by Gerontius
Melania the younger was born in about 383, the daughter of Albina and Publicola, and granddaughter of Melania the elder. At the age of about fourteen she was married to Pinianus and bore him a son and a daughter both of whom died in infancy. (Palladius (see p. 50) states that she had two sons.) She persuaded Pinianus to give up his hope of heirs and to live with her as her spiritual brother rather than as a husband, and gradually to dispose of their vast family wealth. In 408 they left Rome and spent two years in Sicily and seven in Africa before settling in Jerusalem, as Melania’s grandmother had done before her. Melania visited the desert fathers in Egypt, and spent twelve years living on the Mount of Olives with Pinianus and her mother, both of whom died around 431. She then visited Constantinople to see her uncle, whom she persuaded to convert to Christianity. On her return to Jerusalem she was visited by the Empress Eudocia who was much influenced by her. Melania died on 31 December 439. The monasteries on the Mount of Olives that she founded survived until the Persian invasions in the sixth century. She was also an important collector of Greek and Roman Christian texts. Jerome mentions her in Letter 143 to Alypius and Augustine. Augustine, whom she met in Africa, dedicated On Grace and Original Sin to her, Pinianus and Albina.
Little is known about Gerontius apart from what we learn incidentally in the course of this account. It would seem that he composed it in Greek (still extant) and from this a Latin version, differing in various details, was made, though there is still controversy over which version came first. Gerontius came from Jerusalem and it has been suggested that he went to Rome as a boy and lived in the household of Melania and Pinianus, but he is also supposed to have been in charge of the monastery she founded in Jerusalem for forty-five years after her death. Certainly he was her constant companion for the long period of her life when she lived in Jerusalem. The Latin version of her life was written in about 452, and this is the first translation of it into English. Several suggestions have been made as to the identity of the addressee: it is likely to have been a bishop, possibly Theodosius of Jerusalem.
Prologue
Blessed be God who has inspired you, most holy priest of God, to write to my humble self, asking me to give an account of the life of our most holy mother Melania who lives with the angels. Earlier I refused you on the grounds that I was not capable of carrying out this task, but just as God did not give in to Moses when he refused to rule God’s people but gave him Moses’ brother to help him, so you, priest of Christ, granted us your prayers to help us to say something, although I was not up to it. I do not think that anyone could give an account of her virtues or her passionate commitment to the ascetic life or her faith, her great acts of generosity, her nights spent in prayer or lying on the bare earth, her patience in hardship, the degree of abstinence she practised, her gentleness, sobriety, humility and the poverty of her clothes. But if you grant an opportunity to one who is wise he will become wiser, as it says in Scripture.1 However, I do fear that when I speak in praise of Melania, I might do more harm than good because my account is defective. But I compare myself to the young fishermen who cast their nets into the sea: they know that they cannot catch all the fish, and even if they all got together they would not be able to do so: each of them just brings in as much as he can according to his own means. Or again, those who go into a garden where there are all kinds of lovely different trees and the flowers smell sweet – can they gather the contents of the whole garden? I will follow these examples, supported by your prayers, and cast my net to make a spiritual catch of the good works of our most holy mother. In case anyone should think to criticize me for praising a woman, I would say that one should not refer to her as a woman but as a man because she behaved like a man. It was she whom the wise Solomon speaks of when he talks of precious jewels.2 For it is inevitable that precious jewels pass away, but she who believed in the unity of the Trinity and by means of her faith adorned herself with the spiritual decoration of all the virtues, she who stood firm in God, living together with the choirs of angels and reigning with Christ in company with the martyrs, now rejoices to be crowned with the apostles. She reached the end of her course without stumbling, she received what the eye has not seen and the ear has not heard and has not ascended to the heart of man.3 By God’s grace many people have left to the world different accounts written at different periods for the edification of believers, to strengthen the faith and purpose of those who were interested. I thought it necessary to carry out my own purpose and provide this account for my own benefit and that of my contemporaries who would be fortified by the life of our holy mother: I am able to do this because I know certain facts that I witnessed myself while other things I learned from reliable souls.
And so, of her many achievements I will relate a few that I remember. The first one I will mention is my own salvation. For since I owe ten thousand talents,4 I hasten to pay the debt for my lack of literary polish, even though it is only a small debt. How shall I begin, what phrases shall I use to praise this wonderful mother of mine, for my speech is hardly elegant and I feel tongue-tied? What can I offer her, uneducated as I am, apart from the tears that caused her to give me hope of salvation? I hope that she will accept thanks from her servant in the form of a gift of words. For how could I repay her love? I ask God’s help, that he will be kind enough to use his powers to assist me for I wish to be able, through God’s grace, to give at least a partial account of Melania, in all moderation and honesty, while remembering her without ceasing: to do so I will need the medication of truth to drive out all forgetfulness that comes from foolish ignorance in the soul, and faith to drive out all perverse doubt. For if I wanted to relate her whole life I would run out of time before I had finished. Besides, how can her virtues be known to us when she used to conceal them, mindful of the saying: ‘Let not the left hand know what the right hand is doing’?5 But since saints’ virtues cannot always remain hidden, even if they wish to conceal them, God will reveal them for the sake of his servants’ glory and for the edification of others. I am weaving this text out of those facts her followers were able to tell me, so that the wise people who get the opportunity may become wiser and we may weave a crown of virtues worthy of this blessed woman.
1 Melania, who was the heiress of a senatorial family in the city of Rome, was forced to marry at the age of about fourteen. Her husband was the most blessed Pinianus and he was seventeen at the time. When she had had experience of marriage and had come to hate the world utterly, she made a request of her husband: ‘If you want to live with me according to the law of chastity and continence, I will acknowledge you as my master and will call you the guardian of my life; but if this seems difficult to you as a young man, take all my wealth and just give my body its freedom, so that I may do what I desire in accordance with God’s will.’ He replied to her, ‘Allow us to have two children to be heirs to our wealth and then, with God’s will, we will renounce this way of life.’ And so a daughter was born to them and they immediately consecrated her to the life of a virgin.
2 When Melania was told to go to the baths by her parents, she was forced to go even against her will. Going into the hot room, she used to just wash her face and wipe it for the sake of appearances. She would call all her servants to her and give them money, begging them not to betray her or tell her parents that she had not bathed properly. Then she would return from the baths, pretending that she had bathed. This shows how deeply embedded in her was the desire for God.
3 After some time had elapsed Pinianus, who was still attached to this world, was again urged by the saintly Melania to give in to her desire for chastity. But he refused, on the grounds that he still wanted another child.
4 So Melania tried to please God by despising her wealth, by secretly wearing coarse woollen underwear beneath her rich garments of linen and silk embroidered with gold. Later her aunt realized what she was doing, so she took Melania aside and began to reprimand her, telling her that she ought not to wear this kind of garment in any circumstances, in case her parents should find out and be cross with her and it put her at risk. Then Melania begged her aunt not to tell her parents what she had discovered.
5 Meanwhile, as the result of the saints’ prayers and God’s grace, it happened that a son was also born to them. This is how she came to give birth: it happened that the solemn feast day of the blessed martyr Laurence was being celebrated. Melania, in her spiritual enthusiasm, longed to go to the church of that holy martyr to hold a vigil there, but her parents would not allow her because she was too weak and delicate to be able to endure the strain it would put on her. So Melania, respecting her parents and wishing to please God, remained awake all night in the oratory in her house, on her knees, until morning, praying to God with many tears that he might fulfil her heart’s desire. At dawn her father sent Melania’s eunuch servants to check on his daughter, their mistress, asleep in her bedroom. When they got there they found her on her knees, engrossed in praying to the Lord. When she got up and looked round she saw them and got a terrible shock. She pleaded with them, promising them money not to tell her father what they had seen, but instead to tell him that they had found her asleep in her room. (Although she did this quite often, she still wanted to keep it secret.) Getting up early she went with her saintly mother to the church dedicated to the memory of the blessed Laurence, and there she prayed fervently with many tears to the Lord that she should be granted a desire for good in the service of God. On her way back from church she went into labour. In the grip of terrible pains she was in mortal danger. A baby boy was born prematurely and was baptized the same day, but the next day he migrated to the Lord.
6 When her husband Pinianus saw that she was in great pain and that her life was at risk, he suffered such anguish that he himself nearly died. He too hurried to the holy martyr, and prostrating himself before the altar he prayed earnestly to the Lord, in floods of tears, for Melania’s recovery, begging that he himself should die rather than see her die. Then Melania sent him a message saying, ‘If you want me to live, promise the Lord that from now on you will remain in a state of chastity with me. Then the Lord will come to me straight away.’ As soon as he heard these words, Pinianus made the promise as she had instructed. Immediately all pain ebbed away from her and Melania gave thanks to God, more for the self-control of her holy brother than for her own physical recovery. These things happened as the result of God’s providence. Melania rejoiced greatly at the young man’s promise and now that she was completely free she gave thanks to the Lord. Furthermore she took the opportunity offered by her baby’s death to give up wearing silk clothes or any jewellery. But while her father was trying to put much pressure on her, their baby daughter passed away in the Lord. Melania was deeply upset by this, but when her parents tried to console her she said to them, ‘I can only be consoled if you allow me to despise all worldly concerns.’ They said to her, ‘But how can we put up with criticism from unsympathetic people?’ Melania and Pinianus were in a terrible quandary for they were not allowed to take up God’s yoke openly. Every day Melania would discuss with her brother Pinianus the possibility of running away together and going into exile or at least leaving her parents’ home. While they were still making plans, as she later related for our edification, it happened that one day, towards evening, she and Pinianus were sitting together in the same house, feeling depressed, when suddenly they noticed a fragrance of such loveliness that they marvelled at it. It caused them great joy for which they gave thanks. As a result their confidence started to grow.
7 Meanwhile Melania’s father died. After his death they felt more secure and renounced their old way of life more openly. They began to welcome pilgrims to their home and to take care of the poor. Settled in their country house on the outskirts of Rome, they showed great generosity to bishops and priests and to all the pilgrims who arrived at their house. After they had given up their old way of life, they did not permit themselves to go into Rome, thereby fulfilling what is written in the Bible: ‘Listen, my daughter, look, and pay careful attention: forget your people and your father’s house, for the king has desired your beauty’, and also, ‘It is good for a man to take the yoke in his youth; he will sit on his own.’6 They stayed at their country house, living in accordance with these words: ‘When Jesus wanted to pray he climbed up onto the Mount of Olives’,7 for they knew that it was impossible to offer a pure ministry unless they could trample on and reject everything that was tainted with worldly honours.
8 Although they were unable to practise extreme abstinence at the beginning, they did at least dress in shabby clothing. Melania was about twenty-one at the time, while Pinianus was about twenty-four. Melania dressed in an old tunic of very poor quality and little value, so as to deprive herself of her youthful beauty by means of the unflattering condition of her clothes. Her husband dressed in the same way for he was as virtuous as she and imitated her behaviour. Because he had led a life of great wealth and comfort, in the beginning he used to dress in clothes of the highest quality, in a beautiful garment from Cilicia, not out of self-indulgence, but to show people that God had noticed him. The saintly Melania was keen to fulfil what was written in the Bible, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’,8 so her husband’s way of dressing saddened her but she did not dare rebuke the young man openly or question his behaviour for she understood that his youth, as well as the comforts and magnificent lifestyle he was used to, made him rather self-indulgent. One day she took him aside and asked him tactfully and with respect whether he did not have any feelings of lust or desire for her, seeing that she was his wife. He smiled, content as he was in the Lord, and readily replied, ‘Blessed are you for loving your husband in this way. You can be confident of me in the Lord: since we gave our word to God I regard you just like your mother Albina.’ When she heard this she kissed his chest and his hands and praised God for his firm resolution. A few days later, wanting him to make progress and achieve even greater things, she spoke to him again, ‘My lord, listen to what I say as your spiritual mother and sister, so to speak. Please lay aside that precious garment of Cilician fabric and put on one that is a little less luxurious.’ When he heard this he was upset, young man as he was, but as he did not want to upset her and he knew her advice was given in accordance with God’s will and that it would be beneficial for the eternal salvation of them both, he willingly went along with her suggestion and began to wear less expensive clothes from Antioch. Melania, like a busy bee, brought him the nectar of the virtues every day, but she still wanted him to wear even less expensive clothes. And he did so, with the result that he was now wearing clothes worth only a solidus or two-thirds of a solidus, while Melania herself made him clothes of rough, undyed woollen cloth.
9 And so, when they had sorted out the clothing arrangements in a manner acceptable to both of them, as they were living on their own estates, they set about discussing what degree of abstinence they should undertake. They said, ‘We cannot go in for excessive or severe abstinence in case we harm ourselves physically at the outset and then have to go back to our more luxurious ways. It is better to choose the following way of life: to go round all the prisons, visit the weak, give money to the poor, offer hospitality to pilgrims who come here, provide money for their journey and be an open door, in the words of Job, to all the sick and all the visitors who come to us.’9 So they began to sell their possessions, knowing that the Lord had also said, ‘If you wish to be perfect, sell everything and give to the poor and take up your cross and come and follow me.’10
10 But when they started to sell their possessions, the enemy, who is always jealous of good people, immediately suggested to Melania’s servants who lived on her estates, or rather, he used the brother of the saintly Pinianus to persuade the slaves to refuse to be sold and sent away. If Melania and Pinianus wanted to use their power to disperse their possessions, the slaves insisted they should be sold to no one other than Pinianus’ brother, Severus. This put Melania and Pinianus in a difficult position, which was inevitable, given the size of their wealth. So while Honorius Augustus, a most pious and devoted man, was emperor,11 Melania made the following suggestion to her brother Pinianus: ‘If those who are settled as slaves on the country estate here and who are dependent on us dare to oppose us, what is going to happen to those who live in different provinces – in Spain, Italy, Apulia, Campania, Sicily and Africa or Numidia or Britain, or further away in other countries? So I think we should perhaps go and see the most pious empress. I have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, whom they also recognize as their king and lord, that they will allow us to carry out God’s will and our wishes.’ Her brother replied to her, ‘That is a good idea, for the hand of God, which holds the heart of kings,12 has the power to guide all our actions towards the good.’
11 The Empress Serena13 had long been keen to see Melania, having heard about her extraordinary and sudden change of lifestyle, which allowed her to attain such a state of humility after a life of worldly distinction. The empress had often asked many holy bishops to invite Melania to visit so that she could meet her. She was pleased by Melania’s commitment to a life of austerity for she realized that this change had been brought about by the hand of the Most High. The empress also frequently sent the wives of senators to visit Melania. But Melania, who wished to have nothing to do with the admiration of the world, insisted that she was too unimportant to appear before the empress, and so she just gave a gentle and polite reply, excusing herself from going to the empress to be congratulated. But now she and Pinianus were forced by necessity to go to the palace to see the empress, in the bishops’ presence. Many people thought that she should appear before the empress with her veil drawn back from her head, according to the custom of secular women presented to the empress. But Melania’s view was that even if she had to lose all her possessions, she would not uncover her head, which she had covered up in the name of Christ, nor would she change any other garment apart from the one which she had put on in his name. For she considered it right that she should fulfil what was written in the Bible: ‘I have put on my clothes – why should I take them off?’14 She was well aware that there was a commandment that women should not pray to God without covering their heads.15 Indeed every action and her whole way of life was a prayer. As Melania told us afterwards, she and Pinianus took with them the richest and most precious luxury objects to present to the empress, as well as crystal vases and many other things suitable as royal gifts, together with expensive silken garments to offer to the servants, eunuchs and chamberlains.
12 When we16 entered, the empress immediately came to meet us at the entrance to the colonnade and embraced Melania. Taking her by the hand, the empress went up to her golden throne and sitting down she invited Melania to sit, too, and then embracing her again she held her tight and kissed her face and her eyelids. Then the empress summoned her whole entourage to the palace and said to them, ‘Come and see the woman whom you saw four months ago resplendent in the finery of this world. Now she scorns all luxury and grows old in wisdom for the sake of Christ.’ When Melania, the servant of Christ, heard this, it did not make her proud; instead she showed that she thought herself of no importance, being well aware that the glory of this world fades as quickly as grass. So as we sat there, she began to tell the empress of the problems they had experienced when they wished to renounce their former way of life, explaining that her father would not allow it on account of his attachment to empty worldly attractions. But when he was close to death he had said to Melania, ‘Please forgive me, my dear children, for any wrongs I have done you. Now I am going to the Lord and you have complete power: so do what you want. Do not allow unscrupulous people to snatch from you what Christ commanded should be distributed to his poor.’ And Melania told the empress of how her husband’s brother Severus plotted to get hold of all their property, of which there was a great deal, while each of their relatives who belonged to the senatorial class had instigated a number of court cases, hoping to become rich from her wealth and that of Pinianus. Hearing all this, the empress said to them, ‘If you wish, I will now have them condemned and their property confiscated, so that they dare not oppose you.’ But instead Melania and Pinianus entreated the empress on their relatives’ behalf, saying, ‘No, my lady, for we have been told to accept injustice but not to commit it and not to repay evil for evil. That is why we are confident that thanks to your patronage and good government the Lord will allow our modest fortune to be well spent. It is not necessary to repay our enemies with evil, especially since they are our close relatives.’ So the empress entrusted all this to her husband17 Honorius Augustus, so that he might give orders to the leaders and governors and magistrates in every province to arrange for the sale of all Melania’s and Pinianus’ properties at their own risk or that of those in charge, and to give them the money collected from the sale after any debts had been paid. While we were still sitting there, the orders were immediately written out, confirmed and handed to us, together with executors. We were stunned by the great kindness of the emperor and empress.
13 Then Melania, in exchange for all their kindness, humbly took out the gifts she had brought with her and presented them, saying, ‘Here you are, my lady, we offer you these as if they were two copper coins. 18 We hope you will be kind enough to accept them.’ The empress laughed and said politely, ‘Please believe that this is how it is in my heart and before Christ: anyone who takes anything of your wealth, apart from the poor of the saints to whom you have promised it, is no better than someone who steals something from the altar. In addition, anyone who tries to take what belongs to God, whether he has a good excuse or not, is heaping up for himself everlasting fire.’ Then the empress ordered the eunuchs who were in attendance to go out of the palace with them and to take them to the place where they were staying. And she made the eunuchs swear by the health of her brother the emperor that none of them or any other of the eunuchs in the palace would take anything from Melania and Pinianus even if he were invited to do so, whether it was gold or clothing or anything else of the slightest value. ‘If I find out that any of you have done this,’ she said, ‘he will be in serious trouble.’ They obeyed the empress’s order for fear of God for they were keen to protect Melania and Pinianus for the sake of Christ, and so they showed them to their lodgings, accompanying them joyfully.
14 Melania and Pinianus were overjoyed by this. They made generous arrangements to distribute all their possessions and to heap up for themselves in heaven a treasure that no one can steal,19 for they had as a powerful guarantee the words of the Lord who said that he would repay hundredfold in this world and grant eternal life as a future reward. When they returned to their cramped lodgings, they gave thanks to the heavenly God and to the empress who had put such confidence in them. First of all, they wished to sell the house they had in the city of Rome, but since no purchaser dared to come forward to buy such a large and magnificent building, it was abandoned. Later it was partly destroyed by the enemy and then sold for nothing after it had burnt down.20
15 I will now give an account of the income they derived from their possessions, as I myself heard it partly from Melania’s own words. For she said that, apart from her movable possessions (the value of which it was impossible to estimate), she had an annual income of one hundred and twenty thousand gold pieces, not counting what she held jointly with her husband. (Please do not be irritated or blame me if I get these things in the wrong order.) Melania believed in the one who said to Abraham, ‘Listen to everything Sarah has to tell you’,21 and she trusted that he would help her too in a similar situation. So she went to her brother and said, ‘Our burden in this world is very heavy: weighed down by these possessions we cannot put on the yoke of Christ. So let us get rid of our perishable possessions, so that we may gain Christ who is everlasting.’ Her husband, who was always happy to go along with her advice, did what his spiritual sister told him, for he was already prepared to agree with her so as not to upset her in the slightest. So he began to sell his possessions and to receive gold for some of them, for others silver, while for other things he accepted promissory notes, since his possessions were many and the buyers were not able to pay for them all at once, even though those who were buying them were great and noble men. When they had collected a large sum of money, they began to distribute it to the poor, using holy and trustworthy men as intermediaries: by means of one group they handed out forty-five thousand gold coins, by means of another thirty thousand, and by means of yet another twenty thousand, while they used one person to hand out ten thousand gold coins, and so on, with God’s assistance.
16 On one occasion when we were all begging Melania to tell us how she was able to go from the heights of worldly pride to the depths of humility, she replied in her usual manner, saying, ‘When we started on the way of renunciation we were worried because everybody kept criticizing us – it was not so much a struggle against flesh and blood to lay aside such a large amount of worldly wealth, as against the rulers and powers of this world:22 that is why we went to bed feeling depressed. It was as if we both saw ourselves anxiously trying to get through a breach in a wall; and when we had passed through that wall with difficulty, and our souls were weak with the effort, we were just about able to escape from that narrow space and so found a place of rest.’ This was the outcome of those events after God revealed to them that they should work for him for the development of the faith.
17 One day Melania spoke to us for our edification so that we should learn not to pride ourselves on our achievements. She said that after they had sent a large amount of money (in fact, forty-five thousand gold pieces) through an intermediary to bring relief to saintly people and to the poor, they went into their bedroom, and there they saw something like a fire shining, either coming from a heap of gold or due to an illusion created by the devil. Melania said, ‘The devil immediately caused this thought to occur to me: “What is this kingdom of heaven that is bought for such a high price?” But I confronted the adversary though I was inwardly terrified. I threw myself on the ground and prayed, “O devil, with these corruptible things you can buy what the eye does not see nor the ear hear and what does not ascend to the heart of man which God has prepared for all those who love him.”’23
18 On another occasion Melania experienced the devil’s attacks when he tried to instil doubt in her. She possessed an outstanding property, with baths and a swimming pool within it. On one side lay the sea and on the other some woodland containing a variety of animals and game, so that when she was bathing in the pool she could see ships passing by and game animals in the woods. The devil caused many different thoughts to spring to mind, reminding her of the precious marble, the various ornaments, large revenues and huge income (for in fact the property included sixty large houses, each of them with four hundred agricultural slaves). But Melania pushed such thoughts away, saying that all this was nothing compared with what was promised to the servants of God. Her property could be destroyed by the barbarians and consumed by fire or broken up by the passage of time, but the things which were bought with them provided an everlasting banquet. By this means she threw the devil into confusion and from then on he did not trouble them any further.
19 So this was what happened when Melania and Pinianus began to sell their possessions and to distribute the proceeds to the saintly and poor, as I mentioned. Was there any country that was not given a share of their gifts? If you mention Mesopotamia or other parts of the east or west or north or south, I do not think there was a single island or town that did not receive a share of their gifts, as I myself learnt from many older people and from Tigridius, a priest from Constantinople, while I was on my way to that city. How many islands did they buy so as to provide settlements and land for monks! How many silken vestments did they donate for the altars and churches of God! They used their silver to make altars as well as lamps and other ornaments for churches, and they dedicated everything to God. They also began to make offerings to monasteries and they even bought monasteries and gave them to monks and virgins, donating to some of them a certain amount of gold as well. And so they sold everything they possessed around Rome, Campania and Italy, and after distributing it all they went to Africa. All the senators criticized them and accused them of being foolish and behaving irresponsibly in giving everything away. When they had sailed from Rome to Africa, Alaric immediately arrived at the properties they had sold in Rome. Then all their critics began to bless them and glorify the Lord, saying, ‘They were truly blessed seeing that God has saved their property from the hands of the enemy.’
20 On arrival in Africa they set about also selling the properties they had in Numidia and Mauretania and in Africa itself, sending some of the proceeds to the east to be distributed to the saintly and the poor, and some to be used for ransoming slaves. They were very pleased to distribute their wealth, saying cheerfully, ‘He distributed freely and gave to the poor; his goodness endures for ever.’24 When they had distributed everything, they were advised by the holy bishops who were in charge there, namely St Augustine and his brother Alypius25 and Aurelius, bishop of Carthage, that what they were now giving to the monasteries would be used up within a short space of time. ‘Do you wish to be remembered for ever? If so, donate buildings and income to each monastery.’ When they heard this useful advice, they put it into practice and confirmed it by giving each monastery buildings, income and land. And so Melania, together with her spiritual brother, managed to continue to behave with all humility and obedience.
21 There was a small town called Thagaste where the saintly Alypius was bishop. They chose this town to live in because it was small and unpretentious, and particularly because they could be close to Bishop Alypius, who was not only a man of great virtue and saintliness but also had an outstanding knowledge of Holy Scripture and theology. This fact appealed particularly to Melania who always had a copy of the Bible in her hands. She adorned and enriched with her various gifts – whether with money or other ornaments – Bishop Alypius’ church, which was extremely poor, so that he came to be envied by other bishops living in the larger towns of that province. For Melania donated tapestries decorated with gold or pearls as well as gold or silver discs, and indeed all the other decorations she made she gave to this same church. She also donated a property that provided a large revenue. This property was larger than the town itself, and included baths, many craftsmen (who worked in gold, silver and bronze) and two bishops, one belonging to our faith and the other to that of the heretics.
22 Melania and Pinianus also constructed two monasteries of their own in Africa, one for up to one hundred and thirty virgins of God and the other for up to eighty men, consisting of their own slaves and servant girls, and they provided each monastery with sufficient funds. In carrying out all these necessary tasks, Melania was following the example of the blessed Mary [sister of Lazarus and Martha]. Having got rid of her wealth which she experienced as a burden, she began to practise abstinence. At first she used to eat in the evenings, using just a little oil and drinking a lightly spiced drink: she said she could not use wine seeing that even while living in the world she had never been accustomed to drink it, for that was how the daughters of senators were brought up. A little while later she began to eat every two days, without any oil, and then every five days, and then only at weekends, once on Saturdays and once on Sundays. In this way she surpassed everyone in her way of life. She would talk to us about it for she trusted us particularly. She was not interested in winning the admiration of others or in being world-famous for her virtues – in fact, when she talked to us she would use the Apostle’s words, ‘I know someone’,26 and in this way she would talk of her own behaviour as if it were that of someone else, saying for example, ‘She began to fast for a week at a time.’
23 She also used to write on parchment every day. While she was writing, one of the sisters would read to her and so acutely did she listen that she was able to correct the girl who was reading even if she only made a mistake of a single letter, while Melania still managed to concentrate on writing. She had decided how much she would write and how much she would read from the canonical Scriptures and also from scriptural commentaries. After this she would move on to read of the lives of the monks as if she were eating honeycakes. It was at this period that she slept a small amount during the first hours of sleep. When she came to reading the lives of the saints, she immediately woke up and roused the other virgins to worship God, saying, ‘Just as Abel presented the first fruits, so we too ought to offer praises to God; we ought to stay awake the whole time because we do not know when the Bridegroom will come, whether late or early or in the middle of the night or at cockcrow. We do not want him to come and find us asleep, not only physically but also mentally.’ When she had finished the divine office as usual with her sisters, she would say part of the mass to herself. With great care she instructed her sisters in the spiritual life, so that they should not utter a single useless word. For the other sisters reported that she even checked on their thoughts and did not allow the slightest wicked thought to reside in their hearts.
24 During Lent right up until holy Easter she fasted during the week, not eating until Saturday but without any oil. And those who knew her, witness to the fact that she always slept with a hairshirt and never ate before she had performed the set office on Saturdays and done her writing and reading tasks. In the evenings she would eat coarse bread with raw leek dipped in warm water. I trust no one will think I am telling a lie; God will destroy all who tell lies for it is written: ‘The mouth that lies kills the soul.’27 What good is it to me to die from something that will save others, if I tell things that are not true?
25 And so for many years she kept to the same degree of abstinence, persisting with the same way of life and the same fasting. At Easter she would eat every day because of the special nature of that period, but she was still content with her usual food. Her saintly mother was, however, upset by the fact that she refused to eat oil even at Easter. For her mother had adopted the way of life of certain women which I have not got time to describe at this point as I know nothing about it. Suffice it to say that a tree is known by its fruits and a good fruit is produced from a good root.28 Then her mother together with Melania’s brother and all the saintly men thought it a good opportunity to say that it was not right for a Christian not to rejoice or enjoy feasts for their body as well as for their soul at Easter. Then they persuaded her for three days to eat oil with her meals, though only as much as her stomach could take. Those who do practise extreme abstinence say that if they have not eaten oil for a long time, they can only manage a little. And so Melania obeyed these saintly people when they ordered her to eat, as if it were God ordering her, and for the three days of Easter she accepted it but then went back to her abstinence, like a good farmer returning to the cultivation of his fertile land.
26 She would read the Old and New Testaments four times a year and wrote out enough copies to distribute to saintly people, giving each of them a copy of the Psalms she had made herself. At the same time she lived according to a monastic rule with her sisters. With regard to works of exegesis there was no book to be found that she did not know about and she would study each one carefully, whether it was her own or whether she was borrowing it from another source. She had such an expert knowledge of Latin and Greek that when she was reading in one of those languages, you would never think she knew the other one as well. She progressed as swiftly as a good runner: forgetting the things behind, she strained towards what lay before her, increasing in strength for the future. But the fact that she was so perfectly virtuous never made her arrogant. In fact, she always said in tears that ‘We are useless servants for we have not done what we ought to have done.’29 I also know that this blessed woman never ate enough bread to make her full and you would never see her eating anything except vegetables and pulses. In the heat of summer she would only eat ten figs every evening, not requiring any other food; and when she had perfected this degree of abstinence, she would move on to the next stage.
27 Words would not suffice to tell of the kindness she showed to those who lived an ascetic life. Was there anybody who possessed as much enthusiasm for the name of Christ, as much hatred of evil or such immutable faith? If she heard of any heretic, even if only by name, she refused to accept anything from him even to give to the poor.
28 I am now going to tell you something that you may find incredible. There was a married woman of noble family who was staying among the holy sites of Christ, although she was said to be a heretic. She used to take holy communion with us, pretending to share our faith. It happened that she died while holding these heretical beliefs, and when I was celebrating mass, I mentioned her name among the departed as I consecrated the host, for I was in the habit of reciting the names of the holy martyrs at that terrible hour, so that they might pray to the Lord on my behalf, as well as the names of sinners who had obtained mercy so that they could intercede for me. It happened that I named the woman I mentioned. Then Melania said to me angrily, ‘Father, if you mention her name, as the Lord lives I will not receive communion from you.’ Although I promised not to mention this woman again, she replied, ‘Since you have mentioned her even just the once, I will not receive communion.’
29 Melania loved chastity so much that she even managed to convert young men and women from their worldly way of life which was serving no useful purpose. She would entice some by means of encouraging words, others by means of money. To many worldly men and women she would say encouragingly, ‘Our time is short.30 Why should we corrupt our bodies when they are the temple of God?31 Why should we allow filthy acts to contaminate the chastity in which Christ chose to live?’ She told them that virginity is a very valuable thing, so much so that Christ chose to be born from a virgin. There were many who emulated her admirable way of life and adopted a similar degree of chastity. Who could say how many holy people’s feet she washed? For he alone knows in whose name she used to do this. How many Samaritans, Gentiles and heretics did she offer to God, persuading them by means of her gifts and teaching? What monk or any other person known to her stumbled into sin without causing her suffering?
30 She loved alms-giving as much as the Lord himself, he who said, ‘Sell all you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven’,32 and she hoped for mercy from him. So complete was her renunciation of money that before her death she claimed to possess nothing. She said that the small amount she kept to give away (about fifty solidi) was all she had left of her wealth, and in fact she sent this, too, to a bishop, saying, ‘I do not want to possess even this when I die.’ She not only gave her own things to God but she also encouraged other servants of God and secular people to give away their belongings. And in fact they did so, believing they could trust her to distribute wisely what they gave her. She accepted these things faithfully and handed them out with as much devotion as the person had donated them.
31 The hairshirt she wore during Lent she did not remove night or day until Easter. And because of her extreme abstinence and her love for God, all the clothes she wore which were specially for female use, whether outer or inner garments, were made of hairshirt material, not wool. In case anyone should think that Melania could endure all this for God because she had become used to a harsher lifestyle and her body was strong, I will tell you what I heard from those who were close to her. As a result of her upbringing in a senatorial family, there was a time when she was not very robust – in fact, she was so physically delicate that when she wore a very expensive linen garment with embroidered motifs of purple and gold on top of another linen garment, it happened that one of the motifs touched her body and immediately brought out a bruise which did not disappear for many days. After this the amazing Melania was actually happier wearing a hairshirt than linen garments. But she received strength from him who said, ‘Ask and it will be given to you’,33 for strength from above was also granted to her who made her requests out of faith.
32 And since all grace comes from above, from the father of light, even after such virtuous endurance, she was so overcome by love of God that she longed to demonstrate that she was prepared for even greater struggles. She wanted to live all the time enclosed within the confines of her cell without ever receiving any visitors, but her holy friends would not allow it for they considered it impossible due to the large number of people who came to her, seeking her helpful advice and the consolation she offered. As she was not allowed to do as she wished, she arranged that she would be available to see visitors at certain times, while at other times she would speak with God in holy meditation and do manual work. One day she had the idea of making a small wooden box for herself, so small that she could turn neither to right nor left and would not even have room to stretch out full length. But when she asked for permission she was not allowed to do it, and so she was content to obey the advice of those saintly people who wanted to prevent her from falling victim to pride.
33 It often happened that when she was sitting in silence or writing, her holy mother would come in, wishing to bring her comfort. But if Melania had not finished her work or her reading she would remain silent, neither answering nor asking any questions. When her mother realized this she was filled with admiration and deep respect and would go out, leaving her daughter in silence; but when she thought that enough time had passed for Melania to have finished her task, she would humbly go back in, give her a hug and say, ‘I consider myself lucky to have something in common with the mother of the children of the Maccabees. That fortunate woman witnessed the sufferings of her sons in the space of a single day and has everlasting joy. But I suffer more pain when, knowing how I brought you up, my daughter, I see you being tormented in this way, allowing your body no rest and enduring great martyrdom.’ Then she added, ‘I am very grateful to my Lord who arranged for me, unworthy though I am, to have such a daughter.’
34 When Melania and Pinianus had laid aside all the worldly possessions that weighed them down, they were seized by a desire to see the sites of the Holy Land where our Lord revealed the glory of his power. As I mentioned earlier I beg for indulgence not only from your holiness but also from future readers in the hope that they will be kind enough to forgive me and not be irritated if I get my facts in the wrong order. And so it happened that when they wanted to leave Rome, a prefect who was a pagan at the time, whose name I cannot remember, advised the senators of Rome to claim Melania’s and Pinianus’ wealth for the senate, saying that it was absurd for them to offer it to the Lord as the money ought rather to be under the control of the state and Senate. The prefect discussed these matters with the whole Senate at a sitting which went on until dawn, and when he went forward to the tribunal in the morning, wishing to announce this decision publicly, God’s providence was active, for suddenly the people started rioting due to a bread shortage. To cut a long story short, within minutes the prefect was dragged from the tribunal and stoned to death in the city centre, and the senators were forced to admit openly that he had secretly set a trap for Melania and Pinianus: the sole cause of his death had been his vengeful treatment of them. Melania and Pinianus knew nothing of all this until they heard of his horrible death. When these good people learned of it, they gave thanks, though they were tormented by the thought of his gruesome death. In addition, some of their slaves who were of the same mind died a terrible death through the action of divine providence. I would like to say how many thousands of slaves they set free, but I do not know the exact number, so I shall pass on to other matters to prevent myself becoming guilty of pride by giving too high or too low a figure: God and they themselves know the real figure.
While they were sailing to Sicily where the holy bishop Paulinus was staying, a terrible storm arose which put their lives at risk, for they did not even have any water to drink. They were sailing against a strong wind which even the sailors said was caused by God’s anger. When they had lost all hope, Melania said, ‘Perhaps God does not really want us to go where we decided to go. Let us go where the wind takes us.’ So they immediately changed the sails and then came to land on an island which had been taken over by hostile forces who had rounded up all the important men with their wives and children and carried them off. They divided them up and demanded ransom money, threatening to kill those they had taken captive and to destroy the island by fire if people refused to pay the ransom. When the ship with Melania and Pinianus landed on the seashore and the local bishop heard that Melania had landed there (for her fame had spread everywhere), he came with the leaders of the town to beg them to help the poor creatures, if they could: about two thousand five hundred gold pieces were required as ransom for the hostages and there was no one to take pity on them. As soon as Melania heard this, she was as distraught as if she herself was being held, and she immediately offered the gold needed to pay the ransom for them all, from the oldest to the youngest. In addition she and Pinianus generously gave another five hundred gold pieces to be used for whatever the captives needed. She also gave them all the best she could from her food supplies, providing them with relief from their extreme need and hunger. There was a woman of a very noble family who was held captive by the barbarians: Melania and Pinianus sent five hundred gold pieces to her family to be paid as a ransom. When this was done they set off: setting sail they returned to Africa and stayed there for seven years, giving a lot of help to the captives there, too.
Then Melania sailed from Africa to the east with her mother and spiritual brother. They reached Alexandria where they stayed with the holy bishop Cyril who offered them hospitality as befitted his saintly character. It happened that Nestor, a man of great prophetic grace, was also staying in the city at that time. He used to come in to the city occasionally to heal the sick – he possessed that ability, too. God’s holy one went with her mother and brother to visit this man of God, who had a crowd of other visitors. When they tried to enter, the three of them got separated in the crowd, and it happened that Pinianus was the first to get in. Those who got in received some oil from the holy man. When Nestor looked round and saw Pinianus he realized who it was and summoning him out of the crowd he kept him by his side. Later Melania managed to get in along with the huge crowd, and noticing her in the same way, Nestor picked her out and placed her next to her spiritual brother. Thirdly, Melania’s mother entered and when he noticed her he placed her with the other two. When the crowd had gone out, the holy man began to tell them what troubles they had endured, and he advised them as if they were his own children, saying, ‘Do not be despondent for the end of suffering brings with it joy. “The sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory, as yet unrevealed, which awaits us.”’34
35 They felt that they had received a great gift of blessing from him and were restored by his many encouraging words. Telling people of his virtues they then set sail for Jerusalem. Once they arrived they worshipped the Lord at the holy sites. They stayed in the church of the Holy Resurrection for they still had a bit of money to spend, which they gave to those intermediaries who were responsible for caring for the poor. They did not want to distribute the money themselves in case they should be seen to be doing something good: in this way they always maintained an attitude of humility. Melania said that they had come there as the result of a vow and a desire for humility, so that once they had distributed everything in Christ, they could be put on the church register and receive handouts with the other poor people. But it happened that while the excessive ardour of her faith and her desire for renunciation remained as strong as ever, she fell ill. As Melania never used anything but a hairshirt because of her voluntary commitment to poverty and her ability to endure much, when many servants of God and young women came desiring to see her, one of the young women who was well known for her holiness, her way of life and her behaviour, with great reverence offered Melania a pillow for her head, but she had great difficulty in getting Melania to agree to accept it and place it under her head. Finally Melania accepted it and agreed to use it because of the great kindness involved and not because of the comfort it offered her.
36 And so Melania remained with her mother in the church of the Holy Resurrection. She stayed there secretly, performing the divine service every day and finding time for reading and learning the Holy Scriptures by heart. She did not show herself except when necessary nor did she go outside without a particular purpose, such as when important bishops or holy fathers who were well known for their saintly way of life came to visit: these she welcomed only for the sake of her salvation because she needed to question them about the secret mysteries of the Holy Scriptures and about theological matters. What is more, she would meet them, as always, with great reverence, kneeling before them and asking for a blessing. When they left, she would go back to her study of Scripture and her fasting. In the evenings when the caretakers locked up the church of the Holy Resurrection and everyone had duly left, Melania would come out of her cell to the gates of the Holy Resurrection and spend the whole night in prayer until the time when others gathered to sing the psalms. When the crowd gathered, she would slip away and allow herself to sleep for the short while that nature demanded. Then, at daybreak, she would get up again and devote herself to her normal routine, so that at all times she was doing what was pleasing to God.
37 When the barbarians overran Spain, a few of Melania’s and Pinianus’ properties remained which they could not sell because of the enemy invasion. But when peace returned to these areas, they sent their most reliable slave who had now been freed. On arriving in this area, he hastened to sell a proportion of the properties and then went back to hand over the considerable amount of money he had received. When Melania saw this money, snatched as it were from the lion’s jaws,35 she gave thanks to God and decided immediately to hand all of it over to be distributed for the work of God. So she said to Pinianus, ‘My lord, I want us to go to Egypt to see our masters, the holy servants of God who live in the desert, so that we can obtain their mercy through their visions and prayers.’ When Pinianus heard this he was not opposed to the idea but happily supported her suggestion and agreed to go there immediately. So they set off for Egypt and while visiting the monasteries of the holy monks and virgins, they distributed everything to each person according to their need.
38 Since Melania was always concerned to take care of others and to try to make their lives more comfortable, they went to visit a very holy man, as she related to us, whose name was Hephaestion. When they met him, they first said a prayer and then Melania asked him to agree to accept a few gold coins from them to use for his own needs. But he firmly rejected what they offered, saying that he did not need any gold to spend on himself. They were unable to persuade him by any means to accept it so they asked him to say a prayer for them on their departure, as was the custom. When he knelt down with his face to the ground and prayed to the Lord for them, Melania walked round his cell looking for a place where she could secretly leave the money he had refused when they offered it to him. But it was utterly impossible because the holy man possessed nothing in his cell except a mat to lie on and a little basket in the corner containing a few rusks and a container with a little salt. Melania had just managed to find this and hide a few gold coins in it when the man finished his prayer, and they had to leave hurriedly so that the servant of the Lord would not have time to find the money and try to give it back. So they hastened to depart as quickly as they could. But when the man of God thought about the way Melania had begged him to accept the money, he got suspicious. He immediately looked round his cell and found hidden what he had rejected. Then he grabbed it and rushed out after them. But they had already crossed the river so when he reached the riverbank and shouted to them, ‘I ask you, why have you left me something that I have no need of in the desert? If I keep it, I may fall victim to robbers.’ Melania replied, ‘If you so wish, arrange for it to be given to the poor. For the Lord has been kind enough to carry out my wishes.’ The man then said, ‘And where should I go to find poor people, when I never leave the desert? Take this back and give it to someone else.’ But since she absolutely refused to take back what she had given and he could not cross the river, he threw the money he was holding into the river and it dropped to the bottom. As there were many monks and virgins who refused to accept what she offered, she had to give it secretly. So ardently did she desire to give that all those she visited received something from her. For she knew that she would receive a good deal of spiritual profit from doing this.
39 In their tour of Egypt they arrived in Alexandria where they visited many holy people, among whom were those admirable men, the archimandrites of the people of Tabennisis as well as Victor Zeugites and Helias, those priests worthy of God, and a certain holy priest, a native of Alexandria. Melania hastened to collect from each of these men the fruits of their blessing. She and Pinianus also went to Nitria and to the place known as Cellia,36 where she was given an amazing welcome by the holy fathers who lived there, for they could see that she had a man’s spirit in her. She stayed with them for several days and all the holy fathers gathered together to give her their blessing, treating her respectfully as a very holy woman, indeed, as if she were their own mother.
40 And so Melania and Pinianus returned to Jerusalem where they suffered much from the extreme climate. When she arrived Melania found that her mother had made for her a cell out of stones, on the Mount of Olives, just as she had asked her to do, so that she could live there in silence. So after Epiphany she went up the mountain, entered the cell and shut herself up in it, staying there until Easter in hairshirt and ashes, living a life of extreme abstinence. She had with her just one girl to help her and she would only eat on Saturdays and Sundays, seeing no one, receiving no visitors except her mother and spiritual brother – and even those only on certain days. This was also when she received her niece, the young girl Paula,37 who came to visit her from time to time. For Melania was the one who showed Paula the way to God, instructing her in all of God’s commands and leading her to a life of great abstinence and humility. The girl who helped Melania told us that very often when Melania got up in the morning, as Easter approached, she would find enormous worms on the hairshirt on which Melania lay in the dust.
41 Melania spent fourteen years in Jerusalem leading this harsh life and training herself in every kind of holy and heavenly behaviour. During that time it happened that her holy mother passed away to the Lord. Melania buried her body on the Mount of Olives and she herself remained there for she did not want to live in the city any more. When she had spent a year in that dark little cell, devoting all her time to the Lord, and leading a life full of tears and devoid of any comfort, she built for herself a monastery on the holy mountain and asked Pinianus to find a few virgins to live with her there. In fact about ninety women joined her there. She taught them by her example and admonished them kindly, telling them to allow themselves to be seen by men as little as possible. In order that they should have no opportunity to go out she told them to construct a well inside the monastery. She said that she would cater fully for all their physical needs as long as they kept away from the gaze of men. As to how she brought them back to the way of the Lord when they were troubled by thoughts from the devil, by instructing them in theology and in prayer, it is not for us to say but for those who are wiser than us and who can correct our errors. But I shall give some account a little later. Because of the enthusiasm for chastity she engendered she was able to rescue women from degrading situations and dedicate them to God, for she knew the saying that ‘Anyone who takes what is precious and not what is foul will serve as my mouth.’38 Although they all wanted to submit to her authority, she refused to be put in charge of the monastery because of her great humility, but appointed another woman to rule them while she devoted all her time to prayer and serving the holy ones. And on those occasions when the woman who had been put in charge of them as their mother was a bit too hard on them, Melania, who loved her sisters, took what each of them needed and gave it to them in secret, so that when they came in they found it ready there, without their mother’s knowledge. The girls, however, knew that it was Melania who had done this. She even wrote to a certain person called Lausus,39 a religious man who was one of the emperor’s chamberlains, to ask him to help her by having a bath built for them in the holy monastery on the Mount of Olives so that when they needed to take a bath they would not risk being harassed in the city (which was about a mile away) or get into the habit of speaking to men.
42 Melania was always teaching the women about virtues and obedience. As for all the other things, as I said before I will leave them to some other person who is wiser than I am. She taught them about modesty and wisdom and how to resist the thoughts of the devil which threatened their well-being. She also taught them about humility and the need for constant prayer and for staying awake at night. She would say to them, ‘My dear girls, you must learn to stay spiritually awake in psalm singing and prayer. And you must learn how to ask for forgiveness of your sins from the Lord, from whom you hope to receive the kingdom of heaven. For if you find yourself in the presence of some very noble or important person, does not great fear grip your soul? Do you not blush with embarrassment? Consider, my little ones, how neither angels nor archangels could worthily glorify his awe-inspiring majesty. Is that not so much more true of us, poor pathetic creatures that we are! Since it is the duty of the angels to sing psalms to his invisible power, we ought to sing psalms with even greater reverence, bearing in mind that he who sits with the angels in heaven on the throne of his glory watches us and sees into our hearts.’
43 Every day she used to encourage them very carefully to practise the love that they ought to have for each other, saying, ‘You must read the Holy Scriptures each day and keep their commandments, knowing that love covers a multitude of sins.40 For if any one of you practises every virtue, whether abstinence or fasting or staying awake or praying or chastity, but does not have love – listen to what St Paul said: “If I do everything but have not love, I am nothing and there is no use in what I do.”’41 And since she herself practised and taught all these virtues, while always humbling herself as if she knew nothing, and since she listened to what other holy people taught, she said that ‘the devil can imitate the servants of God in every way: for example when it comes to fasting, he has never eaten since he was created; and if you mention the virtue of staying awake, he has never slept; but he cannot imitate humility and love. So as far as you are able, love one another; hate pride which was what caused the devil to be thrown from heaven. Flee from the admiration of this world because it fades like the flower of the field. Recognize God in all things and keep a firm hold on your faith. For this is the foundation of all the virtues. Protect the holiness of your soul and body, for without them no one will see God.42 For the Lord valued virginity so much that he was even born from a virgin to become the salvation of the world.’ If she noticed that one of the women was practising excessive abstinence, she wished to prevent her from becoming too proud and so she would take the opportunity to say to her, ‘The holy ones say that the monks’ life and their abstinence should be like a bride in her wedding clothes: she should not wear black shoes in her wedding chamber, but should adorn her feet in some other way: in the same way fasting should be the least important of all the virtues.’
44 She also taught them a lot about obedience, saying that even those who lived in the world could not do without obedience. She gave them the following example: ‘Consider the leaders and all the top positions where one person gives orders to another; in the homes of people living in the world, too, one person is more important than another. Remember also that in the holy church the bishops are under an archbishop and the archbishop is under the authority of the synod. So everybody and everything owes obedience and there is nothing good without obedience.’ She then told us what one of the holy men said to his disciple when he wanted to teach him obedience and patience. ‘He said, “Take a whip and go over there and whip that statue.” The disciple went off in obedience to him and did as he was told. Then he came back and was asked by the man who had sent him, “What did the statue say to you or what answer did it give?” The man replied, “It said nothing, sir.” Then he sent him again, saying, “Go now and beat the statue again.” And he went off and did this and came back. And again the holy man said to him, “What happened, my son? Did it not say anything in response?” And the man said, “No, nothing.” Then he said to the disciple, “You must recognize, my son, that anyone who wants to be saved must put up with injuries and beatings without resistance, just like that statue.” And so, my little daughters, you must practise obedience at all times. For obedience is a question of each person doing not what he or she wants to do but what he is told to do by the Lord. If he or she does what he wants to do, this is not obedience but the misguided will of one’s own sinfulness. And those who want to please themselves rather than their neighbour in order to instruct him for good, will experience what the prophet described: “The Lord has scattered the bones of men who please themselves and those whom God has rejected will necessarily be thrown into confusion.”’43
45 With regard to fasting Melania advised them to act with restraint. She did not force them to extreme degrees of fasting, for she did not want them to be exhausted when it came to other virtues. But she did allow each of them to fast as much as her individual frailty allowed, saying that ‘God knows the mind and will of each person and if someone can do something but does not do so, she must give an account to God; one can say to God, “I had a stomach ache” or an ache in another part of her body but it is inexcusable for her not to do good if she could. You must endure so that you will be judged righteous; strive to enter through the narrow gate; suffer a little so that you may receive much; treat the things of this world with scorn so that you may gain heavenly rewards.’
46 At night she would wake them for prayer, not when the others were getting up to gather in church but in accordance with the prophetic words of the holy David: ‘In the night I remembered your name, Lord’, and ‘I rose before dawn and cried for help’, but she also pointed out the time when she quoted, ‘At midnight I rose to praise you.’ 44 ‘If churches do this it is not so that lay people might gather in church; it is we who ought to get up earlier to glorify the Lord. For if we get up when we have had enough sleep, what is the virtue in that? We ought to take an aggressive attitude in this task because it is those who are violent who storm the kingdom of heaven. 45 If the farmer hurries to offer the first fruits to his earthly lord, should we not hasten all the more to offer them to our heavenly Lord!’ After she had performed the regular office, she allowed them to catch up on sleep for a bit so that they could continue to perform this task, especially since they were of the weaker and more fragile sex.
47 For the night hours she had introduced the rule that three responsories should be said without a break, together with three readings and, during matins, fifteen antiphons. Then during the day she would pray at the third hour because that is the exact time when the Holy Spirit descended, and especially at the sixth hour, because it was at exactly that time that faithful Abraham welcomed the angels; and at the ninth hour because at that time the lame man was healed by the holy apostles but also because Daniel, the greatly beloved, used to pray three times a day, thereby teaching us long ago about the three times for daily prayer. Then one must pray at vespers because after the resurrection from the dead Christ went with the holy Cleopas and revealed himself at around sunset; and the Lord, speaking mystically in the holy Gospels, showed this when he said that the master of the household went out to call the workers to the vineyard at about the third hour, the sixth and the ninth hour and also at around the eleventh hour.46 She told them to perform the services of prayer also on Saturdays, Sundays and feast days, saying, ‘If prayer is good every day, how much more necessary is prayer on the day of our Lord’s resurrection, because the prayers are heard more easily amidst the joy of the angels and heavenly beings.’
48 If it happened that the women occasionally became exhausted by the great effort of staying awake and Melania, taking pity on them, allowed them to rest a while, the girls themselves, because of her salutary teaching and the great kindness of the love she showed them, refused to be self-indulgent, saying to her, ‘If you, although you are our mother and mistress, do not neglect to care for our material and spiritual needs, why should not we all the more obey God and your orders?’ When Melania heard this she was very pleased with them because she could see that they had listened to her words and understood them. She built for the women an oratory in the monastery and set up an altar there so that they could benefit from the holy sacraments. With the exception of feast days, one mass was celebrated for them on the day of the Passion which is the sixth day of the week (i.e. Fridays) and one on the day of the Resurrection (Sundays). She placed there the relics of some saints – of the prophet Zechariah, of Stephen the first martyr and of the forty saints from Sebaste, as well as others whose names it would take too long to record. Furthermore, she arranged for there to be three readings a day, so that the women’s minds would always benefit from concentrating on the teaching and message of the church by means of set prayers. And she would say, ‘Remember that the prescribed form of divine service should always be observed just as it is observed now.’
49 But let us return to the main theme. Her spiritual brother passed away eight years before her own death, in accordance with God’s plan, and he now rests in the Lord. So Melania survived him, and forced herself to endure more severe fasts and more intense prayer, remaining for three or four years in the little Apostolium that she had constructed, where her mother and brother had been buried. When she saw that the church had no monks and that the services were being neglected, she was seized by a holy enthusiasm to create a home for holy men where they could live and pray and sing psalms day and night in the church of the Holy Ascension and in the cave where the Lord discussed the end of the world with his disciples. But on many occasions when she wanted to make a start on what she longed to do in hope and faith – a huge undertaking – she was prevented by a few people who said that even if she started it she would not be able to finish it because of a lack of funds. While she was considering this, it suddenly happened that not long afterwards a religious man who loved Christ offered her two hundred gold pieces. She accepted them, giving thanks to God, and then immediately called my humble self (for I continued to live by her side because she had taken me from the world and offered me to God, and Christ had led me, unworthy though I was, to the rank of priest) and said to me, ‘Take these two hundred gold pieces and quickly hire some workmen: they must deliver a load of stones and start to build a monastery for men, so that while I am still alive and present, I may see the service of God being performed soon. I also want the bones of my lord and brother and of my mother to lie here at rest, once these men are serving God.’ So building work commenced immediately and as the Lord supported his servant’s faith, this great and wonderful undertaking was finished that same year. All those who saw it were struck with amazement and asserted that it would not have been completed without the help of divine providence. The holy servants of the Lord lived there and performed the service of God wonderfully, either in the holy church of the Ascension or in the Apostolium where Melania’s saintly mother and spiritual brother were buried.
50 While she was busy with these tasks, giving thanks to God in her great joy, a letter arrived from her uncle Volusianus, one of the prefects. He told her that he had gone to Constantinople to negotiate with the Empress Eudoxia47 whom our Emperor Valentinian wanted to marry. On receiving the letter, she was pierced to the heart with a longing to see her uncle, primarily on account of the divine dispensation because she wanted his soul to be saved (for in fact he was still a pagan). She immediately put this plan into action and a week later she left Jerusalem, commending herself to all the holy men and asking them to pray that this plan had come to her from God (for she was always afraid of doing something contrary to God’s will).
51 So Melania set off, but it would be impossible to describe the honour she was accorded by holy bishops and men in every place and town along the way. You could see people who spent long periods in the desert converging on each town to meet her for they were keen to see the woman whom they had heard about as a shining example of virtue. When the monks and virgins saw her they did not want to go back because they could not get enough of the sight of her and of her words which gave them so much pleasure. When the time came for them to leave, they were all overcome by tears because they would miss her so much.
52 But seeing that it is good to hide the mystery of the king but glorious and just to reveal the works of God, Melania went to Tripoli with her companions. There is a chapel there to the martyr Leontius where many miracles used to be performed through the power of the holy martyr, and Melania stayed there. As her entourage needed many beasts of burden to transport them, it happened that a certain municipal official, whose name was Messala, turned out to be very unhelpful and difficult when it came to providing transport and animals. Melania was upset by this and remained in prayer at the holy martyr’s place from evening until the beasts finally arrived; she then left the shrine and set off immediately together with her entourage. But we had not gone more than six or seven miles when this official Messala came along the main road in pursuit. He caught up with us and asked, ‘Where is the priest?’ I was unfamiliar with the public charges we were supposed to pay and I was afraid that he would take the animals away because of the presence of an important person, so I got down and said, ‘I am the priest; what do you want, my son?’ He replied, ‘I want to pay my respects to the holy woman and receive a blessing from her.’ He approached Melania and took hold of her feet and said, ‘Please look kindly on me, for I did not know who you were. That is why I dragged my heels over giving you the animals, and now I have hurried to make up for it, so that you will not be upset and God will not be angry with me.’ Melania replied, ‘May God bless you, my son, because you have let us go, even if a bit late.’ He immediately offered me the gold pieces I had given him as a tip. When I saw them I refused to accept them, because I thought I had given him too little and I said to him, ‘If it’s not enough, I will give you twice as much, but I do not want that money back.’ He replied, ‘I do not want to keep this money nor do I want any more.’ But I suspected he was afraid he would get into trouble in the palace, so I said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, my son, for we are not the kind of people who go from country to country. We are making this journey out of necessity. Rest assured that we will not say anything bad about you, for that is not the right way for God’s servants to behave.’ At last he began to trust Melania and us. He said, ‘Believe me, you blessed people, and you, most holy woman: the martyr Leontius has been rebuking my wife and me all night and we both came out at the same time and ran to the martyr’s shrine, hoping to find you there. As you had already set off, it was only with great difficulty that I managed to catch you up with the help of fast horses. My wife asked me to beg you because she could not come herself. And so we ask you to forgive us and to pray for us who are ignorant.’ When we heard this we gave thanks to God and accepted those three pieces of gold. And the official went home very happy after receiving a blessing from Melania. Seeing that we were all amazed by this, Melania said to us, ‘Rest assured, our journey has God’s support.’ We begged her to show us the cause of the mystery, for we suspected that she had had some kind of revelation. For several hours she refused to say anything in front of us all, but she was kind enough to tell me in private that she had spent the whole night awake praying to the Lord and to the holy martyr that they might show us a sign as to whether the journey had God’s support; and this had indeed happened by means of the official who had delayed us. Then we went on our way with joy and it was with joy that we were welcomed by everyone we met, for many people said that they had had visions regarding Melania’s arrival.
53 At last we arrived in Constantinople but before she entered the city Melania was very worried because she was a foreigner. When she reached the shrine of the martyr Euphemia, she was feeling low but she went in to worship the Lord. She immediately noticed a sweet smell and she felt better – it was as if she had found great consolation. Then, as befitted her faith, she found lodgings at the home of Lausus of blessed memory. She then found her uncle who was ill, which was in accordance with God’s will. But when he saw her dressed like that and in such a humble condition, transformed from such great magnificence and the heights of worldly fame, he was shocked and began to cry. He said, ‘Oh, if you only knew how this woman was brought up in our family – she was the apple of our eye and like the rose or lily when it begins to flower.’ Then the holy Melania, seeing him lying ill, stayed by his side, teaching him and instructing him in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ and in the resurrection of eternal life. When she thought of suggesting to the emperor and the empress that they should convince him of this, he noticed this and said that he did not want it to be implied to anyone that he had given in to her will and sweet words. But Melania would not keep quiet. She then asked the holy bishop and some noble men to go and talk to her uncle about what she herself had asked. But since his mind was still sharp, he understood that they had come at her suggestion. He told her, as if he did not know, that ‘If we had three men like the holy bishop Proclus, no one would still be a pagan in Rome.’
54 But while this went on for a few days, the devil grew envious, and as a result Melania experienced another temptation. When a number of married ladies and religious women eagerly came to visit her so that they could have the pleasure of seeing and hearing her, she spoke to them about her holy way of life and her firm faith; on hearing her delightful words, many married ladies of noble and distinguished families were strengthened in their faith and gave alms and decided to practise continence. As a result the devil was driven by jealousy to appear one day to Melania in the guise of a young Ethiopian of fearsome appearance who said to her, ‘How do you have the audacity to come here and spend every day, from morning to night, teaching what comes from God? You are not aware that I have persuaded the hearts of the emperor and empress to turn against you, as well as that of Lausus with whom you are staying, and they will drive you away from here immediately. But if they do not do it or if you do not obey, I will inflict pain on your whole body and put your life in danger.’ When the demon had said this he vanished like smoke from before her eyes. Straight away she called me and asked me to say a prayer, after telling me what the demon had said; while she was still speaking, an intense pain suddenly struck her in the kidneys and she lay for three hours as if she were dead. She had only just regained consciousness when she became a bit too confident and began to pray, saying, ‘Lord, may your will be done in me, your servant.’ But when she had endured five or six days in great pain and danger, and all of us who were with her were overcome by despair and sadness, fully expecting her to die, someone came to her on the seventh day and said, ‘Hurry and come, your uncle is asking for you. He wants to see you because he is at death’s door, and if you do not hurry, he will die without baptism.’
55 As soon as Melania heard this she began to suffer even more and said to us, ‘Take me to him.’ But we were afraid and said, ‘If we agree to take you, we fear you may die on the way, because you are in such great pain.’ She replied, ‘If you do not take me by some means or other, he will die there and I will die here. Take me, so that I can see him.’ While she was being laid on the litter, as good as dead, so that she could go to him, the messenger returned and told Volusianus that she was very ill and unable to come. When he heard this, Volusianus immediately sent for the empress’s nurse, a woman called Eleutheria, and dispatched a message to the empress to tell the bishop to come and give him holy baptism. The bishop hurried to Volusianus’ home and baptized him in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. At once someone set off to tell Melania and met her in the forum of the Emperor Constantine as she was on her way, and said to her, ‘I wanted to let you know that your uncle has been baptized. He sent me to tell you.’ As soon as she heard this, Melania glorified God, and at once all the pain left her and the devil was thrown into confusion. Her feet, dry as wood, which she had been unable to move, recovered now that she was restored to health. As a result we knew that this attack had been caused by the devil who had made the saintly woman suffer and had begrudged her uncle his salvation, for fear that he might be saved as a result of her insistence. But God, who had seen his servant’s faith and constancy, brought her good plan to fulfilment and brought her uncle enlightenment, thereby confounding the devil and his lackeys. So Melania reached her uncle’s house and she, who had hardly been able to be carried in a litter, now walked unaided up the steps to the upper floor where the Empress Eudocia was visiting her uncle. When Melania got there she paid her respects to the empress, sat down next to her uncle and gave thanks to the Lord, overwhelmed with happi ness that he had received enlightenment and that she had recovered her health. When he had received the sacred body of the Lord, Melania said to him, ‘Look, my lord, at what Christ has given you, so that you can lead a glorious life in this world and can enter the kingdom of heaven in the future, born again through holy baptism.’ He replied, ‘This gift of God is the result of your efforts.’ Melania remained by his side, never ceasing to encourage him regarding God’s promises. And so he joyfully passed away to the Lord just at Epiphany. We were so amazed and admiring of God’s mercy and of the great goodness he shows to all, that we said, ‘Look how God, with a view to the salvation of one man’s soul, made him come from Rome and us from Jerusalem, so that this man might benefit from the work of his servant Melania.’
56 When all this was over, Melania felt that she had accomplished everything she had come for. As soon as she had celebrated the fortieth day after Volusianus’ death and made an offering for him to the Lord, she hastened to leave Constantinople and return to her cell where she led her secret life of devotion to God. She was eager to leave because she had a long journey ahead of her and she wanted to see the holy places again. When the emperor and the empress, on account of the severe winter weather and because they very much wanted to enjoy her company a bit longer, refused to allow her to make the journey, she would not give up but instead asked and encouraged the emperor to tell the empress to come without delay to worship at the holy places. Then she said goodbye and set off. Although it was February and there was a threat of severe winter conditions (and in fact as we passed through the various places, the local bishops told us that there had never been a winter like it with such extreme cold), Melania did not have the worries usually experienced by women because of the fragility of their sex, for her faith gave her strength. Each day she would hurry on her journey for she was keen to celebrate Easter Day in Jerusalem. But as we travelled through different areas, a great amount of snow and rain fell from morning till night, with the result that for many days the stars were not visible at night, and because we were fasting (it being Lent), all of us men, whom you might assume were stronger because of our sex and nature, were shattered by the hardships of the journey. When on the third or fourth day we urged her to relax the fast a little on account of the hardships we were experiencing, she replied that she was not at all tired: ‘I must not fast less, but more, because the Lord has deigned to bestow such great gifts on me who am his unworthy servant.’ Comforting us with these and similarly kind words, she strengthened our resolve so that neither she nor we had any sense of danger. Finally, when we arrived at the mountain called Modicus we found that the animals were unable to cross it on account of the severe weather. So Melania dismounted and set off on foot just as if she were a man – you had to see it to believe it! We did not want to allow her to walk, saying, ‘Get up on your mule! You are exhausted by too much fasting and your delicate limbs cannot bear the hardships of the journey.’ I am telling the truth when I say that she refused to listen to anyone and she arrived in Malagurdolo with such masculine determination, while continually talking to us about scriptural matters, that we were all amazed to find that we were weaker than she and that our faces were frozen by the extreme cold, while she felt absolutely nothing. Those who are familiar with that mountain would admit that it is difficult for anyone to cross even in springtime, so you can imagine how much more difficult it was when covered with all that snow. Many holy bishops came to welcome her on her arrival, showing her great respect. They tried to persuade her to stay until the weather was more clement but she refused and hurried on, determined – as I said – to celebrate Easter Day in Jerusalem. And God granted her this, for he fulfils the desire of those who fear him.48
57 And so we reached Jerusalem after forty-four days, on the day before the Lord’s Passion. Melania, restored by happiness, celebrated the holy days of the Lord’s Resurrection with her young women on the Mount of Olives. After this she continued with her customary routine of prayer and fasting, serving the Lord, advising the women to remain firm in fear of the Lord, and putting her efforts into managing the monastery for the men. When she saw that the monks were performing the liturgy of the holy church well, her spiritual ardour increased as did her love of God. As a result she had the idea of building a small martyr’s shrine there. ‘This is the place where the Lord’s feet stood. I will make a small shrine so that after my death mass can be celebrated for my soul and for that of my husband.’ In this way God fulfilled all her desires because her plans were in accordance with God. She also gathered together many monks there to praise Christ with hymns and songs in the monastery of God.
58 While she was building this she heard that the Empress Eudocia was on her way and in fact had already reached Antioch. Melania wondered whether she ought to go and meet her or not, and she pondered whether it was perhaps not right for her to wander through the towns dressed in this way. She also wondered whether she might seem arrogant and ungrateful if she did not go to meet the empress. Then she said, ‘It is especially fitting for us as Christians not only to go to meet such a pious empress with humility, but even to carry her on our shoulders and to glorify God who in our times has appointed such a faithful empress who is so good to us.’ So she went to meet her at Sidon, stopping at the shrine of the martyr St Phocas, where there was said to be a cell of the woman of Canaan who had said to the Lord: ‘It is right, Lord, for dogs to eat the crumbs that fall from the table of their masters.’49 For she was very careful that whatever she did or said, wherever she walked or stopped, it would be done in the name of the Lord. The empress welcomed Melania with great respect as befitted a loyal subject, showing her great affection. She said that Melania should know that she had come to venerate the holy places but also to see the saintly Melania, so that she could fulfil her desire to converse with her while she was still alive. Melania gave thanks to God and to the empress and encouraged her to spend more time in prayer and acts of compassion. Together they arrived in Jerusalem. The empress performed her vows of prayer to the Lord. The whole time that the empress spent there she did not leave Melania’s side but was inseparable from her, every day enjoying conversation with the woman who was like a saintly mother to her. When the empress entered the monastery, she invited all the young women and girls to come and kiss her as if they were her daughters. Then she went to the men’s monastery and when she went in she saw that the martyr’s shrine I mentioned was still being built, so she gave orders that the work be finished more quickly, asking Melania for the dedication to be celebrated while she was still there. This was done, with God’s help.
59 But the enemy who is jealous of good people caused Melania to become dispirited. For the empress slipped on her way into the monastery and twisted her ankle which started to cause her pain that same day. Melania was very upset by this and so she went into the martyr’s shrine with her young women and spent the whole night there in tears and prayer, begging the Lord to heal the empress. She would not leave the place until her request was granted. For she made her request confidently to him whom she had always tried to placate by means of her devoted service. The Lord was with his servant as she prayed and before she had finished praying, the empress was restored to health: all the pain disappeared and she returned safe and well to the church of the Holy Resurrection. She went into the martyr’s shrine where the dedication had been made and worshipped the Lord, saying, ‘I thank you, Lord, for being kind enough to visit me, not on account of my merit but in accordance with your kindness and the intervention of your saints and of your servant Melania.’ Once the empress was feeling better, God’s holy one rebuked the devil, saying, ‘Devil, how long will you continue to upset me and to afflict me with so many different temptations? For the Lord will help me and he will utterly destroy your strength.’ When everything had been duly accomplished, the empress returned to Constantinople at the proper time. Melania accompanied her as far as Caesarea and when she was about to say goodbye and return home, the empress burst into tears because she knew she would miss Melania. For a great and indissoluble affection filled her heart. On her return Melania spent the time praying that the empress should get back home to the emperor without any problems. A few days later she heard that she had got home safely, so she gave thanks to the Lord because he had performed many good works through her.
60 Melania was also granted the gift of healing, as was demonstrated by the case of a girl who was the daughter of a nobleman. She was a lovely young woman, as yet unmarried, but she had been stricken by a demon that left her mute so that she could not even move her lips or part her teeth. Her parents were very upset after watching her being tormented like this for three days and unable to eat any food. They appealed to the doctors to use various remedies to make her lips and teeth open at least a little bit, but their efforts were unsuccessful. Then Melania came to hear of it. Trusting in the Lord she asked that the girl be brought to her, saying, ‘Bring her to me so that she can stay in the martyr’s shrine for I believe that the Lord will help her and she will be cured by the saints’ prayers.’ So the girl came, accompanied by her parents, as well as by a group of neighbours. Melania began by praying, then took the oil of blessing and said to the girl, ‘In the name of the Lord, open your mouth.’ Her parents reminded her that the girl had not been able to open her mouth for three days now, but Melania replied, ‘Have faith in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that she will be able to open her mouth at once.’ She touched the girl’s lips with the oil and immediately she began to move her lips. Then pouring the oil in, she made her part her teeth. She gave the girl food which she accepted and ate, and everyone who was there was amazed and glorified the Lord. The girl returned home cured, with her parents, and gave thanks to the Lord who had taken pity on her by means of the woman who worshipped him.
61 Similarly the Lord made use of Melania to cure another woman who was affected in the same manner, and also healed a man who was horribly afflicted by a demon. While Melania’s mother was still alive, there was a pregnant woman whose life was in danger when she went into labour. I hope no one will criticize me and say that this is one of those subjects that should not be mentioned because it is disgusting, even though this is another instance in which we saw Melania performing a miracle. God makes nothing unpleasant or foul in human beings, for he has created all the parts of the body with a purpose. Sin alone is foul and disgusting. No part of the human body can be disgusting because God created it, and from it were born the patriarchs, the prophets, the apostles and the other saints. Anyway, this woman had been lying unconscious for three days and the midwives had tried every remedy in their attempts to save her, but without success. The only thing left was for the doctors to cut open her womb and take out the body of the stillborn baby, in the hope that this would save the mother. For it is very dangerous for a mother to give birth to a stillborn baby. When all hope of recovery was lost, the women told Melania all about it. They did not dare to ask her to come all the way to see this woman, so they just entreated her to pray for the woman’s recovery, hoping that Melania could help her by her prayers, in the same way that she helped everyone. Melania replied, ‘It is good to show compassion to every soul.’ This is how she indicated that she was not ashamed to go and see the woman. Turning to her young women, she said, ‘Let us go and visit her, my daughters’, and then she got up and set off. On the way she started to instruct them, saying, ‘My daughters, you ought to be so grateful to God for saving you from these labour pains.’ When the woman saw that Melania had come to see her, she begged her in a tearful and faltering voice to have pity on her and to pray for her. When Melania heard this, she was deeply moved and very upset. She stood over her, praying. Then she took her leather belt and tied it round the woman: at once the baby was born and the woman recovered, to everyone’s amazement. But Melania in her humility wished to conceal the gift granted to her and giving honour to God, she attributed it all to the merits of others, saying, ‘This belt belonged to a servant of God, and it was his goodness which inspired the Lord to heal you.’ For as has been said, she always tried to attribute to others anything that God had granted her. She then prepared some delicious food to restore the woman’s strength.
62 We often questioned her, saying, ‘Lady mother, how is it that arrogance and pride do not steal upon you, given that you practise such extremes of abstinence and have been granted such virtue?’ But she would say (thereby instructing us by her humility), ‘I am not aware of ever having done anything good, but if a proud thought regarding my fasting occurs to me, then I say to the enemy, “Did you put this idea into my head, devil? Why do you put such thoughts into my head, as if I were doing anything special by fasting for a week? Do not other people continue to fast for forty days?” And if he suggests that I give up oil, I tell him that other people do not even drink their fill of water. If any thoughts occur to me about my rejection of wealth and the enormous amount of gold and silver or the huge number of gifts of different kinds, I say that many people captured by the enemy not only lose all their belongings, but also endure the slavery of cruel captivity. Many, too, are left in poverty by their parents and have to put up with the pressures of need and deprivation. Have I done more than these people if I endure a life of poverty for the sake of the Lord who has redeemed me? Again, when the devil tries to creep into my heart, saying, “Think of all those expensive linen clothes and silk garments you rejected! Look at you now, wearing that hairshirt! What a saint you are!” I say to him, “May Christ oppose you! Can you not see all those people lying on mats and on the bare earth?” Then I pray, saying, “Lord, you know that the thoughts of men are trivial. Blessed is the person taught by you, Lord, and instructed in your law.”50 That is how God drives away the enemy.’ Again she said to us, ‘It is clear that the enemy wages war on everyone, but particularly by means of those who wear the holy habit. For when he sees that we are hastening to carry out the precept of the Lord who says in the Gospel, “Sell all you have and give to the poor”, and “Take up your cross, come and follow me”,51 he often sends people who say to us, “Is it not good to live in penury and poverty for God’s sake, but in moderation? Is it not good to abstain for God’s sake, but in moderation?” To such people I reply, “Do not people in the army strive to rise step by step to a higher rank? Like them we ought to reject the things of this world and try to win heavenly prizes, hastening towards heaven to reach heavenly status.”’ If it ever happened that someone upset her, she would say gently, ‘I am sorry. I know I am a sinner and I do not dare to compare myself to the least of the women of the world.’ To prevent the devil having any reason to accuse her, she would not take communion when she was angry with someone until she had made up with the person, even if it was the other one’s fault. To be more accurate, did anyone ever perceive that she was angry without her having taken the first step to be reconciled, using great patience and gentleness to calm the feelings that were running high? She never ate any food until she had received the body of Christ: this she did especially to protect her soul, although it was also a custom among the Christians at Rome to receive the Eucharist once a day. For it was Peter, the most blessed of the apostles, who started this tradition while he was bishop of Rome, and he was then followed by St Paul who was put to death there.
63 At this point, I hope that despite my inelegant style I have produced a sufficiently full account of the life of our holy mother. However, we have been unable to give an account that truly represents her merits for neither my humble talents nor my pathetic memory are up to the task of recording for you, holy father, all her spiritual achievements or her longings in the love of Christ. But now that my account has brought me to the end and to her happy death, I will add just a few words. It happened that after she had endured many sufferings in this world, according to the words of Scripture: ‘protecting the faith with the weapons of justice on the right hand and the left, she completed the race and waited for the crown of justice, set aside by Christ, to be given back to her, for she desired to depart and be with Christ, much more than to remain in the flesh.’52 Then Christmas came, the birthday of our Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ, and she said, ‘I want to go to Bethlehem to celebrate the birthday of my Lord there. For I do not know whether I will live to see it next year.’ So she went there, accompanied by her niece Paula, a virgin dedicated to the Lord, and celebrated the holy vigils and received holy communion. Then, as if she knew that she would soon leave this life, she said goodbye to her niece, saying, ‘Pray for me, my darling. From now on you will celebrate Christmas on your own without me.’ When those who were with her heard her say this, they began to cry. On her return, she went into the holy cave and prayed.
64 The following day when prayers were said for St Stephen the first martyr, she did not go to the vigils but went at dawn to that martyr’s shrine and asked for mass to be said at her monastery. For she was not in the habit of receiving holy communion unless she herself had made the offering. On her return from the martyr’s shrine, she stayed awake with her young women whom she was now on the point of leaving as orphans, physically if not yet spiritually, in accordance with the Lord’s will. For I was there with her and she said that I should be the first to read the account of the discovery of St Stephen’s relics. Three of the sisters also gave a reading and then she herself read the passion of St Stephen from the Acts of the Apostles, because it was the custom for her to have five readings at the saints’ vigils. When she had finished matins, all the sisters said to her, ‘Give us a blessing so that we may deserve to have you to celebrate many saints’ vigils’, to which she replied, ‘May the Lord bless you and keep you for you will not hear me reading any more. The Lord is calling me now. Now I long to depart 53 and be in peace. I advise you, dearest ones who are like holy limbs to me, to live in Christ and perform the spiritual rule in fear of God. For it is written, “Cursed is he who performs the work of God carelessly.”54 Even if I am not here, God always is.’ Her words upset them all and they began to cry. She said to me, ‘Let us go so that I may pray at the martyrs’ shrine in the men’s monastery, because the relics of St Stephen are also buried there.’ While she was praying as if saying goodbye to the holy martyrs, she began to feel a slight chill. On her return home she found the sisters still singing matins. She then began to feel worse. When the sisters realized this they begged her to rest a little because, as she grew weaker, she was unable to stand up. But she said, ‘Leave me for a while, until we have finished matins.’
65 Afterwards, having rested a while on her bed, she called all the girls to her side and said to them, ‘Above all, pray for me. And if you have any affection for me, keep my commands and rules. Please remember that I never reprimanded any of you angrily: I always did so gently because I did not want to upset anyone. I never allowed any of you to be angry with her sister for a day or a night. Instead I urged you to be reconciled to one another, because it is love that wins the heavenly crown. Avoid the gaze of men for even if you do not consider yourself attractive, a man who looks at you may be seduced. It often happens that you can cause someone else to sin. Therefore I say to you, keep firmly to the rule. Respect the authority of the holy bishop in all obedience and humility. For he is concerned for you and keeps watch over you before the Lord, mindful that he will have to render an account.’ Turning to the young girls she said, ‘You must know, my daughters, that those who leave this world are aware of what is going on here; and so if one of you has an argument or disagreement with your sisters, I will come and tell you off.’ And this is in fact what happened. After her death, if one of the sisters behaved in an arrogant manner towards another, Melania would appear to her in a dream and rebuke her and threaten her; or if one of them was overwhelmed by laziness and refused to get up for the night vigil, Melania would come to her at night and say to her sternly, ‘Why are you not getting up to praise God?’ or ‘Be reconciled to your sisters, especially on the Lord’s Day.’ Perhaps what I am about to say may seem incredible but it is true, and many people know of it. The empress once sent for some of the young women from Melania’s monastery and one of the girls, whose mother had handed her over to Melania at the altar, was told to go with the others. Melania appeared to her with a radiant face in the company of some men and began to rebuke the girl threateningly, saying, ‘Did your mother not give you to me at the holy altar like a sheep for the sacrifice? And now you want to go to Constantinople? There will be trouble unless you promise me not to leave this place.’ Then the terrified girl said, ‘Even if I have to die, I will not go.’ When she woke up she told all the others of this. But Melania also appeared to other sisters who were already on their way and rebuked them. And even the empress herself said that she had had a vision and that Melania had told her not to take the girls, so she sent a message while they were on their way, telling them to return to their own monastery. Melania would often appear to them, warning them and encouraging them to amend their ways for the better.
66 And so, as I promised a little earlier to relate, when she had been ill for five days and the doctors wanted to give her some medicine to bring her a bit of relief, she said to them, ‘If my days are at an end, the Lord is calling. For I have heard a voice in my heart, whether from God or from someone else – God knows – as if someone were saying to me, “Whatever they manage to do is of no use, for the summons has been sent.” Why do you make these efforts to no purpose? You must not give the impression of resisting God.’ But when we heard this, we could not stop ourselves crying. Then she said to me, ‘Do not cry, father. Be brave, for we are not going to stay in this world for ever.’ When the fifth day of her illness had passed, the sixth day arrived – it was a Sunday. As day dawned she told me to go into the martyrs’ shrine next to which she was lying in her little cell, so that the offering could be celebrated. So I went in and offered the Eucharistic host to God. In my great sadness I poured forth a prayer in silence so she would not hear it in her cell, but she called to me, ‘Please say that prayer a bit louder so that I can hear and receive encouragement.’ And when the sacrifice of praise had been made, she took communion.
67 At dawn the next morning the bishop came to see her. She said to him, ‘My lord bishop, I entrust to you this holy priest and the monasteries which, thanks to your prayers, God has been kind enough to assemble through my humility. And please pray for me, my holy friend.’ Then she received communion again from the bishop. The monks came to visit her and she said to them, ‘Pray for me, for I am already saying goodbye to you. I commend to you this priest and beg you not to cause him distress, for he has borne my burden for God’s sake, even though he did not need to.’ Next it was the turn of the young women to come in. Melania said goodbye to them, too, in the same words.
68 Then everyone came from the different monasteries and from the holy city. Melania said goodbye to them all as if she were setting off on a journey, commending herself to their prayers. When she had thoroughly instructed her own servants of God and given her niece Paula plenty of blessings, she said to me, ‘I am entrusting the monasteries to your care. You took care of them while I was alive, and now you must do so even more carefully. Be aware that it is the Lord who will reward you for your work. And please pray for me.’ When she had said goodbye to everyone and cheerfully given the kiss of peace to her young girls, as if the time of departure was approaching, she said, ‘Please say a prayer.’ When the prayer was finished and they had all said, ‘Amen’, Melania added, ‘Bestow a blessing on me, then go in peace, and leave me to rest now.’ Around the ninth hour, when she fell into a deep sleep and we thought she was departing from her body, we tried in our sorrow to straighten out her feet, weeping as we did so. But she said, ‘The time has not yet come’, so I said to her, ‘Well then, you tell us when it is time’, and she replied, ‘To be sure, I will let you know.’ It was the custom among the Romans to place the Eucharistic host in the person’s mouth when the soul was departing. There were also some who lived with the holy bishop and also the other holy anchorites from around Eleutheropolis who wanted to witness her blessed death. They said, ‘We are sad but the angels will be happy’, to which Melania’s response was, ‘It has happened as the Lord willed.’ In that same hour she took communion from the bishop and at the end of the prayer she responded, ‘Amen’. She kissed the bishop’s hand and then lying down again she joyfully watched the angels, pointing them out to us, as it were, as she joined their throng and travelled peacefully towards heaven. Her death was as serene as her life had been gentle. After a hymn and a reading from the Gospel, in accordance with her wishes, the holy bishop and all those present commended her spirit in a period of silence. For she handed over her spirit to the Creator at the very hour when the Lord was conversing with Cleopas on their journey. Cleopas said to him, ‘Stay with us, for it is evening and the day is coming to an end.’55 In the same way Melania, on that Sunday, with the love which she always had for God, was told, ‘Melania, our faithful servant, come and take your rest and stay with us. For I want those whom the Father has given to me to be in the same place as I am, with the Father and the Holy Spirit.’
69 I think it might be useful for the reader, and no trouble for me, if I describe what she was wearing at her burial. She wore a tunic belonging to some holy woman, of very poor quality but given as a gift. She also kept for herself a cloak, a monastic garment and everything she had received from the other holy servants acceptable to God. She had absolutely no linen garments apart from just one fine muslin one, with which she was buried in the tomb. She gave orders that a little cushion belonging to a servant of God should be placed under her head, as well as the hooded garment made of hairshirt material which he had given her in the desert.
70 And so she ascended to heaven and in joy and exultation she achieved her desire. She had fought a good fight56 and the enemy powers did not dismay her, seeing that they could find nothing in her that belonged to them. For she heard from the one whom she had loved with complete faith since her youth speaking in Christ’s words, ‘Come, enter into the joy of your master.’57 When she wanted to please someone, she used to say, ‘I wish that I could hear those words of the Gospel, “Good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your master”’, and this is in fact what happened to her, for she entered joyful and happy. The angels praised her because they could see in her a reflection of their own way of life, which she had lived to perfection while she was still on earth. The prophets said, ‘She did not pass over a single word of our teaching without putting it into practice.’ The apostles said, ‘Tell her to rest with us, for she has imitated our way of life.’ The holy martyrs said, ‘She has honoured our memories; glorify her with us.’ For the labours which she had endured and the virtues she had practised, she received what the eye does not see and the ear does not hear and what has not ascended to the heart of man, which God has prepared for those who love him:58 to whom be honour and glory for ever and ever, Amen.