Chapter I
If every member of my body were turned into a tongue, resonating with every art the human voice is capable of, I still would not be able to praise sufficiently the virtues of the holy and venerable Paula. She came of a noble family, but was even more noble in her holiness, powerful once because of her wealth, but now famous because of her poverty for Christ's sake. She was of the family of the Gracchi; the Scipios also were her ancestors [Prominent military and political families in Rome from the 3^rd and 2^nd centuries BC.] ; she was the heir of Paullus whose name she bore [Not the Apostle Paul but the Roman general Paullus who fell in battle in the year 216 BC.] She was a true blood-related descendant of Marcia Papiria, [Paullus' wife.]  the mother of Scipio Africanus, but she preferred Bethlehem to Rome, she exchanged the glittering gilded ceilings for a lowly mud hut. Let us not grieve that we have lost such a person, let us rather give thanks that she has lived among us, and indeed is among us still. For all things are alive in God, and whatever or whoever goes back to God is still reckoned to be part of his family.
For as long as she was in the flesh she was absent from the Lord (2 Corinthians 5.6), ever complaining in tearful voice, 'Alas that my pilgrimage is prolonged. I dwell among the inhabitants of Khedar, and my soul is much estranged' (Psalms 120.5). Nor is it to be wondered at that she should complain about living in darkness (for so is the word 'Khedar' to be interpreted), for she in her purity lived in the midst of evil (1 John 5.19). As dark as is the world, so is the brightness of her light; her light shone in the darkness and the darkness could not extinguish it (John 1.5). She was led to cry out all the more eagerly, 'I am a stranger and pilgrim as were all my fathers' (Psalms 39.12), and again, 'I had rather depart and be with Christ' (Philippians 1.23). Whenever she was troubled by the weakness of her body (which was caused by her incredible abstinence and redoubled fasts), her only response was, 'I subdue my body and bring it into subjection, lest having preached to others I be myself a castaway' (1 Corinthians 9.27), and, 'It is a good thing not to drink wine or eat meat' (Romans 14.21), and, 'I have humbled my soul with fasting' (Psalms 35.13), 'and taken to my bed in weakness' (Psalms 41.3), 'and have been greatly distressed when smitten with grievous wounds' (Psalms 32.4).Whenever she was suffering from pain (which she bore with wonderful patience) she would cast up her eyes to heaven and say 'Who will give me the wings of a dove that I may fly away and be at rest?' (Psalms 55.6)
I call Jesus and his saints and her own guardian angel to witness that nothing of what I am saying is mere ingratiating flattery. Whatever I shall say about her can never do justice to what she deserves. The whole world sings her praises, the priests stand amazed, the choirs of virgins regret her departure, the crowds of monks and poor people weep. Would you like a brief list of her virtues, dear reader? She was poorer than all the poor that she cared for and left behind. She numbers among her friends and family men and women who used to be slaves, but whom she has changed into her brothers and sisters. And she has left us her devoted virgin daughter Eustochium, for whose consolation these words are being written, in a land  far distant from her noble family, rich only in faith and grace.

Chapter II
So then let us begin our story. Others may begin at an earlier stage by going back to her cradle and childhood playthings, citing her mother, Blesilla, and her father, Rogatus. Whereas the former owns the Scipios and the Gracchi as forebears, the latter is descended from a family noted among the Greeks for its eminence and wealth right up to the present day. For it is Agamemnon himself whose blood he is said to have shared, he who destroyed Troy after the ten year siege.
But for our part, we shall praise only what is uniquely hers, that which springs from the purity of her own holiness. In the Gospels, when the apostles asked the Lord and Saviour what should they receive who had given up everything for his sake, he said that they would be given a hundredfold in this life and eternal life in the world to come (Matthew 19.27 & Mark 10.30). From which we are to understand that there is nothing praiseworthy in possessing riches, but rather in despising them for Christ's sake, not in piling up worldly honours, but in counting them as nothing compared to faith in God. And what the Saviour promised to his servants and handmaids has been brought to pass at this present time.
For she who despised the glory of one city has been raised up high in the opinion of the whole world. She hid herself in Bethlehem, but has become the wonder of the whole Roman world and the barbarous lands beyond. Is there any nationality not represented among those who have visited the holy places? Is there anyone in those holy places more admired by people than Paula? Among many bright jewels there is always one more precious that shines more brilliantly than the others. just as the radiance of the sun puts to flight the little brightnesses of the stars and hides them. And so it is that in her humility she outshone the virtues and qualities of everyone else. She became the least of all, that she might become greater than all, for the more she cast herself down, the more she was raised up by Christ. She was hidden and was not hidden. By flying from glory she was given glory. For glory follows virtue as its shadow, and ignoring those who seek it, is given to those who despise it.
But what am I thinking of, neglecting to get on with my story! By over-emphasising one particular point I am not doing justice to the rules of narrative.

Chapter III
Being then of such high parentage, she married Toxotius who was of the Julian family which traces its ancestry to Aeneas. Hence his daughter Eustochium, a virgin for Christ, also bears the name of Julia, just as Toxotius has the name of Julius, a name handed down from the Iulus the great. [Iulus was the son of the legendary Aeneas, a Trojan who escaped from the ruins of Troy and founded a city on the banks of the Tiber, which later became the city of Rome].  I mention this not because the bearing of such a name is of great importance, but rather to show how wonderfully such a name has been proved to be of no importance. Worldly people look up to those occupying positions of privilege, but we praise those who despise them for the sake of the Saviour. It may seem rather strange that we should belittle those who bear such illustrious names and praise those who would rather not have them. Paula has won approval first from her husband, then from her relations, and finally from the whole world, not because of her noble ancestry but because of her chastity and fruitfulness. She bore five children:
Blesilla, at whose death I offered her some comfort when I was at Rome;
Paulina, who left behind her holy and venerable husband Pammachius as the heir not only of her property but also of her way of life, about whose death I have also written a little piece;
Eustochium, who now wears the precious necklace of virginity in the holy places of the Church;
Ruffina, whose early death gave such grief to the caring soul of her mother;
Toxotius, after whom she had no more children, from which you may gather that having satisfied her husband's desire for male offspring, she no longer had any wish to fulfil her conjugal duties.

Chapter IV
After her husband's death her grief was so great that she nearly died herself, but then she gave herself so completely to the service of Christ that it might almost have looked as if she had been glad of his death. For how can I adequately describe how almost all of the riches of that noble and distinguished family were distributed to the poor and needy? How tell of her kind and compassionate generosity to all, and even to those whom she had never seen? What needy person on his deathbed was not wrapped in blankets which she had supplied? What bedridden person was not supported by her gifts? She searched keenly throughout all the city and thought it a loss to herself if there was anyone weak and poor who was supported by anyone other than her. She did all this at the expense of her own children, and when her relations objected replied that she was leaving them a much greater legacy, the mercy of Christ.
It was not long before she found that she could not bear much more of the social round of associating with the noble families of the highest class in this world. She was embarrassed by her own reputation, and sought how to escape from the flattery heaped upon her. At that time an Imperial summons had drawn bishops to Rome from both East and West in order to discuss certain controversies in the church, [There was a synod in Rome in 382 to discuss the views of the heretic Apollinaris, Damasus being pope and Theodosius and Valentinian being Emperors of East and West respectively.] which enabled her to meet certain distinguished bishops of Christ, Paulinus of Antioch, and Epiphanius of Salamis in Cyprus, or as it is now called, Constantia. Epiphanius indeed was her guest, and although Paulinus was staying with someone else she became as friendly with him as if he were staying with her. It was partly through her admiration of their virtues that she began to think more and more about leaving her native land. She forgot about her home, her children, her possessions, her position in society; she could think of nothing but going to visit the desert of Antony and Paul, unaccompanied, if possible.
When at last the winter was over and the sea was favourable and the bishops were returning to their churches, she longed to go with them. She did not put off going for much longer. She too went down to the harbour, accompanied by her brother and other friends and relations, and, what is more, by her children, all eager to dissuade their loving mother by demonstrating their affection for her. But the sails were set, and the oars drove the ship out into the high seas. The infant Toxotius held out beseeching hands to his mother. Ruffina already of marriageable age tried to suppress her sobbing as she begged her mother to wait at least until she was married. But Paula looked up to heaven dry-eyed, overcoming the love of her children by her love of God. She no longer allowed herself to be a mother but only a handmaid of Christ. Although her emotions were in a turmoil, and it felt as if her whole body was being torn apart, she fought down her grief. Her love of family had been very great; all the more admirable then was her victory, which was apparent to all.
There is nothing more cruel than to see children by dire necessity separated from their parents and taken by the hands of the enemy into slavery. But against the laws of nature she endured this kind of separation in the fulness of her faith, indeed it was something that her joyful heart sought after, her love for God putting her love for children into second place. But she did have Eustochium still, who was of one mind with her and accompanied her on her journey. The ship ploughed on, with all those on board looking back to the shore except her. She turned her eyes away from what she could not bear to look at without being tormented. I am quite sure that no one could have loved her children more. Before she set out she had put them in charge of all she possessed, renouncing her inheritance on earth that she might gain an inheritance in heaven.

Chapter V
They put in at the island of Pontia, celebrated as the place where that most famous of women, Flavia Domitilla, had suffered exile under the emperor Domitian, for having confessed to being a Christian. As Paula viewed the small cells in which that lady had spent her long martyrdom, her faith took wings, and she longed more than ever to see Jerusalem and the other holy places. But the winds were fitful, and progress was slow. She passed between Scylla and Charybdis and entrusted herself at last to the Adriatic Sea and had a calm passage to Methone, where she refreshed her weary body
by stretching out her tired limbs along the shore, before sailing past Malea and Cythera, the scattered Cyclades and the straits with numerous lands on every side. [Virgil's Aeneid, Book 3]
They went past Rhodes and Lycia and came at last to Cyprus, where she fell at the feet of the holy and venerable Epiphanius and stayed with him for ten days. She did not use this time as recreation, as he thought she ought to, but as it turned out, used it for the work of God. For she visited all the famous monasteries on that island, and as far as her means would allow gave alms to the brothers whom the love of that holy man had attracted there from all quarters of the world.
From there it was but a short journey to Seleucia, from where she went up to Antioch where she was entertained for a time by the holy confessor Paulinus. Here, this noble woman, who had once been carried about in a litter by eunuchs, travelled about sitting on an ass, warmed by the ardour of her faith even in the middle of winter. I will say nothing about her travels in Coelo-Syria and Phoenicia (for it has never been my purpose to itemise her complete itinerary), but will mention only such places as are named in the sacred books.

Chapter VI
Leaving behind the Roman colony of Berytus and the ancient city of Sidon, she came to Sareptha, where she worshipped the Lord in Elijah's upper room (1 Kings 17.19). She went on by way of the sands of Tyre, where Paul had once knelt (Acts 21.5), and arrived at Coth, which is now called Ptolemais. From there she went through the plains of Megiddo where Josiah had been slain (2 Kings 23.29) and entered the lands of the Philistines. Here she admired the ruins of Dor, at one time a most powerful city, and by way of contrast, the tower of Strabo, rebuilt by king Herod of Judea and renamed Caesarea in honour of Augustus Caesar. Here she saw the house of Cornelius (Acts 10.1), now turned into a Christian church, and the humble dwelling of Philip and the rooms of his four virgin daughters who prophesied (Acts 21.8-9). She next arrived at Antipatris, a small half-ruined town named by Herod after his father, and Lydda, now known as Diospolis, famous for the healing of Aeneas and the resurrection of Dorcas (Acts 9.32-41).

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