the old man, and greeted him with its moving limbs. Then Zosimus said to the lion: ' O thou huge wild beast, if thou wert sent hither by God that thou mightest enclose in the earth the body of this holy handmaiden of God, fulfil now the work of thy service. I verily am weakened by age, so that I cannot dig, nor have I anything suitable for undertaking this work; nor can I speed on so great a journey, to bring [tools] hither. But do thou now perform this work, at the divine behest, with thy claws, until that we two enclose this holy body in the earth.' Immediately after his words, the lioness, by means of her claws, wrought a grave with her arms, as great as sufficed to bury the saint in. And he with his tears washed her feet, and with prayers that poured forth continually prayed that she would intercede for them all; and so he covered the body over within the earth, as naked as when he first saw her, except for the protection of the torn strip which Zosimus formerly threw to her, wherewith Mary had covered a part of her body. Then they at the same time departed; the lioness [going] to the remoter part of the desert like the gentlest lamb; whilst Zosimus departed to his minster, glorifying God and blessing Him, and praising Him with praises. As soon as he came to the minster, he related to them all every circumstance from the beginning, and concealed none of all the things that he had seen or heard; so that they all worshipped the wonders done by God, and magnified the day of her happy departure with awe and love and much faith. Afterwards John perceived how to amend some of the customs of the minster, as the saint had predicted; but, with God's help, he soon amended them. And Zosimus continued serving in the minster for a hundred years, and then departed to God. Glory be to our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth, ever world without end. Amen.
