For Edessa is a city of Mesopotamia, of faithful peoples, adorned with the relics of the Apostle Thomas. There, when the Emperor had himself seen the peoples, cast out of the churches, holding their assembly in the open field, he is said to have been kindled with such great wrath that he struck his prefect with his fist, demanding why they had not been driven out from there too, as he had commanded.
But that man, though he was a pagan and had been ill-treated with insults by the Emperor, nevertheless, out of consideration of humanity, being about to go forth the next day to ravage the people, caused this very thing to become clear to the citizens through secret signals, so that they might be able to take precaution for themselves, lest they be found in the place. About to go forth in the morning, he raised a greater terror than usual by means of his retinue, and did everything so that as few as possible, or if it could be done, none, should be endangered. Yet he sees the people, more numerous than usual, making for the place, running headlong and hastening, as though they feared lest anyone should be lacking for death.
Meanwhile he sees a certain little woman rushing out of her house so hurriedly and hastily that she could neither close the door nor cover herself more carefully, as befits the dress of women, dragging also a small infant with her, and hastening with rapid course, having even broken through the column of the retinue. Then he, no longer able to bear it, said: 'Seize the woman and bring her here to me.' And when she had been brought: 'Whither,' said he, 'unhappy woman, dost thou hasten so urgently?' 'To the field,' she said, 'where the people of the catholics is assembling.' 'And hast thou not heard,' said he, 'that the prefect is going there to slay all whom he finds?' 'I have heard,' she said, 'and therefore I hasten, that I may be found there.' 'And whither,' said he, 'art thou dragging this little one?'
'That he too,' she said, 'may be counted worthy to obtain martyrdom.' When that most moderate man had heard this, he ordered the retinue to turn back and the vehicle to be turned toward the palace. And entering, he said: 'Emperor, I am ready to undergo death if you command it. But the work you enjoin we cannot fulfill.' And when he had recounted everything about the woman, he checked the madness of the Emperor.