again she was placed in obedience to the one who was heiress of those things and of their life, in some way, and of their virtue; and she completed well the course of obedience until death, I mean the wife of Kyprianos, who came to Constantinople and founded the monastery in the name of the Holy Theodores, but which was called after Kyprianos. 18.4 When the impious had taken Thessaloniki, the holy Thomais departed with her subordinate, the Kypriane, and came to Lemnos, in order to go from there again to Constantinople. In which Lemnos my grandfather was found with his wife and children, and the first of his three daughters (his actual first daughter having remained in Thessaloniki with her husband and children), seeing her and her virtue and her teaching, left behind parents and sisters and brothers and the one to whom she was betrothed as husband, went away and became a nun and was in obedience to the holy woman herself. And departing from there and coming, the three of them alone arrived in Constantinople, at first in the monastery called of Kleraina. 18.5 And when the virtue of the holy woman herself and her experience in the divine scripture was spread abroad to the emperor and the patriarch and all those of the city, the emperor sought that she might receive a monastery, such as was larger and with more income, and the patriarch, to give her a mandate of spiritual authority over the women of the city who wished it, and those of the city, that they might come and see and attend to their needs; for there was among them neither gold nor silver, nor anything else, except needlework and the providence of God through the rulers. 18.6 And having received a small establishment, so many ran to be in obedience that they would not have fit into the monastery of Libs and of Kyra Martha, but she accepted no more than twelve. And they were such in poverty and obedience and chastity and in everything that is well-pleasing to God, that the people of the city ceased to say "the holy woman," but "the holy women." and they had this very name for them, "holy women." And as for the nuns, their common food and clothing and having nothing of their own and not doing the smallest thing, whether for the common or for private need, except with permission, and being barefoot and eating little and lying on the ground and in mean circumstances and the other things, as many as are testimonies of virtue, it is superfluous to relate. Likewise again also concerning their holy and spiritual mother, the concourse to her and the sight of her by the emperor and empresses and rulers and ladies, some for confession, others for prayer and a visit, who could relate accurately both these things and her virtue? 18.7 But by relating one thing only we will show all things to be true. On the aforementioned Great Saturday, on which happened to me what I have related, as she was sitting in the church after the celebration of the liturgy, and with her all her nuns, and waiting, so that they might taste a little something because of receiving the antidoron, and then for the reading of the Acts of the Apostles to be set, the holy woman says: Nuns, arise. And they: What do you need, our holy lady? And she: A temptation has come upon lord George; and so let us pray to the Theotokos on his behalf. And when all had heard this, and especially my mother's sisters (for another, younger sister of hers also became a nun and a good subordinate of hers), they ran up with tears: What is this, our holy lady? And she to them: Do not be troubled; God who has permitted the temptation will also provide the help and the deliverance from this temptation. And standing they chanted the supplication to the Theotokos with tears. What better testimony than this of her virtue and intimacy with God? 18.8 Having lived therefore so well, and God having shown many testimonies of her virtue, in the end her death too proceeded as precious in the sight of the Lord and of men. For having been slightly ill for some days and all together

πάλιν εἰς τὴν κληρονόμον ἐκείνων καὶ τοῦ βίου ὅπως δήποτε καὶ τῆς ἀρέτης ὑπετάγη· καὶ καλῶς διήνυσε τὸν τῆς ὑποταγῆς δρόμον μέχρι θανάτου, Κυπριανοῦ δὲ γυνὴν λέγω, τοῦ ἐλθόντος εἰς τὴν Κωνσταντινούπολιν καὶ τὴν μονὴν κτίσαντος τὴν εἰς ὄνομα τῶν ἁγίων Θεοδώρων, ἐπονομαζομένην δὲ τοῦ Κυπριανοῦ. 18.4 Τῶν δὲ ἀσεβῶν τὴν Θεσσαλονίκην παραλαβόντων, ἐξελθοῦσα ἡ ὁσία Θωμαῒς μετὰ καὶ τῆς ὑπτακτικῆς αὐτῆς τῆς Κυπριανῆς ἦλθεν εἰς τὴν Λῆμνον, ἵνα ἀπ' ἐκεῖσε πάλιν εἰς τὴν Κωνσταντινούπολιν. Ἐν ᾗ Λήμ νῳ ὁ πάππος μου εὑρισκόμενος μετὰ τῆς γυναικὸς αὑτοῦ καὶ τῶν παί δων, ἰδοῦσα αὐτὴν καὶ τὴν αὐτῆς ἀρετὴν καὶ τὸν λόγον ἡ πρώτη τῶν τριῶν θυγατέρων αὐτοῦ, τῆς κυρίως πρώτης θυγατρὸς αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν Θεσσαλονίκην ἀπομεινάσης μετὰ καὶ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς αὐτῆς καὶ τῶν παίδων καταλείψασα γονεῖς καὶ ἀδελφὰς καὶ ἀδελφοὺς καὶ τὸν ὃν ἐμνηστεύ σατο εἰς ἄνδρα, ἀπελθοῦσα γέγονε καλογραία καὶ ἐν ὑποταγῇ αὐτῆς δὴ τῆς ὁσίας. Ἐκεῖθεν δὲ ἐξελθοῦσαι καὶ ἐλθοῦσαι αἱ τρεῖς καὶ μόνον ἐν τῇ Κωνσταντίνου κατήντησαν ἀρχὴν ἐν τῇ μονῇ τῇ ἐπονομαζομένῃ τῆς Κλέραινας. 18.5 ∆ιαδοθεῖσα δὲ ἡ ἀρετὴ αὐτῆς δὴ τῆς ὁσίας καὶ ἡ εἰς τὴν θείαν γραφὴν ἐμπειρία εἴς τε τὸν βασιλέα καὶ τὸν πατριάρχην καὶ πάντας τοὺς τῆς πόλεως, ὁ μὲν βασιλεὺς ἐγύρευσεν, ἵνα καὶ λάβῃ μοναστήριον, οἷον ἔνι μεγαλώτερον καὶ πολυεισοδώτερον, ὁ δὲ πατριάρχης τὸ δοῦναι αὐτὴν ἔνταλμα πνευματικῆς ἐξουσίας εἰς τὰς βουλομένας τῆς πόλεως γυναῖκας, οἱ δὲ τῆς πόλεως ὅτι καὶ νὰ προσέρχωνται καὶ νὰ βλέπουν καὶ νὰ θε ραπεύουν εἰς τὰς πρὸς χρείαν αὐτῶν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἦν ἐν ἐκείναις οὔτε χρυ σίον, οὔτε ἀργύριον, οὐκ ἄλλοτι, εἰ μὴ τὸ ἐργόχειρον καὶ ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ τῶν ἀρχόντων προμήθεια. 18.6 Λαβοῦσα δὲ μικρόν τι κάθισμα, συνέδραμον εἰς ὑποταγὴν τοσαῦ ται, ὅσαι οὐκ ἂν ἐχώρησαν εἴς τε τὴν τοῦ Λιβὸς μονὴν καὶ τῆς Κυρα μάρθας, ἡ δὲ οὐ πλείους ἢ δύο καὶ δέκα προσελάβετο. Καὶ ἦσαν τοιαῦ ται εἴς τε ἀκτημοσύνην καὶ ὑπακοὴν καὶ σωφροσύνην καὶ πᾶν εἴ τι εἰς θεὸν εὐαπόδεκτον, ὅτι κατέλιπον οἱ τῆς πόλεως λέγειν ἡ ἁγία, ἀλλ' αἱ ἅγιαι. καὶ αὐτὸ δὴ τὸ ὄνομα εἶχον εἰς αὐτὰς ἁγίας. Καὶ τὸ μὲν τῶν καλογραιῶν τὸ κοινὸν τῆς τροφῆς καὶ φορεμάτων καὶ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν τι ἴδιον καὶ τὸ μὴ ποιῆσαι τὸ μικρότερον, ἢ πρὸς κοινὸν ἢ πρὸς ἰδίαν χρείαν, εἰ μὴ μετὰ συγχωρήσεως, καὶ τὸ ἀνυπόδητον καὶ ὀλιγότροφον καὶ τὸ χαμαὶ κεῖσθαι καὶ ἐν εὐτελεῖ καί τ' ἄλλα, ὅσα τῆς ἀρετῆς εἰσιν ἐκμαρ τύρια, τῶν περισσῶν ἐστι διηγῆσθαι. Ὁμοίως δὴ πάλιν καὶ τῆς αὐτῶν ὁσίας καὶ πνευματικῆς μητρός, τῆς εἰς ἐκείνην συνδρομῆς καὶ θεωρίας βασιλέως καὶ δεσποινῶν καὶ ἀρχόντων καὶ ἀρχοντισσῶν, αἱ μὲν δι' ἐξο μολόγησιν, αἱ δὲ δι' εὐχὴν καὶ θεωρίαν, τίς ἂν ἀκριβῶς καὶ ταῦτα καὶ τὴν ἐκείνης ἀρετὴν δυνηθείη ἀκριβῶς διηγήσασθεν; 18.7 Ἓν δὲ καὶ μόνον διηγησάμενοι δείξομεν πάντα ἀληθῆ. Τῷ ῥη θέντι μεγάλῳ Σαββάτῳ, ᾧπερ μοι συμβέβηκεν, ἅπερ διηγησάμην, καθη μένης μετὰ τελετὴν τῆς λειτουργίας ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ καὶ σὺν αὐτῇ πᾶσαι αἱ καλογραῖαι αὐτῆς καὶ προσμένουσαι, ἵνα μικρόν τι καὶ ἀπογεύσωνται διὰ τὴν τοῦ ἀντιδώρου μετάληψιν, εἶτα εἰς τὰς Πράξεις τῶν Ἀποστόλων τεθῆναι ἀνάγνωσιν, λέγει ἡ ὁσία· Καλογραῖαι, ἐγείρεσθε· Αἱ δέ· Τί ἐστί σοι χρεία, κυρία ἡμῶν ἁγία; Ἡ δέ· Τῷ κυρίῳ Γεωργίῳ προσῆλθε πειρασμός· καὶ ἵνα δεηθῶμεν τῆς θεοτόκου ὑπὲρ ἐκείνου. Τὸ δὲ ἀκού σασαι πᾶσαι, ἐξαιρέτως δὲ αἱ τῆς μητρός μου ἀδελφαί, καὶ γὰρ ἑτέρα ἀδελφὴ καὶ ὑστέρα γέγονε κἀκείνη καλογραία καὶ ὑποτακτικὴ αὐτῆς καλή, προσέδραμον μετὰ δακρύων· Τί ἐστι τοῦτο, κυρία ἡμῶν ἁγία; Ἡ δὲ πρὸς αὐτάς· Μὴ θροεῖσθε· ὁ θεὸς ὁ συγχωρήσας τὸν πειρασμὸν θέλει χορηγήσει καὶ τὴν βοήθειαν καὶ διάλυσιν αὐτοῦ δὴ τοῦ πειρασμοῦ. Καὶ σταθεῖσαι ἔψαλλον τὴν εἰς τὴν θεοτόκον παράκλησιν μετὰ δακρύων. Τούτου τί κρεῖττον ἐκμαρτύριον τῆς εἰς θεὸν ἐκείνης ἀρετῆς καὶ οἰκειώ σεως; 18.8 Ζήσασα οὖν οὕτω καλῶς καὶ πολλὰ ἐκμαρτύρια τῆς ἀρετῆς αὐτῆς ἐνδείξας ὁ θεός, τέλος καὶ ὁ θάνατος αὐτῆς τίμιος ἐναντίον Κυρίου καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων προέβη. Ἡμέρας γάρ τινας ἀσθενήσασα μικρὸν καὶ πά σας κοινῶς