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having received what was hoped for, and by the strength of her soul having recovered that of her body. These things are great, but not false. Believe these things, all of you, both the sick and the healthy; so that some of you may keep your health, and others may recover it. And that the narrative is not a boast is clear from the fact that, having kept silent while she was alive, I have now revealed it; and I would not have published it even now, know well, if I had not been held by a certain fear of hiding so great a wonder from both the faithful and the unfaithful, and from those of today and those to come.

19. Such, then, are the things of her life; and we have omitted most of them for the sake of the proportion of the discourse, and to not seem insatiable in our praise; but perhaps we would do an injustice to her holy and renowned end, if we did not also make mention of its noble qualities; and this, since it was so longed for and sought after by her. I will mention it, however, as briefly as possible. She longed for her release (for she had great confidence toward the One who was calling her), and she preferred to be with Christ above all things on earth; and no one among the excessively amorous and unrestrained so loves the body, as she longed to cast off these fetters, and to rise above the mire with which we live, to be purely with the Beautiful, and to receive her beloved whole, I will add also the lover, by whose small rays we are now illuminated, and in so far as we can know, from whom we are separated. Nor does she fail to attain this desire, so divinely inspired and lofty, and, what is greater than this, she enjoys the good in advance through foreknowledge and much watchfulness. For this, one of the sweetest sleeps repays her, and a single vision that encompassed her departure within a set time, and made known this day, so that she might be prepared and not be troubled, by God's decree.

20. For her, therefore, the good of purification and perfection was at hand, which we all have received as a common gift from God and a foundation for the second life. Rather, her whole life was a purification and perfection; and she had her regeneration from the Spirit, but its security from her past life. And for her alone, almost, if I may dare to say, the mystery was a seal, but not a gift. 35.813 But seeking one thing to be added to all these, the perfection of her husband (do you wish me to describe her husband briefly? he was her husband, and I do not know what more I should say), so that she might be consecrated to God with her whole body, and not depart perfected only in half, nor leave anything of her own incomplete, she does not fail to attain this prayer either, from Him who does the will of those who fear him, and brings their requests to fulfillment.

21. When, then, all things were according to her mind, and nothing she longed for was lacking, and the appointed day was near, she thus prepared herself for death and her departure, and fulfills the law concerning these things by lying down. And having given such instructions to her husband, children, and friends, as befits one who loves her husband, children, and brethren, and having philosophized brilliantly about the things beyond, and having made her last day a day of festival, she falls asleep, not indeed full of human days, for which she did not even pray, knowing them to be evil for her, and for the most part spent with dust and error, but exceedingly full of days according to God, as I know not if any one easily is of those who have ended their lives in rich old age and have numbered many cycles of years. Thus she is released, or received up, it is better to say, or flies away, or removes her dwelling, or departs a little before her body.

22. But what a thing of hers almost escaped me! Perhaps you would not have permitted it, O you, her spiritual father, who both accurately observed the wonder, and made it known to us; a great thing for her honor, and a great thing for us as a reminder of virtue, and a longing for the same release. And a certain shudder runs through me, and a tear at the same time, when I remember the wonder. She was already being released and breathing her last, and a chorus

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λαβοῦσα τὸ ἐλπιζόμενον, καὶ τῇ τῆς ψυχῆς εὐρωστίᾳ κομισαμένη τὴν τοῦ σώματος. Ταῦτα μεγάλα μὲν, οὐ ψευδῆ δέ. Τούτοις πιστεύετε ἅπαντες, καὶ νοσοῦντες, καὶ ὑγιαίνοντες· ἵν' οἱ μὲν ἔχητε τὴν ὑγίειαν, οἱ δὲ ἀπολάβητε. Καὶ ὅτι μὴ κόμπος τὸ διήγημα, δῆλον ἐξ ὧν ζώσης κατασιγήσας, νῦν ἐξεκάλυψα· καὶ οὐδ' ἂν νῦν ἐδη μοσίευσα, εὖ ἴστε, εἰ μή τις ἔσχε με φόβος θαῦμα τοσοῦτον κατακρύψαι καὶ πιστοῖς καὶ ἀπίστοις, καὶ τοῖς νῦν καὶ τοῖς ὕστερον.

ΙΘʹ. Τὰ μὲν δὴ τοῦ βίου τοιαῦτα· καὶ τὰ πλείω πα ραλελοίπαμεν διὰ τὴν συμμετρίαν τοῦ λόγου, καὶ τοῦ μὴ δοκεῖν ἀπλήστως ἔχειν περὶ τὴν εὐφημίαν· τάχα δ' ἂν ἀδικοίημεν τελευτὴν ὁσίαν καὶ περιβόητον, εἰ μὴ καὶ τῶν ταύτης καλῶν ἐπιμνησθείημεν· καὶ ταῦτα οὕτως ἐκείνης ποθουμένης τε καὶ ζητουμένης. Μνησθήσομαι δὲ, ὡς ἂν οἷόν τε ᾖ συντομώτατα. Ἐπόθει μὲν τὴν ἀνάλυσιν (καὶ γὰρ εἶχε πολλὴν πρὸς τὸν καλοῦντα τὴν παῤῥησίαν), καὶ τὸ σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναι πάντων προετίθει τῶν ὑπὲρ γῆς· καὶ οὐ δεὶς οὕτως ἐρᾷ σώματος τῶν λίαν ἐρωτικῶν τε καὶ δυσκαθέκτων, ὡς ἐκείνη τὰς πέδας ἀποῤῥίψασα ταύ τας, καὶ τὴν ἰλὺν ὑπερβᾶσα, μεθ' ἧς βιωτεύομεν, μετὰ τοῦ καλοῦ καθαρῶς γενέσθαι, καὶ τὸν ἐρώμενον ἀπολαβεῖν ὅλον, προσθήσω δ' ὅτι καὶ τὸν ἐραστὴν, οὗ νῦν μικραῖς ἐλλαμπόμεθα ταῖς αὐγαῖς, καὶ ὅσον γινώσκειν, οὗ κεχωρίσμεθα. ∆ιαμαρτάνει δὲ οὐδὲ ταύτης τῆς ἐπιθυμίας, οὕτως οὔσης ἐνθέου καὶ ὑψη λῆς, καὶ ὃ τούτου μεῖζόν ἐστι, προαπολαύει τοῦ καλοῦ διὰ τῆς προγνώσεως καὶ τῆς πολλῆς ἀγρυ πνίας. Ταύτην εἷς ὕπνος τῶν ἡδίστων ἀμείβεται, καὶ ὄψις μία προθεσμίᾳ περιλαβοῦσα τὴν ἐκδη μίαν, καὶ τὴν ἡμέραν ταύτην γνωρίσασα, ὡς ἂν τὸ ἑτοιμασθῆναι καὶ μὴ ταραχθῆναι τοῦ Θεοῦ πρυ τανεύοντος.

Κʹ. Αὐτῇ μὲν οὖν ὑπόγυιον τὸ τῆς καθάρσεως καὶ τελειώσεως ἦν ἀγαθὸν, ἣν κοινὴν δωρεὰν, καὶ δευτέρου βίου κρηπῖδα παρὰ Θεοῦ πάντες λα βόντες ἔχομεν. Μᾶλλον δὲ πᾶς ὁ βίος κάθαρσις ἦν αὐτῇ καὶ τελείωσις· καὶ τὸ μὲν τῆς ἀναγεννήσεως εἶχεν ἐκ τοῦ Πνεύματος, τὸ δ' ἀσφαλὲς ταύτης ἐκ τῶν προβεβιωμένων. Καὶ μόνῃ σχεδὸν, ἵν' εἴπω τολμήσας, σφραγὶς, ἀλλ' οὐ χάρισμα ἦν τὸ μυστήριον. 35.813 Ἓν δὲ τοῖς πᾶσι προστεθῆναι ζητοῦσα τὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τελείωσιν (βούλεσθε γράψω τὸν ἄνδρα συντόμως; ἀνδρὸς ἐκείνης, καὶ οὐκ οἶδ' ὅ τι χρὴ πλέον εἰπεῖν), ἵν' ὅλῳ τῷ σώματι Θεῷ καθιερωθῇ, καὶ μὴ ἐξ ἡμι σείας ἀπέλθῃ τετελεσμένη, μηδ' ὑπολείπηταί τι τῶν ἑαυτῆς ἀτελὲς, οὐδὲ ταύτης διαμαρτάνει τῆς δεήσεως παρὰ τοῦ θέλημα τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτὸν ποιοῦντος, καὶ εἰς πέρας ἄγοντος τὰ αἰτήματα.

ΚΑʹ. Ὡς δὲ ἅπαντα εἶχεν αὐτῇ κατὰ νοῦν, καὶ οὐδὲν ἐνέδει τῶν ποθουμένων, καὶ ἡ κυρία πλησίον, οὕτως ἤδη τῷ θανάτῳ συσκευάζεται καὶ τῇ ἐκδημίᾳ, καὶ πληροῖ τὸν περὶ ταῦτα νόμον διὰ τῆς κατακλί σεως. Ἐπισκήψασα δὲ καὶ ἀνδρὶ, καὶ τέ κνοις, καὶ φίλοις, ὅσα εἰκὸς τὴν φίλανδρον, καὶ φιλό τεκνον, καὶ φιλάδελφον, καὶ λαμπρῶς περὶ τῶν ἐκεῖ θεν φιλοσοφήσασα, καὶ πανηγύρεως ἡμέραν ποιησα μένη τὴν τελευταίαν, κοιμᾶται, πλήρης μὲν οὐ τῶν κατὰ ἄνθρωπον ἡμερῶν, ὅ τι μηδὲ συνηύχετο, ταύτας ἑαυτῇ πονηρὰς εἰδυῖα, καὶ τὰ πολλὰ μετὰ τοῦ χοὸς καὶ τῆς πλάνης, τῶν δὲ κατὰ Θεὸν καὶ λίαν πλήρης, ὡς οὐκ οἶδ' εἴ τις ῥᾳδίως τῶν ἐν πλου σίᾳ τῇ πολιᾷ καταλυσάντων, καὶ πολλὰς ἐτῶν πε ριόδους ἀριθμησάντων. Οὕτως ἐκείνη λύεται, ἢ προσλαμβάνεται, κρεῖσσον εἰπεῖν, ἢ ἀφίπταται, ἢ μετοικίζεται, ἢ μικρὸν προαποδημεῖ τοῦ σώμα τος.

ΚΒʹ. Ἀλλ' οἷόν με μικρὸν τῶν ἐκείνης παρ έδραμεν! τάχα δ' ἂν οὐ συνεχώρησας, ὦ σὺ πάτερ ἐκείνης πνευματικὲ, ὁ καὶ τηρήσας ἀκριβῶς τὸ θαῦ μα, καὶ ἡμῖν γνωρίσας· μέγα μὲν εἰς φιλοτιμίαν ἐκείνῃ, μέγα δὲ ἡμῖν εἰς ὑπόμνησιν ἀρετῆς, καὶ πόθον τῆς αὐτῆς ἀναλύσεως. Καί με φρίκη τις ὑπο τρέχει, καὶ δάκρυον ὁμοῦ, μεμνημένον τοῦ θαύμα τος. Ἐλύετο μὲν ἤδη καὶ ἀνέπνει τὰ τελευταῖα, καὶ χορὸς