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Afterwards she extended her hand and showed me an iron figure of the cross and a certain ring of the same material, both of which were hung from a thin cord and were always upon her heart. And I said: “Let the possession be shared. You keep the amulet of the cross; for me the inheritance of the ring will be enough.” For on its seal the cross was engraved; gazing at which the woman said to me again: “Your choice of this possession was not without purpose. For the ring is hollow in the bezel and in it is hidden a piece of the wood of life; and thus the seal above by its own figure indicates what lies beneath.”

31 And when it was time for the pure body to be covered with the garment and the command of the great one made this service necessary for me, the one who shared with us in that great inheritance, being present at the work and assisting, said, “Do not pass over untold the greatest of the wonders accomplished by this holy woman.” -”What is that?” I said. And she, baring a part of her breast, said, “Do you see this thin and indistinct mark under the skin? It resembles a mark made by a fine needle.” And at the same time she brought the lamp closer to the spot she was showing me. “What then,” I said, “is so wondrous, if the body is marked in this part with some indistinct sign?” -”This,” she said, “remains on the body as a memorial of the great help of God. For since a grievous affliction once grew in this part, and there was a danger that either the tumor would have to be cut out or the evil would advance altogether and in every way to an incurable state, if it should approach the region of the heart, her mother, she said, pleaded much and besought her to accept the care of the physician, since this art also was shown by God for the salvation of men. But she, judging the baring of any part of her body to strange eyes more grievous than the affliction, when evening came, after she had performed for her mother the usual service with her hands, went inside the sanctuary, fell down all night before the God of healings, and pouring out the water flowing from her eyes to the ground, she used the mud from her tears as a remedy for the affliction; and when her mother was despondent and again urged her to give in to the physician, she said that it would be sufficient for the healing of her affliction if her mother would place the holy seal on the spot with her own hand. And when her mother put her hand inside her bosom, in order to seal the part, the seal took effect, and the affliction was no more. But this, she said, this small mark was then seen instead of the dreadful tumor, and remained until the end, so that, I think, it might be a memorial of the divine visitation as a cause and ground for continual thanksgiving to God.”

32 When our task had an end and the body was adorned from the things at hand, the deaconess said again that it was not fitting for her to be seen by the eyes of the virgins dressed like a bride. “But I have,” she said, “a dark mantle of your mother’s that has been kept, which I say it is well to place over her, so that this sacred beauty might not be made brilliant by the external adornment of her clothing.” What was decided prevailed, and the mantle was placed upon her; and she shone even in the dark garment, as the divine power, I think, added this grace also to the body, so that, in accordance with the vision of the dream, certain rays seemed to shine forth exactly from her beauty.

33 And as we were engaged in these things and the psalmody of the virgins mingled with lamentations resounded through the place, I know not how, the report having suddenly spread everywhere in the vicinity, all the neighbors streamed together to the sad event, so that the forecourt was no longer sufficient to hold those who ran together. Therefore, when the all-night vigil for her was being celebrated with hymns, just as at a festival of martyrs, when dawn came, the multitude of men who had flocked together from all the neighborhood

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κατόπιν προέτεινε τὴν χεῖρα καὶ δείκνυσί μοι σιδήρεον τοῦ σταυροῦ τύπον καὶ δακτύλιόν τινα τῆς αὐτῆς ὕλης, ἅπερ ἀμφότερα λεπτῆς ὁρμιᾶς ἐξημμένα ἐπὶ τῆς καρδίας διὰ παντὸς ἦν. Καὶ ἐγὼ εἶπον· «Κοινὸν γενέσθω τὸ κτῆμα. Καὶ σὺ μὲν ἔχε τὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ φυλακτήριον· ἐμοὶ δὲ ἀρκέσει ἡ τοῦ δακτυλίου κληρονομία.» Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς τούτου σφραγῖ δος ὁ σταυρὸς ἐγκεχάρακτο· ᾧ ἐνατενίσασά φησι πάλιν πρὸς ἐμὲ ἡ γυνή· «Οὐκ ἀπὸ σκοποῦ σοι γέγονεν ἡ ἐκλογὴ τοῦδε τοῦ κτήματος. Κοῖλος γὰρ κατὰ τὴν σφενδόνην ἐστὶν ὁ δακτύλιος καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ ἐν τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς κατακέκρυ πται· καὶ οὕτως ἄνωθεν ἡ σφραγὶς τῷ ἰδίῳ τύπῳ μηνύει τὸ ὑποκείμενον.»

31 Ὡς δὲ καὶ περικαλυφθῆναι τῇ ἐσθῆτι τὸ καθαρὸν σῶμα καιρὸς ἦν κἀμοὶ τὴν διακονίαν ταύτην ἡ ἐντολὴ τῆς μεγάλης ἀναγκαίαν ἐποίει, παροῦσα τῷ ἔργῳ καὶ συνεφαπτομένη ἡ τῆς μεγάλης ἐκείνης κληρονομίας ἡμῖν κοινωνήσασα· «Μὴ παραδράμῃς, φησίν, ἀνιστόρητον τὸ μέγιστον τῶν ὑπὸ τῆς ἁγίας ταύτης κατορθωθέντων θαυμάτων.» -»Τί τοῦτο;» ἔφην ἐγώ. Ἡ δὲ μέρος τι τοῦ στήθους παραγυμνώσασα· «Ὁρᾷς, ἔφη, τὸ λεπτὸν τοῦτο καὶ ἀφανὲς ὑπὸ τὴν δέρριν σημεῖον; στίγματι προσέοικε διὰ λεπτῆς ῥαφίδος ἐγγενομένῳ.» Καὶ ἅμα τὸν λύχνον ἐγγύτερον ἐποίει τοῦ δεικνυμένου μοι τόπου. «Τί οὖν, εἶπον, θαυμαστόν, εἰ ἀφανεῖ τινι σημείῳ τὸ σῶμα κατὰ τοῦτο τὸ μέρος ἔστι κται;» -»Τοῦτο, φησί, τῆς μεγάλης τοῦ θεοῦ βοηθείας μνημόσυνον τῷ σώματι λείπεται. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔφυ ποτέ τι κατὰ τὸ μέρος τοῦτο πάθος ἀνιαρὸν καὶ κίνδυνος ἦν ἢ ἀνατμη θῆναι τὸν ὄγκον ἢ πάντῃ καὶ πάντως εἰς ἀνήκεστον προελ θεῖν τὸ κακόν, εἰ τοῖς κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν τόποις πελάσειεν, ἐδέετο μὲν ἡ μήτηρ, φησί, πολλὰ καὶ ἱκέτευε παραδέξασθαι τοῦ ἰατροῦ τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν, ὡς καὶ ταύτης ἐκ θεοῦ τῆς τέχνης ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων καταδειχθείσης. Ἡ δὲ τὸ γυμνῶσαί τι τοῦ σώματος ὀφθαλμοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις τοῦ πάθους χαλεπώτερον κρίνασα, ἑσπέρας καταλαβούσης, ἐπειδὴ τῇ μητρὶ τὴν συνήθη διὰ τῶν χειρῶν ὑπηρεσίαν ἐπλήρωσεν, ἐντὸς γενομένη τοῦ παναγιαστηρίου παν νύχιον προσπίπτει τῷ θεῷ τῶν ἰάσεων καὶ τὸ ἀπορρυὲν τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ὕδωρ πρὸς τὴν γῆν ἀναχέασα τῷ ἐκ τῶν δακρύων πηλῷ φαρμάκῳ πρὸς τὸ πάθος ἐχρήσατο· τῆς δὲ μητρὸς ἀθύμως διακειμένης καὶ πάλιν ἐνδοῦναι τῷ ἰατρῷ παρακαλούσης ἀρκεῖν ἔλεγε πρὸς θεραπείαν ἑαυτῇ τοῦ κακοῦ, εἰ τῇ ἰδίᾳ χειρὶ ἡ μήτηρ ἐπιβάλοι τῷ τόπῳ τὴν ἁγίαν σφραγῖδα. Ὡς δὲ ἐντὸς ἐποιήσατο τοῦ κόλπου τὴν χεῖρα ἡ μήτηρ, ἐφ' ᾧ τε περισφραγίσαι τὸ μέρος, ἡ μὲν σφραγὶς ἐνήργει, τὸ δὲ πάθος οὐκ ἦν. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο, φησί, τὸ βραχὺ σημεῖον καὶ τότε ἀντὶ τοῦ φρικτοῦ ἑωράθη ὄγκου καὶ μέχρι τέλους παρέμεινεν, ὡς ἄν, οἶμαι, τῆς θείας ἐπισκέψεως μνημόσυνον εἴη πρὸς ἀφορμὴν καὶ ὑπόθεσιν τῆς διηνεκοῦς πρὸς τὸν θεὸν εὐχαριστίας.»

32 Ἐπεὶ δὲ πέρας εἶχεν ἡμῖν ἡ σπουδὴ καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἐνόν των περιεκοσμήθη τὸ σῶμα, πάλιν φησὶν ἡ διάκονος μὴ πρέπειν νυμφικῶς ἐσταλμένην αὐτὴν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς τῶν παρθένων ὁρᾶσθαι. «Ἀλλ' ἔστι μοι, φησί, τῆς μητρὸς τῆς ὑμετέρας τῶν φαιῶν πεφυλαγμένον ἱμάτιον, ὃ ἄνωθεν ἐπιβληθῆναι καλῶς ἔχειν φημί, ὡς ἂν μὴ τῷ ἐπεισάκτῳ διὰ τῆς ἐσθῆτος κόσμῳ τὸ ἱερὸν τοῦτο κάλλος λαμπρύνοιτο.» Ἐκράτει τὰ δεδογμένα καὶ τὸ ἱμάτιον ἐπεβλήθη· ἡ δὲ ἔλαμπε καὶ ἐν τῷ φαιῷ, τῆς θεῖας, οἶμαι, δυνάμεως καὶ ταύτην προσθείσης τὴν χάριν τῷ σώματι, ὥστε κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ἐνυπνίου ὄψιν ἀκριβῶς αὐγάς τινας ἐκ τοῦ κάλλους ἐκλάμ πειν δοκεῖν.

33 Ὡς δὲ ἡμεῖς ἐν τούτοις ἦμεν καὶ αἱ ψαλμῳδίαι τῶν παρθένων τοῖς θρήνοις καταμιχθεῖσαι περιήχουν τὸν τό πον, οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως ἐν κύκλῳ πανταχόθεν ἀθρόως τῆς φήμης διαχεθείσης πάντες οἱ περιοικοῦντες ἐπὶ τὸ πάθος συνέρρεον, ὡς μηκέτι τὸ προαύλιον ἱκανὸν εἶναι χωρεῖν τοὺς συντρέχοντας. Τῆς οὖν παννυχίδος περὶ αὐτὴν ἐν ὑμνῳδίαις καθάπερ ἐπὶ μαρτύρων πανηγύρεως τελε σθείσης, ἐπειδὴ ὄρθρος ἐγένετο, τὸ μὲν πλῆθος τῶν ἐκ πάσης τῆς περιοικίδος συρρυέντων ἀνδρῶν