12

27 But when somehow, as if from some deep abyss, I recovered my soul, gazing at that holy head, as if rebuked for the disorder of those who were making a clamor with their lamentation; “Look upon her,” I said, shouting with a loud voice to the virgins, “and remember her commandments, by which you were taught by her what is orderly and seemly in all things. This divine soul legislated for you one time for tears, enjoining you to do this in the time of prayer; which it is also possible to do now, with the wailing of lamentations being changed into sympathetic psalmody.” These things I said in a louder voice, so that I might overcome the sound of the lamentations. Then I asked them to move a little to the nearby house, and for some of them to be left behind, whose service she had gladly accepted in her life.

28 Among these was a certain respectable woman, who in her youth had been distinguished for her wealth, birth, beauty of body, and other eminence; and having been married to a man of very high rank and lived with him a short time, and been separated from the marriage union in her young body, she had made the great Macrina the guardian and teacher of her widowhood, and spent most of her time with the virgins, learning from them the life of virtue. The woman's name was Vetiana, whose father, Araxius, was one of those who served in the senatorial council; to her I said that it would not be invidious, now at least, to place brighter adornment on the body and to deck that pure and spotless flesh with splendid linens. But she said that it was necessary to learn what had been approved by the saint as being proper concerning these matters; for it would not be pious for anything to be done by us contrary to what was pleasing to her. And in any case, whatever is dear and well-pleasing to God would also be according to her mind.

29 And there was one who was the leader of the choir of virgins, with the rank of deaconess, Lampadion by name; who said she knew precisely her decisions concerning the burial. And when I asked her about these things (for she happened to be present at the deliberation), she said these things, speaking with tears: “For the saint, a pure life was her zealous adornment; this is both the embellishment of her life and the burial shroud of her death; but whatever pertains to the adornment of the body, she neither accepted in her lifetime nor stored up for the present use, so that even if we wished, there would be nothing more for us than the preparation at hand”-”And is it not possible to find among the things laid up,” I said, “anything that could adorn the funeral procession?” - “What things laid up?” she said. “You have in your hands all her store: behold her cloak, behold the covering of her head, the worn-out sandals of her feet; this is her wealth, this is her abundance. Nothing beyond what is seen is laid away in secret chests or secured chambers. She knew one storehouse for her own wealth, the heavenly treasure; having laid up everything there, she left nothing behind on the earth.” -“What then,” I said to her, “if I were to bring some of the things prepared by me for the burial—will anything be done through this that is against her will?” She said she did not think this would be against her mind; for she would have accepted such an honor from you even while living, on both accounts, both because of your priesthood which was always honored by her, and because of your kinship by nature; for she would not have considered what belongs to her brother as foreign to herself. For this reason also she commanded that her body be adorned by your hands.

30 Since this was decided and it was necessary to wrap that sacred body in the linens, we divided the task, each one busying himself with something concerning her. And I for my part commanded one of my own to bring the robe, while the aforementioned Vetiana was adorning that holy head with her own hands, when she brought her hand to her neck; “Behold,” she says, looking at me, “what sort of necklace adornment hangs from the saint.” And while saying this, she loosened the fastening from the

12

27 Ἐπεὶ δέ πως καθάπερ ἐκ βυθοῦ τινος τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ἀνελεξάμην πρὸς τὴν ἁγίαν ἐκείνην κεφαλὴν ἀτενί σας, ὥσπερ ἐπιτιμηθεὶς ἐπὶ τῇ ἀταξίᾳ τῶν ἐπιθορυβούντων διὰ τοῦ θρήνου· «Πρὸς ταύτην βλέψατε, εἶπον μεγάλῃ τῇ φωνῇ πρὸς τὰς παρθένους βοήσας, καὶ τῶν παραγγελμάτων αὐτῆς ἀναμνήσθητε, δι' ὧν τὸ ἐν παντὶ τεταγμένον καὶ εὔσχημον παρ' αὐτῆς ἐπαιδεύθητε. Ἕνα καιρὸν δακρύων ὑμῖν ἡ θεία ψυχὴ αὕτη ἐνομοθέτησεν ἐν τῷ τῆς προσευχῆς καιρῷ τοῦτο πράττειν παρεγγυήσασα· ὃ καὶ νῦν ποιεῖν ἔξεστι, τῆς τῶν θρήνων οἰμωγῆς εἰς συμπαθῆ ψαλμῳδίαν μετατεθείσης.» Ταῦτ' ἔλεγον μείζονι τῇ φωνῇ, ὡς ἂν τὸν ἦχον τῶν θρήνων ὑπερηχήσαιμι. Εἶτα μεταστῆναι πα ρεκάλεσα μικρὸν ἐπὶ τὸν σύνεγγυς οἶκον, καταλειφθῆναι δέ τινας ἐξ αὐτῶν, ὧν ἡδέως ἐν τῇ ζωῇ τὴν θεραπείαν προσίετο.

28 Ἐν ταύταις ἦν γυνή τις τῶν εὐσχημόνων πλούτῳ καὶ γένει καὶ τῇ τοῦ σώματος ὥρᾳ καὶ τῇ λοιπῇ περιφανείᾳ περί βλεπτος ἐν νεότητι γενομένη· καὶ συνοικισθεῖσά τινι τῶν ἐπὶ μείζονος ἀξίας καὶ βραχὺν συνοικήσασα χρόνον καὶ ἐν νέῳ τῷ σώματι τῆς συζυγίας διαζευχθεῖσα, φύλακά τε καὶ παιδαγωγὸν τῆς χηρείας τὴν μεγάλην Μακρίναν ποιη σαμένη, συνῆν τὰ πολλὰ ταῖς παρθένοις τὸν πρὸς ἀρετὴν βίον παρ' αὐτῶν ἐκδιδασκομένη. Οὐετιανὴ δὲ ὄνομα τῇ γυναικί, ἧς ὁ πατὴρ Ἀράξιος ἦν τῶν εἰς τὴν ὕπατον συντελούντων βουλήν· πρὸς ταύτην εἶπον ἀνεπίφθονον εἶναι νῦν γοῦν τὸν φαιδρότερον ἐπιβαλεῖν κόσμον τῷ σώματι καὶ λαμπραῖς ὀθόναις κατακοσμῆσαι τὴν καθαρὰν ἐκείνην καὶ ἀκηλίδωτον σάρκα. Ἡ δὲ μαθεῖν ἔφη χρῆναι, τί τῇ ἁγίᾳ περὶ τούτων καλῶς ἔχειν ἐδοκιμάσθη· μὴ γὰρ εὐαγὲς εἶναι παρὰ τὸ κεχαρισμένον αὐτῇ τι παρ' ἡμῶν γενέσθαι. Πάντως δὲ ὃ τῷ θεῷ φίλον τε καὶ εὐάρεστον, κἀκείνῃ καταθύμιον εἶναι.

29 Καὶ ἦν τις προτεταγμένη τοῦ χοροῦ τῆς παρθενίας ἐν τῷ τῆς διακονίας βαθμῷ, Λαμπάδιον ὄνομα αὐτῇ· ἣ ἀκριβῶς ἔφη γινώσκειν περὶ τῶν κατὰ τὴν ταφὴν δεδογμένων ἐκείνῃ. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἠρόμην αὐτὴν περὶ τούτων (παροῦσα γὰρ ἔτυχε τῇ βουλεύσει), ἔφη μετὰ δακρύων ταῦτα λέγουσα· «Τῇ ἁγίᾳ κόσμος ὁ καθαρὸς βίος διεσπου δάσθη· τοῦτο καὶ τῆς ζωῆς ἐγκαλλώπισμα καὶ τοῦ θανάτου ἐντάφιον ἐκείνῃ ἐστί· τὰ δ' ὅσα πρὸς καλλωπισμὸν σώ ματος βλέπει, οὔτε ἐν τῷ τῆς ζωῆς χρόνῳ προσήκατο οὔτε εἰς τὴν παροῦσαν χρῆσιν ἐταμιεύσατο, ὥστε οὐδὲ βουλομέ νοις ἡμῖν ἔσται τι πλέον τῆς εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦτο παρασκευῆς παρούσης»-»Καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τοῖς ἀποκειμένοις εὑρεῖν, ἔφην ἐγώ, τῶν ἐπικοσμῆσαί τι δυναμένων τὴν ἐκφοράν;» - «Ποίοις, εἶπεν, ἀποκειμένοις; ἐν χερσὶν ἔχεις πᾶν τὸ ἀπό θετον· ἰδοὺ τὸ ἱμάτιον, ἰδοὺ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἡ καλύπτρα, τὰ τετριμμένα τῶν ποδῶν ὑποδήματα· οὗτος ὁ πλοῦτος, αὕτη ἡ περιουσία. Οὐδὲν παρὰ τὸ φαινόμενον ἐν ἀποκρύ φοις ἀπόκειται κιβωτοῖς τισιν ἢ θαλάμοις ἠσφαλισμένον. Μίαν ἀποθήκην ᾔδει τοῦ ἰδίου πλούτου, τὸν θησαυρὸν τὸν οὐράνιον· ἐκεῖ πάντα ἀποθεμένη οὐδὲν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὑπε λείπετο». -»Τί οὖν, ἔφην πρὸς αὐτὴν ἐγώ, εἰ τῶν ἐμοί τι πρὸς τὴν ταφὴν ἡτοιμασμένων προσαγάγοιμι μή τι τῶν ἀβου λήτων αὐτῇ διὰ τούτου γενήσεται;» Οὐκ οἴεσθαι ἔφη τοῦτο παρὰ γνώμην εἶναι αὐτῇ· προσέσθαι γὰρ ἂν αὐτὴν καὶ ζῶσαν τὴν τοιαύτην παρὰ σοῦ τιμὴν κατ' ἀμφότερα, διά τε τὴν ἱερωσύνην τὴν ἀεὶ τιμίαν αὐτῇ καὶ διὰ τὴν κοινω νίαν τῆς φύσεως· μηδὲ γὰρ ἂν ἀλλότριον ἑαυτῆς τὸ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ νομίσαι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ταῖς σαῖς χερσὶ περι κοσμηθῆναι τὸ σῶμα διεκελεύσατο.

30 Ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῦτο ἐδέδοκτο καὶ ἔδει περισταλῆναι ταῖς ὀθόναις τὸ ἱερὸν σῶμα ἐκεῖνο, διελομένοι τὴν σπουδὴν ἄλλος ἄλλο τι περὶ αὐτὴν ἐπονοῦμεν. Καὶ ἐγὼ μὲν τὴν ἐσθῆτα τῶν ἐμῶν τινι προσαγαγεῖν ἐνεκελευσάμην, ἡ δὲ μνημονευθεῖσα Οὐετιανὴ τὴν ἁγίαν ἐκείνην κεφαλὴν ταῖς ἰδίαις χερσὶ κατακοσμοῦσα, ἐπειδὴ κατὰ τὸν αὐχένα τὴν χεῖρα ἤνεγκεν· «Ἰδού, φησί, πρὸς ἐμὲ βλέψασα, οἷος περιδέραιος κόσμος τῆς ἁγίας ἐξήρτηται.» Καὶ ἅμα τοῦτο λέγουσα ἐκλύσασα τὸν δεσμὸν ἐκ τοῦ