" And she said unto him, "By the " things which have already taken place I am able to judge of ' * what will take place in the future. " Then Rabbd said unto her, " How? " And she said unto him, "I know that the beginning " of every matter is in love and knowledge, and it receiveth
305 20
ipatabise of tbe 1bols jf atbers
41 confirmation from the things which are provided, and espe- " cially through the divine care and the calling of heaven, and "by the Will of God it becometh confirmed by wonderful " things and signs, and it is confirmed also by various powers " which are exercised therein; but when that beginning waxeth "old and becometh grey, it falleth away from growth, and "when growth hath fallen away [i.e., ceased], it perisheth " of old age, or languisheth through sickness, or decayeth "through neglecV'
And afterwards Rabba asked her, saying, "Why hast thou " come, according as thou sayest, to tempt these great [saints] " and not all the brethren? If it be as thou sayest, the des- " tru6tion of souls resteth with thee to work, and thou sur- " passest in power all the devils, and thou must have all this " power so that thou mightest be able to strive against men " like these." And the phantom answered and said unto him, " I have already told thee that when the strength of the Sus- "tainer of creation, the Redeemer Christ, appeared upon the " earth, we were brought so low that, like a sparrow, we were " mocked and laughed at by men such as these who are clothed "with the Spirit, and who seek to learn the Lord; but al though we have become feeble through Him, we do not " cease to work as much as we possibly can [against you], and "we never cease from opposing you by every means in our " power. And we sow the seed of our wickedness near the soul " of him that striveth with us, and this we do especially when "we see that he receiveth [it], and if we see that he really " permitteth us to embrace him, then do we inflame him with "fierce lusts, and we encompass him like mighty ones and "cruel devils, whom it is exceedingly difficult to defeat. But " if he is not willing to receive our seed, and will not, through "his faith in God, and the watchfulness of his mind, accept " with pleasure the things which are offered unto him by us, "we dissolve away even as smoke is dissipated in the air. 4 ' This is the reason why I am not permitted to wage war "with all the monks, and I do not do so because all possess " not perfection. For if it were permitted to me to wage war "against them all, I should be enabled to lead astray many " of those who lean upon thee."
4 ' This is the reason why I am not permitted to wage war "with all the monks, and I do not do so because all possess " not perfection. For if it were permitted to me to wage war "against them all, I should be enabled to lead astray many " of those who lean upon thee. "
And the blessed man said unto her, " Fie upon your wicked- " ness which never sleepeth! Ye will never cease to stir your- " selves up against the race of the children of men until the " divine and unpolluted grace of God descendeth from heaven " and destroyeth you." Then, having said these things, Rabbd commanded the phantom to depart unto the place whither it had been commanded to go, and never again to approach with
306
Ube (51ft of
her feet his monastery. And when the morning was come, he cried out unto all the great brethren, and related unto them all the things which he had seen and heard from the destroying devils, and unto the other brethren who were living in the other great monasteries he sent letters, and informed them, in the fear of God, by means of these concerning the vision [which he had seen].
Gbapter £\>. <w tbe Gift of TCongues wbicb pacbomtus received
AND it came to pass that, when the blessed Pachomius was visiting the brethren in their cells, and was correct ing the thoughts of each of them, he was obliged to visit a certain Roman, who was a nobleman of high rank, and who knew the Greek language very well. Now therefore, having come to this great man, so that he might exhort him with words which would be beneficial to him, and might learn the motions of his heart, the blessed man spake unto him in the Egyptian tongue, but the brother did not know what the blessed man said. And because the blessed man did not know how to speak Greek, Rabbd was obliged to call some brother who would be able to interpret to each of them the things which were said by the other. Now when the brother came to inter pret, the Greek did not wish to declare to Rabbd through others the defects of his heart, and he spoke unto him thus, "After 44 God, I wish thee, and thee alone, to know the wickednesses 44 of my heart, and I do not desire to declare them unto thee 44 through others, for I do not wish that any man except thee 44 should hear them." And when Rabbd heard these words he commanded the brother who had come to interpret to depart, and because Rabbd was unable to speak to the Greek brother the words which he wished to say to him about help and re demption, for he knew nothing whatsoever of the Greek lan guage, he made a sign to him with his hand to remain until he came [back] to him. Then Rabbd left him, and went to pray by himself, and he stretched out his hands towards heaven, and prayed to God, saying, 4<O Lord, Thou Mighty One, Who 44 sustainest the universe, if I am not able to benefit the child- 44 ren of men whom Thou dost send unto me from the ends 4 'of the earth, because I am not acquainted with their lan guages, what need is there for them to come? But if Thou 44 wishest them to be saved here through me, give me, O Lord, 44 Thou Star of all creation, the power to know their languages 44 so that I may be able to set their souls in the straight way." And when he had prayed for more than three hours and had entreated God to grant him this knowledge, suddenly there
307
ttbe iparafcise of tbe fbols ffatbers
But if Thou 44 wishest them to be saved here through me, give me, O Lord, 44 Thou Star of all creation, the power to know their languages 44 so that I may be able to set their souls in the straight way. " And when he had prayed for more than three hours and had entreated God to grant him this knowledge, suddenly there
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ttbe iparafcise of tbe fbols ffatbers
was sent from heaven into his right hand something which was like unto a letter written on paper, and when he had read it, he learned immediately how to speak all tongues, and he sent up praise to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. And he came with great joy to that brother, and began to talk to him both Greek and Latin with such fluency that when the brother heard him, he saith that Rabba's skill in speaking [Greek | surpassed that of all the learned men [of the day]. Then Rabba corrected him, as was right, and appointed to him the penance which was suitable to his defects, and he committed him to the Lord, and went forth from him.
Cbapter £\>. ®f a certain 1bolp /iDan wbose name was fitewnan (t.e. Jonab), wbo was tbe <$arfcener of one of tbe /l&onasteries, ant) of tbe wonderful tbing wbicb IRabba pacbomius wrougbt in bis /Ifconasters
Then Rabba corrected him, as was right, and appointed to him the penance which was suitable to his defects, and he committed him to the Lord, and went forth from him. Cbapter £\>. ®f a certain 1bolp /iDan wbose name was fitewnan (t. e. Jonab), wbo was tbe <$arfcener of one of tbe /l&onasteries, ant) of tbe wonderful tbing wbicb IRabba pacbomius wrougbt in bis /Ifconasters
AND it came to pass on the morrow that the blessed man departed to visit the other monasteries, and he arrived at the monastery which is called " Demeskenyanos," and entered therein; now there was in that monastery a fine, large fig-tree, which one of the youths was in the habit of climbing up secretly, and he plucked the fruit thereof, and ate it. And when Rabba had gone in, and had drawn near that fig-tree, he saw an unclean spirit sitting in it, and he knew straightway that it was the devil of the love of the belly ; and the holy man, knowing that it was he who led astray the youths, called to the gardener, and said unto him, " Brother, 4 'cut down this fig-tree, for it is a stumbling-block to those "who possess not a well-established mind, and it is not a ' ' seemly thingfor this tree to be in the middle of the monastery." Now when the gardener, who was called Yawna~n, heard these words, he was sorely grieved, for he had passed eighty-five years in the monastery, and he had lived therein a pure and honourable life, and by himself he had cared for all the fruit [trees] therein, and he had planted all the trees that were in the mo nastery [garden]. Now, until the day of his death he never tasted any of the fruit whatsoever, though all the brethren, and the strangers, and those who dwelt round about them used to eat their fill in the fruit season. And this brother dressed in this fashion : he joined three skins [of goats] together to form a cover ing for his body, and these were sufficient [clothing] for him ; he didnot lay down forhimself one kindof bed in thewinterseason, and another in the time of summer. What rest of the body was he knew not, because of the press of his labours, for, with a ready mind, he toiled always ; he never ate any cooked food whatso ever, neither did he partake of lentiles, or of any other food [of
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Jonab the (tocbenet
the same kind], but he lived all the years of his life on plan tains only, which he ate with vinegar. And the brethren used to declare positively about him, and say, that he did not even know where the hospital was, and that still less did he know what the sick folk ate.
And besides all these things, he never, so far as we have heard concerning him, lay upon his back until the day of his death, but he worked all day long in the garden, and towards sunset he used to take his food and go into his cell, and sitting upon a chair which he had in the midst thereof, he would plait ropes until [the time for the recital of] the service of the night, and in this way it might happen that he was able to snatch a little sleep through the absolute need of his corporeal nature, and that he slept whilst he was plaiting the ropes which were in his hands. Now he did not plait these ropes by the light of a lamp, but whilst he was sitting in darkness and reciting the Scriptures. And he had only one garment of linen, which he used to put on when he was about to partake of the Holy and Divine Mysteries of Christ, and immediately [he had done this] he would take it off and lay it aside, so that he might keep it clean, and it lasted him for eighty-five years. And that blessed old man performed very many other works which deserve praise, but we have not set them down in the book of this his tory, lest our discourse might become either too long or too full for those faithful ones who believe, and we should cause those who read it to become weary.
Now we found out concerning this man of whom we have written these things when he was dead, and he died in an un usual manner, that is to say, he was sitting upon a chair and plaiting ropes, according to his custom, and the ropes were found in his hands when he was dead. And this blessed man did not die suddenly, and so lose any portion of the happiness which was due to his health, but he fell ill, like all other men, and he would not be persuaded to go into the hospital, because he did not wish to be ministered to by any man, as are other sick folk ; and he did not want to eat any of the meat which the brethren who were sick were wont to eat. And he would not lie upon his back even when he was sick, and he would not permit anyone to place a cushion for him when he was sitting up, or anything whatsoever wrhich was a little soft, and was able to afford him relief. And no man was standing by him when he died, and he went to his rest grasping his rope-work [in his hands]. It was, moreover, a wonderful thing to hear how they buried him ; for it was impossible to stretch out his legs, because they had become [stiff] like logs of wood, and it was impossible to make one hand lie by the side of his body.
3°9
ttbe iftarabfse of tbe 1bol$ ffatbers
It was impossible to strip off him the skin garment wherewith he was clothed, and we were therefore obliged to roll him up in cloth like a bundle and to bury him in that state.
To this man came the blessed Pachomius, and told him to cut down this fig-tree, and when Ydwndn heard this, he said unto Rabbd, "Nay, O father, for we are accustomed to gather " a large crop of fruit from this fig-tree for the brethren"; now although Rabba was greatly grieved because of this matter he did not wish to urge the old gardener any further, and he was the more grieved because he knew that Yawnan lived a great and marvellous life, and that he was held to be wonderful by many, and by great and small alike. And it came to pass on the day following that the fig-tree was found to have become withered so completely that not one soft leaf or fruit was found upon it. Now when the blessed man saw these things, he was greatly grieved, not for the sake of the fig-tree, but because of his own disobedience, when Rabba told him to cut down the fig-tree, and he did not acl: according to his word.
Gbapter £\>j. ®t bow Hbba pacbomius woulfc not feeep beautiful Building*
Now when the blessed man saw these things, he was greatly grieved, not for the sake of the fig-tree, but because of his own disobedience, when Rabba told him to cut down the fig-tree, and he did not acl: according to his word. Gbapter £\>j. ®t bow Hbba pacbomius woulfc not feeep beautiful Building*
THE blessed man Pachomius built an oratory in his monastery, and he made pillars [for it], and covered the faces thereof with tiles, and he furnished it beautifully, and he was exceedingly pleased with the work because he had built it well; and when he had come to himself he declared, through the agency of Satan, that the beauty of the oratory was a thing which would compel a man to admire it, and that the building thereof would be praised. Then suddenly he rose up, and took ropes, and fastened them round the pillars, and he made a prayer within himself, and commanded the brethren to help him, and they bowed their bodies, and the pillars and the whole construction fell [to the ground] ; and he said to the brethren, "Take heed lest ye strive to ornament the work of " your hands overmuch, and take ye the greatest possible care " that the grace of God and His gift may be in the work of each " one of you, so that the mind may not stumble towards the " praises of cunning wickedness, and the Calumniator may not " obtain [his] prey."
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Ipacbomins anb tbe Iberetics
Gbapter £\>ij. <W bow wben on a certain occasion tbe Ifoeretics came to bim be &ifc not $ielt> to tbem, anfc ot bow be let tbem receive an experience ot bim b$ tbe Sign wbicb tbes asfeefc at bis 1bant>
"
310
Ipacbomins anb tbe Iberetics
Gbapter £\>ij. <W bow wben on a certain occasion tbe Ifoeretics came to bim be &ifc not $ielt> to tbem, anfc ot bow be let tbem receive an experience ot bim b$ tbe Sign wbicb tbes asfeefc at bis 1bant>
AND it came to pass on a certain occasion that certain heretical monks, who were in the habit of wearing gar ments made of hair, and who had heard concerning the blessed Pachomius, rose up and came to his monastery; and they said unto certain monks of Rabba, "Our father hath sent "us to your Rabba with a message, saying, 'If thou art in " 'truth a man of God, and if thou art confident that God will " 'hearken unto you, come hither, and let us walk together " 'across the river on our feet, so that every man may know " 'which of us hath more freedom of speech before God than " 'the other.'" And when the brethren informed Rabba con cerning these things, he was exceedingly angry with them, and said unto them, "Why did ye undertake to listen to those who "have said these things? Know ye not that requests of this "kind are things which are foreign to God, and are wholly " alien to our rule? And besides this, they are not even things " which are thought well of by men who live in the world. For " what law of God teacheth us to do these things? And more- " over, our Redeemer commandeth us to the contrary in the " Holy Gospel, saying, 'Let not thy left hand know what thy " 'right hand doeth' (St. Matthew vi, 3). For thou [thinkestjof "something which is more wretched than the want of mind " [i.e., foolishness] in imagining that I should give up mourn- " ing for my sins, [or cease to think] how I may flee from ever- " lasting punishment, or that, even if I were a boy in my " thoughts I could ever come to [make] such a demand as that." And the brethren answered and said unto him, "How is it " then that this man, who is a heretic and alien to God, should "be so bold as to call upon thee to do this [thing]?" And Rabba answered and said unto them, "He is able to pass over "the river as one who travelleth over dry land through the " neglect of God, and the Calumniator helpeth him, so that "his wicked heresy may not be brought to naught, and so " that the faith of those who have gone astray may be more "finally established by means of works of audacity which "he performeth through him. Get ye out then, and say unto " those who have brought such a message as this: 'Thus saith " ' the man of God, Pachomius, I devote all my strivings, and " ' all my anxious care, not that I may pass over the river by " ' walking on the waters thereof, but in trying to flee from the " 'judgement of God, and to escape, by the might of the Lord,
3"
Get ye out then, and say unto " those who have brought such a message as this: 'Thus saith " ' the man of God, Pachomius, I devote all my strivings, and " ' all my anxious care, not that I may pass over the river by " ' walking on the waters thereof, but in trying to flee from the " 'judgement of God, and to escape, by the might of the Lord,
3"
Ube Bbarabise of tbe 1bols fathers
" ' from such Satanic wiles as these.'" Then having said these things to the brethren he strictly forbade them to think greatly of their integrity, and to lust after the sight [of him walking across the river on the water], and to go with those who pry into such matters as these ; [and he said] "We must not volun tarily follow after such matters as these, and we must not "put God to the test by such questions, for concerning the " knowledge of events before they happen He hath commanded "us by His Holy Scriptures, saying, 'Thou shalt not tempt " 'the Lord thy God, saith the Lord' " (Deuteronomy vi, 16).
Cbapter jviij, ©f tbe (Question wbicb a certain JSrotber brougbt to bim, anb its Hnswer
RABBA was on one occasion asked by a certain brother, who said, "Why is it that, before the coming of that "devil who vexeth us, we possess the understanding " of the mind in a healthy state, and are able to make use of " philosophy for the sake of self-denial, and humility, and the " other virtues, but that when it cometh to us to make mani- " fest in very deed the virtues of philosophy, that is to say, " longsuffering in the hour of wrath, and the keeping of the "temper in the season of anger, and a frame of mind from ' ' which vainglory is absent, and when there are praises "[ascribed to us], and many other things which are akin "thereto, the mind (or understanding) languisheth and " becometh destroyed? "
And Rabba answered and said unto him, "It is because we " are not perfectly skilled in the performance [of these things], "and because we are not so thoroughly acquainted with all " the mind and vague thoughts of the devils that we are able, "through the power of the sight of the soul, to recognize in "quiet contemplation the advent of him who causeth us "vexation, and who watcheth that he may be able to gather "together the outpouring of suchlike thoughts. Therefore, "every day and every hour it is the portion of the soul to "watch, and we must pour out upon it, like oil, the fear of " God, that is to say, the efficacious performance of work, and "the lamp which will enable us to see the things which are " falling upon us in the healing of the mind. Whosoever then " will not be strenuous [will come] to anger, and wrath, and " ill- temper, and to each of the passions which lead us on to "wickedness. And the soul will see, and will depart to that "incorporeal country, and it will make the mind to hold in "contempt the things which are wrought by the devils, and " will compel it to trample under foot serpents and scorpions, " and all the power of the Enemy."
312
Cbapter £i£. ®t bow unclean ant) contemptible in tbe sigbt ot IRabba was tbe man wbo toilefc witb tbe Xa= bour ot bis bands tor tbe safee ot Dainglors
"
312
Cbapter £i£. ®t bow unclean ant) contemptible in tbe sigbt ot IRabba was tbe man wbo toilefc witb tbe Xa= bour ot bis bands tor tbe safee ot Dainglors
ON one occasion when Rabba was sitting- with a number of the other brethren in a certain place in the monastery, [he was told that] one of the monks in the monastery used to make two mats of plaited palm leaves daily and that day he placed them in front of his cell, opposite the place where Rabba was then sitting with the brethren. Now he did this because he was [unduly] exalted with the thought of vain glory, and he believed that he would be praised for such assiduity, because the rule [of the fathers] was that each monk should make one mat daily. And Rabba perceived that the monk did this for the purpose of making a display, and he understood the intention which was stirring in the man and moving him ; and he sighed heavily and said unto the brethren who were sitting with him, "See ye this man who toileth from "morning to evening? He hath endowed Satan with all his " labour, and hath left nothing whatsoever of his work for the "comfort of his own soul. He hath toiled overmuch for the " praise of the children of men, and he hath not worn out his " body with all this work for the sake of God, and his soul is " empty of work through the pleasure of him that doeth it, for " he hath loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." Then he called that brother, and rebuked him, and charged him to stand up behind the brethren when they were praying, and to hold the two mats, and to say to them, "O my brethren, " I beseech you to pray for my degraded soul, in order that " through your prayers God may shew abundant mercy to it, " for I have held these mats in greater honour than His king- "dom." And he also commanded that the man should stand up with the mats among the brethren when they were sitting at meat until they rose up from the table ; and he com manded likewise that after this he should be confined to his cell for a period of five months, and should make two mats daily, and should eat bread and salt only, and that no man should visit him.
Gbapter $& ©t a certain fl&onft wbo belonged to tbe jflfconasters
NOW before we bring this history to a close we are obliged to mention, in addition to those of whom we have already spoken, another holy monk who was thoroughly trained in the spiritual excellence of the brethren, so that we may narrate a few of the things which were
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Ube parafcise of tbe 1bol£ ff atbers
Gbapter $& ©t a certain fl&onft wbo belonged to tbe jflfconasters
NOW before we bring this history to a close we are obliged to mention, in addition to those of whom we have already spoken, another holy monk who was thoroughly trained in the spiritual excellence of the brethren, so that we may narrate a few of the things which were
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Ube parafcise of tbe 1bol£ ff atbers
wrought by him for edification. This brother, of blessed memory, because he was afflicted in his body had a cell separate from the brethren ; he lived upon bread and salt only, and he used to make one mat of plaited palm leaves each day, and it would happen often, when he was plaiting the ropes which were being used in making the mats, that his hands would become covered with blood, and they were so full of wounds caused by the reeds, that the very mats which he was making were wetted with blood. But although he suffered from such a weakness as this, he never turned away from the congregation of the brethren, and he never lay down to sleep in the daytime until the end of his life. And it was his habit every night before he lay down to sleep to repeat some portion of the Scriptures, and then he would go to sleep until they beat the board to summon the congregation to the service of the night.
Now on one occasion a certain brother went to him, and see ing that his hands were covered with blood through plaiting mats, he said unto him, " Why dost thou work and toil in this " manner, seeing that thou art so seriously ill? Thinkest thou " that thou wouldst not obtain permission not to work and to " be idle from God? God knoweth that thou art sick, and no " man who hath thy complaint hath ever worked. We feed and " take care of strangers and poor folk, and are we not in duty " bound to minister unto thy wants, thou who art one of us, " and art so holy a man, with all our soul and with the greatest "joy and gladness?" And the monk said unto him, "It is im- " possible for me not to work," and the brother replied, "If it " pleaseth thee to a6l thus, at least anoint thy hands with oil " at eventide, for thou wilt not become as weary as thou art "now, and thou wilt not become covered with blood." And the monk hearkened unto that brother, and anointed his hands with oil, even as he had told him to do, yet because they were tender they were grievously chafed, and cut, and torn by the sharp reeds (or palm-grass). Then Rabba himself went to visit him in his cell, and he said unto him, "Thinkest thou, O Theo- " dore, that the oil had any beneficial effect upon thee? Who " forced thee to work? Didst thou not place thy hope of being " healed rather upon the operation of the oil than upon God? " Peradventure was not thy God able to heal thee? Yet when " He saw that thou wast ordering help for thyself He left thee " [to fall into] this pain." Then the monk answered and said unto Rabba, "O father, I have sinned against God, and I give " thanks (or confess), and I entreat thee that God may forgive " me this sin."
And, according to what those fathers who were with him
3'4
Iftemarfes ot pallabius
said, he passed a full year in mourning for this a6l of folly; and he ate once every two days. And at the beginning of the period wherein this man began to gain strength considerably, Rabba was in the habit of sending him to every monastery that he might be both the foundation and the type of all the brethren, because he endured the cruel weakness of that disease with such patience.
Ifoere enfcetb tbe fbistors ot tbe followers of pacbo* mius, wbicb is called in <3reefe tbe Hsfeetifeon of tbe followers of jpacbomius
jf urtber remarks b£ tbe writer pallafcius
Ifoere enfcetb tbe fbistors ot tbe followers of pacbo* mius, wbicb is called in <3reefe tbe Hsfeetifeon of tbe followers of jpacbomius
jf urtber remarks b£ tbe writer pallafcius
NOW therefore, though I must here add a few remarks about my beloved brother, who hath lived with me from my youth up until this day, I will make an end to my discourse in the haven of silence. It is indeed a very long time since I first knew this man, who is worthy of blessings; and I never knew him either to eat or to fast with desire; and, in my opinion, he overcame also the lust for possessions, and espe cially the passion for empty praise, and that which was his own was sufficient for him. He never arrayed himself in fine and costly apparel, but being made contemptible he received [acts of] grace, and in return for God's true mercy he con tinued thus even unto death. And this man accepted the temp tation of devils a thousand times when they rose up against him, and at length one day a certain devil pressed him, and said unto him, "Agree thou with me for one day only, and " commit sin only once, and any woman that thou shalt men- " tion in this world I will bring unto thee."
And on another occasion that devil strove with him for four teen nights, even as he himself told me, and he used to kick him with his feet in the night-season, and say unto him, "Do " not worship Christ, and I will never come near thee again." And he answered and said unto him, "It is for this very rea- " son that I worship Him, and I confess Him and glorify Him " ten thousand times because thou art vexed thereby, and thou " reelest away and dost tremble before Him." In his coming in and going out he walked through one hundred and six cities (or provinces) several times, and in the greater number of them he tarried for some time. By the grace and mercy of Christ he never knew the temptation of a woman, not even in a dream, except in [his] warfare [against fornication]. I know that he re ceived food from an angel thrice: One day he was in a parched desert, and had not upon him a morsel of bread, and he found three cakes of bread in his cloak. Another time, when he lacked
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iparafcise of tbe 1boi^ ff atbers
[food], an angel appeared unto him in a vision and said unto him, "Go and take wheat and oil from such and such a man"; and thereupon there came to him the man from whom the angel had commanded him to take [wheat and oil], and said unto him, " Art thou such and such a man?" and he said unto him, "Yea, " I am"; and the man said, "A certain One hath told thee to "take thirty bushels of wheat from me, and twelve boxes of "oil."
" and he said unto him, "Yea, " I am"; and the man said, "A certain One hath told thee to "take thirty bushels of wheat from me, and twelve boxes of "oil. "
Now over a matter of this kind, for such was his nature, he would boast. And I know that on very many occasions he used to weep over people who were in straits and difficulties, and who were living in poverty, and he would give them whatsoever he possessed, with the exception of his body only, which he was unable to give. Now I have seen him very many times weeping over a man who had been caught in a snare, and had fallen into sin, but through his tears he made him to become penitent, and to repent of his sin. This brother swore unto me once, saying, " I made supplication unto God that I would never make my- " self pleasing unto any man, especially the rich folk of the "world, and the liars, lest they might give me whatsoever "I had need of."
Now it is sufficient for me that I have been held worthy to set down completely in writing, and to make mention of the man who, by the grace of God, was able to make perfect all these things. Behold the summary [of the contents] of the book hath been written above.
1bere enfcetb tbe Second part of tbe IFMstories of tbe fbolp f atbers, wbicb were compiled b$ tbe biessefc Btsbop pallafctus, [ant) fceWcateo] to Xausus tbe pre= feet. (Blorp be to tbe ffatber, ant> to tbe Son, anfc to tbe 1bolp (Sbost, for ever! Hmen.
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