from entering the church while she has her monthly courses, because the superfluity of nature ought not to be reckoned as a fault to her; and it is not just that she should be prevented by this, which she suffers involuntarily, from entering the church. For we know

that the woman who suffered from a flux of blood 1, coming with humility behind the Lord, touched the hem of His garment, and her infirmity immediately departed from her. If she, therefore, who suffered from a flux of blood, could commendably touch the garment of the Lord, why should it not be lawful for her, who has the monthly courses, to enter the church of the Lord? But you say, infirmity constrained her; but custom constrains these of whom we speak. But consider well, dearest brother, that everything which we suffer in this mortal flesh from the infirmity of nature, was ordained by the just judgment of God, after the first offence. For to be hungry, to be thirsty, to be hot, to be cold, to be weary, is from the infirmity of nature. And what else is it, to seek for food against hunger, drink against thirst, air against heat, clothing against cold, rest against weariness, than to search for a certain medicine against ailments? So also the menstruous flow of blood of the woman is her ailment. If, therefore, she presumed rightly, who, in a condition of weakness, touched the Lord's garment, why is not that which was granted to one person labouring under infirmity, granted to all women, who are subject to weakness by the fault of their nature? Moreover, she ought not to be prohibited from receiving the mystery of the holy communion on the same days. If, however,

1 Luke viii. 43.

from great veneration, she presumes not to receive it, she is to be praised; but if she receive it, she is not to be judged. For it is the quality of good minds, there also in some measure to acknowledge their faults even where there is no fault, because often that which proceeds from fault is done without fault; whence, also, when we eat, we eat without fault, whom the fault of the first man caused to hunger. For the menstruous affection is no fault to women, because it naturally befalls them. But yet, because nature itself is so vitiated that even without the aim of the will it seems to be polluted, defect arises from fault, in which human nature may recognise itself, such as it was made by judgment. And let man who wilfully perpetrated the fault, bear against his will the criminality of the fault. And, therefore, women when they sit by themselves, if while they have their courses, they do not presume to approach the sacrament of the Lord's body and blood, are to be praised for their right consideration; when, however, they are ravished with a desire of partaking of the same mystery, from the custom of a religious life, as I said before, they are not to be blamed. For as in the Old Testament outward works are observed, so in the New Testament, not so much that which is done outwardly as that which is thought inwardly, is attended to with careful regard, that it may be punished by a discerning sentence. For whereas the Law prohibits the eating many things as being unclean, the Lord says, in the Gospel, "Not that which enters into the mouth defileth a man, but the things which go out of the mouth; these are they which defile a man 1." And, a

1 Matt. xv. II.

little after, He adds in proceed evil thoughts 1."

explanation, "From the heart Where it is abundantly shown

that that is declared by omnipotent God to be polluted in deed, which is generated from the root of a polluted thought. Whence also the Apostle Paul says, " To the clean all things are clean, but to the defiled and unbelieving nothing is clean 2;" and afterwards, declaring the cause of the same pollution, he adds: "For their mind and conscience are defiled." If, therefore, food is not unclean to him who has not an unclean mind, why should that which a woman of clean mind suffers by nature, be reckoned an impurity? But a man who has approached his own wife, ought not to enter a church unless he has washed with water, nor, having washed, ought he to enter it immediately. The law, moreover, prescribed to the ancient people, that a man having had intercourse with a woman should be washed with water3, and not enter a church before sunset; which, however, may be understood spiritually. Because a man has intercourse with a woman, when his mind is joined in thought, by delectation, to unlawful concupiscence; for, unless the fire of concupiscence first cease to glow in his mind, he who perceives himself burdened by the iniquity of a depraved will, ought not to think himself worthy to enter the congregation of the brethren; although concerning this thing different nations of men think differently, and seem to observe different customs. It was always, however, the custom of the Romans, from the more ancient of them, after intercourse with one's own wife, both to seek the purification of the laver, and for a little time reverently to

1 Matt. xv. 19.

2 Titus i. 15.

3 Lev. xv. 16, 17.

abstain from entering a church. Nor, saying these things, do we set down wedlock to be a fault; but forasmuch as lawful intercourse with a wife cannot take place without pleasure of the flesh, one must abstain from entering a sacred place, because the pleasure itself can in no wise be without blame. For not of adultery, nor of fornication, but of lawful wedlock, had he been born, who said, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquities, and in sins my mother conceived me1." For he who knew that he was conceived in iniquities, lamented that he was sprung from a fault; because a tree bears, in the branch, the sap of defect which it drew from the root. In which words, however, he does not speak of the intercourse of husband and wife as iniquity, but of the pleasure itself, to wit, of the intercourse. For indeed there are many things which are proved to be allowable and lawful, and yet in doing them we are, to a certain extent, polluted; just as we often reprove faults with anger, and disturb within ourselves our tranquillity of mind; and though that which is done is right, it is not to be approved that the mind should be disturbed in it. For, in truth, against the vices of sinners he was angry who said, "Mine eye is disturbed through anger." For, because only a tranquil mind can elevate itself into the light of contemplation, he grieved that his eye was disturbed with anger; because, whilst it took notice of evil deeds below, it was compelled to be disturbed and hindered from the contemplation of highest things. Anger

1 Psalm li. 5. Objection may here be made to Gregory's theology, on the ground that this text probably relates only to the inherited corruption of

human nature.

2 Psalm vi. 7 (Vulgate).