holy baptism; and I am no spirit, but embers and ashes, and all flesh, and [having no spiritual appearance.' When she had thus said], she blessed her face with the holy sign of the cross, and she fortified her eyes and lips and even her breast with the sign of blessing, and thus said: ' God deliver us. Abbot Zosimus, from our adversary and from his instigations, because that great is his spite against us.' The old man, hearing these words, prostrated himself, [and seized her feet, saying with tears: 'I conjure thee, by the Lord Jesus Christ, our true Lord, who condescended to be born of a virgin, for whose sake thou hast wasted this thy flesh, to hide nothing from thy servant, as to who thou art, and whence, and when or for what reason thou didst first dwell in this solitude; but tell me all things about thyself, that thou mayest make manifest the wondrous doings of God. For as to hidden wisdom and a hidden treasure, what use is there in either, as it is written? Tell me everything for God's sake; for thou wilt not say anything for vainglory or ostentation, but to satisfy me, who am a sinner and unworthy. For I trust in God, for whom thou livest and with whom thou hast converse, that for this very cause I was directed to this wilderness, that God might make manifest the things concerning thee. For it is not in our power to resist the judgments of God. Unless it had been acceptable to Christ the Lord to make known both thee and thy strivings, He would neither have permitted thee to be seen by any one, nor would He have strengthened me to set out on so long a journey, who was not able to travel anywhere, nor strong enough to walk beyond my cell.'
Chap. XII. Whilst he was speaking thus, and saying other things besides, the woman lifted him up, and said: " Of a truth I blush — pardon me, father abbot — to tell thee the vileness of my deeds; yet, since thou hast seen my body naked, I will also lay bare to thee the very performances of my deeds, that thou mayest know how replete is my soul with vile lechery and shame of confusion. For, as thou hast thyself truly supposed, I do not wish to tell the things concerning myself out of any vainglory.
