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A virgin, of marriageable age, under his authority, leaving her mother and her family, fled to a women's quarter that was a company of athletes; for women also struggle in a way similar to men and enter the stadium of virtue. When the general learned of her flight, he flogged her mother and hung her up; and he did not release her from her bonds until she pointed out the lodging of the pious women. Using his characteristic rage, then, he seized the girl from there and brought her back to the house; and the miserable man hoped to satisfy his own licentiousness. But he who tested Pharaoh with great and grievous trials concerning Sarah, the wife of Abraham, and kept the chaste woman untouched, and who struck the Sodomites with blindness when they attempted to do violence to the incorporeal beings as if they were strangers, this one, having struck this man's sight with blindness, arranged for the prey to escape from the midst of the nets; and while he himself was entering the chamber, she, who was being guarded inside, immediately went out and was gone, and reached her most-desired lodging. Thus the foolish man, learning that he would not prevail over her who had chosen the divine bridegroom, was compelled to keep quiet, no longer seeking her who had been caught and had escaped by divine power. 9.13 After some time had passed, she fell into a grievous affliction—the affliction was cancer—; and as her breast swelled, the pain also increased. But she would call upon the great Peter at the height of her pain, and she used to say that as soon as that sacred voice struck her ears, all that pain was put to sleep and she experienced not even a slight distressing sensation from it. For this reason, sending for him rather frequently, she enjoyed comfort; for she said that every time he was present, the pains completely went away. But her, having thus struggled, he sent forth from this life with praises of victory. 9.14 Again, my mother, who after my birth-pangs was at the very gates of death, he, having been implored by my nurse, came and snatched from the hands of death. For she lay, as they say, with the doctors having given up, and her family wailing and awaiting the end, with her eyes closed, possessed by a raging fever, not recognizing any of her acquaintances. But when he who was deemed worthy of the apostolic title and grace arrived and uttered, “Peace to you, little child”—for this was his form of address—, it is said that she immediately opened her eyelids and looked intently at him and announced the fruit of the blessing. And when the company of women cried out—for despair and cheer were mixed at the same time—and made that shout, the divine man urged all to join him in prayer; for thus, he said, Tabitha had also obtained salvation, while the widows were weeping and the great Peter was offering their tears to God. They supplicated as he commanded and they received as he had foretold; for as the prayer reached its end, the sickness also reached its end, and sweat suddenly flowed from all over, and that fire was extinguished, and the signs of health appeared. 9.15 Such are the wonders the Master works even in our times through the prayers of His servants. His very skin, <through> his garments, worked in a manner similar to the most divine Paul. And I have set this down not using any hyperbole but having the truth as my witness. For having cut his own belt in two—it was wide and long, woven from thick linen—, with one half of it he girded his own loins, and with the other he girded mine. My mother, by placing this on me many times when I was sick, and many times on my father, drove away the sickness; and she herself by this remedy towards health

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ἀπειρόγαμος ὥραν ἔχουσα γάμου ὑπὸ τὴν τούτου δεσποτείαν τελοῦσα, τὴν μητέρα καταλιποῦσα καὶ τοὺς οἰκείους εἰς γυναικωνῖτιν κατέφυγε συμμορίαν ἔχουσαν ἀθλητῶν· ἀγωνίζονται γὰρ καὶ γυναῖκες τοῖς ἀνδράσι παραπλησίως καὶ εἰς τὸ τῆς ἀρετῆς καταβαίνουσι στάδιον. Ταύτης μαθὼν ὁ στρατηγὸς τὴν φυγὴν ἐμαστίγου τὴν μητέρα καὶ ἐκρεμάννυ· καὶ οὐ πρότερον ἀφῆκε δεσμῶν ἕως τὸ τῶν εὐσεβῶν γυναικῶν ὑπέδειξε καταγώγιον. Τῇ λύττῃ τοίνυν τῇ οἰκείᾳ χρησάμενος, ἥρπασεν ἐκεῖθεν τὴν κόρην καὶ εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν ἐπανήγαγε· καὶ ἤλπισεν ὁ δείλαιος τὴν οἰκείαν κορέσειν ἀκολασίαν. Ἀλλ' ὁ τὸν Φαραὼ ἐτασμοῖς μεγάλοις καὶ πονηροῖς ἐτάσας περὶ Σάρρας τῆς γυναικὸς Ἀβραὰμ καὶ ἀνέπαφον φυλάξας τὴν σώφρονα καὶ τοὺς Σοδομίτας πατάξας ἀορασίᾳ ἐμπαροινεῖν ὡς ξένοις τοῖς ἀσωμάτοις ἐπιχειρήσαντας, οὗτος καὶ τούτου τὸ ὀπτικὸν ἀορασίᾳ βαλὼν ἐκ μέσου τῶν δικτύων τὸ θήραμα διαφυγεῖν παρεσκεύασε· καὶ εἰς τὸν θάλαμον αὐτὸς μὲν εἰσῄει, ἐκείνη δὲ ἔνδον φυλαττομένη παραυτίκα ἐξῄει καὶ φροῦδος ἦν καὶ τὸ τριπόθητον αὐτῇ κατελάμβανε καταγώγιον. Οὕτω μαθὼν ὁ ἀνόητος ὡς τῆς τὸν θεῖον μνηστῆρα προελομένης οὐ περιέσται, ἡσυχίαν ἄγειν ἠναγκάζετο οὐκέτι τὴν ἁλοῦσαν καὶ θείᾳ δυνάμει διαφυγοῦσαν ἐπιζητῶν. 9.13 Αὕτη χρόνου διελθόντος παθήματι περιέπεσε χαλεπῷ -καρκίνος δὲ τὸ πάθος ἦν-· τῷ δὲ μαστῷ ἐξογκουμένῳ καὶ ἡ ὀδύνη συνηύξετο. Ἀλλὰ τὸν μέγαν ἐκάλει Πέτρον ἐν τῇ τῆς ὀδύνης ἀκμῇ καὶ ἔφασκεν εὐθὺς τῆς ἱερᾶς ἐκείνης φωνῆς εἰς τὰ ὦτα βαλλομένης, πᾶσαν ἐκείνην τὴν ὀδύνην κοιμίζεσθαι καὶ μηδὲ βραχεῖαν ἐκεῖθεν αἴσθησιν ἀνιαρὰν ὑποδέχεσθαι. Τούτου χάριν αὐτὸν καὶ συχνότερον μετα πεμπομένη ψυχαγωγίας ἀπέλαυεν· ἅπαντα γὰρ ἔλεγε τὸν τῆς ἐκείνου παρουσίας καιρὸν παντελῶς τὰς ἀλγηδόνας ἀφίστασθαι. Ἀλλ' ἐκείνην μὲν οὕτως ἀγωνισαμένην μετὰ τῶν ἐπινικίων ἐπαίνων ἐκ τοῦδε τοῦ βίου προέπεμψεν. 9.14 Πάλιν δὲ τὴν μητέρα τὴν ἐμὴν μετὰ τὰς ἐμὰς ὠδῖνας παρ' αὐτὰς γενομένην τοῦ θανάτου τὰς πύλας, ὑπὸ τῆς τιτθῆς λιπαρηθεὶς ἀφικόμενος ἐξήρπασε τῶν τοῦ θανάτου χειρῶν. Ἔκειτο γάρ, ὥς φασιν, ἀπειρηκότων μὲν τῶν ἰατρῶν, τῶν δὲ οἰκείων ὀλοφυρομένων καὶ προσδεχομένων τὸ τέλος, μεμυκότας ἔχουσα τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς, λάβρῳ πυρετῷ κατε χομένη, οὐδένα τῶν συνήθων ἐπιγινώσκουσα. Ὡς δὲ ἧκεν ὁ τῆς ἀποστολικῆς καὶ προσηγορίας ἠξιωμένος καὶ χάριτος καὶ "Εἰρήνη σοι, τεκνίον" ἐφθέγξατο-τοῦτο γὰρ ἦν αὐτῷ πρόσρημα-, παραυτίκα λέγεται καὶ τὰ βλέφαρα ἀναπτύξαι καὶ ἀτενὲς εἰς αὐτὸν ἰδεῖν καὶ τῆς εὐλογίας τὸν καρπὸν ἐπαγγεῖλαι. Ὡς δὲ ἀνωλόλυξε τῶν γυναικῶν ὁ χορός-ἀθυμία γὰρ καὶ εὐθυμία κατὰ ταὐτὸν ἐκεράσθησαν - καὶ τὴν βοὴν ἐκείνην εἰργάσαντο, παρεγγυᾷ ὁ θεῖος ἄνθρωπος κοινωνῆσαι αὐτῷ τῆς προσευχῆς ἁπάσας· οὕτω γὰρ ἔλεγε καὶ τὴν Ταβίθαν τῆς σωτηρίας τετυχηκέναι, τῶν μὲν χηρῶν ὀδυρομένων, τοῦ δὲ μεγάλου Πέτρου τὰ ἐκείνων δάκρυα προσφέροντος τῷ θεῷ. Ἱκέτευον ὡς ἐκέλευσε καὶ ἐλάμβανον ὡς προείρηκε· τέλος γὰρ τῆς εὐχῆς δεξαμένης, τέλος καὶ ἡ νόσος ἐδέχετο καὶ ἱδρὼς ἐξαίφνης πάντοθεν ἔρρει καὶ τὸ πῦρ ἐκεῖνο ἐσβέννυτο καὶ τὰ τῆς ὑγιείας ἀνεφαίνετο σημεῖα. 9.15 Τοιαῦτα καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἡμετέροις χρόνοις διὰ τῶν εὐχῶν τῶν θεραπόντων αὐτοῦ ὁ δεσπότης θαυματουργεῖ. Τούτου καὶ ὁ χρὼς <διὰ> τῶν ἱματίων τῷ θειοτάτῳ Παύλῳ παραπλησίως ἐνήργει. Καὶ τοῦτο οὐχ ὑπερβολῇ τινι χρώμενος τέθηκα ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν συνομολογοῦσαν ἔχων. Τὴν γὰρ οἰκείαν ζώνην διχῇ τεμών-πλατεῖα δὲ ἦν καὶ μακρὰ ἀπὸ λίνου παχέος πεπλεγμένη-, τῷ μὲν ἡμίσει ταύτης τὴν οἰκείαν ὀσφῦν, τῷ ἑτέρῳ δὲ διέζωσε τὴν ἐμήν. Ταύτην πολλάκις μὲν ἐμοὶ νοσοῦντι ἐπιθεῖσα ἡ μήτηρ, πολλάκις δὲ τῷ πατρὶ τὴν νόσον ἀπήλασε· καὶ αὐτὴ δὲ τούτῳ τῷ φαρμάκῳ πρὸς ὑγίειαν