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sisters whose names are Αἰσὼν [handwritten: Αἰσώνη] and Σωφροσύνη [handwritten: Β...]. Both these words, while not synonymous with [handwritten: sexual] & chastity, have such strong connotations of sexual restraint — [handwritten: ἐπείδη τὴν μὲν ἐπιταγὴν ἐπὶ τῆς σωφροσύνης καὶ τοῦ μὴ ἁπτεσθαι γυναικὸς, τὴν δὲ συγγνώμην ἐπὶ τῶν] μὴ ὄντα μένων, 253 ὡς ἔφην, καὶ κολάζειν τὴν [handwritten: ἐπιθυμίαν] or as Sappho says [handwritten: θέλω], 254 [handwritten: τ'] [handwritten: τ'] [handwritten: αἰδῶς] And as seen in the Anthology, "[handwritten: αἰδῶς νόσφι πέλει τῆς κύπρίδος]" 255
that one may safely identify these sisters as the {strike: παρθένοι} [handwritten: φρονίμους] mentioned in the rite of the blessing of the waters [handwritten: παρθένους], 256
Handwritten: Δεῖτε· μιᾷ ἡ ὁμοιωθήσεται τὰς φρονίμους παρθένους
These are of course to be connected with the ten maidens mentioned in the gospel of St.Matthew,
Handwritten: Τότε ὁμοιωθήσεται ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν δέκα
Handwritten: παρθένοις, αἵτινες λαβοῦσαι τὰς λαμπάδας ἑαυτῶν
Handwritten: ἐξῆλθον εἰς ὑπάντησιν τοῦ νυμφίου. πέντε δὲ ἐξ
[handwritten: αὐτῶν ἦσαν μωραὶ καὶ φρόνιμοι. 257] [printed footnote: co-preserved in the Gnotto Ferrata manuscripts]
The rite of the blessing of the waters continues,
Handwritten: Δεῖτε ὑπαντήσωμεν τῷ φανέντι δεσπότῃ,
Handwritten: ὅτι προῆλθεν ὡς νυμφίος πρὸς τὸν Ἰωάννην. 258
Jesus Christ as the bridegroom goes back to the passage in the gospel of St.John, where St.John, the baptist, in baptizing Christ says, [handwritten: οὐκ εἰμὶ ἐγὼ ὁ Χριστὸς, ἀλλ']
65 figures hard to readstruck struck outadded written in above” jug ditto, and what it repeatsword reading not certain