BOOK 16
Of patience

16. Περὶ ἀνεξικακίας

LIBELLUS DECIMUS SEXTUS.
De patientia.

1 . The brothers said that Abba Gelasius had a parchment book worth eighteen shillings, containing the whole of the Old and New Testament. The book was put in the church, so that any monk who wished could read it. But a travelling monk came to visit the old man: and when he saw the book, he coveted it, stole it, and went away. The old man, though he knew who the thief was, did not give chase or try to catch him. The thief went to a city and looked for a buyer. He found a man who wanted it, and began by asking him sixteen shillings for it. The man, who wished to beat him down, said: “First give it to me so that I may show it to someone and get advice, and then I will pay your price.” So the monk gave him the book for this purpose. He took the book to Abba Gelasius to discover whether it was a good bargain and worth this high price. He told Abba Gelasius the price that the seller was asking. The old man said: “Buy it. It is a good bargain, and worth that price.” So he went back to the seller, but instead of doing what the old man had told him, he said: “Look, I showed this book to Abba Gelasius, and he told me it was too highly priced, and not worth what you said.” The thief said: “Did the old man tell you nothing else?” He answered: “Nothing.” Then the thief said: “Now I do not want to sell the book.” Stricken in heart, he went to the old man, did penance, and asked him to take the book back. The old man did not want to accept it. Then the monk said: “Unless you take it back, I cannot have peace of mind.” And the old man said: “If you cannot have peace of mind unless I take it back, I will take it back.” And the brother remained with the old man until his death, and made progress by learning from his patience.

1. Dicebant fratres de abbate Gelasio, quia habuerit Codicem in membranis valentem solidos decem et octo  (Ruff., l. III, n. 30, nomine Anastasii) . Continebat vetus et novum Testamentum totum; et positus erat Codex ipse in ecclesia, ut qui vellet de fratribus legeret. Superveniens autem quidam frater peregrinus applicuit ad senem, et videns Codicem illum concupivit eum, et furatus eum exivit atque discessit. Senex vero non est secutus post eum ut comprehenderet eum, utpote qui intellexerat quod fecerat. Ille autem pergens in civitatem, quaerebat cui venderet eum. Et cum invenisset qui volebat  ^[0969D] emere, coepit solidos sedecim pretium ejus postulare. Ille vero volens comparare eum, dixit: Da mihi primum ut ostendam eum, et sic tibi pretium dabo. Dedit ergo ille Codicem ad ostendendum. Quem accipiens ille qui emere cupiebat, attulit eum ad abbatem Gelasium, ut probaret si bonus Codex esset, aut si tantum valeret. Dixerat enim ei et quantitatem, quam venditor postulabat. Et dixit senex: Eme illum, quia bonus Codex est, et valet pretium quod dixit tibi. Ille autem veniens dixit venditori aliter, et non sicut audierat a sene, dicens: Ecce ostendi illum abbati Gelasio, et dixit mihi quia charus est, et non valet quantum dixisti. Ille hoc audiens dixit ei: Nihil aliud tibi dixit senex? Et respondit: Nihil. Tunc  ^[0970A] dicit ei: Jam nolo vendere Codicem istum. Compunctus autem venit ad senem poenitentiam agens, et rogans eum ut reciperet Codicem, senex autem nolebat accipere eum. Tunc dixit ei frater: Quia si non recipis eum, non possum securus esse. Et dixit ei senex: Si non potes esse securus nisi recipiam, ecce recipio eum. Et remansit frater ille apud eum usque ad exitum suum, proficiens de patientia senis.

2. At a meeting of the hermits in Cellia, an Abba Evagrius spoke. And the priest there said: “Abba Evagrius, we know that if you were in your own country, perhaps you would already be a bishop, and ruling over many souls. Here you are like a stranger.” Evagrius was stricken in heart at the words: but, serenely and without haste, he bent his head, looked at the ground, wrote in the dust with his finger, and said: “Truly, Fathers, it is so. But, as it is written, I have spoken once: and I will no more answer.”69

2. Factus est aliquando conventus in Cellis pro causa quadam, et locutus est quidam abbas Evagrius, et dixit ei presbyter monasteriorum: Scimus, abba Evagri, quia si esses in patria tua, forte aut episcopus fueras, aut multorum caput; nunc autem hic velut peregrinus es. Ille vero compunctus, non quidem turbulenter aliquid respondit, sed moveos caput,  ^[0970B] respiciensque in terram, digito scribebat, et dixit eis: Revera ita est, Patres: verumtamen semel locutus sum, in Scripturis vero secundo nihil adjiciam.

3. The brothers surrounded Abba John the Short when he was sitting in front of the church, and each of them asked him about their thoughts. Another old man flared up in envy at the sight, and said: “Abba John, your cup is full of poison.” And Abba John answered: “Yes, Father, it is. But you have said this when you can only see the outside—what would you say if you saw the inside?”

3. Sedente aliquando abbate Joanne Brevi ante ecclesiam, circumdederunt eum fratres, exquirentes ab eo singuli de cogitationibus suis  (Ruff., l. III, n. 92) . Quidam autem senex hoc videns, accensus invidia dixit ei: Suriscula tua, abba Joannes, veneno est plena. Et respondit ei abbas Joannes: Ita est, abba. Hoc autem dixisti, quia ea quae sunt foris tantummodo vides; si autem videres quae intro sunt, quid esses dicturus?

4. John the Less of the Thebaid, a disciple of Abba Ammonius, was said to have lived for twelve years ministering to an old man who was ill, and sitting on a mat near him. But the old man was always cross with him; and although John worked a long time for him, he never said: “May it be well with you.” But when the old man was on his death-bed, in the presence of the elders of the place, he held John’s hand and said: “May it be well with you, may it be well with you.” And the old man commended John to the old men, saying: “This is an angel, not a man.”

4. Dicebant de Joanne Minore de Thebaida, qui fuit discipulus abbatis Ammonii, quia duodecim annos  ^[0970C] fecerit in ministerio, serviens seni in infirmitate ejus, et posthaec sedebat super mattam; senex vero contristabatur pro eo  (Ruff., l. III, n. 155; Pasc., c. 19, n. 2) . Et dum multum laborasset cum eo, nunquam dixit ei: Sanus esto. Quando autem jam moriturus erat, residentibus senibus loci, tenuit manum ejus, et dixit: Sanus sis, sanus sis, sanus sis, Et tradidit 631 eum senibus, dicens: Hic angelus est, non homo.

5. They said of Abba Isidore, the priest in Scete, that if anyone had a monk sick, or weak, or insolent, and wanted to drive him out, he would say: “Bring him to me.” And he took him, and cured the soul by his patience.

5. Dicebant de abbate Isidoro, qui erat presbyter in Scythi, quia si quis habuisset fratrem infirmum, aut pusillanimem, aut injuriosum, et volebat eum expellere foris, ille dicebat: Adducite eum ad me. Et apprehendens eum, patientia sua curabat animum fratris illius.

6. Abba Macarius, when in Egypt, found a man who had brought a beast to his cell and was stealing his possessions. As though he was a traveller, who did not live there, he went up to the thief and helped him to load the beast, and peaceably led him on his way, saying to himself: “We brought nothing into this world; 70 but the Lord gave: as he willed, so it is done: blessed be the Lord in all things.”

 ^[0970D] 6. Abbas Macarius, in Aegypto positus  (Ruff., lib. III, n. 73, Pasch. c. 3, n. 1) , invenit hominem qui adduxerat animal, et rapiebat quae habebat; ipse vero ut peregrinus astitit furi, et adjuvabat eum ad animal carricandum, et cum omni quiete deduxit eum, dicens in semetipso: Nihil intulimus in hunc mundum, sed Dominus dedit; sicut voluit ipse, ita factum est: benedictus in omnibus Dominus  (I Tim. VI) .

7. At a meeting of monks in Scete, the old men wanted to test Abba Moses. So they poured scorn on him, saying: “Who is this blackamoor that has come among us?” Moses heard them, but said nothing. When the meeting had dispersed, the men who had given the insults, asked him: “Were you not troubled in your heart?” He answered: “I was troubled, and I said nothing.”

7. Facta aliquando congregatione fratrum in Scythi, cum voluissent senes probare abbatem Moysen, contempserunt eum, dicentes: Ut quid iste Aethiops venit in medio nostrum? Ille autem audiens, tacuit. Cum vero dimissus fuisset conventus, dixerunt ei hi  ^[0971A] qui eum injuriose tractaverant: Nec modo non es turbatus? Et ille respondit: Turbatus sum, et non sum locutus  (Psal. LXVII) .

8. Paysius, the brother of Abba Poemen, loved a monk of his cell. Abba Poemen did not like it. So he rose and fled to Abba Ammonas, and said to him: “My brother Paysius loves some people and I do not like it.” Abba Ammonas said to him: “Abba Poemen, are you still alive? Go sit in your cell, and put it in your heart that you have been already a year in your grave.”

8. Paysitis frater abbatis Pastoris habuit affectum cum quodam monacho ex cella sua; abbas autem Pastor nolebat hoc: qui consurgens fugit ad abbatem Ammonam, et dicit ei: Frater meus Paysius habet cum quibusdam affectum, quod ego non libenter fero. Dixit autem ei abbas Ammonas: Abba Pastor, adhuc vivis? Vade in cellam tuam, et pone in corde tuo, quia annum jam habes in sepulcro.

9. Abba Poemen said: “Whatever travail comes upon you shall be overcome by silence.”

9. Dixit abbas Pastor: Omnis labor quicunque evenerit tibi, ex taciturnitate superabitur.

10. A brother who was hurt by another brother went to the Theban Abba Sisois and said: “I want to avenge myself on a brother who has hurt me.” The old man begged him: “Don’t, my son: leave vengeance in the hands of God.” But he said: “I cannot rest until I avenge myself.” The old man said: “My brother, let us pray.” The old man stood up and said: “O God, we have no further need to think of thee, for we take vengeance of ourselves.” The brother heard it and fell at the old man’s feet, saying: “No longer will I quarrel with my brother: I beg you to forgive me.”

10. Quidam frater laesus ab alio fratre, venit ad abbatem Sisoi Thebaeum, et dicit ei: Laesus sum a  ^[0971B] quodam fratre, et volo me vindicare  (Ruff., l. III, n. 77; Pasch., c. 7, n. 1) . Senex autem rogabat eum, dicens: Noli, fili; sed dimitte magis Deo vindictam. Ille autem dicebat: Non quiesco donec meipsum vindicavero. Dixit autem senex: Oremus, frater. Et surgens dixit senex: Deus, jam te opus non habemus cogitare de nobis, quoniam nos ipsi vindictam nostram facimus. Hoc autem audiens frater, cecidit ad pedes illius senis, dicens: Jam non contendo cum fratre illo, sed, rogo, ignosce mihi.

11. A man who saw a religious person carrying a corpse on a bed, said: “Are you carrying dead men? Go and carry the living.”

11. Quidam videns quemdam religiosum portantem mortuum in lecto, dicit ei: Mortuos portas? Vade, viventes porta.

12. They said of a monk, that the more bitterly anyone injured or assailed him, the more he was well-disposed to him; for he said: “People like this are a means to cure the faults of serious men. People who make them happy, do their souls harm. For it is written: ‘They that call thee blessed, deceive thee.’ “

12. Dicebant de quodam monacho, quia quantum eum injuriis quis appetisset aut exacerbasset  (Ruff.,  ^[0971C] l. III, n. 80; Pasch., c. 7, n. 4) , tanto magis ille ad eum concurrebat, dicens: Quia hujusmodi homines causa corrigendi fiunt his qui in conversatione studiosi sunt. Nam qui eos beatificant, magis confundunt animas eorum. Scriptum est enim: Quai qui beatificant vos, seducunt vos  (Isaiae III) .

13. Some robbers once came to the hermitage of an old man and said: “We have come to remove everything in your cell.” And he said: “Take what you see, my sons.” So they took what they found in the cell, and went away. But they missed a little bag which was hidden in the cell. The old man picked it up, and gave chase, shouting out: “My sons, you missed this—take it.” They admired his patience and restored everything, and did penance to him: and said to each other: “Truly this is a man of God.”

13. Venerunt aliquando latrones in monasterium senis  (Prat. spirit. c. 212) , et dixerunt ad eum: Omnia quae in cella tua sunt tollere venimus. Et ille dixit: Quantum vobis videtur, filii, tollite. Tulerunt ergo quodcunque invenerunt in cella, et abierunt. Obliti sunt autem ibi saccellum, quod erat absconditum in cella. Senex vero tollens eum, secutus est post eos, clamans et dicens: Filii, tollite quod obliti estis in cella. Illi vero admirantes patientiam senis,  ^[0971D] retulerunt omnia in cella ejus, et poenitentiam egerunt omnes, ad invicem dicentes: Hic vere homo Dei est.

14. Some brothers came to a holy old man who lived in the desert; and outside the hermitage they found a boy tending the sheep and using ill-mannered words. After they had told the old man their thoughts and profited from his reply, they said: “Abba, why do you allow those boys to be here, and do not order them to stop hurling abuse at each other?” The old man said: “Believe me, my brothers, there are days when I want to order them, but I stop myself; saying, If I cannot put up with this little thing, how shall I put up with a serious temptation, if God ever lets me be so tempted? So I say nothing to the}n, and try to get a habit of enduring whatever happens.”

14. Fratres quidam venerunt ad senem quemdam sanctum in deserto loco sedentem, et invenerunt foris extra monasterium puerum pascentem pecora, et loquentem verba quae non decebat  (Ruff., l. III, n. 91) . Postquam autem viderunt senem, et indicaverunt ei cogitationes suas, et de responsione ejus se profecisse senserunt, dicunt ei: Abba, quomodo acquiescis habere tecum pueros istos, et non praecipis eis ne strinientur [(44) ^[0990D] ? Et dixit senex: Credite mihi, fratres, dies habeo, ex quo volo eis praecipere, et redarguo meipsum, dicens: Si hoc parum non portavero,  ^[0972A] quomodo majorem tentationem, si permiserit mihi Deus inferri, portare possum? Et propterea nihil eis dico, ut fiat consuetudo portandi quae superveniunt

15. There was a story that an old man had a little boy living with him. And seeing him doing some unsuitable work, he said: “Don’t do that.” The child disobeyed him. The old man, observing him to be disobedient, washed his hands of his upbringing, and let him do as he liked. But for three days the boy kept shut the door of the room with the bread and let the old man go without food. The old man did not say: “Where are you?” or “What are you doing out there?” A neighbour of the old man saw that the boy was late in bringing food; he made a little stew, and passed it to him through a hole in the wall of the cell, and asked him to eat. And he said to the old man: “Why is that disciple of yours so long away?” The old man said: “When he has leisure, he will come back.”

15. Narraverunt de sene quodam, quia habuerit puerulum cohabitantem secum; et videns eum, quia fecerit opus quod non expediebat ei, dixit ei semel: Non facias hanc rem. Et ille non obedivit ei. Hoc autem senex videns, abjecit de cogitatione sua curam illius, jactans proprium judicium super ipsum; puer vero clausit ostium cellae, in qua erant panes, per tres dies, et dimisit senem jejunum, et non dixit ei senex: Ubi es, aut quid facis foris? Habebat autem vicinum senex: qui cum agnovisset, quia tardaret puerulus ille, fecit modicum pulmentum, et  ^[0972B] dabat ei per parietem, et rogabat ut gustaret, et dicebat seni: Quid tardat frater ille foris? Senex vero dicebat. Quando ei vacaverit, revertetur.

16. There was a story that some philosophers once came to test the monks. One of the monks came by dressed in a fine robe. The philosophers said to him: “Come here, you.” But he was indignant, and insulted them. Then another monk came by, a good person, a Libyan by race. They said to him: “Come here, you wicked old monk.” He came to them at once, and they began to hit him: but he turned the other cheek to them. Then the philosophers rose and did homage to him, saying: “Here is a monk indeed.” And they made him sit down in their midst, and asked him: “What do you do in this desert more than we do? You fast: and we fast also. You chastise your bodies and so do we. Whatever you do, we do the same.” The old man answered: “We trust in God’s grace, and keep a watch on our minds.” They said; “That is what we cannot do.” And they were edified, and let him go.

16. Narraverunt aliqui quia philosophi quidam aliquando voluerunt probare 632 monachos, et venit unus transiens stola indutus et bene vestitus  (Ruff., l. II, n. 74; Pasch., c. 3, n. 2) . Et dixerunt ei philosophi: Tu veni huc. Ille vero indignatus, injuriis aggressus est eos. Transiit et alter unus monachus magnus, rusticus genere; et ipsi dixerunt ei: Tu, monache male senex, veni huc. Ille vero cursim venit. Et coeperunt ei alapas dare; ille autem convertit eis aliam maxillam. Statim vero illi surrexerunt philosophi, et adoraverunt eum, dicentes: Vere ecce monachus. Et fecerunt eum sedere in medio  ^[0972C] sui, et interrogaverunt eum, dicentes: Quid est quod plus facitis de nobis in solitudine ista? Jejunatis, et nos jejunamus; et castigatis corpora vestra, et nos castigamus; sed et quidquid facitis, etiam et nos facimus. Quid ergo plus facitis a nobis sedentes in eremo? Respondit eis senex: In gratia Dei speramus nos, et mentem nostram custodimus. Et illi dixerunt ei: Nos hoc custodire non possumus. Et aedificati dimiserunt eum.

17. An old man, who had a proved disciple, once turned him out in a fit of irritation. The disciple sat down outside to wait: and the old man found him there when he opened the door, and did penance to him, saying: “You are my Father, because your humility and patience have conquered the weak­ness of my soul. Come inside: now you are the old father, and I am the young disciple: my age must give way to your conduct.”

17. Senex quidam erat habens probatum discipulum, quem aliquando contristatus expulit foras. Ille vero discipulus exspectabat sedens foris; et aperiens senex invenit eum, et poenitentiam egit apud eum senex, dicens: Tu Pater meus es, quia humilitas et patientia tua vicit pusillanimitatem animi  ^[0972D] mei. Veni intus, amodo enim tu senex et Pater, ego autem juvenis et discipulus, quoniam opere tuo superasti meam senectutem.

18. One of the old men said that he had heard holy men say that there are young men who show old men how to live: and they told this story. There was a drunken old man, who wove a mat a day, sold it in the next village, and drank as much as he could with the money. Then a monk came to live with him, and also wove a mat a day. The old man took this mat as well, sold it, bought wine with the price of both, and brought back to the monk only a little bread for the evening meal. Though this went on for three years, the brother said nothing. At the end of three years the monk said to himself: “Here am I, with little enough bread and nothing else, I will go away.” But then he had second thoughts, and said to himself “Where can I go? I will stay here, and for God’s sake continue with this common life.” And immediately an angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said: “Don’t go away, we shall come for you tomorrow.” That day the monk begged the old man: “Don’t go anywhere: today they will come to take me away.” At the time when the old man usually went out to the village, he said to the monk: “They will not come today, my son: it is already late.” The monk used every argument to show that they would come: and even while he was talking, he slept in peace. The old man wept, and said: “I am sorrowful, my son, that I have lived in neglect for so many years, and you through patience have saved your soul in so short a time.” And thence­forward the old man became sober and serious.

18. Dicebat quidam senum quod audierit aliquos viros sanctorum dicere esse juvenes qui ducatum praebeant senibus in vita hac, et narraverunt, dicentes: Quia erat quidam ebriosus senex, et operabatur unam mattam in die, et vendebat eam in vicino vico, et bibebat quod accipiebat de pretio ejus. Postea vero venit ad eum quidam frater, et manebat cum ipso, qui similiter operabatur et ipse mattam unam: tollebat autem eam senex et vendebat, et ambarum mattarum pretium expendebat in vino, illi autem fratri efferebat tantummodo modicum panem ad seram.  ^[0973A] Et cum hoc triennio jugiter faceret, nihil locutus est frater ille. Posthaec vero dixit frater ille in semetipso: Ecce nudus sum, et panem cum egestate comedo, surgam ergo et discedam hinc. Iterum autem cogitavit in semetipso, dicens: ubi habeo ire? Sedeo hic; ego enim propter Deum sedeo in hac vita communi. Et statim apparuit ei angelus Domini, dicens: Nusquam discedas, veniemus enim cras ad te. Et rogavit frater ille senem illum ipsa die, dicens: Non discedas hinc alicubi, quia venient hodie mei tollere me. Cum ergo facta fuisset hora qua solebat senex descendere ad vicum, dixit fratri: Non venient hodie, fili; jam enim tarde est. Et ille dixit ei modis omnibus, quia venient: et dum cum eo loqueretur, dormivit in pace; senex autem fiebat, dicens:  ^[0973B] Heu me, fili, quia multis annis sub negligentia vivo, tu autem in parvo tempore salvasti animam tuam per patientiam. Et ex illo die factus est senex sobrius et probatus.

19. A brother who lived near a great old man, is said to have entered his cell from time to time and stolen the contents. Though the old man saw him, he did not abuse him, but struggled to produce more than usual, saying: “I believe that brother is in need.” And while he worked harder than usual, he tightened his belt and ate less. When the old man was on his death-bed, the brothers stood round him. And he looked at the thief, and said: “Come here and touch me.” And he grasped his hand and kissed it, saying: “I thank these hands of yours, my brother: it is because of them that I go to the kingdom of heaven.” The thief was stricken with remorse and did penance: and he became a true monk, and followed the example of that great old man.

19. Dicebant de quodam fratre, qui seni cuidam magno vicinus erat, quia ingrederetur, et raperet quidquid haberet senex in cella sua  (Ruff., l. III, n. 74; Pasch., c. 3, n. 2) . Videbat autem eum senex, et non objurgabat eum, sed extorquebat sibi plus solito manibus operari, dicens: Credo, opus habet frater iste. Et exigebat a se majorem solito laborem; et astringebat ventrem suum, ut cum indigentia comederet panem. Cum autem mori coepisset senex ille, circumsteterunt eum fratres. Et respiciens in eum qui furabatur, dixit ei: Junge te huc ad me.  ^[0973C] Et tenuit et osculatus est manus ejus, dicens: Gratias ago istis manibus, frater, quia propter istas vado in regno coelorum. Ille autem compunctus et poenitentiam agens, factus est etiam ipse probatus monachus, exemplum sumens de actibus magni illius senis [1 ^[0973]

20. There was a harlot named Thais, so beautiful that for her sake many people impoverished themselves. Her lovers used always to be quarrelling, and several young men spilt their blood on her doorstep. When Abba Paphnutius heard of it, he took a secular dress and a gold shilling, and set out to see her in one of the cities of Egypt. He gave her his gold shilling for the price of her sin; she accepted it, and said: “Let us go into the house.” As he was about to lie on the bed, which was strewn with costly coverlets, he beckoned her and said: “If there is an inner room, let us go into it.” She said: “There is an inner room. But if you are frightened of men, no one comes into this outer room. If you are frightened of God, you cannot escape his eye any­where.” To this the old man said: “Do you know about God?” She answered: “I know about God, and the kingdom of the next world, and the future torment for sinners.” He said: “If you know this, why have you destroyed so many souls, and therefore will have to give account for theirs as well as your own?” When Thais heard this, she fell down at Paphnutius’ feet, weeping: and said: “Lay a penance upon me, father. I trust with your prayers to win forgiveness. Let me have three hours’ grace, and I will come wherever you command and do what­ever you tell me.” When Abba Paphnutius had appointed her a place to meet, she collected all the presents she had won by her sins. She took them into the city square and publicly burnt them, crying: “Come, all you people who have sinned with me, see how I am burning your presents.” The value of the pile was forty pounds. When she had burnt it all, she went to the appointed place. He found for her a hermitage for maidens, and put her in a 72 A later addition: found in none of the manuscripts. little cell. He sealed the door, and left a little window through which she could receive food, and told the sisters of the convent to bring her a little bread and water every day. When Paphnutius had sealed the door and was going away, Thais said to him: “Where, father, would you have me pour my water?” And he said: “In the cell, you are worthy.” Then she asked him how to pray to God. He said: “You are not worthy to have God’s name on your lips, nor to stretch out your hands towards heaven; for your lips are full of wickedness and your hands polluted. You must simply sit down, look towards the east, and say this prayer again and again: ‘Thou who hast fashioned me, have mercy upon me.’ “After she had been shut there for three years, Abba Paphnutius was moved with sympathy, and went to see Abba Antony, to ask him whether God had forgiven her sins or not. Abba Antony, learning all the circumstances, summoned his disciples and told them to watch all night, and persevere in earnest prayer that God would declare to one of them the answer for which Abba Paphnutius had come. They all went apart, and prayed continually: and Abba Paul, the chief disciple of Saint Antony, suddenly saw a bed in heaven covered with precious coverlets, and guarded by three maidens whose faces shone. Paul said to himself: “This is the gift of none but my father Antony.” And a voice came to him: “It is not the gift of your father Antony, but of the harlot Thais.”Abba Paul told what he had seen: and Abba Paphnutius recognized the will of God, returned to the hermitage where Thais was shut, and broke the seals on the door. She asked him to let her stay shut in. But he opened the door, and said: “Come out, for God has forgiven your sins.” She answered: “I call God to witness that from the time I came here I have kept my sins in my mind’s eye like a burden, and I have kept weeping at the sight of them.” Abba Paphnutius said: “God has forgiven you, not for your penitence, but because you always kept in your mind the thought of your sins.” And he brought her out: and she lived for only fifteen days, and died in peace.

Hic in editis sequebatur n. 20, de Thaisi meretrice; sed eam habes lib. I inter Vitas.] .

BOOK 17
Of charity

17. Περὶ ἀγάπης

LIBELLUS DECIMUS SEPTIMUS.
De charitate.

1. Abba Antony said: “Now I do not fear God, but I love him: for love casts out fear.” (I John 4:18)

1. Dixit abbas Antonius: Ego jam non timeo Deum, sed amo, quia amor foras misit timorem  (I Joan. IV) .

2. He also said: ‘;From our neighbour are life and death. If we do good to our neighbour, we do good to God: if we cause our neighbour to stumble, we sin against Christ.”

2. Dixit iterum: Quia de proximo est vita et mors; si enim lucremur fratrem, lucrabimur Deum; si autem scandalizamus fratrem, in Christo peccamus.

3. Abba Ammon of Nitria came to Abba Antony, and said to him: “I see that I endure more than you: how is it that your reputation is great among men?” And Abba Antony said: “It is because I love God more than you do.”

3. Abbas Ammon de loco Nitrionis, venit ad abbatem  ^[0973D] Antonium, et dixit ei: Video quia majorem laborem quam tu sustineo, et quomodo nomen tuum magnificum est in hominibus super me? Et dixit ei abbas Antonius: Quoniam et ego diligo Deum plus quam tu.

4. Abba Hilarion once came from Palestine to Abba Antony on the mountain: and Abba Antony said to him: “Welcome, morning star, for you rise at break of day.” And Abba Hilarion said: “Peace to you, pillar of light, for you prop up the earth.”

4. Venit aliquando abbas Hilarion de Palaestina ad abbatem Antonium in montem, et dicit ei abbas Antonius: Bene venisti, Lucifer, qui mane oriris. Et dixit abbas Hilarion: Pax tibi, columna lucis, quae sustines orbem terrarum.

5. Abba Mark said to Abba Arsenius: “Why do you run away from us?” The old man said: “God knows I love you. But I cannot be with God and with men. The countless hosts of angels have but a single will, while men have many wills. So I cannot let God go, and come and be with men.”

5. Dixit abbas Marcus abbati Arsenio: Quare nos fugis? Et dicit ei senex: Scit Deus, quia diligo vos; sed non possum esse cum Deo et cum hominibus;  ^[0974A] superiorum 633 enim virtutum millia et millium millia unam voluntatem habent, homines autem multas voluntates. Non possum ergo dimittere Deum, et venire, et esse cum hominibus.

6. Abba Agatho said: “I never went to sleep intentionally while I kept a grudge against anyone. Nor did I let anyone go away to sleep while he had a grievance against me.”

6. Dixit abbas Agathon: Quai secundum voluntatem meam nunquam dormivi, retinens in corde adversus quemquam dolorem, neque dimisi dormire alium habentem adversum me aliquid  (Ruff., l. III, n. 95) .

7. Once when Abba John was going up from Scete with other monks, their guide missed his way in the night. The brothers said to Abba John: “What are we ta do, Abba, to prevent ourselves dying in the desert, now that this brother has missed the way?” The old man said: “If we say anything to him, he will be grieved. Look, I will pretend I am worn out, and say I cannot walk, and will lie here till daylight.” And they did so. The others said: “We will not go on, but will stay with you here.” They stayed there until daybreak, so that they should not abuse the monk who had wrongly guided them.

7. Ascendente aliquando de Scythi abbate Joanne cum aliis fratribus, erravit, qui eis ducatum praebebat, in via; erat enim nox. Et dixerunt fratres abbati Joanni: Quid facimus, abba, quia erravit frater iste de via, ne forte moriamur errantes? Et dixit eis senex: Si dixerimus ei aliquid, contristabitur. Sed  ^[0974B] ecce facio meipsum quasi defectum, et dico me non posse ambulare, sed jaceo hic usque mane. Et fecerunt sic. Sed et residui dixerunt: Nec nos ibimus, sed sedebimus tecum; et sederunt usque mane, ne objurgarent fratrem illum.

8. Before Abba Poemen went to Egypt, there was an old man there with a great reputation. But when Abba Poemen came up from Scete with his monks the people left this old man in favour of Abba Poemen. The old man was jealous, and spoke ill of them. When Poemen heard this, he was sad, and said to his monks: “What shall we do for that old man? These people have made us suffer, by leaving that old man and visiting us who are nobody. How can we heal his mind?” And he said to them: “Make some supper, and take a little jug of wine: we will go and eat with him, perhaps we shall be able to heal his mind.” So they took the bread which they had made ready, and went to the old man’s cell. When they knocked, his disciple answered the door, and said: “Who are you?” They said: “Tell the abba that it is Poemen, who wants to be blessed by you.” The disciplc told the old man, who returned the message: “Go away, I am busy.” But they persevered and said: “We will not go away until we have got the old man’s blessing.” So seeing their perseverance and their humility, the old man was stricken with remorse, and opened the door to them. They entered, and supped with him. While they were having supper, the old man said: “Truly, I have heard less than the truth about you. I see that you do a hundred­fold more than I was told.” And he became their friend from that moment.

8. Senex quidam erat in Aegypto, antequam veniret illic abbas Pastor: ille autem senex habebat notitiam hominum et multum honorem  (Ruff., lib. III, n. 95) . Cum ergo ascendisset abbas Pastor de Scythi cum suis, dimiserunt illum senem, et venerunt ad abbatem Pastorem: invidiatus autem senex male loquebatur de eis. Hoc audiens Pastor, contristabatur, et dicit fratribus suis: Quid faciemus de sene isto magno, quia nos in tribulatione miserunt homines derelinquentes senem, et ad nos qui nihil sumus,  ^[0974C] attendentes? Quomodo ergo possumus sanare eum? Et dixit eis: Facite aliquid ad gustandum, et tollite vasculum vini, et eamus ad eum, et gustemus simul, forsitan per haec possumus sanare animum ejus. Tulerunt ergo quos paraverant cibos, et perrexerunt ad eum; et dum pulsarent ostium, respondit discipulus ejus, dicens: Qui estis? Et illi dixerunt: Dic abbati, quia Pastor est, et desiderat benedici per vos. Hoc autem nuntiat ei discipulus ejus. Ille mandavit, dicens: Vade, quia non mihi vacat. Illi autem perseverantes in caumate dixerunt: Non discedimus, nisi meruerimus benedictionem senis. Senex autem videns perseverantiam et humilitatem eorum, compunctus aperuit eis, et intrantes gustaverunt cum eo; cum ergo manducarent, dixit senex: In veritate dico,  ^[0974D] minus quam quod est audivi de vobis; centuplum enim est quod video in opere vestro. Factus est ergo amicus eis ex illo die.

9. Abba Poemen said: “Try, so far as you can, to do wrong to no man, and keep your heart chaste to every man.”

9. Dixit abbas Pastor: Conare secundum virtutem tuam nulli omnino facere malum, et castum serva cor tuum omni homini.

10. He also said: “There is nothing greater in love than that a man should lay down his life for his neighbour. When a man hears a complaining word and struggles against himself, and does not himself begin to complain; when a man bears an injury with patience, and does not look for revenge; that is when a man lays down his life for his neighbour.”

10. Iterum dixit: Non est aliquid majus dilectione, etiam ut animam suam ponat quis pro proximo suo. Etenim si quis audiens sermonem tristem, cum possit ipse id facere, certet atque sustineat, et non recontristet; vel etiam si laesus in re aliqua patienter tulerit, non retribuens contristanti atque laedenti se; eo modo hujusmodi homo animam suam ponit pro  ^[0975A] proximo suo  (Ruff., l. II, n. 201; Pasch., c. 37, n. 3, Append. Mart., n. 14) .

11. Abba Pambo happened once to be travelling in Egypt with some monks. He saw some men from the world sitting down, and said to them: “Stand up, and give a greeting, and kiss the monks that you may be blessed. For they often talk with God, and their mouths are holy.”

11. Contigit aliquando abbatem Pambo iter cum fratribus in partibus Aegypti facere; et videns quosdam saeculares sedentes dixit eis: Surgite, et salutate, et osculamini monachos ut benedicamini, frequenter enim cum Deo loquuntur, et sancta sunt ora eorum  (Ruff., l. III, n. 164).

12. Abba Paphnutius is said to have drunk wine seldom. But once on a journey he happened upon a meeting-place of robbers, while they were drinking. The chief of the robber band recognized him and knew that he would not drink wine. He saw that he was tired out. So he filled a cup with wine, held a naked sword in his other hand, and said: “Ifyou do not drink, I will kill you.” The old man knew that the robber chieftain was trying to obey the commandment of God: and in his desire to help him, he took the cup and drank. Then the robber chieftain did penance before him, and said: “Forgive me, Abba, that I grieved you.” And the old man said to him: “I believe that because of this cup my God will have mercy upon you in this world and the next.” And the robber chieftain answered: “And I believe in God that henceforward T shall harm no one.” And the old man won over the whole ban( of robbers, because for God’s sake he let himself fall into their power.

12. Dicebant de abbate Paphnutio, quia non cito bibebat vinum  (Ruff. l. III, n. 151) . Ambulans autem aliquando iter, supervenit in conventu latronum, et invenit eos bibentes: cognovit autem eum qui primus erat latronum, et sciebat quia non biberet vinum. Videns ergo eum de multo labore fatigatum, implevit calicem vini, et in alia manu tenuit gladium evaginatum,  ^[0975B] et dicit seni: Si non bibis, occidam te. Sciens autem senex quia mandatum Dei vult facere, et volens eum lucrari, accepit et bibit. Ille vero princeps latronum poenitentiam apud eum egit, dicens: Ignosce mihi, abba, quia contristavi te. Et dicit ei senex: Credo in Deo meo, quia per hunc calicem faciet misericordiam tecum et in hoc saeculo, et in futuro. Et respondit primus latronum: Et ego credo in Deo, quia amodo non faciam alicui quidquam mali. Et lucratus est senex omne collegium illorum latronum, per id quod se propter Deum dimisit voluntati eorum.

13. Abba Hyperichius said: “Snatch your neighbour from his sins, so far as you can, and refrain from condemning him: for God does not reject those who turn to him. Let rso word of wickedness towards your brother dwell in your heart, so that you can say: ‘Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.”‘

13. Dixit abbas Hyperichius: Eripe proximum a peccatis, quanta tibi est virtus, sine improperio, quoniam Deus convertentes non repellit a se. Verbum autem malitiae et nequitiae non habitet in corde  ^[0975C] tuo adversus fratrem tuum, ut possis dicere: Dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris  (Matth. VI).

14. Two monks were in Cellia. One of them was an old man, and asked the younger: “Let us stay together, my brother.” The other said: I am a sinner, and cannot stay with you, Abba.” But he begged him: “Yes, we can stay together.” The old man had a clean heart, and the younger did not want him to know that he sometimes fell to lust. The monk then said: “Let me go away for a week, and we will talk about it again.” At the end of the week the old man came back, and the younger, wishing to test him, said: “I succumbed to a great temptation during this week, Abba. When I had gone to a village on an errand, I lay with a woman.” The old man said: “Are you penitent?” And the brother said: “Yes.” The old man said: “I will carry half the burden of the sin with you.” Then the brother said: “Now I know that we can stay together.” And they remained together till death parted them.

14. Duo fratres erant in Cellis: unus autem ex eis senex erat, et rogabat illum qui erat juvenis, dicens: Maneamus simul, frater. Et ille dixit ei: Peccator sum, et non possum manere tecum, abba  (Ruff., l. III, n. 152) . Ille autem rogabat eum, dicens: Etiam possumus. Erat autem senex ille mundus, et nolebat audire, quia monachus haberet in cogitatu fornicationem. Et dicit ei frater: Dimitte mihi unam hebdomadam, et iterum loquemur. Venit ergo senex, et volens eum juvenis ille probare, dicebat: In magna 634 tentatione incurri hebdomada ista, abba; pergens enim pro ministerio quodam in vicum, incidi in  ^[0975D] mulierem. Et dixit ei senex: Estne poenitentia? Et dixit frater: Etiam. Senex autem dixit: Ego tecum porto medietatem peccati hujus. Tunc dixit frater ille: Modo scio quia possumus simul manere. Et manserunt simul usque ad exitum suum.

15. One of the fathers said: “If anyone asks you for some­thing, and you give it to him; even if you are forced to give it, let your heart be in the gift: as it is written: ‘If a man forces you to go with him one mile, go with him two’: it means, if you are asked for something, give it with a willing heart.”

15. Dixit quidam Patrum: Si quis te petierit rem aliquam, et violenter praestiteris ei, sit voluntas animi in id quod datur, sicut scriptum est: Quia si quis te angariaverit milliario, vade cum ipso duo  (Matth. V) : hoc autem est, ut si quis te petierit rem aliquam, des ei ex animo et spiritu.

16. A monk is said to have made baskets and put handles on them, when he heard another monk saying nearby: “What am I to do? The trader is soon coming, and I have no handles to put on my baskets.” So he took off the handles he had put on his own baskets, and took them to the nearby monk, saying: “I do not need these: take them and put them on your baskets.” And he allowed the brother to finish his baskets, but left his own unfinished.

16. Dicebant de quodam fratre quia cum fecisset sportas et posuisset eis ansas  (Ruff., lib. III, n. 147),   ^[0976A] audivit etiam vicinum suum alium monachum dicentem: Quid facio, quia proximum est mercatum, et non habeo ansas quas imponam sportellis meis? Ille vero resolvit ansas quas imposuerat sportellis, et fratri illi vicino attulit, dicens: Ecce istas superfluas habeo, tolle, impone in sportas tuas. Et fecit opus fratris sui perficere ad quod opus erat, proprium autem opus reliquit imperfectum

17. They said that an old man in Scete, who was ill, wanted to eat a little new bread. One of the experienced monks heard of it: and he took his cloak, put stale bread into it, went to Egypt, changed the stale bread for new, and brought the new bread back to the old man. When the brothers saw the new bread, they were astonished. The old man did not want to eat it, and said: “It is the blood of this brother.” And the old men begged him, saying: “For God’s sake eat, so that his sacrifice is not vain.” And so he ate it.

17. Dicebant de quodam sene in Scythi, quia aegrotavit, et voluit manducare modicum panem recentem: hoc autem audiens quidam exercitatorum fratrum, tulit melotem suam, et misit in eam panem siccum, et vadens in Aegyptum, mutavit illum ad panem recentem, et attulit seni. Et cum vidissent fratres panes illos recentes, mirati sunt; senex autem  ^[0976B] noluit gustare, dicens: Quia sanguis fratris est. Et rogaverunt senes, dicentes: Propter Deum comede, ne vacuum sit sacrificium fratris istius. Atque ita rogatus comedit.

18. A brother asked an old man: “There are two monks: one stays quietly in his cell, fasting for six days at a time, and laying many austerities upon himself: and the other ministers to the sick. Which of them is more acceptable to God?” The old man answered: “If the brother, who fasts six days, even hung himself up by his nostrils, he could never be the equal of him who ministers to the sick.”

18. Frater interrogavit quemdam senem, dicens: Duo sunt fratres, ex quibus unus quiescit in cella sua, protrahens jejunium sex dierum, et multum sibi laborem imponens; alter vero aegrotantibus deseruit. Cujus opus magis acceptum est Deo? Respondit ei senex: Si frater ille, qui sex diebus jejunium levat, appendat se per nares, non potest esse aequalis illi qui infirmantibus deseruit.

19. An old man was asked: “How is it that some struggle away at their religious life, but do not receive grace like the old fathers?” The old man said: “Because then charity ruled, and each one drew his neighbour upward. Now charity is growing cold, and each of us draws his neighbour downward, and so we do not deserve grace.”

19. Interrogavit quidam senem quemdam, dicens: Quomodo sunt modo quidam laborantes in conversatione, et non accipiunt gratiam sicut antiqui  (Ruff., lib. III, n. 181; Pasch., cap. 28, n. 4) ? Dicit ei senex:  ^[0976C] Quia tunc charitas erat, et unusquisque proximum suum trahebat sursum; nunc autem refrigescente charitate, unusquisque proximum suum deorsum trahit, et propterea gratiam non meremur accipere.

20. Three monks once went to harvest, and were given a big area to harvest. But the first day one of them fell sick, and returned to his cell. Of the two remaining, one said to the other: “Look, brother, our brother has fallen ill: you work as hard as you can, and I will do what little extra I can, and we will trust God that by our sick brother’s prayers we shall harvest his part of the field as well as finishing our own part.” So they harvested the whole area which they had been given, and went to receive their pay. And they summoned their brother, saying: “Come, brother, take your money.” He said: “I have not harvested, so I have earned nothing.” They said to him: “We finished the harvest through your prayers: come and take your pay.” And there was fierce argument between them, the one saying: “I will not take it because I have not earned it,” the others refusing to accept their pay unless he would take his share. So they went off to a great old man, to accept his judgement. And the brother who had been sick said to him: “We three went to earn money by harvesting in a man’s field. When we came to the place, I fell ill on the first day and returned to my cell, and I could not har­vest a single day with them. And now they are forcing me, saying: ‘Come, brother, take your pay for work you have not done.’ “ But the other two said: “The truth is this. When we arrived at the field, we were given a big area to harvest. If there had been three of us, we might with the greatest difficulty have just finished the work. But by the prayers of this our brother, the pair of us harvested the field more quickly than three of us would have done. So we say to him: ‘Come, take your pay,’ and he will not.” The old man marvelled to hear them, and said to one of his monks: “Ring the bell in the brothers’ cells to gather them here.” When they had assembled, he said to them: “Come, brothers, and hear today a just judgement.” And the old man told them the whole story, and decided that the brother should receive his pay, and do with it whatever he would. And the brother went away grieved and weeping like a man who has been sentenced.

20. Perrexerunt aliquando tres fratres ad messem, et susceperunt certum spatium sexaginta modiorum quod meterent  (Append. Mart., n. 9) . Unus autem ex eis ipsa prima die infirmari coepit, et reversus est ad cellam suam. Duo autem qui remanserant, unus alteri dixit: Ecce frater vides, quia incurrit in aegritudinem frater noster; extorque ergo tu animo tuo, et ego similiter meo paululum, et credamus in Deo, quia per orationem ejus implebimus nos duo opera, et metemus partem ipsius. Cum ergo explicassent  ^[0976D] messem totius loci illius quem susceperant, venerunt accipere mercedes suas: et vocaverunt fratrem illum, dicentes: Veni, frater, accipe laborem tuum. Et ille dixit eis: Qualem laborem accipiam, qui non messui? Et illi dixerunt ei: Orationibus consummata est messis; veni ergo, accipe mercedes tuas. Facta ergo plurima contentione inter eos de hac re; illo scilicet dicente: Non accipiam, qui non laboravi; illis vero non acquiescentibus, nisi et ipse perciperet partem suam, abierunt ad judicium cujusdam magni senis. Et dixit ei ille frater: Perreximus tres, ut meteremus in agro cujusdam ad mercedes. Cum autem venissemus ad locum quem messuri eramus,  ^[0977A] ipsa prima die in aegritudine cecidi, et reversus sum in cellam meam, nec una die metere praevalens cum eis. Et nunc cogunt me isti, dicentes: Frater, veni, accipe mercedes ubi non laborasti. Dixerunt autem et illi fratres: Revera perreximus metere, et suscepimus spatium sexaginta modiorum quod meteremus; et si fuissemus toti tres, cum grandi labore vix potuissemus explicare illud; orationibus autem fratris hujus nos duo velocius quam tres potuimus et demessuimus agrum, et dicimus ei: Veni, accipe mercedes tuas, et non vult. Hoc autem audiens senex, miratus est, et dixit uni de monachis suis: Percute signum [(45) ^[0990D] Percute signum.] Sic apud Joannem, infra, libello III, num. 2, percutiens. Pulsabant olim ligna ad sonitum edendum, et excitationem fratrum. Vide Onomascticon.]  in cella fratrum, ut congregent se hic omnes. Qui cum venissent, dixit eis: Venite, fratres, et audite hodie justum judicium. Et indicavit  ^[0977B] eis omnia senex, et adjudicavit fratrem illum, ut acciperet mercedes suas, et faceret ex his mercedibus quod ipse vellet. Et discessit frater ille contristatus et plorans, quasi praejudicium passus.

21. An old man said: “Our fathers had the custom of visiting the cells of new brothers who wanted to lead a solitary life, to see if any of them was tempted by demons and had taken harm from his thoughts. And if they found anyone who had taken harm, they brought him to church. A basin was filled with water. Then, after they had all prayed for the one who was suffering under temptation, all the monks washed their hands in the basin: and then the water was poured upon the tempted brother, and he was at once cleansed.”

21. Dicebat quidam senex: Quia Patres nostri consuetudinem habuerunt venire ad cellas novorum fratrum, qui solitarii conversari volebant, et visitabant eos, ne quis eorum tentatus a daemonibus laederetur 635 a cogitatione sua. Et si quando aliquis eorum inveniebatur laesus, adducebant eum ad ecclesiam, et ponebatur pelvis cum aqua, et fiebat pro eo oratio qui tentationibus laborabat, et lavabant omnes fratres manus suas in pelvi, et perfundebatur aqua illa fratri qui tentabatur, atque ita statim purgabatur frater ille.

22. Two old tnen lived together for many years without a quarrel. One said to the other: “Let us have one quarrel with each other, as is the way of men.” And the other answered: “I do not know how a quarrel happens.” And the first said: “Look, I put a tile between us, and I say, That’s mine. Then you say, No, it’s mine. That is how you begin a quarrel.” So they put a tile between them, and one of them said: “That’s mine.” And the other said: “No; it’s mine.” And he answered: “Yes, it is yours. Take it away.” And they went away unable to argue with each other.

  ^[0977C] 22. Duo senes multis annis simul conversati sunt, et nunquam inter se litem habuerunt  (Ruff. l. III, n. 96).  . Dixit autem unus alteri: Faciamus et nos unam litem, sicut homines faciunt. Et ille respondit fratri, dicens: Nescio qualiter fiat lis. Et ille dixit: Ecce pono in medio laterculum, et ego dico: Meum est hoc. Tu autem dic: Non, sed meum est; inde sit litis initium. Posuerunt ergo testam in medio sui, et dicit unus eorum: Meum est hoc. Et alter dixit: Non, sed meum est. Et ille respondit ei: Etiam tuum est; tolle ergo et vade. Et discesserunt, nec contendere inter se potuerunt.

23. A brother asked an old man: “If I see a monk of whom I have heard as guilty of a sin, I cannot persuade my soul to bring him into my cell. But if I see a good monk, I gladly bring him in.” And the old man said: “If you do good to a good brother, it is little to him. To the other, give twofold, for it is he who is sick.”

23. Frater aliquis interrogavit senem quemdam, dicens: Si videro fratrem, de quo audivi aliquam culpam, non possum suadere animo meo ut introducam  ^[0977D] eum in cellam meam; si autem videro bonum fratrem, ipsum libenter suscipio. Et dixit ei senex: Si facis bonum fratri bono, illi parum; alteri duplum impende, ipse est enim qui infirmatur.

24. An old man said: “I never wanted a work to be useful to me while causing loss to my brother: for I have this hope, that what helps my brother will bring fruit to me.”

24. Dixit quidam senex: Nunquam desideravi opus quod mihi utile esset, et fratri meo dispendium faceret, hujusmodi habens spem, quia lucrum fratris mei, opus fructificationis est mihi.

25. There was a brother who served one of the fathers. The old man’s body happened to be badly hurt, and evil-smelling pus flowed out of the wound. The serving brother thought to himself: “Get out of here. You cannot bear the smell of the gangrene.” To quell the thought, he took a bowl, washed the wound, and kept the water which he used: and whenever he was thirsty, he drank from it. But the thought began to trouble him again, saying to him: “If you will not go away, at least do not drink this pus.” The brother struggled away with endurance, ^[p.187] and wernt on drinking the washing water. And God saw his charity as he ministered to the old man; and God turned the washing water into the purest water, and by some unseen means healed the old man.

25. Quidam frater erat minister cujusdam Patris. Contigit autem ut vulnus fieret in corpore senis, et sanies multa ex eo cum fetore proflueret. Dicebat autem cogitatio sua fratri illi qui ei deserviebat: Diseede hinc, quia non potes sustinere fetorem putredinis istius. Ille vero frater, ut reprimeret hujusmodi  ^[0978A] cogitationem, tulit vas et lavit vulnus senis illius, et recolligit ipsam aquam in vase; et quoties sitiebat, ex ea bibebat. Coepit autem iterum cogitatio sua sollicitare eum, dicens: Si non vis fugere, vel non bibas fetorem hunc. Frater autem ille laborabat, et toleranter ferebat, bibens lavaturam vulneris illius. Et cum ita ministraret seni, vidit Deus charitatem laboris ejus, et illam lavaturam vulneris in aquam mundissimam vertit, et senem invisibili medicamento sanavit.