The Histories of the Monks in the Desert of Egypt — Jerome

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BLESSED be God Who desireth the welfare of all the children of men, Who wisheth that they may live and come to the knowledge of the truth, Who hath led us also into Egypt, and hath shewed us the great and marvellous things which are worthy to be remembered at all times, and to be written down in a book, Who hath given us the Cause of our salvation and of every one who wisheth to be helped further, and Who hath given unto us a demonstration of the good life and the doctrine which is able to rouse up the soul to the excellent rule of the ascetic life. Now therefore, I am not worthy to begin this history, for inferior men are not capable of approaching the histories of great men, since they are unable to narrate them as they really are, and still less are they able to set them down in writing in a book, and they ought not to be so bold as to attempt to explain matters which are difficult in mean and halting words; and it must appear to be great presumption which will bring danger in its train, for incapable men to undertake such things, and to be so bold as to write in a book sublime histories. But inasmuch as I have been requested, earnestly and frequently, on several occa sions, by the brotherhood of blessed men who had their habi tation in the Mount of Olives, to write an account of the lives and deeds of the blessed men, and of the solitary dwellers who were in Egypt, according to what I myself have seen of their abundant love, and their patient endurance, and their vexa tious toil for God's sake, I have then put my trust in their prayers, and have been so bold as to narrate the following history, and to set it down in writing, so that I myself may gain a fair and abundant reward, and so that those who hearken unto the same may be benefited [thereby], and may emulate such beautiful deeds, and may depart from the world in a state of perfection, and may enjoy peace and rest through

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But inasmuch as I have been requested, earnestly and frequently, on several occa sions, by the brotherhood of blessed men who had their habi tation in the Mount of Olives, to write an account of the lives and deeds of the blessed men, and of the solitary dwellers who were in Egypt, according to what I myself have seen of their abundant love, and their patient endurance, and their vexa tious toil for God's sake, I have then put my trust in their prayers, and have been so bold as to narrate the following history, and to set it down in writing, so that I myself may gain a fair and abundant reward, and so that those who hearken unto the same may be benefited [thereby], and may emulate such beautiful deeds, and may depart from the world in a state of perfection, and may enjoy peace and rest through

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the excellent long-suffering of their toil. For in very truth I have observed and seen the treasure of Christ which is hidden under human garments, and I have not buried it for the advan tage of many, but have brought it forward that it may be for the good of every one. And I am sure that for me to give this benefit to the blessed brethren will be noble merchandise for me, for they will pray for the redemption of my soul.

At the beginning of this book then I make [mention] first of all of the coming of our Redeemer Jesus Christ, by Whose doctrine the blessed and holy brethren who are in Egypt are led, for I have seen many fathers there who were living the lives of angels, and were fashioning their lives into the simili tude of that of the Redeemer. And I have also seen others, who were young men, and who were like unto the Prophets; and they did work which was divine and marvellous, and they were men who were indeed servants of Christ, and they had no care of this earth and nothing belonging to time vexed their minds. Verily these men, although they appeared to be living upon earth, had their habitation in heaven; for some of them were not even conscious that it was the world [wherein they lived], and did not even know that there were wickednesses committed in the world. And verily [it was with them] even as it is written in the Psalm, " Great is the peace of those who " love Thy Law" (Psalm cxix, 165); and again it is written, " I will be to them a Father, and they shall be unto Me sons "and daughters, saith the Lord" (2 Corinthians vi, 18), the Stay of all creation.

And, moreover, many of them when they heard of what was spoken in the world [found it] to be strange unto them, and all the good things and all the cares of this world were forgotten by them; for a man saw them sown in the desert, and they were, like true sons, expecting their father Christ, and like husbandmen of the truth and honourable servants they waited for Christ their companion. They had care neither for houses, nor meats, nor raiment, for the coming of Christ their hope was the one thing for which their thoughts waited. Therefore, whensoever any of them lacked the things which were neces sary, they sought neither city, nor village, nor brother, nor friend, nor parents, nor children, nor servants that the things which they lacked might be supplied by them, but their desire and their faith were sufficient for them, [and they only needed] to spread out their hand in supplication, and to offer up the confession of their lips to God, and immediately their prayers were ended everything [they needed] was found before them. Why is it necessary to speak at length concerning their faith in Christ, which was able to remove mountains? And, more-

Saint Jerome's

over, many of them restrained fountains and streams of run ning water, and walked upon the floods of the river Nile, and destroyed serpents, and worked cures, and wonders, and mighty deeds, even like unto those of the holy Prophets, and the blessed Apostles, by the might of their Lord. And it is a well-known and evident thing to every inhabitant of that country that the world standeth through their prayers, and that through them the life of the children of men is held to be precious by God.

And I have also seen [in Egypt] a numerous nation of monks who could neither be denned nor counted, and among them were men of every sort and condition, and they lived both in the desert and in the villages, and no earthly king hath ever been able to gather together so great a number of men into his service; for there is neither village nor city in Egypt or in the Thebaid which is not surrounded by monasteries as by walls, and many multitudes of people rest upon their prayers as they do upon God. Some of the monks live quite close [to the towns and villages] in caves and on the waste land, and many of them afar off, and they all in every place make mani fest their labour in a marvellous manner as if they were envious of each other. The object of the zeal of those who [live] afar off is that none of their fellows shall surpass them in the labours of the fear of God, and the greatest anxiety of those who [live] near is to vanquish by their life and deeds those who lived at a distance and are famous, even though the things of evil (or wickednesses) vex them from every place. Therefore, as one who hath obtained great benefit from them, and as one who hath examined carefully the labours of the life and deeds, whereby I have also obtained benefit, I now approach this his tory with the view of making the successful monks [more] zealous by the memorials which I hand on [to them], and for the edification and profit of those who are beginning to emu late strenuously their rules of life. First of all then, by the grace of God, I will write at the beginning of this history the narratives of the lives and deeds of the great and holy fathers, by whose hands our Lord hath wrought at this present time the same kind of things as he wrought by the hands of His Prophets and Apostles; for it is our Lord Himself, Who then, as now, worked, as He still worketh, everything in every man.

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I SAW then on the borders of the city of Lycus, in the Thebai'd, the great and blessed man John, a man who was truly holy and excellent, and by his works it was known unto every man that he possessed the gift of prophecy. And he made known unto the believing Emperor Theodosius, be fore they took place, the things which God was about to do unto the children of men, and he revealed [to him] what man ner of ending they would take, and the arrogance of the kings who would rise up against him, and how they would speedily be destroyed, and how the nations which would gather together to make war upon him would perish, [and his ability to read the future was] so [great] that even a general came to enquire of him, if he should be able to conquer the Kushaye peoples (i.e., the Nubians), who at that time had boldly invaded Syene, which is the beginning of the Thebai'd, and who had overrun the city and laid it waste. And the blessed John said unto him, "Thou shalt go up against them, and shalt overtake " them, and thou shalt conquer them, and shalt be victorious " [or triumphant] before the Emperor"; and these thing's were actually done. Now this blessed man possessed the power of prophecy to an^extraordinary degree, according to what I have heard from the fathers who were constantly with him, and as the lives of these men were well known to the inhabitants of that country, and were carefully scrutinized by them, it is im possible to think that their stories about him were in any way hypocritical; on the contrary, their language was incapable of describing his honourable life and deeds.

There was a certain tribune who came to him, and who begged and entreated him to allow his wife to come to him, for she was exceedingly anxious to see him; she was about to go up [the river] to the district of Syene, and before she went up she wished to see him, that he might offer up prayer on her behalf, and bless her, and then send her away [on her journey]. And because the blessed man had taken a vow not to see women, and because he was ninety years of age, now he had been in a cave for forty years, and he had lived therein the whole time, and had never departed from it, and because he never allowed any man to come into his abode, he excused himself from seeing the noble lady; and he was in the habit of saluting folk through his window only, and of blessing those who came to him therefrom, and he spake with every man only concerning the care which it was necessary to take in the matter of the life and works of ascetic excellence. And, although

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And, although

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the tribune multiplied greatly his supplications and entreated him to allow his wife to come to him, now the dwelling of the blessed man was situated in the mountainous desert about five miles distant from the city, the holy man would not be persuaded to do so, but said, "This thing is impossible"; and he dismissed the tribune in grief and in sorrow. And the woman tormented her husband by day and by night, and she took an oath, saying, " I cannot go to any other place until I "have seen the holy prophet." And when the oaths of the woman were revealed to the blessed man by her husband, he discerned the faith of the woman, and said unto her husband, " I will appear unto her in a dream this night, but she must " never [try] in addition to see my face in the body"; and the tribune made known to his wife the words of the blessed man. And as she was lying in her bed at night she saw the prophet himself come to her, and he said unto her, " What have I to "do with thee, O woman? Why dost thou so eagerly desire " to see my face? Am I a prophet or a righteous man? I am " a sinner and a man of passions even as ye are, but behold, " I have prayed for thee and for thy husband, and for thy " dwelling, that even as ye have believed, so may it be unto " you. Therefore get ye gone in peace;" and having said these words he departed from her. And when the woman woke up she related to her husband the words of the prophet and described his form and appearance, and she offered her thanks to the prophet through her husband. Now when the holy man John saw that her husband had come, before he could speak he said unto him, "Behold, thy request is completed, for I have " seen thy wife, and I have fulfilled her petition, and thou must " never see my face again; but depart ye in peace."

Now the wife of another prefect was with child, and she

was nigh unto [her time] for bringing forth; and her husband

was away at a distance, and on the day in which the blessed man

John met her husband she was afflicted, even unto death, with

the pains of her bringing forth. And the holy man John gave

the news to her husband, and said unto him, " If thou didst

"only know the grace of God, for behold, a son hath been

"born unto thee this day, thou wouldst praise God, for his

4 mother hath suffered in no small degree. Behold, thou shalt

4 go and shalt find the boy to be seven days old on thine arrival,

And the holy man John gave

the news to her husband, and said unto him, " If thou didst

"only know the grace of God, for behold, a son hath been

"born unto thee this day, thou wouldst praise God, for his

4 mother hath suffered in no small degree. Behold, thou shalt

4 go and shalt find the boy to be seven days old on thine arrival,

' and thou shalt give him the name of John, and when he hath

* grown up, and hath been instructed, and is seven years of age,

' thou shalt send him to the solitary monks in the desert."

And the blessed John also made manifest wonderful things like these to stranger folk who used to come to him, and he very frequently made known to the people of the city who used

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to come to him beforehand concerning their affairs, and showed them the things which were about to happen. And he told each one of them that which was done by him in secret, and he foretold concerning the rise of the river Nile, and the good crop which there would be as the result thereof, and described it unto them; and he declared and pointed out the time when the anger of God was about to come upon them, and rebuked those who were the cause of the same. Now the blessed man John did not himself work his cures openly, but he used to consecrate the oil and give [it] to those who were afflicted, and they were healed. Thus the wife of a certain nobleman had the light of her eyes taken away through the cataract which obstructed the light thereof, and she begged and entreated her husband to take her to him, and when he said unto her, "The blessed man hath never met a woman," she besought him to have a message sent to the holy man asking him to offer up a prayer on her behalf; and this the blessed man did, and he also sent her some oil over which he had said a bless ing and made the sign of the Cross, and when she had smeared her eyes therewith three times, after three days she was able to see. Then she praised God the Lord of all, and openly gave thanks unto Him always.

And what shall we say about his other deeds? [Nothing]. We can only tell of the things which we saw with our own eyes. Now there were of us seven brethren who were stran gers, and who went to him all together, and having given us the salutation of peace with his glorious face, and shown his gladness [at seeing us] to each one of us, we asked him before anything else to offer up a prayer on our behalf, for it is the custom with all our fathers in Egypt to do this. Then he asked me if there was, perchance, a man among us who was a priest or deacon, and although we said there was none such among us all, he well knew that there was one among us who was hiding his honourable rank. Now there was among us one who had received the hand of deaconship, but only one of the brethren, and he was with us, knew of this, and the deacon, by reason of his humility, prohibited him from making this known to anyone, "For," said he, "in comparison with these " holy men I am not worthy to be called even Christian; per- " mit me then not to make use of the honour of deaconship." Then the blessed man pointed out to us all with his hand the deacon, and said, "This brother is a deacon"; whereupon the deacon denied this repeatedly, thinking to lead us astray, but the blessed man grasped the hand of the deacon through the window, and kissed it, and begged him, rebuking him at the same time, saying, "Wrong not the grace of God, O my

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son, and lie not concerning the gift of Christ with the denial of an alien; for falsehood, whether it be uttered concerning a small matter or a great one, or something which is con venient, is still falsehood, and is not to be praised. For our Redeemer said, 'All falsehood is of the Evil One'" (St. Mat thew v, 33, 37; St. John viii, 44). And the deacon being thus rebuked accepted the reproof of the old man pleasantly.

And when we had prayed and made an end of our supplica tions, one of us became afflicted with shiverings and strong fever, and he begged the blessed John that he might be healed. Then the blessed man said unto him, ''This sickness is for "thy benefit, because a diminution of faith hath come upon " thee," but he gave him some oil, and let him anoint himself therewith, and when the man had rubbed the oil upon his body, every evil thing which was inside him he cast forth through his mouth, and he was completely cured of his sick ness, and departed on his own feet with us to the place where travellers rested.

Now the blessed man appears to have been about ninety years old, and his whole body was emaciated and frail as if by the severity of his rule of life, and no hair whatsoever remained upon his cheeks; and he ate nothing whatsover except dried vegetables (or fruits), and in the period of his old age he did this at sunset. In the early part of his career he suffered severely, because he would neither eat bread, nor anything which had been cooked by fire. And he commanded us, and we sat down with him, and we gave thanks unto God that we were esteemed worthy to see him ; and he rejoiced [in us] as if we had been beloved children of his who were meeting their father after a long absence, and with a joyful countenance he held converse with us, saying, "Where do ye come from, my " sons, and from what country? Ye have come to a miserable " and wretched man." And when we told him [the name of] the country, and that we had come to him from Jerusalem for the benefit of our souls, and that that which we had received with our ears we might see with our own eyes, for the hearing of the ears is less trustworthy than the sight of the eyes, and frequently error maketh its way into what is heard by the ears, whilst the remembrance of what a man hath seen can never be blotted out from the heart, and the description of the same will be permanently fixed in the mind, the blessed man John anwered and said unto us, " What great thing did ye think " ye would see, O beloved sons, that ye have come all this " way, and have toiled all this great toil? Did ye desire to come "and see miserable and wretched men? We possess nothing "whatsoever which is worth looking or wondering at. There

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" are, however, in every place men who are wonderful and who " are worthy of admiration, that is to say, men who are called "in the church the Prophets and Apostles of God, and of " these it is meet that we should emulate their example.

We possess nothing "whatsoever which is worth looking or wondering at. There

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" But I marvel greatly at the indefatigable zeal which made " you treat the tribulations of the journey with contempt in " order that ye might come hither, for your welfare, to those " men who, because of their sluggishness, are unwilling to go ''out of their caves. And I say that, although that which ye " have now done meriteth praise, ye must not allow th " thought to come into your minds that ye have fulfilled com- <( pletely every duty, but ye must make yourselves to be like " unto your fathers in respect of the glorious rules of life by " which they were guided and the works which they did. For " although ye possess all the virtues, which is a difficult matter "to accomplish, ye must not even so be [over-] confident in "yourselves, for the men who have become puffed up with " pride, and who thought they had arrived at the stage of " [being worthy of] praise, have subsequently fallen from their " high estate. But examine yourselves carefully and see "whether your consciences are pure, so that purity may not " be driven out from your minds; and let not your thoughts "wander about at the season when ye stand up in prayer " before God, and let not any other thought enter into your " mind and turn it away from that glorious sight of God which " riseth upon the pure heart at the season of prayer, and which " enlighteneth and maketh the understanding to shine; and " let not the remembrance of evil thoughts disturb your minds. " And examine yourselves and see whether ye have truly made " a covenant with God, and whether ye have not, after the "manner of men, entered in that ye may attain the freedom " which is in Christ, and whether ye do not desire to possess " the vainglory of ascetic deeds, and whether ye do not, after " the manner of men who boast themselves before men, [pos- " sess only] the similitude of our ascetic deeds. And take heed "lest any passion whatsoever vex you, or any longing for " honour or glory from the children of men, or any deceitful "desire of priesthood, or of self-love. And do not think that "ye are righteous men only, but be ye diligent and zealous "in very truth that ye may neither be boastful nor unduly " exalted by applause.

" And let there not be any anxiety about family in the mind " of him that prayeth unto God in very truth, neither shall " there be to him any remembrance of the fair things which "have been done by him, nor love for other folk, nor any " memory whatsoever of the world, for if the man who holdeth

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44 converse with his Lord be reduced, or drawn aside, or led 44 away by any other mind [than this] his labour is emptiness. 44 Now this falling away happeneth to the mind of man after 44 man who doth not deny the world absolutely, and who 44 hunteth after the approbation of the children of men; for he 44 devoteth himself unto everything in multitudes of ways, 44 and his mind is divided among many kinds of thoughts, 44 both of the body and of the earth, and thereupon he is 44 obliged to strive against his own passions and is not able to 44 see God. It is therefore not seemly for a man to think that 44 he hath found knowledge with absolute certainty, [lest per- 44 ad venture being unworthy of knowledge], and having only 44 acquired a small portion thereof, he imagine that he hath 44 found the whole of it, and so he devote himself wholly to 44 destruction. But it is right that we should always draw 44 nigh unto God with moderate ideas and in faith, so far 44 as it is possible to approach Him in the mind, and so far 44 as the children of men are able to attain unto Him. It is 44 right therefore that the mind of every man who loveth God 44 should be remote from all these things, for he who in truth 44 seeketh after God with all his heart will remove his mind far 44 away from every earthly thing, and he will direct the gaze 44 of his understanding towards God, for it is written, 4 Turn 44 ' ye and know that I, even I, am God' (Psalm xlvi, 108). He 44 therefore who is worthy of a little of the knowledge of God, 44 for man is not able to receive the whole of it, is able to 44 acquire the knowledge of many things, and to see those 44 mysteries which the knowledge of God will shew him. And 44 he will see the things which are about to happen beforehand, 44 and glorious revelations will be made known to him as [unto] 44 the saints, and he will do mighty works, and everything 44 which he asketh from God he shall receive."

And 44 he will see the things which are about to happen beforehand, 44 and glorious revelations will be made known to him as [unto] 44 the saints, and he will do mighty works, and everything 44 which he asketh from God he shall receive. "

And having said these things unto us, and many others which also concerned the rules of the life of ascetic excellence, he added the following: — 44It is right that every one who is a 44 man of discernment should wait for his departure from this 44 world as if he were going to approach a life of happiness, 44 and that he should not set before his eyes the humiliation of 44 the body, and should not fill his belly with that which he 4 'hath; for the thoughts of him that filleth himself full of 44 meats resemble those of men who are fed upon delicate meats. 44 But strive ye in your life and deeds to acquire the power of 44 enduring lusts and appetites patiently, and let no man seek 44 after the things which are fine, and those which are gratify- 44 ing to the body, but let him restrain himself in the short 44 time [which we have] here so that he may inherit rest and

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' relaxation in the kingdom of God, for it is said, 'Through

* 'abundant tribulation it is meet for us to enter into the king-

* 4dom of God' (Acts xiv, 22). And in this manner also Paul 4 the Apostle admonished us, and he spake that which he had ' learned from our Redeemer, Who said, * How strait and nar-

* 'row is the way which leadeth to life, and few there be who ' 'find it (St. Matthew vii, 14) ; and how broad is the gate, and

* 'wide the way which leadeth to destruction, and many there ' 'be who travel upon it.' And let us not be in despair in this ' country, for in a very little while we shall depart unto the ' world of rest ; and let not any man be [unduly] exalted 4 through the fair deeds which he performeth, but let him be ' always in a state of penitence. And let him betake himself ' away far into the desert whensoever he feeleth within himself ' that he is becoming [unduly] exalted, for on several occasions ' the monastic dwelling which is nigh unto villages hath harm-

* ed those who were perfect. And he must do as did one unto 4 whom this happened, who said in his Psalm (Psalm Iv, '6, 7), 'Behold, I fled away to a remote place, and I took up

" 'mine abode in the whirlwind,' and I waited for God to de- " liver me from littleness of soul, and from the spirit of the " world. And this very thing hath happened unto many of our " own brethren, and because of their pride they fell away from " the mark which they had set for themselves.

" Now there was a certain brother who dwelt in a cave which

And this very thing hath happened unto many of our " own brethren, and because of their pride they fell away from " the mark which they had set for themselves. " Now there was a certain brother who dwelt in a cave which

" was in the desert nigh unto Shaind, and he followed the as-

44 cetic life with the utmost strenuousness, and he used to pro-

' ' vide himself with bread day by day by the labour of his hands;

" and because he was constantly in prayer, and excelled greatly

" in praiseworthy actions, and had confidence in himself, and

" was proud of his fair life and deeds, the Tempter, having

" asked God for him as he asked Him for Job, shewed him

" the form of a beautiful woman who was wandering about in

" the desert in the evening. Now this woman, finding the door

44 of the cave open, leaped up, and passed through the door,

" and fell upon the knees of the man, beseeching him to let

' her rest there because the night had overtaken her, and he,

' having compassion upon her, [did] what was not right, and

' received her into the cave, and he wished to learn from her

4 how she had come to lose her way. Then she spake unto him,

4 and sowed words of sin and of incitement to lust in his ears,

' and she prolonged her conversation with him so that by

" means of her lascivious flattery she might excite him to the

" hateful lust; and there being much speech between them,

" together with laughter and jesting, she led him astray little

44 by little by means of much speaking until at length she took

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4 hold of his hand, and then of his beard, and then of his neck,

4 and finally she made the valiant man her captive. Meanwhile

* as thoughts of these things were chasing each other through

4 his mind, and he believed that the matter was in his own

4 hands, he waited for the moment and the opportunity when

4 he would be able to fulfil his lust; and having delivered him-

44 self over to his wicked imagination, he strove diligently to

44 work it out, and to be united to the woman like a man who

44 hath lost his mind, and like a horse mad with desire, [and

44 as he was about to fulfil his lust] the woman cried out several

44 times, and suddenly escaped from out of his hands, and flew

*4 away like a shadow. Then straightway there was heard in

44 the air the great shouts of laughter of the multitudes of

14 devils who had overthrown him and made him to fall into

44 error, and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, 4 Whoso-

44 4ever exalteth himself shall be humbled; and as for thee,

44 4O thou who didst exalt thyself unto the heavens, behold,

44 4thou hast been brought down into the deepest depth.

Then straightway there was heard in

44 the air the great shouts of laughter of the multitudes of

14 devils who had overthrown him and made him to fall into

44 error, and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, 4 Whoso-

44 4ever exalteth himself shall be humbled; and as for thee,

44 4O thou who didst exalt thyself unto the heavens, behold,

44 4thou hast been brought down into the deepest depth.

44 And it came to pass after these things that the man rose 44 up in the morning having been clothed with grief the [whole] night, and he beat his breast and cried over himself the whole day through; and having given up all hope of his redemption, he did that which was unseemly and went back to the world again. For it is of the cunning of the Evil One that, having vanquished a man in the strife, he bringeth him to a senseless state of despair, and he is never able to stand up again. Therefore, O my sons, it helpeth us not to dwell in caves near to the villages, and the meeting with women is not beneficial to us, for we keep in our minds a remem brance which cannot be blotted out from the mind, both of their words and appearance, and moreovei *t is not right that we should reduce ourselves to despair; for behold, very many men have been in despair about themselves, but the compassion of God hath not forsaken them. 44 For there was a young man in a certain city who had com mitted multitudes of sins and great wickednesses, with a most evil intent, yet at a sign from God he repented of his sins, and departed to the place of the tombs, where he wept over his former sins; and he cast himself upon the earth face downwards, and did not care to lift up his voice and to make mention of the Name of God in his mouth, or to make entreaty to Him, and he thought that he was not worthy to live, and before his death he shut himself up in the place of the tombs, groaning from the depth of his heart, because he had lost all hope of his life. Now when he had passed a whole week of days in this manner, those devils who had formerly

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injured his life rose up against him by night, and cried out,

saying, 'Where is that corrupt and filthy man who, having

'filled himself as full as he could with pollution and corrup-

'tion, doth now unseasonably and suddenly appear to be

'both chaste and good, and because he is not able to do so

'he wisheth to become a Christian, and a man of well ordered

'life? What then is the beautiful thing which thou expectest

" 'to acquire now that thou hast sated thyself with every kind

" 'of wickedness? Wilt thou not stand away from where thou

" 'art, and come with us and [enjoy] the things which thou

" 'usually hast? Behold, whores and tavern companions are

" 'waiting for thee, wilt thou not then come and gratify thy

" 'lust with us? Every hope for thee hath been extinguished,

" 'and truly thy punishment shall arrive swiftly, and in this

Wilt thou not stand away from where thou

" 'art, and come with us and [enjoy] the things which thou

" 'usually hast? Behold, whores and tavern companions are

" 'waiting for thee, wilt thou not then come and gratify thy

" 'lust with us? Every hope for thee hath been extinguished,

" 'and truly thy punishment shall arrive swiftly, and in this

" 'manner thou wilt slay thyself. Why art thou terrified at

' ' ' [the idea of] punishment, O wretched man? And why strivest

" 'thou that it may not come upon thee swiftly?' And they said

"unto him very many other things, and cried out to him,

" 'Thou art ours, for thou didst make a covenant with us.

" 'Thou didst commit every kind of wickedness, and thou wast

" 'worse than every one of us, and wouldst thou dare to flee

' ' ' [from us] ? Wilt thou not return us an answer, and wilt thou

" 'not agree with us and go forth with us?'

" But the young man continued to weep steadily, and he "neither inclined his ear to hearken unto them, nor made "answer unto them. Then, when those devils had remained " with him a long time and had done nothing [unto him], as " they were speaking wicked and abominable devils laid hold "upon him, and smote him with severe stripes, and tore to "pieces his whole body, and entreated him most evilly, and " then departed, leaving him with very little life in him. And "the young man lay groaning in the same place where they " had left him, for he was unable to turn round and depart to "another place, and shortly afterwards, when he had re- " gained a little of his breath, the members of his house and "his relatives went forth in sorrow to seek him, and when *' they found him they learned from him the cause of the " stripes, and they besought him to go with them to his house; "but the young man did not yield to their frequent and ur- " gent entreaties. And again, on another night, those devils " made to come upon him stripes which were more numerous "and more severe than the former ones, nevertheless he " would not consent to depart from that district at the en- "treaty of his relatives, but he said unto them, 'It is better " for me to die [thus] than to live with the blemishes of this " 'world upon me.' On the third night, however, within a very

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"little, through the multitudinous stripes of the devils, he de- " parted from this temporary life, for they fell upon him without "mercy, and they smote him with blows where the former "blows had fallen, and they entreated him so evilly that he " was obliged to fight for [his] breath. And when they saw that " he would not yield to them, they left him for dead and de- " parted from him, and they went away from him, crying out "and saying, 'Thou hast conquered us, thou hast conquered " 'us, thou hast conquered us.' And afterwards nothing evil " came upon him.

And when they saw that " he would not yield to them, they left him for dead and de- " parted from him, and they went away from him, crying out "and saying, 'Thou hast conquered us, thou hast conquered " 'us, thou hast conquered us. ' And afterwards nothing evil " came upon him.

"And the pure young man continued to dwell in the grave " and to lead a pure life gloriously, and he was so weighted "with the fear of God in the wonderful and mighty deeds " which he made manifest, that many folk marvelled at him, "and desired greatly [to do as he did], for those who had "entirely abandoned all hope of their souls devoted them- " selves to the performance of his excellent rules of life. And " in him was fulfilled that which is written, ' Whosoever hum- "'bleth himself shall be exalted' (St. Luke xiv, n). There- " fore, O my sons, I beseech each and every one of you "before all things to lead a life of humility, for that is the "foundation of all the glorious virtues; but besides this, the "dwelling in a remote desert place is exceedingly helpful to " the performance of deeds of ascetic excellence.

"And there was also another solitary monk who dwelt in a " place which was a long way off in the desert, and having led "for many years a life of perfection with all credit, in the "time of his old age he became tempted by devils; he had "been a strenuous man and had loved the life of quiet con- " temptation all his days, and he excelled exceedingly in " prayers, and in [singing] praises, and in multitudes of " visions, and spiritual manifestations were revealed unto him "with such scrupulous exactness, some in revelations and " some in dreams, that finally he was able to walk in the foot- " steps of incorporeal beings. And because he was not stab- " lished in the earth, and took no care about his food, he "sought not in the trees the things of which the body hath " need, neither in the green herb, nor in the birds, nor in the " animals of the desert, and he was full of trust in God. For " from the time when he went forth from the habitation of " men into the desert, he had no care whatsoever in his mind " about that whereon he was to live and to support his body, " but wholly forgetting all such things his whole love was ex- " alted to God. And he awaited his call from Him and his "departure from this world, and he enjoyed exceedingly the "visions and the hope of that which was to come, and his

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And he awaited his call from Him and his "departure from this world, and he enjoyed exceedingly the "visions and the hope of that which was to come, and his

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* body did not shrink by reason of length of years nor did his 4 soul decay, and he possessed a beautiful nature through his 4 chaste life. But God took care of him, and at certain well- 4 defined intervals, that is, once every two or three days, he ' found bread upon his table ; and whensoever he felt that 4 his body needed food, he would go into the cave and take 4 rest, and having refreshed himself, and bowed himself be- 1 fore God, he would return again to his praises, and say 4 'Amen' in his prayer and in his visions. And rejoicing in his 4 peace every day he added to the glory of his life and works, 4 and he waxed stronger daily in the hope of that which is to 4 come, like a man who was confident that he would depart 4 from this world in virtue, which actually took place within a 4 very short time from his fall, through the temptation that 4 subsequently came upon him.

"But why should we not tell the story of his sin whereto 4 his folly was exceedingly close? For, having become proud 4 in his mind, and thinking therein that he was better than 4 many men, and that he possessed some faculty for goodness 4 which was greater than that possessed by all other men, 4 and trusting in himself that this really was so, at no remote 4 time there was born in him first of all a degree of negligence 4 which was so small that it might be imagined that it was 4 not negligence, and then there burst into existence con- 4 tempt, which is a greater [sin] than negligence, and then 4 sluggishness made itself felt, and as a result of these things 4 he used to stand up in vigil and prayer in a listless fashion, 4 and the entreaty of his prayer became small, and his praises 4 of God were short, and his soul longed for pleasures, and 4 his mind inclined to terrestrial things, and his thoughts wan- 4 dered to hateful things, and in secret he meditated upon the 4 abominable things of lust. But, however, the constraint of 4 his former life and deeds was still with him as a protection, 4 and at eventide, after his usual prayer, he found upon his 4 table the bread which had been given to him by God, and he 4 ate and was refreshed. And because he did not cast away 4 his shortcomings, and did not consider that his negligence 4 injured his strenuousness in ascetic virtues, and increased 4 his zealousness in the performance of other things which 4 were hateful, and because he did not turn to the healing of 4 his wickednesses, and because it was a small matter in his 4 sight that he had fallen away entirely from the things which 4 were seemly, the evil lust of filthy fornication seized upon his 4 mind, and carried him away in his thoughts to the world.

44 And having remained [thus] for one day, he turned to his " usual service of singing the Psalms, and he prayed, and

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44 And having remained [thus] for one day, he turned to his " usual service of singing the Psalms, and he prayed, and

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"praised God, and went into the cave, and he found therein "his bread which had been placed there at [the fixed] time, 4 'but it was not as pure as it was usually, and it was some- 44 what dirty; and though he marvelled thereat, and was sad 44 about it, he ate the bread and was refreshed. And it came to 44 pass on the third night that there was added a threefold evil, 44 and he delivered over his wicked mind quickly to his guilty 44 thoughts; now it seemed in his consciousness as if there was 44 a woman close to him, and lying by his side, and as if he was 44 looking at her with his eyes, and as if he was actually per- 44 forming an a6l of union with her. Now on the third day he 44 went out to his occupation of prayer and praise, but his 44 thoughts were not clean, and his mind was wandering about 44 hither and thither, and he was moving the sight of the pu- 44 pils of his eyes in all directions, and the remembrance of his 44 lusts shortened his good work. And he went back in the even- 44 ing seeking for bread, and when he had gone into the cave he 44 found upon his table bread, part of which had been eaten 44 by the mice, and part had been gnawed by dogs, and the rest 44 was dry ; then he groaned again and wept, but not sufficiently 44 to restrain him from his wickedness. And having eaten the 44 bread, which was not according to his taste, he endeavoured 44 to take some rest.

44 Then again the evil thoughts stirred in him, and made war 44 upon his mind so that they might lead him along the road 44 and carry him to the world; and he rose up by night and went 44 forth from his cave to travel in the desert to Shaina, and 44 whilst he was still far from the habitations of men, the day 44 overtook him, and the heat of the sun afflicted him, and he 44 looked round about him that, peradventure, he might see a 44 monastery wherein he might enter and rest himself. And he 44 saw a monastery, and went into it, and the chaste and believ- 44 ing brethren who regarded him as a true father received him; 44 and they washed his face and his feet, and when they had 44 prayed, and set forth a table, they entreated him lovingly 4 'to partake of whatsoever they had, and when he had eaten 44 and was refreshed, they asked him to address to them a word 44 of help and to tell them how they might be able to escape 44 from the crafty snares of the Enemy, and to rise up and to 44 prevail like men over lascivious thoughts. Then that monk, 4 4 like a father who was admonishing his sons, commanded them 44 to persevere in the labours of ascetic life, even unto weariness, 44 as men who, after a short time, would depart to abundant de- 44 light; and having spoken unto them several other most ex- 44 cellent things he helped them greatly. And having made an 44 end of his admonitory discourse, he remembered himself a

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And having made an 44 end of his admonitory discourse, he remembered himself a

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" little, and thought within himself, saying, 'How is it that I " 'am able to rebuke others, and remain myself without re- " 'proof?' Then having understood his guiltiness, he ran back "with all speed to the desert, and wept over himself, saying, " * If it had not been that the Lord helped me my soul would have " 'been destroyed by misery, for I am within a very little of " '[falling] into every kind of wickedness, and my life would " 'have been destroyed in the earth.' And it was fulfilled in him " the saying, 'A man is helped by his brethren, even as a city is " 'helped by its fortress, and he is like a wall which shall never " 'fall.' And from that time onwards, for the whole period of "his life, that monk mourned and wept because he was de- " prived of his heavenly table, and he obtained his daily bread " only by means of great toil. And he shut himself up in the cave, " and [put on] sackcloth and ashes, and he humbled himself in " prayer; and he neither rose up from earth nor ceased from "groans and sighs, until he heard in a dream a sound of "angels which came to him, [and said], 'God hath received " 'thy repentance, and hath had mercy upon thee. Therefore " 'take good heed that thou stumble not a second time into " 'sin. And the brethren whom thou didst admonish shall " 'come unto thee and console thee, and shall bring unto thee " 'a blessing [which] thou shalt receive from them, and ye " 'shall be refreshed and shall give thanks unto God always.' "These things which I have narrated unto you, O my sons, "[shew] that ye should acquire humbleness of mind before " every other thing in your life and works, and in all matters " which shall be unto you, whether they be small or whether "they be great, for this is the first commandment of our "Redeemer, Who said, 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for " 'theirs is the kingdom of heaven' (St. Matthew v, 3). Take "good heed that ye be not confounded by the Devil when "filthy visions rise upon you, and go not astray after devils "when they shew you a lying vision. But if anyone come "unto you, be it brother, or friend, or wife, or old man, or " father, or teacher, or mother, or sister, or son, or daughter, "first of all lift up your hands in prayer, and if it should "happen that any lying vision of devils should come, it will "depart quickly from before you. And moreover, if men or " devils would lead you astray, and would incite you [to sin] "by flattering you, be not persuaded by them, and be not " lifted up in your minds. For in this way they have led even " me astray on several occasions, and the devils would let me " neither pray nor take my rest in the night season, and they "used to show me lying visions the whole night long, and " then in the morning they would laugh at me, and would bend

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the knee before me, and say, 'Father, let us vex thee [by day] " 'in the same way as we did all night long,' and I would say ' ' unto them, ' Get ye gone from me, O ye workers of iniquity, for " 'ye shall not vex the servant of God.' Therefore, O my sons, " after quietness, follow ye after and love peaceful meditation, " and train yourselves at all times in the vision of excellence, "and ye shall acquire in prayer to God the broadness of a "pure mind. For he is a good and fair athlete of Christ, "and a noble and strenuous man, who shall at all seasons "train himself in labours, who shall do fair deeds con- " tinually, who shall shew forth love for the brethren and for "strangers, who shall perform love and mercy, who shall " visit and relieve all those who are nigh unto him, who shall " help the suffering and support the sick, and who shall bring " his days to an end without stumbling. For if a man bring "his days to an end without stumbling, even though he " labour in and be held fast by the things of earth, he is a fair, " and good, and noble soldier and workman, and worker and " doer of the commandments.

" But the spectator of the mind who leaveth all these things " for others to administer [or provide] is far better, and more "excellent and greater than he, and he pursueth spiritual " instead of corporeal things, and leaveth the transitory things "of this world unto others; for he denieth himself, and for- " getteth himself, and taketh up his cross and cleaveth unto " Christ, and he embraceth the things of heaven continually, "and he maketh his escape from everything [earthly], and " draweth nigh unto God, and he will not allow himself to be "drawn to turn behind him through any care whatsoever. "And such a man as this is, through his godly works, and " the praises which he offereth up continually before God, with " God, and, being free and unfettered by any tie whatsoever, "he standeth before God in security, and his mind is not " drawn away by any other care. He who is in this condition " holdeth converse with God continually, and ofTereth up to " Him unceasingly praise and glorifying. But it is necessary "[that those who seek after God should forsake] everything "which is visible, and should turn themselves completely to- " wards God, and should commit themselves to Him that He " may protect their lives; for the man in whom God dwelleth " doth not know even that the world existeth, since the whole " of creation is an alien thing in his eyes, because he is crucified "unto all the world, and it is accounted by him as nothing."

These then were the things which the blessed John related unto us (now he told us many others), and he held converse and talked with us for three days, and he healed our souls

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until the season of the ninth hour; and when he gave us [his] blessing, he spake unto us also a word of prophecy, saying, "This day letters [recording] the victory of Theodosius the " Emperor have entered Alexandria, and these make known 4 'that he hath slain [A.D. 394] Eugenius the tyrant, and the " death which the Christian Emperor Theodosius himself will "die." Now these things actually happened as he said. And having seen many other fathers, other brethren came and in formed us that the life of the blessed John had come to an end in a most excellent and exemplary manner ; for he commanded him (i.e., his disciple) that for three days no man should be allowed to go up to him, and he bowed his knees in prayer, and his career was crowned, and he went to our Lord, to Whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Ifoere enb tbe ZTriumpbs of tbe Blessefc /Ifcar 3obn Cbaptet fij, Ube Urtumpbs ot tbe bol$ /Ifcan Hbba 1bor

e. , his disciple) that for three days no man should be allowed to go up to him, and he bowed his knees in prayer, and his career was crowned, and he went to our Lord, to Whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Ifoere enb tbe ZTriumpbs of tbe Blessefc /Ifcar 3obn Cbaptet fij, Ube Urtumpbs ot tbe bol$ /Ifcan Hbba 1bor

AND we saw also another wonderful man whose name was Abba Hor, now he was the Abba of one thousand monks, and he had an angelic form and was about ninety years of age ; his beard flowed down over his breast, and it was white and beautiful, and his countenance was so glorious that those that saw him were reproved by the sight thereof only. And this blessed man had for a very long time lived a life of the utmost austerity at a remote place in the desert, but subsequently he took certain monasteries in the desert which was near Shaina, and gathered together a brotherhood, and he planted so many wild trees at that spot that they formed a dense wood in the wilderness. For the fathers who lived with him there said that before this man came there from the desert there was not even a shrub in the place ; now he planted these trees in order to fill a want, and to prevent the brethren who were gathered together to him from being troubled by searching for wood. And in his prayer to God he took the same pains and strove that all the needs of the brethren might be supplied, so that they would only have to be anxious about their redemption, and that nothing which they used might be wanting for them, [so that they might have no excuse for negligence]. When formerly the blessed man lived in the desert of Dalgaw he used to eat roots and herbs, and to drink water when he was able, and he passed the whole time of his life in prayer and praise ; but when he arrived at complete old age, an angel appeared unto him in a dream, in the desert, and said, "Thou shall become a great race, and "shalt be set in authority over a numerous people, and those "who shall be saved through thee shall be ten myriads [in

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" number], and thou shall be a governor in the new world, and " above every one else in the world thou shalt have life. And," said the angel unto him, "fear not, for thou shalt never be in "want of food, whensoever thou criest unto thy God, until the " day of thy departure from this world."

And," said the angel unto him, "fear not, for thou shalt never be in "want of food, whensoever thou criest unto thy God, until the " day of thy departure from this world. "

And having heard these things the blessed Abba H6r journeyed on his way diligently and came to the desert which is nigh unto Shaina, and first of all he lived there by himself in a little tabernacle (or booth), which he made, and he fed upon garden herbs soaked in vinegar, and on several occasions he ate only once a week. And because originally he had no knowledge of letters, when he rose up to go forth from the desert into Shaina, the knowledge of the Holy Books was given unto him by Divine Grace so fully that he was able to repeat all the Scriptures by heart ; and when he had come [to Shaina] and a book was given unto him by the brethren to read, he read it forthwith as if he were a man who had been always acquainted with books. And there was added unto him also the gracious gift of being able to cast out devils, and many of them came to him by the constraint [of this gift], against their wills, and would shriek out through his acts. And he wrought so many other cures so often that from all sides there were gathered together unto him brethren who lived in monaste ries, one thousand in number.

And when the man of God saw us, he rejoiced in us, and saluted us, and straightway he offered up a prayer; and he washed our feet with his own hands, and began to teach us, for he was exceedingly well acquainted with the Scriptures, even as a man who had received the gift from God, and he expounded to us many chapters of the Scriptures, and de livered to us the orthodox faith; moreover, he urged us to prayer, and to partake of the Mysteries. For it was the habit of all the great monks not to give food to their bodies until they had offered spiritual sustenance to their souls, that is to say, the participation in the Body and Blood of Christ. And having partaken of the Mysteries we gave thanks unto God, and he urged us [to come] to the table of food, and he called to our recollection the ascetic lives of noble men, and said,

* I know a certain man in this desert who for three years past

* hath not eaten anything which is of this earth, but an angel ' cometh to him once in three days, and bringeth him heavenly ' food and placeth it in his mouth, and this sufficeth him 4 instead of meat and drink. And I know that there came to ' this man in a lying vision devils who were in the forms of

"horses and chariots of fire and numerous horsemen, as if " they had come from a king, and they said unto him, * Thou

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And I know that there came to ' this man in a lying vision devils who were in the forms of

"horses and chariots of fire and numerous horsemen, as if " they had come from a king, and they said unto him, * Thou

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" ' hast become perfect in everything, O man, but now, bow " 'down and worship me, and I will take thee up [to heaven] " 'like Elijah.' Then the monk said in his mind, 'I worship " 'the King and Redeemer every day, and if this creature were " '[a king] he would not ask me to worship him now.' And " when he had said unto him that which was in his mind, 'I " 'have a King, and I worship Him always, and thou art not " 'a king,' immediately the Devil removed himself and was no "more found." Now Abba Hor told us these things because he wished to conceal his own rules and manner of life, and to tell us stories about those of other monks, but the fathers who were always with him told us that it was Abba Hor himself who had seen these things.

Now this man was more glorious in his life than very many of the fathers. And because of the multitude of the monks who came to him he used to call the brethren who were with him, to come to make houses for the new comers each day; some of the brethren spread the mud, and others brought the bricks, and others cut down the wood, and when their building was finished, he would supply the needs of those who came. On one occasion a lying brother who had hidden his clothes came to him, but the blessed man rebuked him before every man, and brought his clothes into the light, so that as a result of this [exposure] no man might in future dare to tell a lie in his presence. Now the beauty of his life and deeds made him so glorious that he was able to gather together very many monks to him, and one saw the congregation of the monks with him in the church like a band of righteous men who were splendid in their garb, and they glorified God with praises continually.

Ifoere enb tbe TTriumpbs of Hbba 1foor Cbapter i\\ TOe Uriumpbs of Hbba Hmmon

Now the beauty of his life and deeds made him so glorious that he was able to gather together very many monks to him, and one saw the congregation of the monks with him in the church like a band of righteous men who were splendid in their garb, and they glorified God with praises continually. Ifoere enb tbe TTriumpbs of Hbba 1foor Cbapter i\\ TOe Uriumpbs of Hbba Hmmon

NOW we saw in Thebai's another man whose name was Ammon, who was the Abba of three (or thirty) thou sand monks; and they called these monks also "men of Tabenna." And they lived lives of the greatest austerity, and they used to put their head cloths over their faces, and they covered themselves when they ate, and they turned their looks towards the ground, so that one might not see the other; and they kept strict silence, so that they might think that they were in the desert, and they did these things in order that each might hide his works of ascetic excellence from his fellows. When they sat at table it was a mere matter of form, and they did so in such a way as to deceive each other, and to make each other say, "Behold, they are eating." Some of them only carried their hands to their mouths once or twice and took a

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piece of bread, or an olive, or a portion of something- else of all the food which was set before them, and it was unto them sufficient for a meal; and others ate in silence a piece of bread only, and endured [hunger] without touching any of the other dishes of food which were placed before them; and others only reached out their hands to the dishes of cooked food three times and ate. Now their souls were weaned from everything. And since we marvelled at all their glorious deeds we obtained benefit from them all.

1bere enfc tbe Uriumpbs of Hbba Hmmon Cbapter \>. TOe Uriumpbs of Hbba Hbban [Benus]

AND we saw another blessed man whose virtues were more abundant than those of all [other] men, and whose name was Abbdn [Benus]; the brethren who were with him related that he had never sworn, or told a lie, or been angry with any man, or rebuked any man even by a word. He had passed his whole life in silent contemplation and in humi lity, and in his manner of life he was as one of the angels, and he clothed himself in the deepest humility. And when we had entreated him earnestly to address to us a word of exhortation, it was only with the greatest difficulty that he could be per suaded to say unto us a few words. On one occasion, when the labourers in the fields which were near the river begged him [to drive away] a certain hippopotamus which was doing them harm by his [great] strength, the blessed Abba Abban [Benus] commanded the animal in a gentle voice, saying, "I " adjure thee to depart in the name of Jesus Christ"; and the hippopotamus, as if driven away by an angel, never more ap peared in that district.

ffeere enfc tbe Uriumpbs of Hbba Hbban [Benus]

AND we came also to Oxyrhyncus, a great city in Theba'is, but we are not able to relate all the wonder ful things which [we saw] therein; for the city is so full of the habitations of the brethren that the walls thereof are wellnigh thrust out with them, so many are the brethren! And there are so many other monasteries round about the walls, on the outside, that one would think that they were another city, and the sanctuaries of the city, and the temples which are there in, and all the spaces about them, are filled with the monks. And besides these there were thirteen churches in which the people assembled, for the city was exceedingly large. There was a place set apart for the monks to pray in each of the

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And besides these there were thirteen churches in which the people assembled, for the city was exceedingly large. There was a place set apart for the monks to pray in each of the

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monasteries, and one might think that the monks were not very much fewer in numbers than the ordinary inhabitants of the city, for they were so numerous that they even filled the [buildings at] the entrances to the city, and some of the monks lived in the towers by the side of the gates thereof. Now the people said that the monks who lived inside were five thousand in number, and that five thousand brethren lived round about it, and there was not an hour, either of the day or the night, wherein they were not performing the service of God. But there were also heretics in the city, and they were not of the heathen who dwelt therein. And all the inhabitants of the city were be lievers, and they would hearken to the Scriptures so readily that the Bishop was able to proclaim peace to the people even in the streets; and the officers and the princes of the city, who were lavish in their gifts to the congregations, used to place watchers at the gates and entrances thereof that if they saw any needy person or any stranger they might bring him to them, in order that they might supply his need from their gifts. And what shall we say concerning the fear of God which was in these men to such a degree that, when they saw us, who were strangers, passing through the streets, they drew nigh, like angels, unto us [and helped us]? And how can a man de scribe adequately the multitude of monks and the innumerable virgins who used to live there? Now we would make known that which we have learned from the holy Bishop who was there, namely, that he had under his authority ten thousand monks and twenty thousand virgins. I am wholly unable to express how great is the love of strangers and the affection which exist among these men and women, for our cloaks and the other portions of our apparel were wellnigh torn to rags by the force which each one of them, in the ardour of his love, displayed in dragging us to his home. And we saw there multi tudes of fathers and of great monks who possessed gifts of divers kinds, for some had the gift of speaking, and some of doing works, and some of doing mighty deeds, and some of working signs.

1bere enfcetb tbe UMstor\> of tbe jfl&onfes in tbe Cits of

Gbapter \>ij. ZTbe Uriumpbs of Hbba Ubeon

AND we also saw another blessed man, who lived at some distance from the city, at a place which faced the open desert, and his name was Theon ; he was a holy man who had shut himself up in a small house by himself, and he had kept silence for thirty years, and because he had per formed many mighty deeds he was held to be a prophet among

ZTbe Uriumpbs of Hbba Ubeon

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Hbba JEUjab

the people. For every day a multitude of sick folk went forth to him, and he would stretch out his hand through the window and lay it upon them, and would send them away healed. Now the countenance of the blessed man appeared to be like that of an angel, and his eyes sparkled, and he was filled with all the grace of God. A short time ago certain thieves came by night against the blessed man from a great distance, thinking that they would find a large quantity of gold with him, and they were prepared to kill him, but when he had said a prayer they found themselves fast bound with ropes before the door, [and they had to stay there] until the morning. And when the crowds of people came to him in the morning, they had it in their minds to commit the thieves to the flames, but the blessed man felt himself urged to speak a word unto the men, and he said, " Let these thieves depart in peace, for if ye do not let them, " the gracious gift of healing which I possess will depart from ** me." Then the multitudes hearkened unto his words, for they did not dare to treat them lightly, and straightway the thieves went and took up their abode with the brethren [and] monks, and changed their former manner of life, because they truly re pented of that which they had done in the past.

Now this man, through the gift which God had bestowed upon him, knew three languages, and he was able to read Greek, Latin, and Egyptian, a fact concerning the blessed man which we have learned from many folk ; and when he knew7 that we were strangers he wrote down [the facl;] in a book, and thanked God on our behalf. His food consisted of garden herbs, and they said that he used to go forth from his cell by night and mingle with the wild animals of the desert, and he gave them to drink of the water which he found. The footmarks which appeared by the side of his abode were those of buffaloes, and goats, and gazelle, in the sight of which he took great pleasure.

Ifoere en& tbe ZTrfumpbs of Hbba Ubeon Cbapter viij. Ube Uriumpbs of Hbba Elf jab