VITA ADAE ET EVAE.

And Eve said to Adam: 'What is penitence? Tell me, what sort of penitence am I to do? Let us not put too great a labour on ourselves which we cannot endure, so that the Lord will not hearken to our prayers: and will turn away His countenance from us, because we have not fulfilled what we promised. My lord, how much penitence hast thou thought (to do) for I have brought trouble and anguish upon thee?'

And Adam said to Eve: 'Thou canst not do so much as I, but do only so much as thou hast strength for. For I will spend forty days fasting, but do thou arise and go to the river Tigris and lift up a stone and stand on it in the water up to thy neck in the deep river. And let no speech proceed out of thy mouth, since we are unworthy to address the Lord, for our lips are unclean from the unlawful and forbidden tree. And thou stand in the water of the river thirty-seven days. But I will spend forty days in the water of Jordan, perchance the Lord God will take pity upon us.'

And Eve walked to the river Tigris and did as Adam had told her. Likewise, Adam walked to the river Jordan and stood on a stone up to his neck in water.

And Adam said: 'I tell thee, water of Jordan, grieve with me, and assemble to me all swimming (creatures), which are in thee, and let them surround me and mourn in company with me. Not for themselves let them lament, but for me; for it is not they that have sinned but I.'

Forthwith all living things came and surrounded him, and, from that hour, the water of Jordan stood (still) and its current was stayed.'

SLAVONIC VITA ADAE ET EVAE.

Then the devil approached and stood before the oxen, and hindered Adam in tilling the field and said to Adam : 'Mine are the things of earth, the things of Heaven are God's ; but if thou wilt be mine, thou shalt labour on the earth; but if thou wilt be God's, (pray) go away to paradise.' Adam said : 'The things of Heaven are the Lord's and the things of earth and Paradise and the whole Universe.'

The devil said: 'I do not suffer thee to till the field, except thou write the bond that thou art mine.' Adam replied: ' Whosoever is lord of the earth, to the same do I (belong) and my children.' Then the devil was overcome with joy. (But Adam was not ignorant that the Lord would descend on earth and tread the devil under foot.) The devil said: 'Write me thy bond.' And Adam wrote: 'Who is lord of the earth, to the same do I belong and my children.'

Eve said to Adam, 'Rise up, my lord, let us pray to God in this cause that He set us free from that devil, for thou art in this strait on my account.'

But Adam said: 'Eve, since thou repentest of thy misdeed, my heart will hearken to thee, for the Lord created thee out of my ribs. Let us fast forty days perchance the Lord will have pity on us and will leave us understanding and life.' I, for my part, said: 'Do thou (my) lord, fast forty days, but I will fast forty-four.'

And Adam said to me: 'Haste thee to the river named Tigris, and take a great stone and place it under thy feet, and enter into the stream and clothe thyself with water, as with a cloak, up to the neck and pray to God in thy heart and let no word proceed out of thy mouth.' And I said: O (my) lord, with my whole heart will I call upon God.' And Adam said to me 'Take great care of thyself. Except thou seest me and all my tokens, depart not out of the water, nor trust in the words, which are said to thee, lest thou fall again into the snare.' And Adam came to Jordan and he entered into the water and he plunged himself altogether into the flood, even (to) the hairs of his head while he made supplication to God and sent (up) prayers to Him.