BOOK 1
Concerning the Fathers’ [spiritual] Progress

LIBELLUS PRIMUS.
De profectu Patrum. ^[0855A]

   1.1. Someone inquired of Abba Antony: “What [rules] should I carefully observe so as to please God?” And the old man responded: “Carefully observe what I command you. Wherever you go, keep God always before your eyes; and in [all] that you do, cling to the witness of Sacred Scripture; and from whatever place you take your rest, do not quickly leave. If you carefully observe these three, you will be saved.”

      ⁵⁶² 1. Interrogavit quidam abbatem Antonium  (Ruffin., l. III, n. 108) , dicens: Quid custodiens placebo Deo? Et respondens senex dixit: Quae mando tibi, custodi. Quocunque vadis, Deum semper habe prae oculis tuis: et in his quae agis, adhibe testificationem sanctarum Scripturarum; et in quocunque loco sederis, non cito movearis. Haec tria custodi, et salvus eris.

   1.2. Abba Pambo inquired of Abba Antony: “What should I do?” The old man responded:”Do not be confident in your righteousness; do not anguish over a deed that is past; and be temperate in regard to your tongue and your belly.”

      2. Interrogavit abbas Pambo abbatem Antonium  (Append. Martini, n. 54) , dicens: Quid faciam? Respondit ei senex: Noli esse in tua justitia confidens; neque poenitearis de re transacta, et continens esto linguae tuae et ventris.

   1.3. Saint Gregory said: “God requires these three things of every man who is baptized: namely, true faith kept with the whole soul and strength; temperance of the tongue; and chastity of the body”

      3. Dixit sanctus Gregorius: Quia haec tria exigit  ^[0855B] Deus ab omni homine qui est baptismum consecutus: id est, fidem rectam ex tota anima et virtute, linguae continentiam, et castitatem corporis.

    1.4. Abba Evagrius said: “Some of the fathers said that a dry and not-irregular diet when joined to charity will quickly bring the monk to the haven of impassibility.”

      4. Dixit abbas Evagrius 1 Quia dicebant quidam Patrum quod siccior et non inaequalis2 victus charitati conjunctus, citius introducat monachum in portum impassibilitatis3

   1.5. [Abba Evagrius] also said: “There was a certain monk who was told of his father’s death; but he replied to the one who announced this: ‘Stop blaspheming -  my father is immortal.’”

      5. Iterum dixit: Nuntiata4 est cuidam monacho mors patris sui. Ille autem ait ad eum qui nuntiabat sibi: Desine, inquit, blasphemare; meus enim pater immortalis est.

   1.6. Abba Macarius said to Abba Zachariah: “Tell me, what is the work of a monk?” He said to him: “You ask this of me, father?” And Abba Macarius said to him: “I am certain of you, O son Zachariah; for there is One Who impels me to ask you.” Zachariah said to him: “As far as I know, Father, I consider that anyone who employs subjugation and constraint in whatever concerns him - this one is monk.”

      6. Dixit abbas Macarius abbati Zachariae: Dic mihi, quod est opus monachi? Dixit ei: Me interrogas, Pater? Et dixit ei abbas Macarius: Certus sum de te, fili Zacharia, est enim qui me pulsat ut interrogem  ^[0855C] te. Dixit ei Zacharias: Quantum ad me, Pater, hoc puto quoniam quicunque semetipsum necessitatibus subjecerit atque coegerit, ipse est monachus.

^*   1.7. They said of Abba Theodore (also called “of Pherme”)  that he kept these three verses above many others: namely, to posses nothing, to abstain, and to flee from men.

      7. Dicebant de abbate Theodoro, cui est praenomen de Pherme 5 quia haec tria capitula habuerit supra multos, id est, nihil possidendi, abstinendi, homines fugiendi.

   1.8. Abba John the Short said: “I wish to understand man from [the nature of] all the virtues. Therefore arise each morning at dawn, take up the begin­ning of each virtue and keep God’s commandment: in great patience with fear and  long-suffering; in the love of God; ||| with a firm purpose of soul and body; in deep humility; in patience; in trouble of heart and earnestness of practice; in long prayer, with sorrow of heart; in purity of tongue, and guard of the eyes; in suffering injury without anger; peaceful, and not rendering evil for evil; not looking out for the faults of others, nor puffing up the self; meekly subject to every creature; renouncing material property and the things of the flesh; in crucifixion, struggle, lowliness of spirit, in good will and spiritual abstinence; in fasting, in penitence, in weeping, in the fight against evil; wise and discreet in the judgement; chaste in mind; receiving good with tranquillity; in working with your own hands; in watching in the night; in hunger and thirst, in cold and nakedness, in labours; burying yourself in a tomb as though you were already dead, and every day feeling that death is upon you.”

      8. Dixit abbas Joannes Nanus: Ego volo hominem ex omnibus virtutibus percipere. Itaque per singulos dies surgens mane, de omni virtute sume principium, et mandatum Dei custodi in magna patientia, cum timore et longanimitate, in charitate Dei, cum proposito animae et corporis, et humilitate multa: in patientia, in tribulatione cordis et observationis, in oratione multa et supplicationibus, cum gemitibus; in puritate et  ^[0855D] munditia linguae, et custodia oculorum, injuriam patiens, et non irascens; pacificus, et non reddens malum pro malo; non attendens ad vitia aliorum, neque teipsum exaltans; sed esto subditus et humilior omni creaturae, renuntiando omni materiae corporali, et his quae secundum carnem sunt, in cruciatu, in certamine, in humilitate spiritus, in bona voluntate et abstinentia spirituali; in jejunio, in patientia, in fletu, in certamine pugnae, in discretione judicii, in castitate animi, in perceptione boni cum quiete, et  ^[0856A] opere manuum tuarum; in nocturnis vigiliis, in fame et siti, in frigore et nuditate, in laboribus, includens te sepulcro tanquam jam mortuus, ut videatur tibi esse proxima mors omni die.

   1.9. Abba Joseph of Thebes said: “Three things are honoured in the sight of the Lord. The first is when a man is weak and temptations come upon him, and yet he accepts them with thanksgiving. But the second is when every act a man performs is pure before God and contains nothing human.  And indeed the third is when one places himself in subjection to the commands of a spiritual father, and renounces all self-will.”

      9. Dixit abbas Joseph 6 Thebaeus: Quia tres ordines sunt honorabiles in conspectu Domini. Primus est, quando homo infirmatur, et adjiciuntur ei tentationes, et cum gratiarum actione suscipit eas. Secundus autem est, quando aliquis omnia opera sua facit munda coram Deo, nihil habens humanum. Tertius vero, quando aliquis sedet in subjectione et praeceptis Patris spiritualis, et omnibus propriis renuntiat voluntatibus.

   1. 10. Abba Cassian told of one Abba John, who was leader of a community [and] whose way of life was remarkable. As his death approached he was cheerful with his mind intent upon the Lord; and his brothers standing around him asked for a saying which would outline the way to salvation - a legacy which he could leave to them, by which they might ascend to the perfection which is in Christ. Sighing, he said: “I never did my own will, nor did I ever teach anyone to do something which I myself did not do first.” [Cassian, Inst V,28].

      10. Narravit abbas Cassianus de quodam Joanne abbate, qui erat primus congregationis, quod magnus  ^[0856B] quidem fuerit in vita sua  (Cassian., lib. V Instit., cap. 28) . Hic autem cum moriturus esset et discessurus cum hilaritate et proposito mentis ad Dominum, circumsteterunt eum fratres, rogantes verbum aliquod compendiosum et salutare loco haereditatis sibi ab eodem relinqui, per quod possent ascendere ad perfectionem, quae est in Christo. Ille autem ingemiscens, ait: Nunquam feci propriam voluntatem, nec aliquem docui quidquam, quod ego prius ipse non fecerim.

   1.11. A brother inquired of an old man, saying: “What thing is so good that I ought to do it and live by it?”  | And the old man said: “God alone knows what is good. Yet I have heard that one of the fathers asked the great Abba Nesteros, who was a friend of Abba Antony, and said to him, ‘What good work shall I do?’ And Antony replied, ‘Cannot all works please God equally?  [p.39] Scripture says, Abraham was hospitable and God was with him. And Elijah loved quiet, and God was with him. And David was humble and God was with him. So whatever you find your soul wills in following God’s will, do it, and keep your heart.’ “

      11. Frater interrogavit senem, dicens: Quae res sic bona est, quam faciam, et vivam in ea? Et dixit senex: Deus solus scit, quod bonum est; sed tamen audivi quia interrogavit unus Patrum abbatem Nisteronem magnum, qui erat amicus abbatis Antonii, et  ^[0856C] dixit ei: Quod opus est bonum ut faciam? Et ille respondit ei: Non sunt opera omnia aequalia. Scriptura dicit  (Gen. XVIII) : Quia Abraham hospitalis fuit, et Deus erat cum 563 eo. Et Elias diligebat quietem, et Deus erat cum eo. Et David humilis erat, et Deus erat cum ipso. Quod ergo vides secundum Deum velle animam tuam, hoc fac, et custodi cor tuum.

    1.12. Abba Pastor (or Poeman) said: “To keep watch [over yourself], to reflect upon yourself , and to have discernment - these are the three functions of the soul.”

      12. Dixit abbas Pastor: Quia custodire, et semetipsum considerare, et discretionem habere, haec tria operationes sunt animae.

    1.13. A brother inquired of him: “What should be the way of life of a human being?” The old man responded: “We have seen Daniel, against whom no charge was made except that he offered service to God.”

      13. Frater quidam interrogavit eum, dicens: Quomodo debet homo conversari? Respondit ei senex: Vidimus Danielem, quia non est inventa accusatio ejus, nisi de servitio quod exhibebat Deo suo.

   1.14. The same old man said: “Poverty, tribulation and wise discernment—these are the three parts of the hermit’s life. It is written that there were these three, Noah, Job and Daniel. Noah is the type of those who own nothing, Job of those in tribulation, Daniel of those who judge wisely. If a man has these three qualities, God dwells in him.”

       ^[0856D] 14. Dixit iterum: Quia paupertas, tribulatio, et discretio, hae sunt operationes solitariae vitae  (App. Mart., num. 8, titulo Moysis) . Scriptum est enim  (Ezech. XIV) : Quia si fuerint hi tres viri, Noe, Job, et Daniel: Noe personam habet nihil possidentium, Job autem personam tribulantium, Daniel vero discernentium. Si ergo sunt hae tres actiones in homine, Deus habitat in eo.

   1.15. Abba Poemen said: “If a monk will hate two things, he can be free of this world.” And a brother said: “What are they?” And the old man said: “Bodily comfort and vain-glory.”

      15. Dixit abbas Pastor: Quia si duas res oderit monachus, potest liber esse ab hoc mundo. Et dixit  ^[0857A] frater: Quae sunt istae? Et dixit senex: Carnalem repausationem et vanam gloriam

   1.16. They used to tell of Abba Pambo that in the hour of his death he said to the holy men standing round: “From the time that I came into this lonely place, and built my cell and lived in it, I do not remember having eaten anything which my hands had not worked for, nor repenting of a word spoken until now. And so I go to the Lord, as one who has not yet made a beginning of serving God.”

      16. Dicebant de abbate Pambo  (Ruffin., l. III, n. 160) , quia in ipsa hora qua discedebat ex hac vita, dixit astantibus sibi viris sanctis: Quia ex quo veni in hunc locum solitudinis, et fabricavi mihi cellam, et habitavi, extra laborem manuum mearum non recolo me comedisse panem, neque poenituisse de sermone, quem locutus sum usque in hanc horam. Et sic vado ad Dominum, quomodo qui nec initium fecerim serviendi Deo.

   1.17. Said Abba Sisois: “Be despised: put your self-will behind your back: be free of secular worries—and you shall have rest.”

      17. Dixit abbas Sisois: Esto contemptibilis, et voluptates tuas post tergum tuum projice; et esto liber et securus a saecularibus curis, et habebis requiem.

   1.18. When Abba Chame was dying, he said to his sons: “Do not live with heretics. Do not take notice of judges. And let not your hands be open to acquire, let them be stretched out to give.”

       ^[0857B] 18. Abbas Chame cum esset moriturus, dixit filiis suis: Nolite habitare cum haereticis; neque habeatis notitiam judicum; neque sint manus vestrae apertae ad aliquid congregandum, sed sint magis extensae ad tribuendum.

   1.19. Said a brother to an old man: “How does the fear of God come into the soul?” And the old man said: “If a man has humility and poverty, and will not judge another, then the fear of God comes into him.”

      19. Frater interrogavit senem: Quomodo venit timor Dei in hominem? Et dixit senex: Si habet homo humilitatem et paupertatem, et non judicet alterum, sic venit in eo timor Domini  (Pasch., c. 21, n. 2) .

   1.20. An old man said: “Let fear, and humility, and want of food, and lamentation, abide in you.”

      20. Dixit senex: Timor, et humilitas, et egestas victualium, et planctus maneant in te  (Pasch., c. 21, n. 3) .

   1.21. Some of the old men used to say: “Whatever you hate, do it not to another. If you hate being evil spoken to, do not speak evil to another. If you hate being slandered, do not slander another. If you hate him who tries to make you des­pised, or wrongs you, or takes away what is yours, or any such thing, do not do any such thing to him. If a man can keep this saying, it is enough for his salvation.”

      21. Dicebant ergo quidam senum: Quidquid odio habes, alii ne facias  (Ruffin., l. III, n. 153; Pasch., c. 16, n. 2) . Si odis qui tibi male loquitur, neque tu  ^[0857C] male loquaris de aliquo; si odio habes qui tibi calumniam facit, neque tu facias alicui calumniam; si odio habes qui te in calumniam ducit, aut injuriis appetit, aut aufert quod tuum est, aut aliquid tale facit, tu nihil horum facias cuiquam Qui ergo hoc verbum custodire potest, sufficit ei ad salutem.

   1.22. An old man said: “This is the life of a monk: work, obedience, meditation, not to judge others, not to speak evil, not to murmur. For it is written ‘You who love God, hate evil.’  This is the life of the monk: not to go in with the unrighteous, not to see evil, not to be inquisitive, not to be curious, not to hear gossip: not to use the hands for taking, but for giving: not to be proud in heart or wicked in thought: not to fill the belly: in everything to judge wisely.That is where you find a monk.”

      22. Dixit senex: Vita monachi haec est, opera, obedientia, meditatio, et ut non judicet, aut non obloquatur, aut non murmuret. Scriptum est enim: Qui diligitis Dominum, odite malum  (Psal. XCVI) . Monachi vita haec est, non ingredi cum injusto, neque videre oculis suis mala, neque curiose agere, neque scrutari, neque audire aliena; neque manibus rapere, sed magis tribuere; neque superbire corde;  ^[0857D] neque cogitatione malignari; neque ventrem implere; sed cum discretione omnia agere. Ecce in his est monachus.

   1.23. An old man said: “Ask God to give you heartfelt grief and humility. Look ever on your sins, and judge not another’s. Be subject to all. Be not friends with a woman, or a boy, or a heretic. Be not confident. Control your tongue and belly, and drink no wine. If anyone speaks to you on a matter of controversy, do not argue with him. If he speaks well, say ‘Yes.’ If he speaks ill, say ‘I am ignorant in the matter.’ But argue not with what he has said, and then your mind will be at peace.”

      23. Dixit senex: Roga Deum, ut det luctum in corde tuo et humilitatem; et respice semper in peccatis tuis, et non judices alios; sed esto subjectus omnibus, et ne habeas amicitias cum muliere, neque cum puero, neque cum haereticis. Abscinde a te fiduciam, et retine linguam tuam et ventrem, et abstine a vino. Et si quis loquitur tecum de quacunque causa, noli contendere cum eo. Sed si bene dicit, dic: Etiam. Si autem male, dic ei: Tu scis quod loqueris. Et ne contendas cum eo de his quae locutus est, et tunc erit mens tua pacifica.

BOOK 2
Of quiet

LIBELLUS SECUNDUS.
De quiete. ^[0858A]

   1. Abba Antony said: “Fish die if they are long out of water. So monks who dally long outside their cell or with men of the world, lose their will to solitude. As a fish can only live in the sea, so we must run back to our cells. Perhaps, if we dallied outside, we might lose our inner guard.”

      1. Dixit abbas Antonius: Sicut pisces, si tardaverint in sicco, moriuntur; ita et monachi tardantes extra cellam, aut cum viris saecularibus immorantes, a quietis proposito revolvuntur  (Ruff., l. III, n. 109, nomine Moysis; et in Vita Antonii, cap. 52) . Oportet ergo sicut piscem in mari, ita et nos ad cellam recurrere; ne forte foris tardantes, obliviscamur interioris custodiae.

   2. He also said: “The man who abides in solitude and is quiet, is delivered from fighting three battles—those of hearing, speech and sight. Then he will have but one battle to fight—the battle of the heart.”      

      2. Dixit iterum: Qui sedet in solitudine, et quiescit, a tribus bellis eripitur; id est, auditus, locutionis, et visus; et contra unum tantummodo habebit pugnam, id est, cordis.

   3. When Abba Arsenius was still at the palace, he prayed the Lord saying: “Lord, show me the way to salvation.” And a voice came to him: “Arsenius, run from men and you shall be saved.” He went to become a monk, and again prayed in the same words. And he heard a voice saying: “Arsenius, be solitary: be silent: be at rest. These are the roots of a life without sin”

      3. Abbas Arsenius  (Ruff. l. III, n. 190) , cum adhuc  ^[0858B] esset in palatio, oravit ad Dominum, dicens: Domine, dirige me ad salutem. Et venit ei vox, dicens: Arseni, fuge homines, et salvaberis. Idem ipse discedens ad monachilem vitam, rursum oravit, eumdem sermonem dicens. Audivitque vocem dicentem sibi: Arseni, fuge, tace, quiesce; haec enim sunt radices non peccandi.

   4. Once Theophilus the archbishop of blessed memory came to Abba Arsenius with a judge. And the archbishop, wishing to hear him talk, asked questions. For a short time the old man was silent. Then he replied: “If I tell you anything, will you obey it?” They promised they would obey it. And the old man said to them: “Wheresoever you hear of Arsenius, do not come nigh him.”

      4. Venit aliquando beatae memoriae Theophilus archiepiscopus ad abbatem Arsenium, cum quodam judice  (Ruff., l. III, n. 191) . Et interrogavit 564 senem archiepiscopus, volens audire ab eo sermonem. Paulisper autem tacens senex, postea respondit ad eum, dicens: Et si dixero vobis, custodietis? Illi autem promiserunt se custodire. Et dixit eis senex: Ubicunque audieritis Arsenium, nolite approximare.  ^[0858C]

Another time, the archbishop wanted to see him, but first sent to see if he would open to him. And Arsenius sent a message to him, saying: “If you come, I will open to you. But if I open to you, I open to everyone: and then I shall not abide here any more.” When the archbishop heard this, he said: “If I go to persecute the holy man, I shall go to him no more.”

Alia autem vice volens archiepiscopus videre eum, misit primum videre, si aperiret ei. Et mandavit ei, dicens: Si venis, aperio tibi. Sed si tibi aperuero, omnibus aperio, et tunc jam ultra hic non sedebo. Haec ergo audiens archiepiscopus, dixit: Si eum persecuturus vado, nunquam vadam ad hominem sanctum.

   5. Once Abba Arsenius came to a place where was a bed of reeds, and the reeds were shaken with the wind. And the old man said to the brothers: “What is this rustling?” And they said: “It is the wind in the reeds.” The old man said to them: “Truly, if a man sits in silence and hears the cry of a bird, he will no longer have the same quiet in his heart. How much less can we attain quiet while we listen to the rustle of these reeds?”

      5. Venit aliquando abbas Arsenius in quodam loco, et erat ibi arundinetum, et motum est a vento. Et dixit senex ad fratres: Quis est motus hic? Dicunt ei: Arundines sunt. Dicit eis senex: Vere, quia si quis sedet cum quiete, et audierit vocem avis, non babebit cor ejus eamdem quietem, quanto magis habentes sonum arundinum harum?

   6. They used to say about him that his cell was thirty-two miles away, and that he seldom left it, and his needs were served by others. When all the monks were driven from the place called Scete, he went out weeping, and saying: “The world has lost Rome, and the monks have lost Scete.”

      6. Dicebant autem de eo quia erat cella ejus longe  ^[0858D] in millia triginta duo, et non exibat cito, sed alii ei faciebant ministeria. Quando vero in solitudinem redactus est locus qui vocatur Scythi, exivit plorans et dicens: Perdidit mundus Romam, et monachi Scythi.

   7. Once when Abba Arsenius was staying at Canopus, there came a virgin lady from Rome to see him, very rich and Godfearing. Theophilus, the archbishop, received her. She asked him to arrange with the old man for her to see him. Theophilus went to Arsenius and asked, saying: “A lady has come from Rome, and wants to see you.” The old man would not allow her to come to him. When the lady heard of the refusal, she ordered her beasts to be saddled, and said: “I believe through God’s help I shall see him. In my city of Rome there are many inhabitants: but I have come here to see prophets.”

      7. Sedente eodem abbate Arsenio aliquando in Canopo  (Ruff., l. III, n. 65) , venit una matrona virgo de Roma, dives valde, et timens Deum, ut videret eum, et suscepit eam Theophilus archiepiscopus. Illa autem rogavit eum ut ageret cum sene, ut videret eum. Qui abiens ad eum rogavit, dicens: Aliqua matrona venit de Roma, et vult videre te. Senex vero non acquievit ut veniret ad eum. Cum ergo haec renuntiata fuissent supradictae matronae, jussit sterni  ^[0859A] animalia, dicens: Credo in Deum, quia videbo eum. Sunt enim et in civitate nostra multi homines; sed ego veni prophetas videre.

And when she reached the old man’s cell, by God’s providence he was found outside it. When the lady saw him, she fell at his feet. He helped her up indignantly, and looking at her said: “If you want to see my face, look close: here it is.” But for shame she did not dare to lift her eyes to his face.

Et cum pervenisset ad cellam ejusdem senis, juxta Dei ordinationem inventus est opportune foris cellam senex. Et ut vidit eum supradicta matrona, prostravit se ad pedes ejus. Ille autem levavit eam cum indignatione; et intuens in eam, dixit: Si faciem meam videre vis, ecce vide. Illa autem prae verecundia non consideravit faciem ejus.

And the old man said to her: “Have you not heard what I do? A man’s actions are what you should try to look at. Why have you dared to come all this way across the sea? Do you not know that you are a woman, and ought not to go out at all? Or have you done it to go back to Rome and say to the other women: ‘I have seen Arsenius’?— then you will turn the sea into a highroad for women coming to see me?” She said: “If God will that I return to Rome, I will not let any other woman come here. But pray for me, and ever remember me.”  He replied: “I pray God that he will blot the memory of you from my heart.”

 Et dixit ei senex: Non audisti opera mea? haec enim videre necesse est. Quomodo autem praesumpsisti tantam navigationem assumere? Nescis quia mulier es, et non debes exire quoquam? An ut vadas Romam, et dicas aliis mulieribus: Quia vidi Arsenium, et facias mare viam mulierum venientium ad  ^[0859B] me? Illa autem dixit: Si voluerit me Deus reverti Romam, non permitto aliquam venire huc. Sed ora pro me, et memor esto mei semper. Ille autem respondens dixit ei: Ora Deum ut deleat memoriam tui de corde meo.

When she heard that, she went away troubled. And when she came to Alexandria, she began in her sorrow to be ill of a fever. And the archbishop was told that she was ill, and came to comfort her. And he asked her what was the, matter. She said: “I would I had never come here. I said to the old man, remember me: and he said: ‘I pray God that your memory may be blotted from my heart’—and now I am dying of sorrow.” And the archbishop said to her: “Do you not realize that you are a woman, and the enemy uses women to attack holy men? That is why the old man said what he said. He prays for your soul all the time.”  And so her mind was healed, and she went away happily to her home.

 Quae audiens haec, egressa est turbata. Et cum venisset in civitatem, prae tristitia febrire coepit. Et nuntiatum est archiepiscopo quia infirmaretur; et venit eam consolari, interrogans quid haberet. Illa autem dixit ei: Utinam non pervenissem huc! dixi enim seni: Memor esto mei. Et dixit mihi: Ora Deum ut deleatur memoria tui de corde meo, et ecce ego ipsa prae tristitia morior. Et dixit ei archiepiscopus: Nescis quia mulier es, et inimicus per mulieres sanctos viros impugnat? Propterea hoc dixit senex, nam pro anima tua semper  ^[0859C] orat. Et ita curata est mens ejus. Et discessit cum gaudio ad propria.

   8. Abba Evagrius said: “Cut out of your heart the desire for many things, and so prevent the mind being disturbed, and the quiet wasted.”

      8. Dixit abbas Evagrius: Abscinde a te affectiones multorum, ne mens tua in perturbatione fiat, et quietis dissipet modum.

   9. In Scete a brother went to Abba Moses to ask a word. And the old man said to him: “Go and sit in your cell, and your cell will teach you everything.”

      9. Frater quidam applicuit in Scythi ad abbatem Moysen, petens ab eo sermonem. Et dixit ei senex: Vade et sede in cellula tua, et cella tua docebit te universa

   10. Said Abba Moses: “A man who avoids men is like a ripe grape. A man who companies with men is like a sour grape.”

      10. Dixit abbas Moyses: Homo fugiens hominem similis est uvae maturae; qui autem cum hominibus conversatur, sicut uva acerba est.

   11. Said Abba Nilus: “The arrows of the enemy cannot touch him who loves quiet. But he who moves in a crowd will be often wounded.”

      11. Dixit abbas Nilus: Imperforabilis manet a sagittis inimici, qui amat quietem: qui autem miscetur multitudini, crebra suscipiet vulnera.

   12. Abba Poemen said: “The beginning of evil is to spread the mind.”

          ^[0859D] 12. Dixit abbas Pastor: Initium malorum est distendere mentem.

He said also: “It is good to fly from the things of the body. When a man is engaged in conflict over the body, he is like a man standing on the very edge of a deep pool, into which his enemy can knock him the moment he sees him. But when he has put aside bodily things, he is like a man standing a long way from the pool, where, if the enemy drags him along to throw him in, God will help him while he is being dragged.”

Dicebat iterum: Quia bonum est fugere corporalia. Quando enim est homo juxta corporale bellum, assimilatur viro stanti supra lacum profundissimum, ut qua hora visum fuerit inimico ejus, facile eum deorsum impingat. Si autem a corporalibus longe fuerit, assimilabitur viro longe posito a puteo, ut vel si trahat eum inimicus projicere deorsum, dum eum violenter trahit, Deus ei auxilium dirigit.

   13. Once Abraham, the disciple of Abba Sisois, said to him: “Father, you have grown old. Let us go into the world for a short time.” Abba Sisois said to him: “Yes, provided that we go where there are no women.” The disciple said: “But where is there a place without women, except in the desert?” The old man said: “Then take me to the desert.”

Dicebat aliquando Abraham discipulus abbatis Sisois ad eum: Pater, senuisti, eamus parum juxta mundum. Dicit ei abbas Sisois: Ubi non est mulier, ibi eamus. Dicit ei discipulus ejus: Et ubi est locus  ^[0860A] non habens mulierem, nisi forte in solitudine? Dicit ei senex: Ergo in solitudinem me tolle.

   14. Said the abbess Matrona: “Many people living secluded lives on the mountain have perished by living like people in the world. It is better to live in a crowd and want to live a solitary life than to live a solitary life but all the time be longing for company.”

      14. Dixit abbatissa matrona: Multi in monte positi ea quae popularia sunt agentes, perierunt. Melius est enim ut cum multis sis, et solitariam vitam agas voluntate, quam cum solus sis, esse cum multitudine proposito mentis.

   15. Said an old man: “A monk ought to buy himself quiet, and so be able to despise any bodily expense which may happen.”

      565 15. Dixit senex: Semper debet monachus emere quietem sibi, ut contemnat etiam si corporale contingat evenire dispendium.

   16. This story was told. There were three friends, earnest men, who became monks. One of them chose to make peace between men engaged in controversy, as it is written: “Blessed are the peace-makers.” The second chose to visit the sick. The third chose to be quiet in solitude.Then the first, struggling with quarrelling opponents, found that he could not heal everyone. And worn out, he came to the second who was ministering to the sick, and found him flagging in spirit, and unable to fulfil his purpose. And the two agreed, and went away to see the third who had become a hermit, and told him their troubles. And they asked him to tell them what progress he had made.

      16. Narravit quidam: Quia tres studiosi diligentes se, facti sunt monachi. Et unus ex eis elegit litigantes in pace reducere, juxta illud quod scriptum est: Beati pacifici  (Matth. V) . Secundus vero visitare infirmos. Tertius vero abiit quiescere in solitudine.  ^[0860B] Primus ergo laborans propter lites hominum, non poterat omnes sanare. Et taedio victus, venit ad eum, qui serviebat infirmis, et invenit etiam ipsum animo deficientem, et non praevalentem mandatum perficere. Et concordantes hi duo, abierunt videre illum qui in eremo discesserat, narraveruntque ei tribulationes suas. Et rogaverunt eum, ut dissereret eis quid ipse profecerit.

And he was silent for a little, and poured water into a cup. And he said: “Look at the water.” And it was cloudy. And after a little he said again: “Now look, see how clear the water has become.” And when they leant over the water, they saw their faces as in a glass. And then he said to them: “So it is with the man who lives among men. He does not see his own sins because of the turmoil. But when he is at rest, especially in the desert, then he sees his sins.”

Et reticens paululum, mittit aquam in scyphum, et dicit eis: Attendite in aquam. Et erat turbulenta. Et post modicum rursus dicit: Attendite modo, quomodo limpida facta est aqua. Et cum intenderent in aquam, vident quasi in speculo vultus suos. Et tunc dixit eis: Sic est qui in medio hominum consistit; a turbulentia enim non videt peccata sua: cum autem quieverit, et maxime in solitudine,  ^[0860C] tunc delicta sua conspicit.

BOOK 3
Of compunction

LIBELLUS TERTIUS.
De Compunctione.

   1. It was said concerning Abba Arsenius that all [the days of] his life, while seated and working with his hands, he kept a handkerchief in his breast on account of the tears that so often flowed from his eyes.

      1. Dicebant de abbate Arsenio quia toto tempore vitae suae sedens ad opus manuum suarum, pannum habebat in sinu propter lacrymas quae crebro currebant ex oculis ejus  (Ruff., lib. III, num. 163, 211) .

   2. A brother asked Abba Ammon, saying: “Speak to me a word.” The old man said to him: “Go, and meditate like the criminals in prison. For they keep asking, where is the judge, and when will he come? And because they await him they lament their punishment. The monk ought always to be awaiting ^[p.44] his trial, and to chide his soul, saying: ‘Woe is me, how shall I stand before the judgement seat of Christ? How shall I give an account of my actions?’ If you always meditate like this, you will be saved.”

      2. Frater quidam interrogavit abbatem Ammonem, dicens: Dic mihi aliquod verbum. Dixit ei senex: Vade, et talem fac cogitationem tuam, sicut faciunt iniqui qui sunt in carcere. Illi enim interrogant homines: Ubi est judex, et quando veniet? et in ipsa exspectatione poenarum suarum plorant. Ita et monachus debet semper suspectus esse, et animam suam objurgare, dicendo: Vae mihi, quomodo habeo astare  ^[0860D] ante tribunal Christi; et quomodo habeo ei actuum meorum reddere rationem? Si igitur semper sic meditatus fueris, poteris salvus esse.

   3. Abba Evagrius said: “While you sit in your cell, draw in your mind, and remember the day of your death. And then you will see your body mortifying. Think on the loss, feel the pain. Shrink from the vanity of the world outside. Be retiring, and careful to keep your vow of quiet, and you will not weaken. Remember the souls in hell. Meditate within on their condition, the bitter silence and the moaning, the fear and the strife, the waiting and the pain without relief, the tears that cannot cease to flow. 

      3. Dixit abbas Evagrius: Cum sedes in cella, collige ad te sensum suum, et memor esto diei mortis. Et tunc videbis corporis tui mortificationem. Cogita cladem, suscipe dolorem. Horreat tibi mundi istius vanitas. Esto modestus et sollicitus, ut possis semper in eodem quietis proposito permanere, et non infirmaberis. Memorare etiam eorum qui in inferno sunt. Cogita apud te ipsum quomodo sunt ibi modo animae, et in quam amaro silentio, aut in quo pessimo gemitu, vel in quali metu atque certamine, aut in quali exspectatione et dolore, et sine mitigatione infinitas  ^[0861A] lacrymas habentes animae.

Remember too the day of resurrection, imagine God’s terrible and awful judgement. Bring into your sight the con­fusion of sinners before God and his Christ, before angels and archangels and powers, and all the human race: punishment, everlasting fire, the worm that never dies, the darkness of Tartarus—and above them all the sound of the gnashing of teeth, fearfulness and torments. Bring before your eyes the good laid up for the righteous, their confidence before God the Father and Christ his Son, before angels and archangels and the powers, and all the people: the kingdom of heaven and its gifts, joy and rest.

Sed et diei resurrectionis memor esto, et illud divinum, horrendum, atque terribile imaginare judicium. Adduc ad medium repositam peccatoribus confusionem, quam passuri sunt in conspectu Christi et Dei, et coram angelis et archangelis, potestatibus, et universis hominibus; sed et supplicia omnia, ignem aeternum, vermem immortalem, tartarorum tenebras, et super haec omnia dentium stridores, et timores, et tormenta. Adduc etiam et bona quae sunt justis reposita, fiduciam ante Deum Patrem et Christum ejus Filium, coram angelis et archangelis, et potestatibus, atque omni plebe; regnum coelorum, et dona ejus, gaudium et requiem.

All this remember. Weep and lament for the judgement of sinners, bring to life the grief they suffer; be afraid that you are hurrying towards the same condemnation. Rejoice and exult at the good laid up for the righteous. Aim at enjoying the one, and being far from the other. Do not forget it, whether you are in your cell or abroad. Keep these memories in your mind and so cast out of it the sordid thoughts which harm you.”

Utrorumque horum commemorationem habe apud te, et super judicia quidem peccatorum ingemisce, plora,  ^[0861B] vestire luctuum imaginem, metuens ne et tu ipse in his corruas; super bona vero justis reposita, gaude, exsulta, et laetare. Et his quidem frui festina, ab illis vero effici alienus. Vide ne obliviscaris aliquando, sive intra cellam tuam sis, sive foris alicubi; et memoriam horum ne abjiciat mens tua, ut per haec saltem sordidas et noxias cogitationes effugias.

   4. Abba Elias said : “There are three things I fear: first, when my soul goes forth from my body; second, when I appear before God: third, when sentence is passed on me.”

      4. Dixit abbas Elias: Ego tres res timeo  (Append. Mart., n. 97, tit. Senis) . Unam, quando egressura est anima mea de corpore; aliam quando occursurus sum Deo; tertiam, quando adversum me proferenda est sententia.

   5. Archbishop Theophilus of sacred memory said as he was dying, “Blessed are you, Abba Arsenius, for you have always had this moment before your eyes.”

      5. Sanctae memoriae Theophilus archiepiscopus cum moriturus esset, dixit: Beatus es, abba Arseni, quia semper hanc horam ob oculos habuisti.

   6. There was a story that once when some brothers were eating together at a love-feast, one of the brothers at the table laughed. When Abba John saw it, he wept, and said: “What do you think that brother has in his heart, that he laughed, when he ought rather to weep because he is eating up charity?” ^[p.45]

      ^[0861C] 6. Dicebant fratres quia manducantibus aliquando fratribus in charitate, risit unus frater ad mensam. Et videns eum abbas Joannes, flevit, dicens: Quid putas habet frater iste in corde suo, quia risit, cum debuisset magis flere, quia charitatem manducat.

   7. Abba Jacob said: “Like a lantern lighting a dark little room, the fear of God comes into a man’s heart and lightens it, and teaches him all goodness and the commandments of God.”

      7. Dixit abbas Jacobus: Quia sicut lucerna obscurum cubiculum illuminat, ita timor Dei, si venerit in corde hominis, illuminat eum et docet omnes virtutes et mandata Dei.

   8. Some of the fathers asked Abba Macarius of Egypt: “Why is your body dry, whether you eat or fast?” And the old man said to them: “A wooden poker in a man’s hand which turns over and over the brushwood on the fire, is itself being slowly burnt away. So if a man cleanses his mind in the fear of God the fear of God also consumes his bones.”

      8. Interrogaverunt quidam Patrum abbatem Macarium Aegyptium, dicentes: Quomodo corpus tuum, et quando manducas, et quando jejunas, siccum est? Et dixit eis senex: Sicut lignum in manu hominis, 566 cum quo frutices in igne versantur atque reversantur, semper ab igne consumitur; ita si homo  ^[0861D] mundaverit mentem suam in timore Dei, ipse timor Dei etiam ossa ejus consumit.

   9. Once some old men of Mount Nitria sent to Scete, to ask Abba Macarius the Great to come to them. They sent a message that if he would not come to them, the whole crowd of them would go to him, since they wanted to see him before he passed on to the Lord. When Macarius came to Nitria, the whole congregation assembled in his presence. The elders asked him to speak a word to the brothers. But he shed tears and said: “Let us pray and weep, my brothers, before we go hence to the place where our tears consume our bodies.” And they all wept, and fell on their faces, saying: “Father, pray for us.”

      9. Miserunt aliquando senes de monte Nitriae ad abbatem Macarium in Scythi, rogantes ut veniret ad eos; alioquin sciret omnem multitudinem, si ipse ad eos non veniret, ad ipsum esse venturam, quoniam desiderabant videre eum antequam migraret ad Dominum. Qui cum venisset in montem, congregata est omnis multitudo fratrum ad eum. Rogabant autem eum senes ut faceret verbum ad fratres. Ille autem lacrymans ait: Ploremus, fratres, et producant oculi nostri lacrymas, antequam eamus hinc, ubi lacrymae nostrae corpora comburant. Et fleverunt omnes, et  ^[0862A] ceciderunt proni in faciem, dicentes: Pater, ora pro nobis.

   10. In Egypt once Abba Poemen passed by and saw a woman sitting on a grave and weeping bitterly. And he said: “If all the delights of this world should come, they would not bring her soul out of sorrow. Even so the monk should ever be sorrowful within his heart.”

      10. Praeteriens aliquando abbas Pastor in Aegypto, vidit mulierem in monumento sedentem et flentem amare, et dixit: Si veniant omnia delectabilia mundi hujus, non transferent animam illius a luctu. Ita et monachus debet semper luctum habere in semetipso.

   11 . Another time, he went with Abba Anub to the country of Diolcos. Coming among the tombs they saw a woman striking herself much and weeping bitterly. They stopped and went to her. And when they walked a little further, they met a man and Abba Poemen asked him: “What is the matter with the woman yonder, that she weeps so bitterly?” He said: “Her husband is dead, and her son, and her brother.” And Abba Poemen said to Abba Anub: “I tell you that unless a man mortifies all his self-will and possesses this grief, he cannot be a monk; The whole life and mind of that woman is wrapt up in grief.

      11. Alia vice transibat cum abbate Anub in partibus Diolci, et venientes circa monumenta, viderunt mulierem nimis caedentem se et flentem amare. Qui stantes intendebant in eam. Paululum autem procedentes, occurrerunt cuidam, et interrogavit eum abbas Pastor, dicens: Quid habet mulier ista, quod sic plorat amare? Dixit ei: Mortuus est maritus ejus, et  ^[0862B] filius, et frater. Et respondens abbas Pastor, dixit abbati Anub: Dico tibi, quia nisi homo omnes voluntates carnis suae mortificaverit, et possederit luctum hunc, non potest monachus fieri. Tota enim vita mulieris istius et mens in luctu est.

   12. Abba Poemen said also: “Grief is twofold: it works good and it keeps out evil.”

      12. Dixit iterum abbas Pastor: Luctus duplex est qui operatur, et custodit.

   13. A brother asked him: “What shall I do?” And he said “When Abraham entered the land of promise, he built for him self a grave, and bought the land as a burying-place for his posterity.  And the brother said to him: “What burying-place s meant?” And the old man said: “A place of weeping and sorrowing.”

      13. Frater interrogavit eum  (Append. Mart., n. 34) , dicens: Quid facio? Dicit ei: Quando venit Abraham in terram repromissionis, monumentum sibi comparavit, et per sepulcrum terram in haereditatem percepit. Et dixit ei frater: Quid est sepulcrum? Et dixit senex: Locus flendi et lugendi

   14. Athanasius of holy memory asked Abba Pambo to come down from the desert to Alexandria. When he arrived, he saw a woman that was an actress, and wept. And the bystanders asked him why he wept. And he said: “Two things grieved me. The first was her damnation: the second, that I take less trouble about pleasing God than she takes about pleasing the dregs of mankind.”

      14. Sanctae memoriae Athanasius rogavit abbatem Pambo ut descenderet de eremo ad Alexandriam 1  ^[0862C] qui cum descendisset, vidit ibi mulierem theatricam, et lacrymatus est. Interrogatus autem ab iis qui aderant, quare fuerit lacrymatus, ait: Duae, inquit, res me moverunt. Una de illius perditione; alia, quia ego non habeo tale studium placendi Deo, quale habet ista ut hominibus turpibus placeat.

   15. Abba Silvanus was sitting one day among the brethren, and was seized into a rapture of mind, and fell upon his face. And after a while he rose up and lamented. And the brothers asked him: “What is the matter, Father?” But he was silent and wept. When they pressed him for an answer, he said to them: “I was taken before the judgement seat, and I saw many of our cloth going down to torment, and many of the world going into the kingdom.” And the old man grieved and would not thereafter leave his cell: and if he was forced to go out, he covered his face with his shawl and said: “Why should I have to see the light of this world, wherein nothing is profitable?”

      15. Abbas Silvanus sedens aliquando cum fratribus, factus est in excessu mentis, et cecidit in faciem suam  (Ruff., lib. III, num. 205; Append. Mart., num. 48) . Et post multum surgens plorabat. Et rogaverunt eum fratres, dicentes: Quid habes, Pater? Ille autem tacebat et flebat. Compellentibus autem eum, dixit illis: Ego ad judicium raptus sum, et vidi multos de habitu nostro euntes ad tormenta, et multos saeculares euntes ad regnum. Et lugebat senex, et  ^[0862D] nolebat deinceps exire de cella sua. Sed si exire cogebatur, operiebat capitio faciem suam, dicens: Quid necesse est videre lumen istud temporale, in quo nihil est utile?

   16. Syncletice of holy memory said: “Men endure sore travail and conflict when they are first converted to the Lord, but later thRey have joy unspeakable. They are like men trying to light a fire, the smoke gets into their eyes, their eyes begin to drop tears—but they succeed in what they want. It is written: ‘Our God is a consuming fire’ 4: and so we must kindle the fire of God with tears and trouble.”

      16. Dixit sanctae memoriae Syncletica: Labor est et magnum certamen impiorum qui convertuntur ad Deum, et postea inenarrabile gaudium. Sicut enim qui ignem accendere volunt, prius fumantur, et ex fumi molestia lacrymantur, sicque obtinent quod volunt. Etenim scriptum est: Quia Deus noster ignis consumens est; ita oportet et nos divinum ignem cum lacrymis atque laboribus in nobis ipsis accendere.

   17. Said Abba Hyperichius: “The wakeful monk toils night and day to pray continually: but if he pierces his heart, and lets tears drop, that calls God down from heaven to have mercy.”

      17. Dixit abbas Hyperichius: Nocte et die laborat  ^[0863A] monachus vigilans, in orationibus permanens; pungens autem cor suum producit lacrymas, et celerius provocat Dei misericordiam.

   18. The brothers went to Abba Felix, who had with himJ some men of,the world, and asked him to give them a word. But the old man said nothing. When they went on asking, he said to them: “Do you want to hear a word?” They replied: “Yes, Father.” So the old man said: “I have no word for you now. When an elder is asked to speak, and the brothers do what he tells them, God gives the elder something to say. But now there are brothers who ask for a word, but do not obey the word they hear: and then God takes away his grace from the elder, and he has nothing to say: for he who gives it is not there.” When the brothers heard this, they sighed, and said: “Pray for us, Father.”

      18. Applicuerunt fratres ad abbatem Felicem, habentes secum aliquos saeculares, et rogaverunt eum, ut diceret eis sermonem. Senex autem tacebat. Illis autem diutius rogantibus dixit ad eos: Sermonem vultis audire? Qui responderunt: Etiam, Pater. Dixit ergo senex: Modo non est sermo. Quando autem interrogabantur seniores, et faciebant fratres quae dicebant eis, tribuebat Deus quomodo loquerentur. Nunc autem quoniam interrogant quidam, non autem faciunt quae audiunt, abstulit Deus gratiam a senibus, ut non inveniant quid loquantur, quoniam qui operetur non est. Quae cum audissent fratres, ingemuerunt,  ^[0863B] dicentes: Ora pro nobis, Pater.

   19. It was said of Abba Hor and Abba Theodore, that they were once putting a goatskin over a cell: and then they said to each other: “If God visits us now, what shall we do?” And sadly they left the place in a hurry and went away to their own cells.

      19. Narraverunt de abbate Hor7 Quocirca umbrae virtutum ejus in ventum abierunt.] , et de abbate Theodoro, quia misissent caprinam pellem in cella sua, et dixerunt sibi adinvicem: Si nos visitaverit Deus modo, quid faciemus? Et flentes reliquerunt locum ex lateribus, et sic recesserunt in cellis suis  (Append. Mart., num. 47) .

   20. An old man told this story. A brother wanted to become a monk, and his mother forbade him. But he did not rest from his purpose, and said: “I want my soul to be saved.” She opposed him for a long time. But when she found that she could not stop him, she at last let him go. He went away and became a monk but spent his life carelessly. It happened that his mother died: and a short time after he fell sick of a grievous illness. And in an ecstasy of mind, he found himself taken before the judgement seat, and there he found his mother among the people being judged. When she saw him she was aghast, and said: “How is this, my son? Are you condemned like me to this place? What about the words you used to say: ‘I want my soul to be saved’?”

      20. Narravit quidam senex quod aliquis frater cum converti voluisset, et prohiberet mater sua  (Ruff., lib. III, n. 216) , ille non quiescebat ab intentione sua, dicens: Salvare volo animam 567 meam. Illa vero multum resistens, cum desiderium ejus impedire non posset, postea permisit. Abiens autem factus monachus sub negligentia vitam suam expendit. Contigit autem, ut mater ipsius moreretur; et post tempus aliquantum  ^[0863C] etiam ipse infirmatus est infirmitate magna. Et cum factus fuisset in excessu mentis, raptus est ad judicium, et invenit matrem suam cum his qui judicabantur. Illa autem ut vidit eum, obstupuit, et dixit: Quid est hoc, fili? Et tu in locum hunc condemnatus jussus es venire? Ubi sunt sermones tui, quos loquebaris, dicens: Salvare volo animam meam?

He was confused at her words and made stupid by his sorrow, and stood without being able to say a word to her in reply. But after this vision, he was recovered by God’s mercy from his dangerous illness and restored to health. He meditated on God’s purpose in visiting him. He retired into himself, cut himself off from all company, considered his own salvation, and lamented his earlier neglect in penitence. His purpose was so fixed that many people asked him to spare himself a little, for he might hurt himself by these immoderate lamentations. But he would not be consoled and said: “If I was ashamed by my mother’s taunts, what sort of shame shall I have when Christ and his holy angels look upon me in the day of judgement to condemn me?”

Confusus autem in his quae audierat, ipso dolore stupidus factus est, et stabat non habens quid matri suae respondere posset. Juxta dispensationem autem misericordiae Dei, posteaquam haec vidit, contigit ut repararetur, et evaderet ab instanti infirmitate. Et cogitans apud se, divinitus factam esse hujusmodi visionem, includens se de caetero sedebat, et cogitabat de salute sua, poenitens et plorans de his quae  ^[0863D] egerat sub negligentia prius. Tanta autem erat intentio, ut cum multi eum rogarent indulgere sibi paululum, ne forte laesionem aliquam pateretur de fletu, quem supra modum effundebat, consolari noluit, dicens: Si improperium matris meae sustinere non potui, quomodo Christi et sanctorum angelorum ejus adversum me confusionem potero in die judicii sustinere?

   21. An old man said: “If the souls of men could die of fear at the coming of God after the resurrection, all the world would perish of terror. What shall it be to see the heavens opened, and God revealed in wrath and fury, and the innumerable com­panies of angels, gazing upon the whole human race gathered together? Therefore we ought to live our lives as mcn who must render an account of each action to God.”

      21. Dixit senex: Si possibile esset in adventu Dei post resurrectionem prae timore interire animas hominum, omnis mundus moreretur a terrore atque formidine. Quale est enim videre coelos scissos, et Deum revelatum cum ira et indignatione, et militias innumerabiles angelorum, et totum simul hominum  ^[0864A] genus intendere? Propter quod sic debemus vivere, utpote qui de singulis motibus nostris rationem exigendi simus a Deo.

   22. A brother asked an old man: “Why is my heart hard, and I do not fear God?” The old man said to him: “I think that if a man has reproach in his heart, he will possess fear.” The brother said to him: “What is reproach?” The old man said: “To reprove your soul in all things, saying to it—’Remember that you have to meet God.’ Say also to your soul, ‘What do I want with man?’ I think that if anyone abides in these, the fear of God will come to him.” [p.48]

      22. Frater interrogavit senem  (Pasch., c. 21, num. 4, Append. Mart., num. 22) , dicens: Unde est, abba, cor meum durum, et non timeo Dominum? Dicit ei senex: Puto, quia si homo teneat in corde suo increpationem, possideat timorem. Dicit ei frater: Quid est increpatio? Dixit autem senex: Ut in omni re homo increpet animam suam, dicendo ei: Memor esto quia te oportet Deo occurrere. Dic autem et hoc: Quid volo ego cum homine? Existimo autem, quia si quis in his permaneat, venit et timor Dei.

   23. An old man saw a man laughing, and said to him: “We have to render an account of our whole life before heaven and earth—and you laugh?”

      23. Vidit senex quemdam ridentem, et dicit ei: Coram coeli et terrae Domino rationem totius vitae  ^[0864B] nostrae reddituri sumus, et tu rides?

   24. An old man said: “As the shadow goes everywhere with the body, so we ought to carry penitence and lamentation with us wherever we go.”

      24. Dixit senex: Quemadmodum umbram corporum nostrorum ubique nobiscum circumferimus, sic debemus fletum et compunctionem habere nobiscum ubicunque sumus.

   25. A brother asked an old man: “Abba, speak to me a word.” The old man said to him: “When God struck Egypt, there was not a house that did not mourn.”

      25. Frater interrogavit senem, dicens: Abba, dic mihi aliquod verbum. Dicit ei senex: Quando percussit Deus Aegyptum, non erat domus non habens luctum.

   26. A brother asked another old man: “What must I do?” The old man said to him: “We ought ever to lament.” 

      26. Frater interrogavit alium senem, dicens: Quid facio? Dicit ei senex: Flere debemus semper.

Once one of the elders died, and after several hours recovered consciousness. We asked him: “What did you see there, Abba?” And he told us with sorrow: “I heard there a voice of sadness saying over and over again, ‘Woe is me, woe is me.’ That is what we should ever be saying.”

Contigit enim quemdam senum mori aliquando, et post multam horam iterum in semetipsum reverti. Interrogavimus eum, dicentes: Quid vidisti ibi, abba? Et narravit nobis plorans: Audivi vocem illic  ^[0864C] lugubrem sine cessatione dicentem: Vae mihi, vae mihi. Sic et nos semper dicere debemus.

   27. A brother asked an old man: “I hear the old men weeping, and my soul longs for tears: but they do not come, and my soul is troubled.” And the elder said: “The children of Israel entered the promised land after forty years in the wilderness. Tears are like the promised land. If you have reached them already you will no longer be afraid of the conflict. For thus God wills that the soul be affficted, that it may ever long to enter that country.”

      27. Interrogavit frater quidam senem, dicens: Quomodo desiderat anima mea lacrymas, sicut audio senes lacrymantes, et non veniunt, et tribulant animam meam? Et dixit senex: Filii Israel post quadraginta annos intraverant in terram repromissionis. Lacrymae igitur sunt sicut terra repromissionis, ad quas si perveneris, jam non timebis bellum. Ita enim vult Deus affligi animam, ut semper desideret ingredi in terram illam.