The following story is taken from pages 268-269 of Sir E. A. Wallis Budge's One Hundred and Ten Miracles of Our Lady Mary: Translated From Ethiopic Manuscripts (London: Humphrey Milford, Publisher to the Oxford University Press, 1933). According to Sir Budge's Introduction, this comes from the oldest of the British Museum's portion of Britain's National Library of Ethiopic Manuscripts and was written in the fifteenth century A.D. (pg. xxvii).

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THERE were certain men of arrogant minds who wanted to have sculptured a figure of our Lady MARY, the enemy of the arrogant, and they gave a fine stone to the stonecutter, and they prepared for it gold wherein to set the stone, and they commanded him to engrave for them a picture of our Lady MARY upon a tablet of sapphire plated (or, framed) with gold. Now they wished the work to be of the finest -- though their heart was not good -- but not because it was what our Lady expected, for they only worked for their own glorification. And our Lady MARY, the enemy of the arrogant, who loveth those who love her in righteousness, appeared unto the cutter of the picture whilst he was asleep by night, and she said unto him, "Take good heed to thyself that thou prayest not for these erring folk, for they wish to have a picture of me cut for ostentation, and not for reverent dedication. Their offering is not pleasing unto me, even as DAVID my father saith, Let not the oil of the sinful anoint my head."[1] And she also appeared unto Abbâ BASIL, and she said unto him, "Come, and I will show thee my picture which hath been painted by the hand of the angels. It is in a holy and secret place, and it is a healing for those who recite salutations to it, and it straighteneth the feet of the lame, and it bestoweth light upon the blind, and it maketh whole those who suffer from

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leprosy and wounds." And the Archbishop BASIL awoke from his sleep and was perturbed because of the vision that he had seen of our Lady MARY appearing to him. And in the morning he set out with bishops, and priests, and deacons carrying censers and the cross, singing praises to God and His virgin mother, and when they had arrived at the place which our Lady MARY had told him about, they found the marks. And the Archbishop commanded the people to dig, and the bishops went round censing the place, and the deacons sang psalms and hymns. And whilst they were praying and digging, they came across a red tablet that resembled coal and on it was painted a picture of our Lady MARY with her Son, and olive oil dripped from that picture. And when those who were present saw this they rejoiced exceedingly, and the Archbishop placed the tablet in the church by the seat of the people, so that all those who believed in her prayer might salute her, and they decorated her with her tiara and her draperies. And all those who were sick and who saluted her were healed of their sickness, of whatsoever kind it was, and the lepers were cleansed as soon as they were anointed with the oil that flowed from the tablet, and great miracles took place. And there was a certain woman who had killed her sister by giving her a draught of deadly poison, because she was jealous of her for having slept with her husband. And one day this murderess came with the other people to salute the Virgin and to be anointed with the olive oil that came from her, and straightway leprosy seized her, and her flesh became white like marble, and all those who saw her marvelled and were astonished. And they asked her, saying, "O woman, what hast thou done that maketh this kind of thing to appear on thee?" And there was great awe that day because of that miracle and wonder at what our Lady MARY had done, and no man made an offering to that picture.