for the hope of the reward for which thou hast so greatly toiled. Stand and give me the blessing of thy prayer, through the God who rejecteth no man from Him.' These words Zosimus verily pronounced with tears.
Then came she, running, to a certain place, in which were signs as it were of a dried up burn [stream]; when they had come thither, then she shot into the burn, and again up on the other side. Then Zosimus crying aloud, and in no direction advancing (?) forwards, stood there on the other side of the burn which was there visible, and added tears to tears, and multiplied sighs upon sighs, so that nothing was heard there save the lamentation of mourning. Then indeed the figure which fled there sent forth this voice and thus spake, 'Thou, Abbot Zosimus, have pity on me for God's sake, I pray thee, because I cannot show myself to thee and turn towards thee; for I am a person of female sex, and totally bereaved of bodily clothing, even as thou thyself seest, and having the shame of my body uncovered. But if thou desirest to grant me, a poor evil-doer, thy salutary prayers, then cast me hither thy mantle with which thou art clothed, that I may cover my womanly weakness, and turn to thee and receive thy prayers.'
Then indeed a great awe and fright seized Zosimus, because he heard her name him by his name, whom she had never before seen, nor had ever heard tell it before, except that he manifestly perceived that she was enlightened with divine foreknowledge. Then he confidently did even as she had prayed him, ungirded the mantle with which he was clothed, and, turning his back, threw it to her. This she then received, and covered her body, and girded herself about the part that she most required to do, and [which there] was most need to conceal. Then she turned to Zosimus and said to him, ' Why hadst thou, oh Abbot Zosimus, so great need to see me, a sinful woman, or what desirest thou to have from me or to know, that thou hast not slacked to perform so great labour on my account?' Then he straightway prostrated himself on the earth, and besought her blessing; she in turn prostrated herself and besought his blessing. Then after the space of many hours the woman said to Zosimus,
