Paradise of the Holy Fathers (Palladius' Lausiac History, Apophthegmata Patrum)

The Savings of the holy Fatbers 224. Certain old men came unto an old man who dwelt in the desert that they might reveal unto him their thoughts, and might profit by his knowledge, and they found some young men outside his cell who were pasturing sheep, and they were saying unto one another words which were unseemly. And the old men said unto the old man, ‘‘ Father, how is it that thou ‘‘dost not command these young men not to curse?” And the old man said unto them, ‘‘ My brethren, believe me, I have ‘‘many times wished to command them [not to do so], but I ‘“ have rebuked myself, saying, ‘If thou canst not endure this ‘* “little thing, how couldst thou bear some severe trial if it ‘“* were to come upon thee?’ I have therefore never said any- ‘‘ thing to them, so that the matter might be a cause of remem- ‘* bering that I have to endure the things which are to come.” 225. A certain brother ministered unto one of the fathers who was sick, now his disease was decline of the body, and he used to bring up foetid pus; and the mind of the brother said unto him, ‘‘Flee from him, for thou canst not endure this foe- ‘tid smell.”’ Then the brother took an earthen vessel and put into it some of the water in which the old man had washed, and when he was thirsty he used to drink some of it ; and his mind began to say unto him, ‘‘ Flee not, but drink not of this ‘* filthy water.” But that brother laboured on greatly in respect of the water in which the sick man had washed, and although his soul shrank from that filthiness, he persevered in drinking it; and God saw his labour and tribulation, and He changed the filthy washing water which was in the earthen vessel into clean water, and He healed that old man.

226. One of the monks wished to go out from his monastery and to wander about so that he might have a little relaxation and enjoyment, and when they saw him, an old man said unto him, ‘‘Seek not gratification in this world, O my son, but ‘“ work rather and persevere therein in the invincible power of ‘the Holy Trinity.” 227. Abba Moses used to say, ‘Secret withdrawal [from ‘‘ work] maketh dark the mind, but for a man to endure and ‘to persevere in his works maketh light the mind in our Lord, ‘“and it strengtheneth and fortifieth the soul.” 228, And he used to say also, ‘‘Bear disgrace and affli@tion ‘‘in the Name of Jesus with humility and a troubled heart; ‘‘and shew before Him thy feebleness, and He will become ‘“unto thee might.” 229. Certain people praised one of the brethren before the blessed Anthony, and when that brother came to the blessed man the old man put him to the test, and he found that he could not bear contempt and contumely. And the old man said unto him, ‘‘ Thou art like unto a palace the front of which is deco- “ rated and beautiful, but the back whereof hath been broken ‘into by thieves and plundered.”

230. A brother asked an old mana question, saying, “What “¢ shall I do?” And the old man said unto him, ‘‘ Go and learn ‘to love putting restraint upon thyself in everything.” 231. One of the old men said concerning Lazarus, the poor man, ‘‘ We cannot find that Lazarus ever did one excellent ‘thing except that he never murmured against the rich man ‘‘as being one who had never shewn him an act of mercy ; but ‘‘he bore his infirmity with the giving of thanks, and because ‘‘ of this God took him to Himself.” 232. Abba Macarius used to say, ‘‘If contumely be accounted “by thee as an honour, and blame as praise, and poverty as ‘‘wealth, thou wilt not die.” 233. A certain brother asked Abba Poemen, saying, ‘‘What ‘mean the words, ‘If a man be angry with his brother with- ‘Sout a cause?’” (St. Matthew v, 22.) The old man said unto him, ‘‘If thy brother make use of oppression, and wrong, and “fraud in respect of thee, and thou art angry with him [be- “cause of them], thou art angry with him without a cause. “‘ And if he tear out thy right eye, or cut off thy right hand, ‘and thou art angry with him, thou art angry with him with- ‘‘ out a cause; but if a man wisheth to separate thee or to put ‘thee away from God, then to be angry and wroth with him “is a good thing.”

234. There were two men in the desert who were brethren in the flesh, and a devil came to separate them from each other; and one day the younger brother lit a lamp and set it upona candlestick, but, by the agency of the Evil One, he overturned the candlestick and extinguished the lamp. Then the elder brother was angry and smote him, and the younger brother made excuses to him, saying, ‘‘Havea little patience with me, “and I will light the lamp again.” Now when God saw his patient endurance, He punished that devil until the morning, and the devil came and told the prince of devils what had happened; and there was with the prince of devils a certain priest of idols, and straightway this man left everything, and he went and became a monk. And at the very beginning he laid hold upon humility, saying, “* Humility is able to bring to ‘‘ naught all the power of the Adversary, even as I have heard “from the devils, who said, ‘Whensoever we stir up the “‘ ‘monks, they turn to humility, and they make excuses one ‘to the other, and thus they do away all our power.’”

235. Abba Poemen said, ‘‘Abba Isidore, the priest of the ‘‘church, on one occasion spake to the people, saying, My The Sayings of the tholy Fathers ‘‘ brethren, when ye are working in a certain place it is not ‘“strength to depart therefrom because of the labour; and as ‘‘for myself, I wrap myself up in my cloak and I go to the ‘place where labour is, and labour becometh unto me a ‘* pleasure.” } 236. Paesius, the brother of Abba Poemen, had an affection for the people who were outside his monastery, and Abba Poemen did not wish this to be, and he rose up and fled to Abba Ammon, and said unto him, ‘‘My brother Paesius hath ‘““made a promise of love to certain folk, and I am not pleased ‘‘thereat.”” Abba Ammon said unto him, ‘ Poemen, thou art ‘still alive. Go, and sit in thy cell, and meditate in thy ‘mind, saying, ‘Behold, there is a year for thee in the “*S-grave.! 237. There were two monks who lived in one place, and an old man came to them, and wishing to put them to the test, he took a stick, and began to beat to pieces the garden herbs of one of them; and when one monk saw him doing this, he hid himself. And when only one root was left, the other brother said unto him, ‘‘Father, if it please thee, leave me this root ‘that I may boil it and we may eat together.” Then the old man made excuses to that brother, and said unto him, ‘‘The ‘* Spirit of God hath rested upon thee, O my brother.”

Chapter vif. Of Obedience towards God, and towards our Fathers and Bretbren HEY say that Abba John, the disciple of Abba Paulé, possessed great obedience. Now in the place where they used to live there was a sepulchre, wherein dwelt 238. a savage panther, and Abba Paulé saw in it a few little heaps of goods, and he said unto John, ‘‘Go to the sepulchre ‘‘and bring me some of the things from there”; and John said unto him, ‘‘My father, what shall I do with the panther?” And the old man laughed and said unto him, ‘‘If he cometh “against thee, tie him up and bring him here”; so John went there at eventide, and the panther came against him, and when he went to lay hold of him the animal fled from him. Then John pursued him, saying, ‘‘My father told me to fetter thee,” and he seized him, and bound him with cords. Meanwhile the old man was very much troubled about John, and he was sitting waiting for him anxiously; and behold, he came dragging along the panther which was tied with ropes, and the old man saw and marvelled. Then the brother said unto him, ‘‘ Father, be- ‘‘hold, I have taken prisoner the panther according as thou ‘‘didst command, and I have brought him here”; and the old man, wishing to remove from him the occasion for boasting,

smote him, and said, ‘‘Thou hast brought a wandering dog!” and he untied the animal and let him depart. rt 239. Abba Joseph used to say, ‘‘There are three things ‘¢ which are held in honour before God: first, when a man is ‘‘ sick, and he addeth to his toil, and receiveth it with thanks- ‘‘ giving; secondly, when a man maketh all his works to be ‘‘ pure before God, and when he hath in them no human con- “‘ sideration; thirdly, when a man submitteth himself to autho- ‘‘ rity, and obeyeth his father, and setteth aside his own will. ‘© Such a man hath one crown the more, but I personally would “* choose the sickness.” 240. They used to say that Abba Sylvanus had in Scete a disciple whose name was Mark, and that he possessed to a great degree the faculty of obedience; he wasa scribe, and the old man loved him greatly for his obedience. Now Sylvanus had eleven other disciples, and they were vexed because they saw that the old man loved Mark more than them, and when the old men who were in Scete heard [of this] they were afflicted about it. And one day when they came to him to reprove him about this, Sylvanus took them, and went forth, and passing by the cells of the brethren, he knocked at the door of each cell, and said, ‘‘O brother, come forth, for I have need of ‘‘thee”; and he passed by all their cells, and not one of them obeyed him quickly. But when they went to the cell of Mark, he knocked at the door and said, ‘‘ Brother Mark,” and as soon as Mark heard the voice of the old man, he jumped up straightway, and came out, and Sylvanus sent him off on some business. Then Sylvanus said unto the old men, ‘‘My fathers, ‘‘ where are the other brethren?” And they went into Mark’s cell, and looked at the quire of the book which he was writing, and they saw that he had begun to write [one side of] the Greek letter 0 (ov w), and that as soon as he heard the voice of his master, ine ran out] and did not stay to complete the other side of the letter. Now when the old men perceived these things, they answered and said unto Sylvanus, ‘‘ Verily, O old ‘‘ man, we also love the brother whom thou lovest, for God ‘also loveth him.”

241. On another occasion the mother of Mark came to see him, and she had with her an abundant company of members of her household; and an old man went forth to her, and she said unto him, ‘‘ Abba, tell my son to come forth and see me”; and the old man went in, and said to him, ‘‘Go forth and see ‘“‘thy mother.” Then Mark wrapped himself up in rags, and blackened his face by standing up in the sooty chimney, and he went forth thus fulfilling the behest of his master, and shutting his eyes, he said unto those [who were with his The Savings of the holy Fathers mother], ‘‘Live ye! Live ye!” but he did not look at them. Now his mother did not recognize him, and she sent in again to the old man a message, saying, ‘‘Send me my son, O father, ‘so that I may see him.”’ Then the old man said unto Mark, ‘* Did I not tell thee to go out and see thy mother?” And he said unto him, ‘‘ Father, I went forth according to thy word, ‘but I beseech thee do not tell me to go forth again, lest per- ‘adventure I feel myself compelled to disobey thee’’; and [the old man] spake with her, and quieted her, and sent her away in peace. : ‘

242. And they used to tell about two brethren who lived in a monastery, and who both had arrived at a high grade in the ascetic life; the one devoted himself to an austere life of selfdenial and poverty, and the other was obedient and humble. And being angry with each other they wished to know which of the two [kinds of] service was the greater, and they went down to the river where there were many crocodiles, and that brother who possessed the faculty of obedience went in, and stood up among them, and they all worshipped him. Then he cried out to his fellow who was a mourner, and said unto him, ‘‘Forgive me, O my brother, I have not yet attained to such ‘‘a high degree of faith as thou hast”; and when they returned to the monastery, the head of the monastery heard a voice, saying, ‘‘The man who obeyeth is better than the man who ‘‘leadeth a life of voluntary poverty.” 243. Abba Daniel used to say, ‘‘On one occasion Abba ‘‘Arsenius called me and said unto me, ‘Make thy father to ‘“ “be gratified, so that when he goeth to our Lord, he may ‘‘ ‘make entreaties to Him on behalf of thee, and good shall ** “be unto thee.’”

244. A certain brother was engaged ina war against Satan, and he told the matter to Abba Herakles; and wishing to strengthen and confirm him the old man told him the following story:—There was a certain old man who had a disciple, and he had been very obedient unto him for many years, and when the war came upon him, he made a request to his master, saying, ‘‘I beseech thee to make me a monk.” And his master said unto him, ‘‘Seek out a place for thyself, and we will build ‘“a cell for thee, and thou shalt become a monk.” So the disciple went and found a place, which was distant from his master about one hundred paces, and he made himself a cell. Then the old man said unto that brother, ‘‘Whatsoever I say ‘funto thee, that do. When thou art hungry, eat; and when ‘thou art thirsty, drink; and sleep, but thou must not go out ‘‘ from thy cell until the Sabbath Day, when thou shalt come ““to me.” Then the old man went back to his cell. And the brother did according as the old man told him for two days, but on the third day he became dejected, and wearied, and said, ‘‘What hath the old man done for me, seeing that he ‘¢hath not commanded me to make prayers?” Then he rose up and sang more Psalms than usual, and after the sun had set the ate his food, and he rose up, and went, and lay down upon his mat; and he saw, as it were, an Ethiopian who stood up and gnashed his teeth at him, and the monk, by reason of his great fear, ran quickly to his master, and he knocked hastily at his door, saying, ‘‘Father, have mercy upon me, and open ‘‘to me immediately.” Now because the old man knew that he had not kept his commandment he refused to open the door to him until the morning, and when he opened the door in the morning, he found him [there], and as the brother entreated him to be allowed to enter, the old man had compassion upon him and brought him in. Then he began to say unto the old man, ‘‘I beseech thee, O father, [to believe me]. When I went ‘to lie down to go to sleep, I saw a black Ethiopian on my “bed.” The old man said unto him, ‘‘This [happened] be- ‘‘ cause thou didst not keep my words.” Then he laid down a rule for him which was suitable to his strength and to the monastic life, and dismissed him, and little by little he became an excellent monk.

245. A man who wanted to be a monk came to Abba Sisoes the Theban, and the old man asked him, if he had any possession whatsoever in the world, and he said, ‘‘I have one “son”; and the old man, wishing to find out if he possessed the faculty of obedience, said unto him, ‘‘Go, and throw him ‘(in the river, and then come, and thou shalt be a monk,” and because the man was obedient he went straightway to do it. Now when he had departed the old man sent another brother to prevent him from doing this thing, and when the man had taken up his son to throw him into the river, the brother said unto him, ‘‘Thou shalt not cast him in.” Then the man said unto him, ‘‘My father told me that I was to cast him in,” and the brother replied, ‘‘He told me that thou wast not to cast ‘him in,” so the man left him, and came [unto the old man], and through his obedience he became a chosen monk. 246. The Abba who was in {lia used to say, ‘‘ Obedience ‘‘cometh into existence because of obedience; for if a man ‘* obeyeth God, God also will obey him.” .

247. On one occasion four brethren came to Abba Pambo from Scete, and they were wearing skins, and each one of them, whilst his neighbour was absent, recounted [to him] his works, [saying], the first one fasteth very often, and the second leadeth a life of poverty, and the third possesseth great The Sayings of the toly Fathers love, and concerning the fourth the other three said, ‘‘Hehath ‘“‘been in subjection to the old men for twenty-two years.” Then Abba Pambé said unto them, ‘I say unto you that the ‘‘ spiritual excellence of this man is great. Each of you hath ‘‘ chosen the ascetic virtue which he possesseth according to ‘‘ his own wish, but this man hath cut off his own desire, and ‘“hath performed the will of others; and those who are thus “will, if they keep these things to the end, become confessors.”’ Chapter viij. Of Scrupulous UWatcbhtulness in our Tbougbts and Words and Deeds BBA POEMEN used to say, ‘‘Satan hath three kinds A ‘fof power which precede all sin. The first is error, and ‘“the second is neglect (or laxity), and the third is lust. 248. ‘‘ When error hath come it produceth neglect, and from “neglect springeth lust, and by lust man fell; if we watch “against error neglect will not come, and if we be notnegligent, “‘lust will not appear, and if a man worketh not lust, he will, ‘through the help of Christ, never fall.”’

249. They used to say that there was a certain father who was [occupied] in great works, and that [on one occasion], when he was singing the Psalms and praying, one of the holy men came unto him, and he heard him striving with his thoughts, and saying, ‘How long for the sake of one thought wilt thou go ‘through all this?” Then the man who had come thought that the father was striving with another man, and he knocked at the door before going in to make peace between them; but when he had gone inside he saw no other man there. And because he possessed some authority over the father, he said unto him, ‘‘Father, with whom wast thou striving?” And he said, ‘With my thoughts. For I can repeat fourteen Books, but if ‘‘T hear one little word outside it will make useless my service “‘to me, and [the repetition] of all these Books will be jn vain. ‘“‘And this word only cometh and standeth before me at the ““ season of prayer, and it is because of this that I strive.” And when the holy man heard [these things], he marvelled at the spiritual excellence and purity of the old man, and how openly he had told him about his war.

250. One of the old men used to say, ‘‘The Prophets com- ‘“piled the Scriptures, and the Fathers have copied them, and ‘‘the men who came after them learned to repeat them b “heart; then hath come this generation and [its children] have “‘placed them in cupboards as useless things.” 251. A disciple of Abba Ammon told the following story: ‘“‘On one occasion when we were singing the service, my mind ‘““became confused, and I forgot the verse in the Psalm; and ‘‘ when we had ended the service Ammon answered and said “‘unto me, ‘Whilst I was standing up during the service it ‘¢ seemed that I was standing on fire and was being consumed, ‘¢¢and my mind was unable to make me turn aside either to the ‘‘ ‘rieht hand or to the left. And as for thee, where was thy mind ‘‘ ‘when we were singing the service? for thou didst omit a “¢ ‘verse from the Psalm. Didst thou not know that thou wast ‘“‘standing in the presence of God, and that thou wast ‘¢ “speaking unto Him?’” 252. A certain brother came to dwell in a cell with one of the fathers, and he told him of a thought whereby he was afflicted; and the old man said unto him, ‘‘Thou hast left upon the earth ‘¢the excellent service of the fear of God, and thou hast taken ‘‘and hast laid hold upon a staff made of a reed, that is to say, ‘‘ evil thoughts. Take unto thyself the fear of God, which is the ‘‘ fire, and as soon as they come nigh unto thee they shall be ‘‘ burned like reeds.” Now this man was, according to what his disciple related about him, a great old man, and for twenty years he never lay upon either of his sides, but slept upon the seat whereon he sat to work. Sometimes he ate once in two days, and at other times once in four days, and at others once in five days, and in this manner he passed twenty years. Now I said unto him, ‘“‘ What is this which thou doest, O father?” And he said unto me, ‘‘Because I set the judgement of God ‘‘before my eyes I cannot be negligent, for I keep in remem- “‘ brance [the fact that] my sins are many.

253, Whilst Abba Arsenius was dwelling in Canopus of Alexandria a certain noble lady came to him; she was a virgin, and was exceedingly rich, and she feared the Lord, and she was from Rome and had come to see Abba Arsenius. Now Theophilus, Archbishop of Alexandria, received her, and she begged him to entreat the old man to receive her. Then Theophilus went to Abba Arsenius and entreated him, saying, ‘‘Such and ‘such a noble lady hath come from Rome, and she wisheth to ‘see thee, and to be blessed by thee”; but the old man refused to receive her. And when Theophilus informed her that the old man refused to receive her, she commanded them to make ready the beasts [for travelling], and she said, ‘‘By God, I <‘ believe that I shall see him. I did not come to see men, for ‘‘there are men in my own city, but I came to seea prophet.” And when she came outside the cell of the old man, he happened, through the working of God, to be there, and she saw him, and fell down at his feet; then he lifted her up eagerly, and looking at her, said, ‘‘If thou wishest to look upon my ‘face, behold, look”; but she by reason of her bashfulness, was not able to look upon his face. Then the old man said unto

The Savings of the holy Fathers her, ‘‘Hast thou not heard about my works, and that I am a ‘‘ sinner? For it is these which it is necessary for thee to see. ‘‘ How didst thou dare to travel hither by ship? Didst thou not “know that thou wast a woman, and that it was incumbent ‘‘upon thee not to go forth anywhere? Wouldst thou go back “‘to Rome and make a boast to the women [there] that thou ‘“hast seen Arsenius, and dost thou wish to make the sea into ‘‘a road whereby women shall come unto me?” And the lady said unto him, ‘‘Please God I will not let any woman come ‘‘unto thee; but pray for me that God may have me in remem- ‘*brance always.’”’ Then Abbé Arsenius said unto her, ‘‘I will ‘‘ pray to God that He may blot out the memory of thee from my ‘‘ heart”; and when she heard these words she went forth, being afraid. Now as soon as she had come to the city a fever began to come upon her because of her grief of mind, and the people told the Bishop, saying, ‘‘ That noble lady is ill”; and he came to her, and entreated her that he might learn the cause of her sickness. Thenshe said unto him, ‘‘ Would that I never had journeyed ‘‘ thither! For I said unto the old man Arsenius, ‘Make mention ‘*of me in prayer,’ and he said unto me, ‘I will pray unto God ‘* “that He may blot out the remembrance of thee from my heart,’ ‘‘and behold I shall die of grief.” And the Archbishop said unto her, ‘Dost thou not know that thou art a woman, and that “‘the Enemy doeth battle with the holy men by means of wo- “men? It was for this reason that the old man spake as he ‘did; for thy soul, however, he will pray always.” And the noble lady remembered [these things] in her mind, and she rose up, and went to her country with gladness.

254. They say that Abba Hor (07 Or) of the Cells dwelt for twenty years in the church, and that he never once lifted his eyes and saw the roof thereof. 255. Abba Ammon asked Abba Poemen about the unclean thoughts which a man begetteth, and about vain lusts; Abba Poemen said unto him, ‘‘Peradventure shall an axe boast itself ‘without him that heweth therewith? (Isaiah x, 15.) Do not ‘‘henceforward aid these thoughts and they will come to an mendex: 256. They say concerning Abba Paphnutius, the disciple of Abba Macarius, that when he was a youth he used to look after the oxen with others of his companions; and they went to take some cucumbers to the animals, and as they were going along one of the cucumbers fell, and Abba Paphnutius took it up and ate it, and whensoever he remembered this thing, he used to sit down and weep over it with great feeling. 257. One of the fathers went to Abba AkilA and saw that he was throwing up blood from his mouth, and he asked him, saying, ‘‘ What is this, O father?” and the old man said unto him, ‘It is a word. I was vexed with a certain brother, and ‘“‘T was engaged in a strife of which I knew nothing, and I ‘‘ made supplication to God that it might be taken from me; ‘Cand straightway that word became blood in my mouth, but ‘‘ when I spat it up I was relieved, and I forgot my vexation.”

258. One of the old men used to say: ‘“We were going [on ‘* one occasion] to the mountain of the blessed Anthony to visit «¢ Abba Sisoes, and when he sat down to eat there came up to ‘Cus a young man who begged for alms; and when we were ‘beginning to eat, the old man said, ‘Ask that young man if he «« ¢wisheth to come in and eat with us.’ Now when one had «‘ said this to him, the young man refused [to do so], and the ‘old man said, ‘Let whatsoever is left over by us be given to «< ‘him to eat outside.’ Then the old man brought out a jar of ‘‘ wine which he kept for the Offering, and he mixed for each ‘one of us a cup, but he gave to the young man two cups, ‘‘ whereat I smiled, and said unto him, ‘I also will go outside, ‘Cand thou shalt give me two cups of wine also.’ Abba Sisoes “ said, ‘If he had eaten with us he would have drunk the same ‘ “quantity as ourselves, and he would have have been con- <¢‘vinced that we did not drink more than he did; but now he «« ‘will say in his mind, These monks enjoy themselves more ‘<<than I do. It is good therefore that our conscience should “‘ ‘not hold us in contempt.’”

259. One of the old men came to another old man who was his companion, and as they were talking together one of them said, ‘‘I have died to the world”; and his companion said, ‘‘ Have no confidence in thyself that this is so until thou goest “forth from the world, for although thou sayest, ‘I have died,’ ‘‘ Satan is not dead.” 260. A brother asked Abba Sisoes, saying, ‘Tell me a word ‘‘|whereby I may live].” The old man saith unto him, ‘‘ Why ‘<dost thou urge me, O brother, to speak a useless word? What- ‘ soever thou seest me do, that do thyself.” ; 261. A brother asked Abba Poemen, saying, ‘‘Is it possible ‘for a man to keep hold upon all thoughts, and not to give ‘“Cany of them to the Enemy?” The old man said unto him, ‘There are some of them who give ten and keep one, and ‘there are some who give one and keep ten.” And the brother told this saying to Abba Sisoes, who said, ‘‘There are some ‘‘who do not give even one [thought] to the Enemy. 262. Abba Joseph asked Abba Sisoes, saying, “e How many ‘<times is it right for a man to cut off his passions?” The old said unto him, ‘‘Dost thou wish to learn when thou must cut ‘them off?” and Joseph said unto him, ‘‘Yes.” Abba Sisoes

The Savings of the holy Fathers said unto him, ‘‘Whensoever passion cometh cut it off im- ‘* mediately.” , 263. Abba Nastir and a certain brother were walking together in the desert, and they saw a serpent, and both took to flight; and the brother said to Nastir, ‘‘Father, art thou also ‘“‘afraid?” The old man said unto him, ‘‘My son, I am not ‘afraid, but it was a beneficial thing for me to flee, for other- ‘“‘wise I should not have been able to escape from the thought ‘of the love of approbation.” 2 264. Certain men who lived in the world came to see Abba Sisoes, and though they spoke much he held his peace and answered them never a word; at length one of them said to his companions, ‘‘My brethren, why do ye trouble the old man? “He eateth not, and for this reason he is not able to talk.” And when the old man heard this, he made answer unto them straightway, and said, ‘‘My sons, I eat whensoever I feel the “need of eating.” 265. On one occasion a certain judge of the district wished to see Abba Poemen, but the old man refused [to see him]. And, like a crafty man, the judge made an excuse, and seized Abba’s nephew, and threw him into prison, saying, ‘‘Unless Abba ‘“‘cometh and maketh entreaty on his behalf he shall not go “out.” Then Abba’s sister came and stood by the door of his cell and wept for her son, but although she importuned him greatly, he did not give her an answer; now when the woman saw this she began to revile him, saying, ‘‘O thou who pos- ‘“ sessest mercy of brass, have mercy upon me, for my son is “‘the only [child] I have.” And Abba Poemen sent her a message, saying, ‘‘Poemen hath no sons,” and thus she departed. And when the judge heard [these things] he answered and said, “If Abba will only give the order I will release him ”; and after this the old man sent him a message, saying, ‘‘Examine and ‘consider his case according to the Law, and if he be worthy ‘“‘of death, let him die; and if he be not do whatsoever thou ‘*pleasest with him.”

266. They say that in the mountain of Abba Anthony seven brethren dwelt, each of whom used to watch in the date season and drive away the birds; and among them was an old man who, when it was his day for watching [the dates], used to cry out, saying, ‘‘ Depart, O ye evil thoughts, from within, ““and depart, O ye birds, from without.” 267. On one occasion the Arabs came and plundered Abba Sisoes and the brother who was with him of everything they had, and being hungry, the brethren went out into the desert to find something to eat. And when they were some distance from each other, Abba Sisoes found some camel dung, and he broke it, and found inside two grains of barley ; and he ate one grain and placed the other in his hand; and when the brother came, and found that he was eating, he said unto him, ‘‘ Is ‘‘ this love ? Thou hast found food, and thou eatest it by thy- ‘self and hast not called me [to share it with thee].” Abba Sisoes saith unto him, ‘‘ I have not defrauded thee, O brother, ‘¢ for behold, I have kept thy share in my hands.”

268. Mother Sarah used to say, ‘‘ Whensoever I put my foot ‘© on the ladder to go up, before I ascend it I set my death be- ‘‘fore mine eyes.” 269. A certain brother came to Abba Theodore and entreated him to shew him how he twisted palm leaves, and he sent him away, saying, ‘‘Go away, and come here to-morrow morning.” Then the old man rose up straightway, and put some leaves to soak in water, and made ready, and when the brother came in the morning he shewed him [how to make] one or two plaits, and he said to him, “ Work thus”; and the old man left him and went to his cell. And at the proper season the old man took him food and made him eat, and he rose up and went away ; and when he came [back again] in the morning, the old man said unto him, ‘‘ Why didst thou not take some palm ‘leaves with thee? Take some now, and get thee gone, for ‘thou hast made me fall into the temptation of caring about “things,” and he did not allow him to come inside [his cell] again. 270. On one occasion Abba Muthues went from Re‘ith to Mount Gebél, and he had with him his brother ’Awsabh, and KAntirsa, the Bishop, took the old man and made him a priest. And when they were eating together the Bishop said unto him “‘ Forgive me, Abba, for I know that thou didst not wish for “this thing, but I ventured to do this thing that I might be ‘‘ blessed by thee.” Then the old man said unto him with a meek spirit, and with a sorrowful mind, ‘‘I will labour in this work, “though I must be separated from this my brother who is with ‘me, for I cannot endure the making of all the prayers.” The Bishop said unto him, “‘ If thou knowest that he is worthy I ‘‘ will make him a priest also”; and Abba Muthues said unto him, ‘‘ Whether he be worthy [or not] I donot know, but one “thing I know, and that is, that he is better than I am,” so the Bishop laid his hands upon him and made hima priest also. And they ended their lives together, but one of them never approached the altar for the purpose of offering up the Offering, for the old man used to say, ‘“* By God, I hope that ordi- ‘nation doth not make it obligatory on me to do so, because ‘‘ T cannot offer up the Offering, for ordination belongeth un~ ‘“to those who are pure nae

The Savings of the holy Fathers 271. A certain brother in Scete called one of his companions to come to him in his cell to wash his feet, and he did not go; and twice and thrice he said, ‘‘ Come to [my] cell, and wash ‘‘ thy feet,” and he went not. And at length the brother went to him, and made excuses to him, and entreated him to go with him, and he rose up and went ; and the brother said unto him, ‘* How is it that thou didst not come when! entreated thee so ‘often to do so?” And he answered and said unto him, ‘Whilst thou wast speaking my will would not consent to my ‘‘coming, but when I saw that thou wast doing the work of ‘monks, that is tosay, repenting, then I rejoiced and came.” 272. On one occasion when the old man Zeno was walking in Palestine, he became weary, and he sat down by the side of a cucumber bed to eat; and his thought said to him, ‘‘ Take ‘*a cucumber and eat, for of what value is one cucumber?” And he answered and said to his thought, ‘‘ Those who steal ‘‘go to torment; try thy soul, then, and see if it be able to en- ‘“dure the torment.” And he crucified himself in the heat for five days, and having tortured himself he said unto his thought, ‘‘T cannot endure that torment; how then can the man who “‘cannot do this steal and eat?”

273. They say that on one occasion, when it was time for Abba Poemen to go to the congregation for the service, he sat down for about one hour examining and passing judgement upon his thoughts, and that at the end of this time he went forth. 274. They say that a certain old man dwelt by himself in silence, and that a son of the world used to minister unto him continually ; and it happened that the son of that son of the world fell sick, and his father entreated the old man to go with him to his house and to pray over him, and, when he had entreated him to do so often, the old man went forth and departed with him. And the man went before him and entered the village, and he said unto the people thereof, ‘‘Come forth ‘“to meet the monk”; now when the old man saw the people from afar off, and perceived that they had come forth to meet him carrying lanterns, straightway he stripped off his garments, and dipped them in the river, and he began to wash them, being naked. And when the man who ministered unto him saw [this], he was ashamed, and he entreated the people of the village, saying, ‘‘ Get ye back, for the old man hath cer- “tainly gone mad”; then he approached the old man, and said unto him, ‘‘ Father, what is this which thou hast done? For ‘fall the people are saying that the old man hath a devil.” And the old man said, ‘‘ This is what I wished to hear.”

275. Paesius on one occasion had strife with the brother who was with him whilst Abba Poemen was sitting by, and they fought with each other until the blood ran down from both their heads; and although the old man saw [them] he uttered no word whatsoever. Then Abba Job came and found them fighting, and he said to Poemen, ‘‘ Why hast thou let these ‘brethren fight, and hast said nothing to them whilst they ‘have been fighting?” Abba Poemen said unto him, ‘‘They are ‘‘ brethren, and will become reconciled again.”’ Abba Job said, ‘‘ What is this that thou hast said? Thou seest that they con- ‘tinue to fight, and yet thou sayest that they will be reconciled ‘‘again.”” Abba Poemen said unto him, ‘‘ Thou must think in «thy heart that I am not here.” 276. Mother Sarah sent a message to Abba Paphnutius, saying, ‘‘ Dost thou think that thou art doing God’s work in ‘allowing thy brother to be reviled?” Abba Paphnutius saith, ‘‘ Paphnutius is here doing the work of God, and I have no **concern whatsoever about man.” 277. The old man Poemen used to say, ** Thou shalt have no ‘« dealings whatsoever with a child of the world, and thou shalt “hold no converse with women”; and he also said, ‘‘ Thou “‘ shalt possess no knowledge of the judge (or governor), lest, ‘‘when thou hearest his words, thou perform his work.”

278. One of the old men used to say, ‘‘I have never taken ‘‘ one step forwards without first of all learning where I was ‘‘ about to set my foot, and I have neither crossed my boun- ‘dary to walk on a height, nor have I descended into a deep ‘place, and been troubled by so doing; for my only care hath ‘been to beseech God until He brought me forth from the “Cold man.” _ On one occasion the brethren were gathered together in Scete that they might enquire into the history of Melchisedek, and they forgot to invite Abba Copres to be with them; finally, however, they did call him, and they enquired of him concerning the matter. And he smote three times on his mouth, and said, ‘‘ Woe be to thee! Woe be to thee, O Copres, for thou “hast left undone what God commanded thee to do, and thou ‘art enquired of concerning the things which God hath not ‘‘ demanded of thee”; and they all left the place and fled to their cells. 280. An old man used to say, ‘‘ Freedom of speech (or bold- ‘‘ness) is a wind which parcheth, and it smiteth the fruit at ‘«the harvest.”

281. An old man used to say, ‘‘ The act of despising oneself ‘‘is a strong fence for a man.” . 282. The old man said, ‘‘ The withdrawal in secret [from ‘* works] maketh dark the understanding, but the persisting The Savings of the tholy Fatbers **in endurance with vigilance illuminateth and strengtheneth ‘*the soul of a man.” 283. An old man used to say, ‘‘ Laughter and familiar talk- ‘‘ing are like unto the fire which kindleth among the reeds.” 284. Certain heretics came on one occasion to Abba Poemen, and they began to calumniate the Archbishop of Alexandria, and to speak evil things concerning him, and they sought to prove that as they had received consecration from the priests, they were consecrated like [other] priests; and the old man _ held his peace. Then he called his brother, and said unto him, ‘* Make ready a table and make them eat,”’ and he dismissed them that they might depart in peace. 285. Some of the old men asked Abba Poemen, saying, ‘‘If ‘we see one of the brethren committing sin, wouldst thou ‘‘have us rebuke him?” And the old man said unto them, ‘‘If I had some business which made me pass by him, and in ‘‘passing by him I saw him committing sin, I should pass him ‘*by and not see him.”’

286. And the old man also said, ‘‘It is written, ‘Whatsoever ‘* ‘thine eyes have seen, that declare.’ But I say unto you, that ‘funless ye have not first touched with your hands, ye shall not ‘‘ testify. For on one occasion the devil led astray a brother in ‘‘a matter of this kind. This brother saw a brother committing ‘sin with a woman, and the war being strong against him, he ‘“‘went to them, thinking that what he saw was really a man ‘and a woman, and he kicked them with his foot, and said, ‘**Enough, enough, how long [will ye aét thus]?’ And sud- ‘‘denly he discovered that the things were sacks of wheat. ‘* For this reason I say unto you that unless ye have felt with ‘your hands ye should not offer rebuke.” 287. One of the fathers related a story, saying:—On one occasion in Scete when the clergy were offering up the Offering, something which was like unto an eagle descended upon the Offering, and no man saw the appearance except the clergy; and one day a brother questioned the deacon about the matter, and the deacon said unto him, ‘‘I am not at leisure now [to ‘discuss it].”” And afterwards when the time arrived for the Offering, and the clergy went in as usual to offer It up, the form of the eagle did not appear as it did before; and the priest said unto the deacon, ‘‘ What is this? The eagle hath not come ‘“as usual, and the fault of this lieth either upon me or thee. ‘“ But get thee gone from me, and if the eagle then appeareth ‘‘and descendeth, it will be evident that it did not come down ‘“now because of thee, and if it doth not descend thou wilt know “that the fault is mine.” Now as soon as the deacon had departed, the eagle appeared as usual, and after the Office had

been said, and the service was ended, the priest said unto the deacon, ‘‘ Tell me what thou hast done.” And the deacon, wishing to shew him everything, made excuses, saying, ‘‘I ‘©am not conscious in my soul of having committed any sin, ‘‘ except when a brother came to me, and asked me a question ‘‘ on the matter, and I made answer to him, saying, ‘Iam notat “ “leisure [to talk] with thee.’” Then the priest said, “It was ‘ because of thee that the eagle came not down, for the brother ‘was offended at thee”; and straightway the deacon went to the brother, and expressed his contrition, and entreated him [to forgive] him his offence. 288. They used to speak about a certain father, who for seven years asked God to give him a certain gift, and [at length] it was given unto him; and he went to a great old man and told him about the gift, and when the old man heard thereof, he was grieved, and said, ‘‘What great labour!” Then he said unto the father, ‘‘Go and spend seven years more in entreat- ‘ing God that the gift may be taken away from thee, for it will ‘do thee no good”; and the old man went, and did as he had told him until the gift was taken away from him.

289. A certain brother dwelt in a cell outside his village, and he had passed many years without going into the village; and he said unto the brethren who were with him, ‘ Be- ‘hold, how many years have | lived here without going into ‘‘ the village, whilst ye are always going therein.” Now Abba Poemen was told about this man, and that he used to say words of this kind to the brethren, and he said, ‘‘ If I were ‘‘{that man] I would go up and walk round about in the vil- ‘lage during the night, so that my thoughts might not be ‘‘able to boast themselves that I had not gone into it.” 290. One of the fathers said, ‘‘God beareth with the sins of ‘those who live in the world, but He will not endure the sins ‘‘ of those who live in the desert.” 291. Abba Job used to say, ‘‘ Since the time when I was “‘Tfirst] called by the Name of Christ, falsehood hath never ‘gone forth from my mouth.” : 292, Abba Poemen used to say, “Ifa man dwelleth with a ‘youth, however much he may guard his thoughts he maketh ‘¢a means for sin.” ;

3. A certain brother asked an old man, saying, “What «« Shall I do because of my negligence?” The old man said unto him, ‘‘If thou wilt root out this small plant, which is negli- ‘“ gence, a great forest will come into being.” 294. Abba Poemen used to say, ‘‘Do not dwell in a place ‘‘wherein thou seest that there are those who have envy ‘‘ against thee, for if thou dost thou wilt never advance. The Sayings of the tholy Fathers 295. Abba Chronius used to say, ‘‘The man who dwelleth ‘with a youth will, unless he be mighty, go downwards, and if ‘“he be mighty, even though he doth not go downwards tempo- ‘‘rarily, yet he will never advance in spiritual excellence.” 296. Abba Anthony used to say, ‘‘There are some monks ‘‘ who vex their bodies with the labours of abstinence and self- ‘* denial, and who, because they have not found understanding, ‘‘are remote from the path of God.” 297. Abba Poemen used to say, ‘‘Teach thy heart to keep ‘*that which thy tongue teacheth.” 298. Abba Poemen used to say, ‘‘One man is thought to be ‘*silent, yet his heart condemneth others, and he who is thus ‘* speaketh everything ; and another speaketh from morn until ‘‘evening, and yet keepeth silence, but such a man speaketh ‘“not without profit.”

299. I have heard that there were two old men who dwelt together for many years, and who never quarrelled, and that one said to the other, ‘‘Let us also pick a quarrel with each ‘* other, even as other men do.”’ Then his companion answered and said unto him, ‘‘I know not how a quarrel cometh,” and the other old man answered and said unto him, ‘‘ Behold, I ‘‘ will set a brick in the midst, and will say, ‘This is mine,’ ‘‘and do thou say, ‘It is not thine, but mine’; and from this *“quarrelling will ensue.” And they placed a brick in the midst, and one of them said, ‘‘This is mine,” and his companion answered and said after him, ‘‘ This is not so, for it is mine”; and straightway the other replied and said unto him, “If it ‘“be so, and the brick be thine, take it and go.” Thus they were not able to make a quarrel. 300. There was a certain brother who lived a life of very stri¢t seclusion, and the devils, wishing to lead him astray, [used to appear] to him, when he was sleeping at night, in the form of angels, and wake him up to sing the Psalms and pray, and they would shew him a light. And he went to an old man, and said unto him, ‘‘Father, the devils come to me with a light “‘and wake me up to sing and pray”; and the old man said unto him, ‘‘ Hearken not unto them, O my son, for they are ‘devils, but, if they come to wake thee up, say unto them, ‘* “When I wish to rise up I will do so, but unto you I will not ‘* ‘hearken.’” And when they came to wake him he said unto them what the old man had told him, and they said unto him forthwith, ‘‘That wicked old man is a liar, and he hath led ‘‘thee astray. For a certain brother came to him and wished ‘to borrow some oboli on a pledge, and although he had ‘* money to lend, he lied and said, ‘I have none,’ and he gave ‘him none, and learn from this thing that he is a liar.” Then

the brother rose up early in the morning and went to the old man and related unto him everything which he had heard, and the old man said unto him, ‘‘The matter is thus. I had some ‘‘oboli, and a brother came and asked me for some money, ‘©and I would not give him any because I saw that if I did so ‘we should arrive at the loss of [our] soul[s]. And I made up ‘‘my mind that I would treat with contempt one of the com- “‘mandments, and not ten, and [therefore] we came to en- “‘mity [with each other]. But do thou hearken not unto the ‘‘ devils who wish to lead thee astray.” And when he had been greatly confirmed by the old man, that monk departed to his cell. 301. Abba Isaac, the priest of the Cells, said, ‘‘I saw a cer- “tain brother reaping the harvest in the field, and he wanted ‘“to eat one ear of wheat; and he said to the owner of the field, “© ‘Dost thou wish me to take one ear of wheat to eat?’ And ‘the owner of the field wondered (now he profited greatly ‘“therefrom), and said unto him, ‘My son, the field is thine, ‘‘¢and dost thou ask [my] permission to eat?’ To this extent ‘‘ did that brother shew scrupulous care.”

302. A brother asked an old man, and said unto him, ‘‘ What ‘ Shall I do? For the thoughts which make war with me are ‘many, and I know not how to contend against them.” The old man said unto him, ‘‘Do not strive against them all, but ‘‘aeainst one, for all devilish thoughts have only one head, ‘‘ and it is necessary for a man to understand and to make war “‘upon this head only, for afterwards all the rest will perforce ‘“be brought low. Just as in war, if on one side a very mighty ‘‘ man appear, the men on the other side use every means in ‘their power to set up in opposition to him a mighty man who ‘is stronger than he is, because, if he be able to hurl down “that chief, all the rest will take to flight and be van- ‘‘quished. In this same manner there is one head to all the “thoughts which come from devils, whether it be fornica- ‘tion, or riotous living, or love of money, or wandering about “from place to place, for if thou wilt first of all recognize it <6and wilt drive it out, it will not lead thee astray in respect ‘© of other things.” And [when] that chief thought came, and stood up and fought against him, he recognized which it was, and contended against it only.

303. Abba Lét went to Abba Joseph, and said unto him, ‘« Father, according to my strength I sing a few Psalms, and ‘] pray a little, and my fasting is little, and my prayers and ‘‘ silent meditations [are few], and as far as lieth in my power ‘““T cleanse my thoughts, what more can I do?” Then the old man stood up, and spread eee hands towards heaven, and The Savings of the holy Fathers his fingers were like unto ten lamps of fire, and he said unto him, ‘‘ If thou wishest, let the whole of thee be like unto fire.” 304. A certain brother entreated one of the old men to interpret to him some words which he had asked him, saying, ‘‘Tf I see a man doing something, and I tell others about it, I ‘‘mean not by way of passing judgement upon him, but merely ‘‘for the sake of conversation, would this be considered as ‘evil talk of the thoughts?” The old man said unto him, ‘If ‘‘there be any motion of passion the repetition is wicked, but ‘if it be free from passion the repetition is not wicked, but ‘‘speak in such a way that evil increase not.” And another brother made answer to the old man, and said, ‘‘If I come to one ‘* of the old men and ask him, saying, ‘I wish to dwell with such ‘*fand such a man, [may I do so?]’ and I know at the same ‘time that it will not be profitable for me, what answer must ‘he make me? If he saith, ‘Thou shalt not go,’ hath he not ‘condemned that man in his mind?” Then the old man answered and said unto him, ‘‘ This refinement [of thought] is ‘‘not [given] to many, and I do not regard it as a sure mat- ‘‘ter. If there be any passion in the motion of the soul I ‘“should say that he would injure himself; but in words there ‘“is no power [to do so]. And as to ‘What is he bound to ‘say?’ I say that I do not know, if his soul be [not] free ‘‘[from passion]; but if it be free from passions he will not ‘‘condemn any man, and he will condemn himself, and say, ‘*¢T am a changeable person,’ now perhaps [this] will not help ‘thee, but if he be a man of understanding he will not go.” Now the old man did not speak concerning wickedness, but only that wickedness might not be multiplied.

305. Abba Arsenius said unto Abba Alexander, ‘‘ When thou ‘“hast finished the work of thy hands, come to me and we will ‘eat; but if strangers come, eat with them, and do not come ‘to me.” Now Alexander continued at his work late, and when the time for the meal had arrived, and palm leaves were still standing before him, although he was anxious to keep the word of the old man, he also wanted to finish up the leaves, and then to go to him. Now when the old man saw that Abba Alexander delayed [in coming] to eat, he thought that it was because strangers had come to him. And when Abba Alexander had finished his work he went to the old man, who said unto him, ‘‘Did ‘“ strangers come to thee?” And Alexander said unto him, ‘‘No, ‘‘father.” Then the old man said unto him, ‘‘Why hast thou ‘‘delayed [in coming]?” And Alexander answered and said unto him, ‘‘ Because thou didst say unto me, ‘When thou hast ‘* “finished thy leaves come to me’; and paying heed to thy ‘word, and having finished [my work], behold, I have come.” And the old man marvelled at this scrupulous obedience, and said unto him, ‘‘ Make haste and perform thy service of praise ‘and prayer, and bring it to an end, and drink some water, ‘* for if thou dost not do it quickly thy body will become sick.”

306. Abba Poemen used to say often, ‘‘We need nothing ‘except a watchful and strenuous heart.” 307. A brother asked Abba Poemen, saying, ‘‘How is it ‘‘right for me to live in the place wherein I am?” The old man saith unto him, ‘‘Acquire the thought of sojourning in ‘the place where thou livest, and desire not to cast thy word ‘‘among the multitude, or to be the first to speak, and thou “wilt find rest.” 308. Abba Agathon said concerning Abba Mdain that, on one occasion, he made fifty bushels of wheat into bread for the needs of the community, and then laid it out in the sun, but before it became dry and hard he saw something in the place which was not helpful to him, and he said to the brethren who were with him, ‘‘Arise, let us go hence”; and they were greatly grieved. And when he saw that they were grieved, he said unto them, ‘‘Are ye troubled about the bread? Verily I ‘‘ have seen men take to flight and forsake their cells, although ‘they were well whitewashed and contained cupboards which ‘“were filled with books of the Holy Scriptures and service ‘books, and they did not even shut the cupboard doors, but ‘* departed leaving them wide open.”

309. AbbA Copres used to say, ‘‘Blessed is the man whe ‘‘beareth temptation with thanksgiving.” 310. Abba Poemen used to say, ‘‘The mighty ones have ‘been many, and those who never felt envy have been many, ‘and they have neither been jealous in an evil way, nor have ‘“‘they stirred up their own passions.” 311. Abba Sisoes used to say, ‘‘Seek the Lord, and search «fHim] out, but not only in the place where [thou] dwellest.” 312, An old man used to say, ‘‘Eat not before thou art ‘‘hungry; lie not down to sleep before thou art sleepy; and ‘‘ speak not before thou art asked a question.” 313. An old man used to say, ‘‘Prepare not a table before ‘the time when thou art alone, and speak not before thou art “(asked a question, and if thou art asked a question, speak “‘ that which is fair and helpful, and not that which is evil and “« destructive.” 314. Abba Euprepius said, ‘‘If thou art not certain in thy- “Self that God is faithful and mighty, believe in Him, and ‘associate thyself with those who are His, but if thou art ‘‘ doubtful thou canst not believe. For we all believe and con- ‘‘ fess that God is mighty, and we are certain that all thing's

The Sayings of the tholy Fathers ‘‘are easy for Him [to do]; do thou then also shew thy belief ‘in Him by thy works, for in thee also He worketh miracles, ‘‘and doeth wonders, and sheweth forth marvels.” i 315. Abba Theodore used to say, ‘‘If thou hast affection ‘‘for a man, and it happeneth that he fall into temptation, **stretch out thy hand to him, and lift him up therefrom, but ‘‘if he fall into heresy, and will not be persuaded by thee to ‘‘return, cut him off from thee immediately, lest, if thou tarry “long with him, thou be drawn unto him, and thou sink down ‘‘into the uttermost depths.” 316. One of the fathers used to tell the story of Abba John, the Persian, who by reason of the abundance of his spiritual excellence arrived at goodness; now this man used to dwell ' in the Arabia of Egypt. And on one occasion he borrowed one dinar from a brother, and bought some flax to weave, and a brother came and entreated him, saying, ‘‘ Give me a little flax ‘that I may make a tunic for myself”; and he gave it to him with joy; and then another [brother] entreated him, saying, ‘‘Give me a little flax that I may make myself a turban,” and he gave unto him also, and the man departed. And many other brethren borrowed from him, and he gave them [the flax] with rejoicing; but finally the owner of the dinar came, and wanted to take it back. Then the old man said unto him, ‘‘ I ‘‘ will go and bring it to thee,” but as he had no place wherefrom he could give it to him, he rose up and went to Abba Jacob, so that he might persuade him to give him a dinar wherewith to repay the brother; and as he was going he found a dinar lying on the ground, but he was not disposed to offer it to him, so he prayed and returned to his cell. And the brother came again and pressed him to let him have what was his own, and the old man said unto him, ‘‘ Have patience with me this ‘‘ time only, and I will bringit toyou.” And he againrose up and went to that place where he had found the daric, and, having made a prayer, he took it. And he came to the old man Jacob, and said unto him, ‘‘ As I was coming to you, O father, I found ‘‘this dinar on the road. Do now, O father, an act which is ‘“ worthy of love, and makeaproclamation throughout these bor- ‘‘ders, forperhaps someonehathlostthe dinar, and if its owner ‘“befound, giveit unto him.” Then the old man went, and made a proclamation for three days, and he could not find the man who hadlost the dinar. Then the old man said unto Abba Jacob, ‘Tf no man hath lost the dinar give it unto that brother to ‘‘whom I owe one, for I was coming to obtain one from thee “for the Lord’s sake, when I found it.” And the old man Jacob marvelled at him, because, although he owed a dinar, and had found one, he did not immediately take it and pay his debt.

Now this habit also was found with that old man who owed the dinar: if any man came and wanted to borrow something from him, he did not give it unto him with his own hands, but he said unto him, ‘‘ Take for thyself whatsoever thou wish- ‘est’: and when the man brought back that which he had taken, the old man would say unto him, ‘‘ Place it where thou “« didst take it from,” and if he did not bring it back he would say to him nothing at all. 317. Abba Daniel used to say that on one occasion certain fathers came from Alexandria to see Abba Arsenius, and one of them was the brother of Timothy, Patriarch of Alexandria, and they were taking his nephew also. Now the old man was ill at that season, and he did not wish to spend much time with them, lest, peradventure, they should come to visit him another time and trouble him; and he was then living in Patara of Estoris, and the fathers went back sorrowfully. And it happened on one occasion that the barbarians invaded the country, and then Abba Arsenius came and dwelt in the lower countries; and when those same fathers heard [of his coming] they went to see him, and he received them with gladness. Then the brother who belonged to them said unto him, “ Father, know- ‘Cest thou not that when [these fathers] came to thee on the ‘frst occasion at Estdéris thou didst not protract thy conversa- “tion with us?” The old man said unto him, ‘‘ My son, ye ate ‘‘ bread, and ye drank water, in very truth, but I refused to eat ‘‘ bread and drink water, and I would not sit upon my legs ‘« throughtorturing myself, until the time when I knew from ex- “ perience that ye must have arrived at your homes, for I knew ‘‘ that for my sake ye had given yourselves trouble.” Thus they were pleased and gratified in their minds and they departed rejoicing.

318. Abba Daniel used to say: Abba Alexander dwelt with Abba Agathon, and the old man loved Abba Alexander because he was a man of labour, and he was gentle and gracious. And it happened that all the brethren were washing their linen armcloths in the river, and Alexander was quietly washing his with them ; but the brethren said unto Abba Agathon, ‘‘ Bro- ‘ther Alexander doeth nothing,” and the’old man, wishing to quiet his disciples, said unto him, ‘Wash well, O brother, for “the armcloth is [made] of linen.” Now when Alexander heard [this] he was grieved, and afterwards the old man entreated him, saying, ‘‘What then? Do I not know that thou ‘canst wash well? But I spake as I did to thee before them ‘50 that I might rebuke their minds by thine obedience.” 319. They used to say that one day when Abba John came to the church which was in Scete he heard the brethren quar- The Sayings of the holy Fathers relling with each other, and that he went back to his cell, and went round it three times, and then entered it; now the brethren saw him, and they expressed their contrition to him, saying, ‘‘Tell us why thou didst go round thy cell three times. And he said unto them, ‘‘Because the sound of the quarrel ‘was still in my ears, and I said, ‘I will first of all drive it ‘“*out from them, and then I will go into the cell.’”

320. They used to say about Abbé ’Or that whilst other monks would give a pledge for the palm leaves when they wished to buy, he would never give any pledge whatsoever, but whensoever he required leaves he would send the price of them, and take them. Now his disciple went on one occasion to buy leaves, and the gardener said unto him, ‘‘A man gave ““me a deposit, but he hath not taken away his leaves, and ‘‘ therefore thou mayest take them”’; and having brought them he came to the old man and related unto him the matter as it had happened. And when the old man heard it, he wrung his hands, and said, ‘‘’Or will not work this year,’ and he did not cease [to importune] his disciple until he had returned the palm leaves to their [proper] place. 321. They used to tell the story of a certain brother who never ate bread, but only unleavened cakes soaked in water; and whenever he visited the monks when they sat down to eat he would set before himself unleavened cakes and eat [them]. And it happened that one day he went to acertain great Sage, and there also visited him at the same time other strangers, and the old man boiled a few lentiles for them; and when they sat down to eat that brother also brought out his soaked cakes, and set them before himself, and ate them. Now when the old man saw this, he held his peace and did not rebuke him before the brethren who happened to be there, but when they rose up from the table, he took him aside privately, and said unto him, ‘‘O brother, if thou goest to visita man do not ‘reveal thy rule of life, but eat with the brethren that thou ““mayest not think within thyself that thou art better than ‘‘they, and so condemn them. But if thou wishest to keep hold ‘“fupon thy self-denial, sit in thy cell and do not go out of it.” Then the brother was persuaded by the old man, and he ate with the brethren what they ate so as to deceive them, according to what the old man had said.

322. A certain father whose name was Eulogius, having led a life of great austerity and labour in Constantinople, obtained great fame and reputation; and he came to Egypt in order that he might see something more excellent, and when he heard about Abba Joseph he came to him, expecting to see a very much more laborious form of life than his own. And the old man received him with gladness, and said unto his disciple, Make some distinction in the food which ye have to prepare, ‘and let it be suitable for strangers.’’ Now when they had sat down to eat, those who were with Abba Eulogius said, ‘‘ Bring ‘a little salt, for the father will not eat this”; but Abba Joseph ate, and drank, and held his peace. And Eulogius passed three days with him, but he never heard them singing the Psalms, and he never saw them praying, for every act of worship which they performed was in secret; and he went forth from them having profited in no wise. And by the Providence of God it happened that they lost their way, and they returned the same day, and they came and stood at the door of the old man’s cell; and before they could knock at the door, Eulogius heard them singing the Psalms inside, and having waited for a long time, they knocked, and immediately those of the company of Joseph who were singing inside stopped. Now when Eulogius and those who were with him had gone inside the old man received them again with gladness, and because of the heat which they had endured, Abba Joseph’s monks gave Eulogius [some] water to drink; and this water was a mixture, part being sea water and part being river water, and when Eulogius had tasted it he was unable to drink it. Then he repented within himself, and he went in to Abba Joseph and fell down at his feet, and entreated him to be allowed to learn his rule, for he wished so to do, and he said, “ What doth this mean? When we were with you ye sang no ‘‘ Psalms, but as soon as we have left you ye perform services «‘gvermuch. And when I want to drink water I find it to be “ salt.” The old man said unto him, ‘‘It was brother Sylvanus “who did this, and he mixed the water without knowing”; and Eulogius entreated him [to tell him about it], for he wished to learn the truth. Thereupon Abba Joseph said unto him, ‘That mixture of wine which we drink we drink for the sake ‘of the love of Christ, but the brethren always drink this ‘‘ water.” And Abba Joseph taught him the difference [between their rules of life], and that he toiled in secret and not before the children of men; and he atea meal at the same table with them, and he partook of whatsoever was set thereupon; and Eulogius learned that, even as the old man had said, Abba Joseph performed his ascetic labours in secret, and having profited greatly he departed with gladness, giving thanks unto God.

323. On one occasion there was a feast, and the brethren were eating in the church; and there was among them a brother who said unto him that ministered at the tables, coimdo ‘not eat boiled food, but bread and salt,” and the servant The Sayings of the tholy Fathers cried out to certain other brethren before the whole assembly, saying, ‘‘Such and such a brother doth not eat boiled food, ‘therefore bring him salt.” Then one of the old men came to that brother, and said unto him, ‘‘It would have been better ‘‘for thee this day to have eaten flesh in thy cell than that this ‘“word should have been heard before the whole assembly.” 324. On one occasion Ammon came to the brethren, and the brethren expressed contrition, saying, ‘Tell us a word [where- ‘‘ by we may live].” The old man said unto them, ‘‘It is this: “we must travel along the path of God with due order.” 325. They used to say that the face of Abba Panb6o never smiled or laughed. Now one day when the devils wished to make him laugh, they hung a feather on a piece of wood, and they carried it along and danced about therewith in great haste, and they cried out, ‘‘Hailaw, Hdailaw.’”’” Now when AbbA Panb6o saw them, he laughed, and the devils began to run and jump about, saying, ‘‘ Wawa, Abba Panbé hath laughed.” Then Abba Panbé answered and said unto them, ‘‘I did not “laugh [for myself], but I laughed at your weakness, and be- ‘“ cause it needeth so many of you to carry a feather.”

326. On one occasion a certain brother committed an offence in the coenobium, and in the places which were therein a certain old man had his abode; now he had not gone out of his cell for many years. And when the Abba of the coenobium came to the old man he told concerning the folly (or offence) of that: brother, and about his transgression. Then the old man answered and said, ‘‘Drive him out from you”’; and when that brother was driven out, he departed and went into a reedy jungle, and as some brethren happened to pass by to go to Abba Poemen they heard the voice of the brother weeping; and they went in and found him in great labour, and they entreated him to let them take him with them to Abba Poemen, but he would not be persuaded [to go], and said, ‘I will die here.” And when they came to Abba Poemen they told him about him, and he entreated them, saying, ‘‘Go to that brother, and say ‘‘ye unto him, Abba Poemen calleth thee’; now when the brother learned that Abba Poemen had sent the brethren to him, he rose up and went. And when Abba Poemen saw that he was sorrow-stricken, he rose up and gave him the salutation of peace, and smiling with him, gave him [food] to eat. Then he sent his brother to the old man, saying, ‘‘For many years past ‘I have greatly longed to see thee, because I have heard ‘‘about thee, but through negligence both of us have been pre- ‘vented from seeing each other. Now therefore that God ‘“wisheth it, and the opportunity calleth, I beg thee to trouble ‘‘ thyself [to come] hither, and we will each welcome the other.”

Now, as I have already said, the old man had up to that time never gone out of his cell. And when the old man heard the message, he said, ‘“‘If God had not worked in him he would ‘‘not have sent for me’; and he rose up and came to him; and having saluted each other, they sat down with gladness. And Abbé Poemen said unto him, ‘‘There were two men living in ‘one place, and both of them had dead, and one of them left “weeping for his own dead and went and wept over that of his “neighbour”; and when the old man heard these words he repented, and he remembered what he had done, and said, ‘‘Abba “© Poemen is above in heaven, but I am down, down, on the “earth.” 7, An old man used to say, * It is right for a man to keep “his work in all diligence so that he may lose nothing thereof ; ‘for if a man worketh even a very little, and keepeth it, his ‘work remaineth and abideth.” And the old man used to narrate the following matter: An inheritance was left untoa certain brother, and whilst he was wishing to make therefrom a memorial to him that had died, a certain brother who was a stranger came to him, and he roused him up in the night saying, ‘‘Arise, and help me to sing the service.” Then the stranger entreated him, saying, ‘‘ Leave me, O my brother, for “‘T am away from labour, and I cannot [get up]”; and the brother who had welcomed him said, ‘‘ If thou wilt not come, “get up and depart from this place’’; and the stranger rose up and departed. And at the turn of the night he saw in his dream him who had driven him out giving wheat to the baker, and that the baker did not give him [back] even one loaf of bread; and he rose up and went to an old man and related unto him the whole matter even as it had taken place, and the old man said unto him, ‘‘Thou hast performed a beautiful a¢tion, but ‘the Enemy hath not allowed thee to receive the reward ‘‘Tthereof].” And after these things the old man said that [this] story was a proof according to which it is right for a man to be watchful and to guard his work with great care.

328. An old man said, ‘‘The Calumniator is the Enemy, and ‘‘the Enemy will never cease to cast into thy house, if he “possibly can, impurity of every kind, and it is thy duty ‘neither to refuse nor to neglect to take that which is cast 1n ‘<and to throw it out; for if thou art negligent thy house will ‘become filled with impurity, and thou wilt be unable to enter ‘therein. Therefore whatsoever the Enemy casteth in little by ‘little do thou throw out little by little, and thy house shall ‘remain pure by the Grace of Christ.” ; 329. On one occasion Abba Poemen entreated Abba Macarius with frequent supplication, saying, ‘‘Tell mea word [whereby The Sayings of the tholy Fathers **T may live]”; and the old man anwered and said unto him, ‘““The matter which thou seekest hath this day passed from ‘*the monks.” 330. Abba Nicetasused totell about twobrethren who had met together, and who wished to dwell together ; and one of them thought, saying, ‘‘ Whatsoever my brother wisheth that will I do,” and similarly the other meditated, saying, ‘‘ Whatsoever ‘will gratify my brother that will I do.”” Now when the Enemy saw this, he went to them and wished to separate each from the other, and as he was standing before the door, he appeared unto one of them in the form of a dove, and to the other in the form of a raven. Then one of them said unto his companion, ‘‘Seest ‘thou this dove?” and the other replied, ‘‘It is a raven.” And they began to quarrel with each other, neither of them yielding to his companion, and they stood up and fought with each other, even unto blood, and at length, to the joy of the Calumniator, they separated. And after three days they came to themselves and were sorry for what had happened, and they went back and lived together in peace as they did formerly, and each expressed his sorrow unto the other. And each of them devoted himself to performing the will of his companion, and they lived together until the end.

331. One of the old men used to say, “If thou seest a man ‘“who hath fallen into the water, and thou canst help him, *“stretch out thy staff to him, and draw him out, lest, if thou “stretch out thy hand to him, and thou art not able to bring ‘him up, he drag thee down and both of you perish.”” Now he spake this for the sake of those who thrust themselves forward to help other people who are being tempted, and who, through wishing to help [others] beyond their power, [themselves] fall. It is right for a man to help his brother according to the power that he hath, for God demandeth not from a man that which is beyond his strength. 332. A brother asked an old man, and said unto him, “‘ Supposing that I find sufficient for my daily wants in any “place, dost thou wish me not to take care for the work of ‘“my hands?” The old man said unto him, ‘‘However much ‘thou mayest have, do not neglect the work of thy hands; ‘‘work as much as thou canst, only do not work with an “agitated mind.” 333. An old man used to say, ‘‘When the soldier goeth into ‘“battle he careth for himself only, and so also doth the watch- ‘‘man; let us then imitate these men, for riches, and family, “and wisdom, without a correét life and works, are dung.”

334. An old man used to say ‘I await death evening, and ‘morning, and every day.” 335. The same old man used to say also, ‘‘As he who is a “ stranger is not able to take another stranger into the house ‘¢ of one by whom he hath not been entreated to enter, so also ‘is it in the case of the Enemy, for he will not enter in where ‘*he is not welcomed.” 336. Abba Epiphanius said, ‘‘He who revealeth and dis- “covereth his good work is like unto the man who soweth ‘‘ [seed] on the surface of the ground, and doth not cover it ‘up, and the fowl of the heavens cometh and devoureth it; ‘but he who hideth his good works is like unto the man who “‘soweth his seed in the furrows of the earth, and he shall ‘reap the same at harvest.” 37, Abba Epiphanius used to say, ‘‘ Whensoever a thought ‘‘ cometh and filleth thy breast, that is to say, thy heart, with ‘vainglory or pride, say thou unto it, ‘Old man, behold thy ** fornication.’” 338. And he also said, ‘‘O monk, take thou the greatest “ possible care that thou sin not, lest thou disgrace God Who ‘‘ dwelleth in thee, and thou drive Him out of thy soul.”

339. The old men said, ‘‘Let no monk do anything whatso- ‘‘ ever without first of all trying his heart [to see] that what ‘‘he is about to do will be [done] for God’s sake.” 340. One of the fathers asked a youthful brother, saying, ‘Tell us, O brother, is it good to hold one’s peace or to ‘ speak?” then that young brother spake unto him, saying, ‘« If the words [to be said] be useless, leave them [unsaid], but ‘if they be good, give place to good things, and speak [them]. ‘‘ Yet, even though the words be good, prolong not thy speech, ‘but cut it short, for silence is best of all.” 341. Rabba Paul the Great, the Galatian, used to say, ‘‘The ‘‘ monk who living in his cell hath some small need, and who ‘‘goeth out to provide therefor, is laughed at by the devils.” 342, The blessed woman Eugenia said, ‘‘It is helpful to us ‘to go about begging, only we must be with Jesus, for he ‘“‘who is with Jesus is rich, even though we be poor in the ‘‘ flesh. For he who holdeth the things of earth in greater ‘‘ honour than the things of the Spirit falleth away both from ‘‘the things which are first and the things which are last. For ‘‘he who coveteth heavenly things must, of necessity, receive ‘the good things which are on the earth. Therefore it be- ‘‘longeth unto the wise to await not the things which now ‘‘ exist [here], but the things which are about to be, and the ‘‘ happiness which is indescribable, andinthis short and trouble- ‘some life they should prepare themselves therefor.” —

343. On one occasion when Abba Arsenius was living in the lower lands, and was troubled, he determined to leave his cell The Savings of the holy Fatbers without taking anything from it, and he departed to his disciples in the body, that is to say, to Alexander and Zoilus. Then he said to Alexander, ‘‘ Arise, and go back to the place ‘‘where I was living”; and Alexander did so; and he said to Zoilus, ‘‘ Arise; and come with me to the river, and seek out ‘for me a ship which is going to Alexandria, and then come ‘‘back, and go to thy brother.”” Now Zoilus marvelled at this speech, but he held his peace; and thus they parted from each other, and the old man Arsenius then went down to the country of Alexandria, where he fell ill of a serious sickness. And his disciples went back and came to the place where they had been formerly, and they said to each other, ‘‘Perhaps one of us ‘“hath offended the old man, and it is for this reason that he ‘‘hath separated from us”; but they could not find in themselves anything with which they had ever offended him. Now the old man became well again, and he said, ‘‘I will arise and ‘*go to the fathers,” and he journeyed on and came to Patara where his disciplés were. Now when the old man was nigh unto the river-side a young Ethiopian woman saw him, and she came behind him, and drew near him, and plucked his raiment; and the old man rebuked her. Then the maiden said unto him, ‘‘If thou art a monk, depart to the mountain.” Now the old man being somewhat sad at this remark, said within himself, ‘‘Arsenius, if thou art a monk, depart to the moun- ‘‘tain”; and afterwards his disciples Alexander and Zoilus met him, and they fell down at his feet, and the old man threw himself down [on the ground] also, and he wept himself, and his disciples wept before him. And the old man said unto them, ‘‘ Did ye not hear that I have been sick?” And they said unto him, ‘‘Yes.” And the old man said, ‘‘Why did ye not seek to ‘‘come and see me?” And Abba Alexander said, ‘‘ Because ‘‘the way in which thou didst leave us was not right, and be- ‘“cause of it many were offended, and they said, ‘If they had ‘* “not wearied (ov pressed) the old man in some way he would never have separated from them.’” The old man saith unto them, ‘‘I know that myself, but men will also say, ‘The dove ** could not find rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned ““*to Noah in the ark’”; thus the disciples were healed, and they took up their abode with him again.

344. Abba Daniel used to tell concerning Arsenius that he never wished to speak about any investigation into the Scriptures, although he was well able to speak [on the subject] if he had been so disposed, but he could not write even a letter quickly. 345. A certain old man used to say, ‘‘Vaunt not thyself over ‘‘thy brother in thy mind, saying, ‘I possess a greater measure *¢ (of self-denial than he doth, and I can endure more than he,’ “but be subject unto the Grace of Christ, with a humble spirit ‘and love which is not hypocritical, lest through thy haughty “spirit thou destroy thy labours. For it is written, ‘Let him ‘ ‘that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall’ (1 Corin- ‘‘thians x, 12); and, ‘A man must be seasoned with Christ as “ ‘with salt.’” 346. An old man used to say, ‘‘Let there be not unto thee ‘* free converse with the governor or with the judge, and be ‘¢ not with either of them continually; for from such freedom ‘¢ of speech (or boldness) thou wilt acquire [the habit of think- “ing|, and from merely thinking thou wilt covet.” 347. Abba Agathon used to say, ‘‘I have never lain down “to sleep and kept anger in my heart, or even a thought of ‘‘enmity against any man; and I have never allowed any man ‘* to lie down to sleep keeping any anger against me.”

348. The old man Hyparchus used to say, ‘‘Do not abuse ‘‘ thy neighbour, and drive not away a man who turneth to- ‘‘ wards thee, so that thou mayest be able to say to our Lord, ‘‘*Forgive us our sins, even as we also forgive those who ‘* ‘trespass against us.’” g. One of the fathers used to say, ‘‘If a man ask thee for ‘‘ anything, and thou givest it to him grudgingly, thou wilt not ‘receive a reward for that which thou hast given, as it is ‘written, ‘If a man ask thee to go with hima mile, go with ‘‘¢him two’; and the meaning of this is, ‘If a man asketh ‘* ‘anything of thee give [it] unto him with all thy soul and t6€spirit.’”’ 350. One of the fathers related that there were three things which were especially honoured in monks: that is to say, with fear and trembling, and spiritual gladness they thought it meet to draw nigh, I mean to the participation in the Holy Mysteries, and the table of the brethren, and the washing of one another, according to the example which their true Rabba Christ shewed unto them, before the great day of His Resurrection was fulfilled. And the old man himself produced an illustration [of this], saying, ‘‘There was a certain great old man who was a seer ‘¢ of visions, and he happened to be sitting at meat with the ‘‘ brethren, and whilst they were eating, the old man saw in ‘“the Spirit as he was sitting at the table that some of the ‘‘ brethren were eating honey, whilst others were eating bread, ‘and others dung; and he wondered at these within himself. ‘‘ And he made supplication and entreaty unto God, saying, «<Q Lord, reveal unto me this mystery, and tell me why ‘‘¢when the food is all the same, and when the various ‘* ¢things which are laid upon the table are only different forms

The Savings of the holy Fathers ‘« ‘thereof, the brethren appear to be eating different kinds of ‘« “food, for some seem to be eating honey, and others bread, ‘¢ ‘and others dung.’ Then a voice came unto him from above, ‘‘saying, ‘Those who are eating honey are those who eat with ‘* “fear, and with trembling, and with spiritual love when they ‘* “sit at the table, and who pray without ceasing, and whose ‘* ‘praise goeth up to God like sweet incense; for this reason ‘* ‘they eat honey. And those who eat bread are those who con- ‘« “fess and receive the Grace of God, which is given unto them ‘* “by Him for these things. And those who eat dung are those ‘‘*who complain, and say, This is sweet and pleasant, and ‘* “that is not seemly and prospereth not.’ Now it is not right ‘‘to think about these at all, but we should glorify and ‘‘ praise God the more, and receive (0 welcome) His abundant ‘provisions which come to us without labour, so that there ‘may be fulfilled in us that which was said by the blessed ‘* Apostle, ‘Whether ye eat, or whether ye drink, or whether ‘**ye do anything else, do all things unto the glory of God’” (1 Corinthians x, 31). ¢

351. They say that Abba ’Or never told a lie, and never swore, and never cursed a man, and never spoke unless it was absolutely necessary. 352. One of the old men said, ‘‘That which thou observest ‘not thyself, how canst thou teach to another?” 353. And it was he who said unto his disciple, ‘‘Take heed ‘‘that thou never bringest an alien word into this cell.” 354. An old man used to say, ‘‘As far as I have been able to ‘fovertake my soul when it hath transgressed, I have never ‘* slipped (ov committed an offence) a second time.” 355. An old man used to say, ‘‘Strive with all thy might so ‘‘that thou mayest never in any way do evil to any man, and ‘‘make thine heart to be pure with every man.” 356. Abba Agathon used to say to himself, whensoever he saw any act or anything which his thought wished to judge or condemn, ‘‘Do not commit the thing thyself,” and in this manner he quieted his mind, and held his peace. 357. The old men used to say, ‘‘For a man to be so bold as ‘to condemn his neighbour resembleth the sweeping of the ‘‘lawgiver, or the judge, from off his seat, and the wishing to ‘‘ pass judgement in his place, and it is as if a man were to bring ‘‘an accusation against the weakness of the judge and to con- ‘‘demn him, and such an act will be found to be the rebellion ‘‘ of the slave against his Lord, and against the Judge of the ‘living and the dead.”

358. An old man used to say, ‘‘ From the greatest to the least “of the things which I perform, I carefully consider the fruit “¢ which will be produced from it, whether it be in thoughts, or ‘in words, or in deeds.” 359. They used to tell the story about Abba Pachomius and say that on many occasions he heard the devils repeating many evil things of various kinds, some of which were to come upon the brethren. First of all he heard one of them saying, ‘‘I have ‘‘Tstrife] with a man who constantly [defieth] me, for whenso- ‘ever I approach to sow thoughts in his mind, immediately ‘‘he turneth to prayer, and I depart from him being consumed “¢ with fire.” And another devil said, ‘‘I have [strife]with a man ‘‘ who is easy to persuade, and he doeth whatsoever | counsel ‘‘him to do, and I love him dearly.” It is right then, O my brethren, that we should keepourselves awakealways, and that, making ourselves mighty men in the Name of the Lord, we should strive against the devils, and then they will never be able to overcome us. 360. One of the holy men used to say, “Through holding “Small wickednesses in contempt we fall into great ones; consider then attentively the following story which is told ‘even as it took place. A certain man laughed in an empty ‘manner, and his companion rebuked and condemned him; ‘« another brother] happened to be there, and he thought lightly «« of the matter, saying, ‘This is nothing ; for what is it fora man «to laugh?’ [And the brother replied, ‘From laughter] plea- ‘ «sure is produced, and next empty words, and filthy actions, ‘‘¢and iniquity, and so from the things which are thought ‘to be small that wicked devil bringeth in great wicked- “‘ ‘nesses. And from great wickednesses a man cometh to “« ‘despair, for this cruel and wicked evil hath the Evil One “« ‘discovered (or invented) through the malignity of his crafti- ‘“tness, for a man to commit sin is not so destructive as for ‘a man to cut off hope from his soul. For he who repenteth ‘in a fitting manner, and according to what is right blotteth ‘ ‘out his offences; but he who cutteth off hope from his soul ‘“nerisheth because he will not offer unto it the binding up of ‘« ‘repentance. Therefore let not a man hold in contempt small ‘‘ ‘wickednesses. For this is the seed which the Calumniator «< ‘soweth, for if he made war openly it would not be difficult to ‘“<firht, and victory would be easy; and even now, if we be ‘(watchful and strenuous, it will be easy for us to conquer, “ ¢for it is God Who hath armed us, and He teacheth us and « ¢entreateth us not to hold even the smallest wickednesses in “« ‘contempt. Hearken thou unto Him as He admonisheth [us], “ ‘saying, (St. Matthew v, 22) ‘* Whosoever shalt say unto his «« (brother ‘RAkA,’ shall be guilty of the fire of Gehenna”; and, «© «66 He who looketh upon a woman to desire her hath alreney

The Savings of the holy Fathers ** «committed adultery with her in his heart” (St. Matt. v, 28). ‘* “And in another place He rebuked and admonished those who ‘laugh, and concerning the idle word also He said, ‘‘Its *« «*Canswer is given”; and on account of this the blessed Job, ‘“ “because of the thoughts which were in the hearts of his sons, ‘« “offered up an offering. Nowtherefore, since we know all these ‘““things, let us take good heed to ourselves [and avoid] the ‘beginning of the movement of our thoughts, and then we ‘«*shall never fall.’” 361. A brother said unto an old man, ‘‘Dost thou not see ‘“‘that I have not even one war in my heart?” The old man said unto him, ‘‘Thou hast an opening in thee at each of the ‘‘four points of the compass, and whatsoever wisheth can go ‘“‘in and come out without thy perceiving it. But if thou wilt ‘“‘set up a door, and wilt shut it, and wilt not allow evil ‘thoughts to enter, thou wilt then see them standing outside; ‘*for if our minds be watchful and strenuous in loving God, ‘“the Enemy who is the counsellor of wickednesses will not ‘‘ approach [us].”

362. A certain Mother of noble rank said, ‘‘As the stamped ‘silver coin which is current loseth its weight and becometh ‘“less, so doth the spiritual excellence which is apparent and ‘is made manifest become destroyed; and as wax melteth be- ‘fore the fire, so also doth the soul become lax and confused, ‘and strenuousness departeth from it.” 363. One of the old men used to say, ‘‘The man who doeth ‘““many good deeds doth Satan cast down by means of small “matters into pits, so that he may destroy the wages of all “the good things which he hath performed.” 364. A brother asked Abba Poemen, saying, ‘‘For what ‘“ purpose were spoken the words, ‘Take no thought for the **“morrow?’” The old man said unto him, ‘‘ For the man who ‘‘is under temptation, and is in affliction; for it is not meet ‘that such a man should take thought for the morrow, or ‘““should say, ‘How long shall I have to endure this tempta- ‘*“tion?’ but he should think upon patient endurance, saying, ““Tt is to-day, and the temptation will not remain thus for a “ong time.’”’ And the old man said, “It is good that a man ‘“‘should be remote from temptation of the body, for he who ‘‘is nigh unto the temptation of the body is like unto him ‘that standeth upon the mouth of a deep pit, and whom, when- ““soever his enemy wisheth, he can easily cast therein. But if ‘““he be remote from the temptation of the body, he is like unto ‘““a man who is far away from the pit, and even though his ‘enemy may wish to cast him into it, he is not able to do so ‘because the pit is far away from him, and whilst he is either

“urging him or dragging him thereto, God, the Merciful One, “‘sendeth him a helper.” 365. And a brother said unto Abba Poemen, ‘‘My body is ‘weak, and I am not able to perform ascetic labours; speak “to me a word whereby I may live”; and the old man said unto him, ‘‘Art thou able to rule thy thought and not to per- ‘mit it to go to thy neighbour in guile?” 366. And a brother also asked him, ‘‘What shall | do? For “T am troubled when I am sitting in my cell.”” The old man said unto him, ‘Think lightly of no man; think no evil in thy ‘heart; condemn no man and curse no man; then shall God “ sive thee rest, and thy habitation shall be without trouble.” 367. And the same old man used to say, ‘“‘The keeping of “ the commandments, and the taking heed to oneself in every- ‘thing, and the acquisition of oblations, are the guides of the soul.” 368. Abba Poemen said, ‘‘A brother asked Abba Moses, ‘‘ saying, ‘In what manner is a man to keep himself from his ‘‘ ‘neighbour?’ The old man said unto him, ‘Except a man ‘«“layeth it up in his heart that he hath been already three ‘“‘‘years in the grave, he will not be sufficiently strong [to “‘keep] this saying.’”’

369. Abba Poemen said, “Tf thou seest visions and hearest ‘rumours, repeat them not to thy neighbour, for this is vic- “¢tory of the war.” : ; 370. The same old man also said, ‘‘The chief of all wicked- «‘ nesses is the wandering of the thoughts.” , 371. Abba Poemen said, ‘‘ If a man perform the desire, and ‘‘ pleasure, and custom of these, they will cast him down. 372. A brother asked Abba Poemen, saying, “Tf a brother ‘‘ Owe me a few oboli, shall I remind him of it?” The old man saith, ‘Remind him once.” And the brother said unto him, “ And if I have reminded him and he hath given me nothing, ‘‘Twhat am I to do then?]” The old man saith unto him, ‘‘ Let “the thought perish, only do not harass the man.” 373. A brother asked Abba Joseph, saying, ‘‘ What shall I ‘do? For I cannot be disgraced, and I cannot work, and I “have nothing [wherefrom] to give alms.” The old man said unto him, ‘‘If thou canst not do these things, keep thy con- “science from thy neighbour, and guard thyself carefully “against evil of every kind, and thou shalt live; for God de- ‘sireth that the soul shall be without sin.” enews

374. A brother asked Abba Sisoes of Shékipa about his life and works, and the old man said unto him that which Daniel spake, ‘‘The bread of desire I have not eaten, that is to say, “ A man should not fulfil the lust of his desire.” 83 1-6a The Savings of the holy Fathers 375. On one occasion Abraham said unto Abba Sisoes, ‘‘Abba, ‘‘thou hast grown old, let us draw nigh unto the habitations ‘‘of the children of men for a little”; and Abba Sisoes said unto him, ‘‘Let us go where there is no woman ”’; then his disciple said unto him, ‘‘And what place is there without a ‘‘woman except the desert?” The old man said unto him, ‘*Then let us go to the desert.” 3 376. On one occasion certain brethren came to Abba Pambéo, and one of them asked him, saying, ‘‘ Father, I fast two days ‘fat a time, and then I eat two bread-cakes; shall I gain life, ‘‘O father, or am I making a mistake?” And another asked him and said, ‘‘I perform work with my hands [each] day to ‘“the value of two kirats (i.e., carats), and I keep a few oboli ‘“by me for my food, and the remainder I spend upon the relief ‘of the poor; shall I be redeemed, O father, or am I making ‘fa mistake?” And the other brethren asked of him many things, but he answered them never a word. Now after four days they were wishing to depart, and the clergy entreated them, saying, ‘‘O brethren, trouble not ye yourselves, for God ‘‘will give you a reward. The custom of the old man is not to ‘“speak immediately, for he doth not speak until God giveth ‘‘him permission to do so.” Then the brethren went to the old man and said unto him, ‘‘ Father, pray for us”; and he said unto them, ‘‘Do ye wish to depart?” And they said unto him, ‘‘Yes.”’ Then he took their actions into his consideration, and he put himself in the position of one who was writing on the ground, and said, ‘‘ Pambd, one fasteth two days at a time, ‘and then eateth two bread-cakes; shall he become a monk ‘by such things as these? No! Pambé, [another] worketh for “‘two carats a day, and giveth to those who are in need, shall ‘“‘he become a monk by such things as these? No!” And he said, ‘‘[Thy] actions are good, and if thou preservest thy con- “science with thy [good ations] thou shalt live”; and being consoled by these words, the brethren departed rejoicing.

377. Certain of the old men used to say, ‘‘If temptation ‘“‘cometh upon thee in the place where thou dwellest, forsake ‘‘not the place in the time of temptation, lest peradventure “‘thou findest wherever thou goest that from which thou “‘fleest; but endure until the period of temptation be overpast, ‘“and thy departure can be [effected] without offence and with- ‘‘ out affliction, for thou wilt have departed in a time of peace. ‘‘ Now if thou departest during a period of temptation, many ‘* will be afflicted because of thee, and will say that thou didst ‘“ depart because of the temptation, and this will be unto them ‘“a source of grief.” 378. On one occasion when Abba Sisoes was sitting down with a certain brother, he sighed unknowingly, and he did not perceive that the brother was with him, because his mind was carried away by the noonday [prayer]; and he made apologies to that brother, and said unto him, “ Forgive me, O my “brother, that I heaved a sigh before thee [proves] that I have “ not yet become a monk.” 79. An old man used to say, ‘©Whensoever I bring down ‘the bar of the loom, and before I raise it up again, I always “set my death before mine eyes.”

380. Another old man used to say, ‘‘ When I am plaiting *« (ov sewing) a basket, with every stitch which I put into it I ‘set my death before my eyes before I take another stitch.” 381. Abba Daniel used to say, ‘‘On one occasion we went ‘to Abba Poemen, and having eaten together, he said unto ‘© us subsequently, ‘Go ye and rest yourselves a little, O my «¢brethren’; and when the brethren had gone to rest them- ‘* selves I remained that 1 might be able to talk to the old man * privately. And I rose up and came to his cell, and I saw that ‘he was sitting outside on a mat, and seeing me he lay down; ‘‘ now he did not know that I had seen him seated, and he ‘* pretended to be asleep. And this was the custom of the old ‘man, for everything which he did was done by him in secret.” 382. One of the fathers asked Abba Sisoes, saying, ‘If lam “fiving in the desert and the barbarians come against me to ‘kill me, supposing that I have strength may I kill one of “them?” The old man said unto him, ‘No. Commit thyself «unto God, and leave [it to Him]. For with every trial which ‘‘ cometh upon a man he should say, ‘It hath come because of ‘© ‘my sins’; but if something good happeneth to him, let him “say, ‘It is of the Providence of God.’”

383. One of the old men used to say, ‘‘ When the eyes of the «« Ox are covered over then he is subjugated by the yoke bar, but ‘*if they do not cover [his] eyes he cannot be made to bow ‘beneath the yoke; and thus is it with Satan, for if he can ‘‘ cover over the eyes of a man he can bring him low with every ‘kind of sin, but if his eyes be able to see (or shine), he is able ‘to flee from him.” 384. Abba Anthony said, “It is not seemly for us to re- ‘« member the time which hath passed, but let a man be each ‘day as one who beginneth his toil, so that the excessive ‘‘ weariness [which we shall feel] may be to our advantage. ‘And let him say, as Paul said, ‘That which is behind me I ‘forget, and I reach out to that which is before me’ ” (Phi- ‘‘ lippians iii, 13). And let him also remember the word of Eli- ‘‘jiah, who said, ‘As the Lord liveth, before Whom I stand ‘this day’” (1 Kings xvii, ves The Savings of the holy Fathers 385. And the same old man said also, ‘‘ Let us not consider ‘‘the time which is past, but let a man be even as he who be- ‘‘ginneth, and let him take care in such wise that he shall ‘“make himself stand before God.”

386. Abba Paphnutius said: ‘‘A monk is bound to keep not ‘‘ only his body pure, but his soul free from unclean thoughts. ‘“ Now we find that the body is consoled by thoughts, and ‘unless the thoughts withdraw themselves they will sink the ‘“ body; and the manner in which the thoughts work is as fol- ‘lows: they feed all lusts of the flesh, which is ruled by them, ‘and in welcoming the lusts they stir up the body also in re- ‘volt, and they cast it down, like a pilot who is caught ina ‘“storm, and they make the ship to sink. And is it fitting that ‘“we should know that if one man loveth another he will say ‘nothing evil about him? for if he doth speak against him he ‘“is not his friend; similarly he who loveth lust will not speak ‘“‘anything evil against it, and if he doeth so he is not its ‘‘friend. But if a man [speak] against that which he knoweth ‘‘not, (or against that which causeth him no affliction), or ‘against that which causeth him no pain, [he may speak ‘‘evil], but against that which he hath suffered, and that ‘“wherewith he hath been tried by the Enemy, he will speak ‘evil, and he will not talk about him as a friend, but as an ‘enemy. Thus whosoever speaketh evil of and who despiseth ‘‘lust is not a friend of lusts.

387. And he also said, ‘‘As judges (or governors) slay the ‘* wicked, even so do labours slay evil lusts; and as wicked ‘* slaves fly from their lords even so do lusts fly from the ex- ‘“haustion [caused by] ascetic labours. But good slaves hold ‘‘ their masters in honour as sons hold in honour their fathers. ‘For the exhaustion [caused by ascetic labours] produceth ‘‘ good works, and from it the virtues spring up, even as the ‘‘ passions are produced from dainty meats. Exhaustion then ‘“begetteth good works, when a man hath wearied himself ‘with [all] his soul, and it bringeth forth virtues and de- ‘“stroyeth vices, even as a righteous judge [destroyeth the ‘* wicked].” 388. A brother asked Abbé Poemen, saying, ‘Since I suffer ‘loss in spirit when I am with my Abba, dost thou wish me “*to continue to live with him any longer?” Now that old man knew that the brother was suffering loss through living with his Abba, and the old man marvelled how the brother could ask him the question, ‘‘Dost thou wish me to dwell with ‘him any longer.” And the old man said unto him, ‘‘If thou ‘‘ wishest, dwell [with him],” and the brother went and did so, but he came again to the old man and said, “Iam suffering

‘Joss in spirit”; and the old man said unto him nothing. And, when for the third time the brother came and said unto him, ‘‘ Indeed, I cannot henceforth dwell with him,’ Abba Poemen said unto him, ‘‘ Now thou knowest how to live; depart, ‘and dwell with him no longer.” 389. Therefore the old man said, ‘‘If there existeth a man ‘« Sho knoweth how to suffer loss in his spirit, and who still ‘« [feeleth|theneedtoask a question about [his] secretthoughts, ‘‘it is a good thing that he should ask; and it belongeth unto ‘‘the old men to search into and investigate a matter of this ‘‘ sind, for concerning open sins a man doth not feel it neces- ‘sary to enquire, but he cutteth them off immediately.” 390. A brother asked one of the fathers, saying, ‘‘Tell me «3 word whereby I may live”; and the old man answered and ‘‘ said, ‘We must be careful to work a little, and we must be “ «neither negligent nor contemptuous, and then wemay beable ‘ ¢to live.” And anoldman told him the following story, saying, ‘‘ There was a certain prosperous husbandman who was ex- “ceedingly rich, and wishing to teach his sons husbandry he ‘‘ said unto them, ‘My sons, behold, see how I have become ‘¢ ‘rich, and if ye will be persuaded by me, [and will do as I ‘‘ have done], ye will become rich also.’ Then they said unto ‘him, ‘Father, we will be persuaded [by thee], tell us how *« “Ito become rich].’ Now although the husbandman knew well ‘‘ that he who laboureth always becometh rich, yet because he “thought that they might be negligent, and despise [work], he ‘made use of cunning in his words, and said unto them: ‘< ‘There is one day in the year whereon if a man worketh he ‘6 ‘will become rich, but because of my exceedingly great old ‘‘ ‘age have forgotten which it is;therefore, ye must work con- “ ‘tinually, and ye must not be idle even one day, and ye must “« “by every possible means in your power go forwards. But if “« ‘ye are neglectful and disinclined to work, even for one day, ‘‘ «take good heed to yourselves lest the day whereon ye do «‘ ¢ not work be that very day, and that lucky day pass you by, ‘« and your labour for all the rest of the year be in vain.’” Thus also, O my brethren, if we labour and work each day, and we do not make use of sloth and negligence and contempt we shall find the way of life. F ; >

391. Abba Agathon asked Abba Aldnis, saying, “JT wish ‘‘to hold my tongue that it may not speak falsehood, [what ‘‘ shall I do?]” Abba Alénis said unto him, ‘ If thou dost not ‘lie, thou art about to commit many sins.”’ Agathon said, ‘How ?” And the old man said unto him, ‘‘ Behold, two brethren ‘are going to commit a murder, and one of them will flee to ‘thee. And it will happen that the judge will come and search The Sayings of the holy Fathers ‘for him, and he will ask thee, saying, ‘Did this murder take ‘« “place in thy presence?’ And if thou dost not wish to tell a ‘lie thou wilt deliver up to death the other man, whom it would ‘‘ be right for thee to let go free, so that he might be reserved ** for the judgement hall of God, Who knoweth all things.” 392. A certain brother was travelling ona road, and his aged mother was with him, and they came to a river which the old woman was not able to cross ;andherson took hisshouldercloth and wound it round his hands so that they might not touch his mother’s body, and in this manner he carried her across the river. Then his mother said unto him, ‘‘ My son, why didst ‘‘ thou first wrap round thy hands with the cloth, and then take ‘me across?” and he said, ‘‘The body of a woman is fire, and ‘through thy body there would have come to me the memory ‘of [the body of] another woman, and it was for this reason ‘that I acted as I did.”

Chapter iv, Of Love, and Charity, and of the Welcome= ing of Strangers CERTAIN old man used to dwell with a brother in a A« in a friendly manner, and he was a man of compassionate disposition; now a famine broke out, and 393. the people began to be hungry, and they came to him that they might receive charity, and he gave bread unto them all. And when the brother saw that he was giving away large quantities of bread, he said unto the old man, ‘‘Give me my ‘‘portion of the bread”; and the old man said unto him, ‘*Take os and he divided [what there was] and gave him [his share], and the brother took it from him for himself. And the old man was compassionate, and gave away bread from his portion, and many folk heard [that he was doing this] and came unto him, and when God saw the generosity of the old man He blessed his bread ; but the brother took all his portion and ate it up, and when he saw that his bread was finished, and that the portion of the old man was still lasting, he made entreaty unto him, saying, ‘‘My portion hath come to an end, ‘‘and this [bread of thine is all] that I have; receive me asa ‘“partner [therein].” And the old man said unto him, “Good,” and he associated him with himself again. And when there was abundance [again], the people came to take [bread] from him, and he gave it unto them again. Now it came to pass that they lacked bread, and the brother went and found that bread was wanting, and a poor man came for some, and the old man said unto the brother, ‘‘Go in and give him some,” and the brother said, ‘‘There is none’’; for he was filled with bread. The old man said, ‘‘Go in and search [for some],” and 88

Of Dove, Charity, and hospitality having gone in he found that the place wherein they used to set [the bread] was filled with loaves to the very top, and he took [some] and gave to the poor man, and he was afraid. Thus that brother knew the excellence and the faith of the old man, and he gave thanks unto God, and glorified Him. 394. Two brethren went to the market to sell their wares, and whilst one of them had gone to perform the service, he who was left by himself fell into fornication; and the other brother came and said unto him, ‘‘My brother, let us go to the cell,” but he said unto him, ‘‘I cannot go, for I have fallen ‘‘into fornication.” Now whilst he was seeking to do better, the brother began to swear to him, saying, ‘‘I also, when I ‘“was away from thee, fell in the same manner, nevertheless, ‘come, and let us repent together, and it may happen that ‘ God will pardon us.”” And when they came to their cells they informed the old men about the temptation which had come to them, and whatsoever the old mentoldthem to dothetwobrothers did, and the one brother repented with the other, just as if he had sinned with him. Now God saw the labour of his love, and in a few days He sent a revelation unto one of the old men concerning the matter, saying, ‘‘For the sake of the love of ‘that brother who did not sin, forgive thou him that did com- «‘ mit sin.” This is what is meant by the words, ‘‘ A man should ‘lay down his soul for his friend.”

395. And they also say that there was a certain self-denying and ascetic brother who wished to go to the city to sell his handiwork, and to buy the things which he needed ; and he called a brother, and said unto him, ‘‘Come with me, and let ‘us go and return together.” And when they had gone as far as the gate of the city, the man of abstinence said unto his companion, ‘‘Sit down here, O my brother, and wait for me ‘¢while I go in and perform my ‘business; and I will return ‘‘ speedily.” And having gone into the city, and wandered round about in the streets, a certain rich woman tried her blandishments upon him, and he stripped off his monk’s garb and took her to wife. Then he sent a message to his companion, saying, ‘‘Arise, get thee to thy cell, for I can never see thee ‘‘again”; now the man who had been sent to him with this message related unto him the whole matter, even as it had happened, and he said to the messenger, ‘¢God forbid that such ‘‘ things shouldbe spoken about my holy brethren, and God forbid ‘that I should depart from this place until my brother cometh, ‘according to his word to me.” And having tarried there a long time, and ceasing not from weeping and praying either by night or by day, the report of him was heard throughout the city, and the clergy, and the monks, and the governors of the

The Savings of the holy Fathers city entreated him to depart to his monastery, but he would not hearken unto their supplication, and he said, ‘‘I cannot ‘*transgress my brother’s command, and I cannot leave this ‘place until we go back together to the monastery.” So he stayed there for seven years, being burned by heat in the summer, and dried up by the cold and ice in the winter, and with hunger, and thirst, and weeping and watching, he made supplication on behalf of his brother. Then at length one day his former companion himself came unto him, dressed in costly garments, and said unto him, ‘‘O So-and-so, I am he ‘who was with thee the monk So-and-so, arise, get thee gone **to thy monastery”; and the brother looked at him and said, ‘* Thou art not, for he was a monk, and thou art a man in the ‘ world.” Then God looked upon the trouble of that brother, and at the end of the seven years the woman died, and the brother who [had married her] repented, and again put on the garb of the monk, and went out to his companion; and when he saw him, he rose up, and embraced him and kissed him, and he took him with gladness, and they went forth to the monastery. Then that brother renewed his former ascetic works, and he was worthy of the highest grade of perfection. Thus by the patience of one man the other lived, and the saying, ‘“‘A ‘‘ brother is helped by his brother, even as a city is helped by its ‘‘ fortress,” was fulfilled.

396. On one occasion two old men came to an old man, whose custom was not to eat every day; and when he saw them he rejoiced, and said, ‘‘Fasting hath its reward, and he who eateth for the sake of love fulfilleth two commandments, for he ‘“setteth aside his own desire and he fulfilleth the command- ‘‘ment, and refresheth the brethren.” 397. They used to tell the story of a certain brother who fell into sin, and he came unto Abba Lét, and he was perplexed and confused, and was going in and coming out, and was unable to rest. And Abba Lét said unto him, ‘‘What is the ‘matter with thee, O my brother?” and he said, ‘‘I have com- ‘“‘mitted a great sin, andI am unable to confess it before the ‘‘fathers.” The old man said unto him, ‘Confess it unto ‘me, and I will bear it”; and then the brother said unto him, ‘*T have fallen into fornication, and I thought thou hadst dis- ‘““covered the matter.” And the old man said unto him, ‘Be ‘of good courage, for there remaineth repentance; get thee ‘‘ gone and sit in thy habitation, and fast for two weeks, and ‘*T will bear with thee one half of thy sin”; and at the end of three weeks it was revealed unto the old man that God had accepted the repentance of that brother, and he remained with the old man, and was subject untohim until the day of his death.

Of Dove, Charity, and hospitality 398. Certain of the fathers came to Joseph to ask him a question about welcoming the strangers who came to them, that is to say, whether it was fitting for a man to forsake his work, and to be with them in the ordinary way or not; and before they asked him, he said unto his disciple, ‘‘ Lay to heart ‘that which I am about to do this day, and wait.” Then the old man placed two pillows, one on his right hand, and the other on his left, and he said unto the fathers, ‘‘Sit ye down”; and he went into his cell, and put on the apparel of beggars, and went forth to them; and again, he took this off, and put on the beautiful apparel of the monks, and he went forth again, and passed among them; and he went in again and took this off, and having put on his own clothes, he sat down in their midst, and they marvelled at the doings of the old man, Then he said unto them, ‘‘Have ye understood what I did?” and they said unto him, ‘‘Yes.” He said unto them, ‘‘ What is it?” And they said unto him, ‘‘Thou didst put on first of all the apparel of “beggars”; he said unto them, ‘‘Peradventure I have been “changed by that disgraceful apparel?” and they said unto him, ‘‘No.” The old man said unto them, ‘Since I have not ‘myself been changed by all these changes of raiment, for ‘the first change brought no loss upon me and the second ‘« did not change me, so are we in duty bound to welcome the ‘brethren, according to the command of the Gospel, which ‘saith, ‘Give to Caesar the things of Caesar, and to God the ‘things of God’ (St Matthew xxii, 21). Therefore, whenso- ‘‘ ever strange brethren arrive we must welcome them gladly, ‘‘for it is when we are alone that it is necessary for us to ‘* suffer.” Now when the fathers heard [these words] they marvelled that he had spoken unto them that which was in their hearts before they asked him, and they glorified God, and departed with rejoicing ; and they received his word as if it had |come] from God, and they accepted what he had said, and didit.

399. They used to speak about an old man, who was from Syria, and who used to dwell on the road of the desert of Egypt, and whose work was as follows :—At whatever time a monk came to him he would welcome him. And it came to pass that on one occasion a man came from the desert and asked him to allow him to rest, but he would not permit him to do so, and said unto him, ‘‘I am fasting.” Then the blessed man was grieved and said unto him, ‘‘Is this thy labour, that thou ‘« wilt not perform thy brother’s desire? I beseech thee to come, ‘‘and let us pray, and let us follow after him with whom this ‘‘tree, which is here with us, shall bow.” Then the man from the desert knelt down, and nothing happened, but when he whoreceived strangers knelt down, that tree inclined its head at The Sayings of the holy Fathers the same time, and seeing this he profited, and they glorified God. 400. On one occasion Abba Ammon came toa certain place to eat with the brethren, and there was there a brother concerning whom evil reports were abroad, forit had happened thata woman had come and entered his cell. And when all the people who were living in that place heard [of this], they were troubled, and they gathered together to expel that brother from his cell, and learning that the blessed Bishop Ammon was there, they came and entreated him to go with them. Now when the brother knew [this], he took the woman and hid her under an earthenware vessel. And much people having assembled, and Abba Ammon, understanding what that brother had done, for the sake of God hid the matter. And he went in and sat upon the earthenware vessel, and commanded that the cell of the brother should be searched, but although they examined the place they found no one there. Then Abba Ammon answered and said, ‘‘ What is this that ye have done? May God forgive “you”; and he prayed and said, ‘‘ Let all the people go forth,” and finally he took the brother by the hand, and said unto him, ‘Take heed to thy soul, O my brother,” and having said this he departed, and he refused to make public the matter of the brother.

401. There were two brethren who lived in the wilderness, and they were neighbours, and one of them used to hide whatsoever he gained from his work, whether it was bread or whether it was oboli, and place it with his companion’s goods; now the other brother did not know this, but he wondered how it was that his goods increased so much. One day, however, he suddenly caught him doing this, and he strove with him, saying, ‘‘By means of thy corporeal things thou hast robbed me ‘Cof my spiritual goods”; and he demanded that he should make a covenant with him never to act in this manner again, and then he left him. 402. On one occasion Abba Macarius went to visit a certain monk, and he found him to be ill, and he asked him if he wanted anything to eat, for he had nothing whatsoever in his cell, and the monk said unto him, ‘‘I want some honeycakes”; and when the wonderful old man heard [this] he set out for Alexandria, and he did not regard this journey as a trouble, although [the city] was sixty miles away from them, and he brought the honeycakes to give to the sick monk. And this he did himself, and did not tell anyone else to bring them, and the old man thus made manifest the solicitude which he felt for the monks.

403. They used to tell the story of an old man who lived in Scete; now he had fallen sick, and wished to eat a little fine Of Dove, Charity, and hospitality bread. And when a certain brother heard [this], he took his cloak and placed in it some dry bread, and he went to Egypt and changed it [for fine bread] and brought [it] to the old man, and the old man looked upon him and wondered. But the old man refused to eat it, saying, ‘‘This is the bread of blood, O my ‘“‘brother,”’ and the old men entreated him to eat lest the offering of the brother should be in vain, and having pressed him the old man was persuaded and he ate the bread. 404. The blessed Anthony never deemed it right to do that which was convenient for himself to the same extent as that which was profitable for his neighbour. 05. An old man used to say, ‘‘I have never desired any ‘‘ work which doeth good to myself and harm to my neighbour, ‘sand I have the hope that what is of benefit to my brother will ‘‘be labour that is beneficial to me, and that it will be a thing ‘that will invite a reward for me.”

406. A certain brother from the Great Monastery was accused of fornication, and he rose up and came to Father Anthony; and there came brethren after him from that monastery to inform him about the matter and to take him away, and they began to accuse him, saying, ‘‘Thus and thus hast thou done,” and the brother made excuses, and said, ‘‘I never acted in this “manner.” Now Abba Paphnutius happened to be there, and he spake a word unto them, saying, “‘I saw a man in the river ‘‘ with the mud up to his knees, and some men came to give ‘‘him help and to drag him out, and they made him to sink up ‘to his neck.” And when Abba Anthony heard [him say this], he spake concerning Abba Paphnutius, saying, ‘‘ Behold, in- ‘‘ deed, a man who is able to make quiet and to redeem souls!” And the eyes of those brethren were opened, by the word of the old men, and they took that brother, and he departed with them to their monastery. 407. They used to say about Abba Theodore that when he was a young man he dwelt in the desert, and that he went to make his bread in the same place as the monks made theirs; and he found a certain brother who wished to make bread, but he had no one to do the work for him, and he was unable to do it for himself. Then Abba Theodore left his own bread and made that of the brother, and a second brother came and he made his also, and a third brother came, and he did likewise; and finally when he had satisfied them, he made bread for himself.

408. A brother asked an old man, saying, ‘‘There were two ‘‘ brethren, and one of them led a life of silent contemplation ‘¢in his cell, and used to fast six days at a time, and to devote ‘himself to great labour, and his companion used to minister The Savings of the holy Fathers ‘to the sick; which of them will receive the [greater reward for] “‘his service?” The old man saith, ‘‘If he who fasted were to ‘raise himself up upon the works which are profitable, he ‘would not find himself equal before God with him that visited the sicks. 409. There was a certain head of a monastery in a house of monks in the desert, and it happened that the brother who ministered unto him had a desire to leavethe monastery, and he departed and dwelt in another monastery; now the old man was unwilling to let him go, and on this account he wasalways going tohim to visit him, and he entreated him to return to his monastery, and the brother refused to do so. And for three whole years theoldmanused to gotothebrotherandentreathim to return, and finally he was constrained, and he departed with him. One day the old man told him to go out and bring in some fuel for the fire, and whilst he was gathering the firewood, by the agency of Satan, a stick stuck in his eye and it was put out; and when the old man heard of this he was greatly grieved, and being full of sorrow he began to speak to him words of good cheer. And the brother answered, and said, ‘‘ Be not afflicted, O father, ‘*for I was the cause of this myself, for this hath happened to ‘«me through all the toil and labour which I brought upon thee ‘when thou usedst to go and come to me.” And after a little time, when the brother had recovered from the sickness caused by the injury to his eye, the old man said unto him, ‘‘Go out ‘fand bring in some palm leaves from the ground,” for this was the work which the monks who dwelt there had to do; and whilst the brother was cutting them, once again, as it were by the agency of Satan, a stick sprang up in the air, and smote the man in the other eye, and it was put out, and he came to the monastery in grief, and he was perforce idle and useless because he was unable to do any work. Thus the old man was deprived [of a servant], and he had no one with him, because each of the brethren dwelt in his own cell. And after a short time the day of his departure, which he had known beforehand, drew nigh, and he sent and called all the brethren and said unto them, ‘‘The day of my departure hath drawn nigh. Watch ye *‘yourselves, and take good heed to the service of your lives ‘* (or life’s work), and treat not lightly your ascetic labours.” And each one of them began to say to him sorrowfully, ‘‘ Father, ‘“why art thou leaving us?” and the old man held his peace. Then he sent and brought the blind man, and revealed to him concerning his departure, and the blind man wept and said unto him, ‘‘Wherefore leavest thou me, the blind man?” The old man saith unto him, ‘‘Pray that I may have openness of ‘face with God, and that I may find mercy before Him, and

Of Dove, Charity, and hospitality ‘*T have hope through His help, that on the First Day of the ‘““ Week thou wilt be able to perform the service with thy com- *‘panions”’; and straightway the old man died. And, according to his word, a few days later he appeared unto that brother, and his eyes were opened, and he became an Abba and a head of monks. Now these thing's were related unto us by those who were acquainted with the period wherein the old man lived. Ato. A certain man of abstinence saw a man who had a devil, and who was unable to fast, and he was exceedingly sorry for him; and by reason of the love for Christ with which he was filled, and because he not only took care for himself, but for his companion also, he prayed and entreated God that the devil might come to him, and that the man might be released from him. Now God looked upon his prayer and upon his good will, and saw that the holy man was carrying a great load on behalf of that demoniac, and since that brother began to prolong his fasting and prayer, and to practise continually self-denial, in a few days that evil spirit departed.

4II. They used to say concerning Abba Poemen that when he was pressed by any man to go with him to eat at an unusual time, he would go, with the tears streaming from his eyes, so that he might not resist the wish of that brother and cause him annoyance; for he would forgo his own will, and he would humble himself and go. 12. There was an old man in the Cells whose name was Apollo, and when one of the brethren came to call him to work, he would go joyfully, saying, ‘‘I go to-day with the King ‘‘ Christ to work on my own behalf, for this is the reward of ** this labour.” 413. On one occasion Abraham, the disciple of Abba Sisoes, was tempted by Satan, and the old man saw him fall down, and straightway he spread out his hands towards heaven, and said to God, ‘‘ My Lord, I will not let Thee go until Thou hast ‘“‘ healed him,” and straightway Abraham was healed. 414. A certain monk was sitting by the monastery, and whilst he was occupied in great labours, it happened that strangers came to the monastery, and they forced him to eat with them contrary to his usual custom, and afterwards the brethren said unto him, ‘‘ Father, wast thou not just now af- “ flicted?” And he said unto them, ‘‘ My affliction is to break “‘my will.” =

415. On one occasion three old men went to Abba Akila, and on one of them [rested] some small suspicion of evil; and one of them said unto him, ‘‘ Father, make me a net,” and he replied, ‘‘I will not make thee a net.” Then another said unto him, ‘‘ Do [us] an act of grace, and make us a net, so that we The Savings of the holy Fathers ‘«may be able to keep thee in remembrance in our monastery”; and Akila said again, ‘‘I am not at leisure [to do so].”. Then the third brother, on whom [rested] the suspicion of evil, also said unto him, ‘‘ Father, make me a net which I can possess ‘«{direct] from thy hands”; and Akila answered straightway, and said unto this man, ‘‘I will make one for thee.” And afterwards the [other] two brethren said unto him privately, ‘‘[Con- ‘« sider] how much we entreated thee, and yet thou wouldst not ‘“be persuaded to make [a net] for us, and thou didst say to “this man, ‘I will make thee one immediately!’ ” The old man said unto them, ‘‘I told you that I would not make one, ‘and ye were not grieved, because I had not the leisure; but ‘if I had not made one for this man, he would have said, ‘It ‘¢ was because the old man had heard about my sins that he ‘¢ (was unwilling to make a net for me.’”’

416. On one occasion three brethren went to harvest, and the three of them undertook to reap the harvest [in certain fields] together for a certain sum of money; but one of them fell sick on the first day, and was unable to work, and he went back and lay down in his cell. Then one of the two brethren who remained said unto his companion, ‘‘ Behold, O my ‘brother, thou seest that our brother hath fallen sick, let us ‘‘exert ourselves a little, thou and I, and let us believe that by ‘* his prayers we shall be sufficiently strong todohisshare of the ‘* work ofharvest for him.’ Then when the harvest was ended,and they came to receive their hire, they called the [sick] brother, and said unto him, ‘‘ Come, brother, and take also the hire of ‘*thy harvesting’; and he said, ‘‘ What hire can there be for ‘‘me since I have not been harvesting?” And they said unto him, ‘‘ Through thy prayers the harvest hath been reaped; ‘*come now, and take [thy] hire.” Then the contention between them waxed strong, for the [sick] brother contended that he ought not to receive [any wages], and they said, ‘‘ We will not ‘‘leave thee until thou dost.” So they went, that they might be heard by a certain great old man, and that brother answered and said, ‘‘O father, three of us went to harvest, but I fell sick ‘fon the first day, and went and lay down in my cell, and al- ‘though I did not work even one day these brethren urge me, ‘saying, ‘Come and take the hire for which thou didst not ‘* ‘work.’ ” Then the two brethren said, ‘‘ Three of us went to ‘‘the harvest, and we took certain fields [to reap] together, ‘“‘ and if we had been thirty we should have succeeded in reap- ‘ing them with great labour; but through the prayers of this ‘four brother the two of us reaped them quickly, and we ‘said to him, ‘Come, take thy hire, because, through thy *“*prayers, God helped us, and we reaped quickly,’ but he

Of Love, Charity, and hospitality “‘would not take [it].”. Then the old man said unto the brethren who were with him, ‘‘ Beat the board, and let all the ‘* brethren be gathered together,” and when they were assembled he said unto them, ‘‘ Come, O ye brethren, and hear ‘this day a righteous judgement,” and he related before them the whole matter, and they decided that the brother was to receive his hire, and that he might do whatsoever he wished [therewith]. And the brother went away weeping and distressed. 417. On one occasion a certain demoniac came to Scete, and having passed a long time there without being healed, he complained about the matter to one of the old men, who made the sign of the Cross over him, and healed him. But the devil was angry, and said unto the old man, ‘‘ Now that thou hast cast ‘¢me out I will come upon thee”; and the old man said unto him, ‘‘ Come gladly, and I shall rejoice.” And the old man passed twelve years with the devil inside him, vexing him, now he used to eat twelve dates each day, and after these years that devil leaped out of him, and departed from him. Now when the old man saw that he was taking to flight, he said unto him, ‘‘To whom dost thou flee? Continue [with me] longer”; and the devil answered and said unto him, ‘‘ By Jupiter, God hath ‘¢ made thee useless, O old man; God alone is equal to thy ‘* strength.”

418. The old man Theodore asked Abba Pambo, saying, “‘Tell me a word’; and with much labour he said unto him, ‘‘ Theodore, get thee gone, and let thy mercy be poured out on ‘‘ every man, for [thy] lovingkindness hath found freedom of “speech (ov boldness) before God.” 419. A certain brother went to buy some linen from a widow, and as she was selling it to him, she sighed; the brother said unto her, ‘‘ What aileth thee?” and the widow said unto him, ‘God hath sent thee this day that my orphans may be fed.” Now when that brother heard [these words] he was distressed, and he took secretly from the linen which was his, and threw it on to the widow’s side of the scales until he fulfilled an act of charity towards her. F 420. A certain brother came to Abba ’Or, and said unto him, ‘<< Come with me to the village, and buy me a little wheat of ‘¢ which I am in need”; now the old man was greatly troubled at this, because he was not accustomed to go to the village, nevertheless, being afraid [of transgressing] the commandment, he rose up and went with him. And when they arrived at the village the old man saw a man passing by, and he called him and said unto him, ‘‘Do an act of kindness, and ‘“‘take this brother and satisfy his need,” and in this way he was able to flee to the mountain.

The Savings of the holy Fathers 421. On one occasion Adlép, Bishop of Neapolis, went to visit Abba Sisoes, and when he wished to depart the old man made him and the brethren who were with him to eat in the morning; now the days were the first days of the fast. And when they had made ready the table to eat, behold, certain men from the plough knocked at the door, and the old man said unto his disciple, ‘‘Open to them, and put some of the ‘* boiled food in a dish, and set it before them to eat, for they ‘‘have just come from labour.” The Bishop said, ‘‘Let it ‘‘alone, or perhaps they will say that Abba Sisoes eateth at ‘‘this time.” And the old man looked at the youth and said unto him, ‘‘Go, and give them the food”; and when the strangers saw the boiled food they said unto him, ‘‘Have ye ““strangers with you? Peradventure Abba is also eating with ‘*them?” And the disciple said unto them, ‘‘Yes.”’ Then they cried out and spake words of condemnation to the company, saying, ‘‘May God forgive you, for ye have made the old man ‘“to eat at this time of the day. Perhaps ye are unaware that ‘ye are causing him much vexation thereat?” And when the Bishop heard these things he expressed contrition, and said unto him, ‘‘Forgive me, I have behaved after the manner of a ‘“man, but thou hast acted like God.”

422. They used to say that, [on one occasion] when Abba Agathon came to the city to sell his handiwork, he found a stranger lying sick in the market, and he had no man to care for him, and the old man stayed with him; and he hired a room in the town and remained therein working with his hands, now [what he received therefor] he spent on the rent of the room and on the needs of the sick man, for a period of four months, and when the sick man was made whole the old man departed to his own cell. 423. And an old man used to say, ‘‘It is a defe& in a man ‘if, when he is reviled by his brother, or when any evil cometh ‘“‘to him from him, he cannot strengthen his love before he ‘*meeteth him.” 424. A brother was, on one occasion, sent from Scete by his Abba on a camel to Egypt to fetch palm leaves for [making] baskets, and having gone down and brought the camel, another brother met him and said unto him, ‘‘Had I known ‘‘ that thou wast coming up I should have begged thee to bring ‘‘a camel for me also”’; and when the brother came and told his Abba what had been said unto him by his companion, his Abba said unto him, ‘‘Take the camel and lead it to that ‘brother, and say unto him, ‘We have taken counsel, and we ‘‘ “have given up the intention of bringing up palm leaves at “**present, but do thou take [the camel] and bring some up.