readiness with which she listened to my words and carried out my
wishes.

What sort of thing? (I answered). Do, pray, tell me, since I would far
more gladly learn about a living woman's virtues than that Zeuxis[1]
should show me the portrait of the loveliest woman he has painted.

[1] See "Mem." I. iv. 3.

Whereupon Ischomachus proceeded to narrate as follows: I must tell
you, Socrates, I one day noticed she was much enamelled with white
lead,[2] no doubt to enhance the natural whitenes of her skin; she had
rouged herself with alkanet[3] profusely, doubtless to give more
colour to her cheeks than truth would warrant; she was wearing high-
heeled shoes, in order to seem taller than she was by nature.[4]

[2] Cf. Aristoph. "Eccl." 878; ib. 929, {egkhousa mallon kai to son
psimuthion}: ib. 1072; "Plut." 1064.

[3] Lit. "enamelled or painted with anchusa or alkanet," a plant, the
wild bugloss, whose root yields a red dye. Cf. Aristoph. "Lys."
48; Theophr. "H. Pl." vii. 8. 3.

[4] See Becker, op. cit. p. 452; Breit. cf. "Anab." III. ii. 25;
"Mem." II. i. 22; Aristot. "Eth. Nic." iv. 3, 5, "True beauty
requires a great body."

Accordingly I put to her this question:[5] "Tell me, my wife, would
you esteem me a less lovable co-partner in our wealth, were I to show
you how our fortune stands exactly, without boasting of unreal