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1. Antony once heard about how a young monk showed off on a journey. He saw some old men walking wearily along the road, and he ordered some donkeys to appear and carry them home. When the old men told Antony about this he said, ‘I think that monk is like a ship laden with a rich cargo, but it is not yet certain that it will reach port in safety.’ Shortly afterwards, Antony began to weep and pull his hair, and groan. When his disciples saw it, they said, ‘Why are you weeping, abba?’ He replied, ‘A great pillar of the church has just fallen.’ He said this about the young monk, and added, ‘Walk over and see what has happened.’ So his disciples went, and found the monk sitting on his mat and weeping for a sin that he had committed. When he saw Antony’s disciples, he said, ‘Tell the abba to pray God to give me just ten days, and I hope to be able to satisfy Him.’ Within five days he was dead.
2. The monks praised a brother to Antony. Antony went to him and tested him to see if he could endure being insulted. When he saw that he could not bear it, he said to him, ‘You are like a house with a highly decorated outside, but burglars have stolen all the furniture by the back door.’
3. They said of Arsenius and Theodore of Pherme that they hated fame and praise more than anything. Arsenius avoided people likely to praise him. Theodore did not avoid them, but their words were like daggers to him.
4. Archbishop John had a disciple named Eulogius. Eulogius was a presbyter and he used to fast for two days at a time, and sometimes ate nothing but bread and salt for a whole week, so he had a great reputation. He went to see Joseph at Panephysis because he believed he would find more demanding discipline under him. Joseph welcomed him, and of his charity made ready what he had for them to eat. But the disciples of Eulogius said, ‘The presbyter only eats bread and salt.’ Joseph began to eat without comment. The visitors spent three days in silence, and they did not even hear the sound of psalms or prayers, for the disciples of Joseph were saying the office in private. Finally, Eulogius and his disciples went away, not edified. But by the providence of God, a mist came over the plain and they wandered in circles and by mistake they came back to Joseph’s cell. Before they knocked on the door, they heard the singing of psalms going on inside and they waited a long time outside listening. Then they knocked on the door, and Joseph welcomed them again. Eulogius was thirsty: and his disciples picked up a jug of water and gave it to him to drink. But the jug contained salt water mixed with fresh water and he could not drink it. When Eulogius had thought about this he began to ask Joseph to show him his way of life, saying: ‘How is it, abba, that at first you didn’t sing any psalms but began after we had gone away? And why was the water salt when I tried to drink it?’ He replied, ‘My disciple is away at work and I made a mistake and put salt water in the jug.’ But Eulogius went on asking him, wanting to know the truth. So he told him the truth, ‘That little cup is for the wine that we use in charity when we have guests. This is for the water that the brethren drink every day.’ With these words he taught him to have discretion, and cleansed him from merely human motivation. So Eulogius became like other people, and in future ate what was put before him. He learnt to be severe only in secret, and said to Joseph, ‘Indeed, your work is a work of love.’
5. Zeno (the disciple of Silvanus) said, ‘Never stay in a well-known place nor sit with a famous man, nor lay a foundation on which you might sometime build yourself a cell.’
6. Once a brother came to Theodore of Pherme, and spent three days asking him for advice. Theodore did not answer, and he went sadly away. So Theodore’s disciple asked him, ‘Abba, why didn’t you speak to him? Look, he has gone away sad.’ He replied, ‘As a matter of fact, I said nothing to him because he’s only interested in getting credit by repeating what others have said to him.’
7. Another brother asked Theodore, ‘Is it a good idea for me to go without bread for several days?’ He said, ‘You would do well. I have sometimes done that.’ The brother said, ‘Maybe I should take a few peas to the mill and make some vegetable meal?’ Theodore said, ‘If you go to the mill, why not make yourself some bread? There is no need to be carrying things to and fro.’
8. Another brother spoke with the same Theodore, and he began to talk about matters of which he had no experience. Theodore said to him, ‘You’ve not yet found a ship to sail in, nor put your luggage aboard, nor put out to sea, and you’re already acting as if you were in the city which you mean to reach. If you make some attempt to do the things you are discussing, then you can talk about them with understanding.’
9. Cassian said that a brother came to Serapion and the hermit asked him in the usual way to offer prayer. But he refused, saying that he was a sinner, and unworthy of the monk’s habit. Serapion wanted to wash his feet, but he would not allow it, using the same words. Serapion gave him a meal, and then began to talk to him gently, saying, ‘Son, if you want to make progress, stay in your cell, keep a watch upon yourself and attend to the work of your hands. Nothing is more profitable to you than staying in your cell.’ But when the brother heard this, he was furious, and the hermit could not help seeing his face change. So Serapion said to him, ‘Just now you were saying “I am a sinner” and accusing yourself of being an unworthy monk. Then why were you angry when I gave you some loving advice? If you would be truly humble, learn to carry the burdens that others lay upon you bravely, and don’t just shower terms of abuse over yourself.’ When the brother heard this, he did penance before Serapion, and went away much helped.
10. Once a provincial judge heard of Moses and went to Scetis to see him. They told Moses that he was on his way, and he got up and fled towards a marsh. The judge and his entourage met him, and asked him, ‘Tell me, old man, where is the cell of Moses?’ He said, ‘What do you want to see him for? He’s a fool and a heretic.’ The judge came to the church, and said to the clergy, ‘I have heard about Moses and I came to see him. But I met an old man on the way to Egypt, and I asked him where the cell of Moses was and he said, “Why are you looking for him? He is a fool and a heretic.” ’ The clergy were distressed and said, ‘What sort of person was your old man who told you this about the holy man?’ They said, ‘He was an old man, tall and black, wearing the oldest possible clothes.’ The clergy said, ‘That was Moses. He said that about himself because he didn’t want you to see him.’ The judge went away very impressed.
11. A brother asked Mathois, ‘If I go to live in such-and-such a place, what do you suggest I do there?’ He said, ‘If you live there, don’t try to make a reputation for yourself on some pretext, like saying either “I will not join the other monks” or “I will not eat this and that.” This is the sort of thing that creates a bubble of reputation, and afterwards you will suffer from crowds. When people hear that sort of thing they flock there.’
12. When Nesteros the Great was walking in the desert with a brother, they saw a dragon and ran away. The brother said, ‘Were you afraid, abba?’ Nesteros answered, ‘I wasn’t afraid, my son. But it was right to run away from the dragon, otherwise I should have had to run away from conceit.’
13. A provincial judge once wanted to see Poemen and he would not allow it. So the judge arrested his nephew as if he were a criminal and imprisoned him, saying, ‘I will release him when Poemen comes to ask about him.’ The boy’s mother came to her brother Poemen and began to weep outside the door of his cell. Bitterly unhappy, she began to reproach him, saying, ‘You may have a heart of cold steel, you may be pitiless, but at least have mercy on your kin and relent.’ But he told her, ‘Poemen is not a father of children.’ So she went away. When the judge heard this he sent a messenger to say, ‘You have only to ask and I will release him.’ Poemen sent back this message, ‘Try his case legally. If he ought to die, let him die. If he is innocent, do as you say.’
14. Poemen also said, ‘Teach your heart to follow what your tongue is saying to others.’ He also said, ‘Men try to appear excellent in preaching but they are less excellent in practising what they preach.’
15. Once Adelphius, who was bishop of Nilopolis, came to see Sisois on the mountain of Antony. When he was about to leave, Sisois made him eat at dawn, although it was a fast day. When they had laid out the food, some brothers knocked at the door. Sisois said to his disciple, ‘Give them something to eat, because they are weary.’ But Adelphius said to the disciple, ‘Send them away for awhile, or they will say, “Sisois was eating at dawn.” ’ Sisois looked at him, and said to the disciple, ‘Go and give them food.’ When they saw the cooked food they said, ‘Have you got visitors? Is even the hermit eating with you?’ The disciple said, ‘Yes.’ Then they were upset, saying, ‘God forgive you letting him eat at this hour. Don’t you know that he has been fasting rigorously for a great many days?’ When the bishop heard this, he began to do penance before Sisois and said, ‘I apologize, abba, my thought was human, you did what is of God.’ Sisois said to him, ‘Unless God glorifies man, man’s glory cannot last.’
16. Ammon (of the place called Raithu) brought this question to Sisois: ‘When I read Scripture, I am tempted to make elaborate commentaries and prepare myself to answer questions on it.’ He replied, ‘You don’t need to do that. It is better to speak simply, with a good conscience and a pure mind.’
17. Once a provincial magistrate came to see Simon. Simon took off the leather belt that he wore and climbed a palm tree to clean it with the palm leaves. When the judge’s party came up, they said, ‘Where is the hermit of this desert?’ Simon answered, ‘There is no hermit here.’ So the judge went away.
18. Another time a magistrate came to see him and the clergy who went on ahead said to him, ‘Abba, get ready, for the judge has heard of you and is coming to be blessed by you.’ So he covered himself with sackcloth and took bread and cheese in his hand, and sat down in his doorway and began to eat it. The magistrate arrived with his retinue. When they saw him they despised him and said, ‘Is this the hermit about whom we heard such great things?’ They turned round and went straight home.
19. Syncletica said, ‘An open treasury is quickly spent; any virtue will be lost if it is published abroad and is known about everywhere. If you put wax in front of a fire it melts; and if you pour vain praises on the soul it goes soft and weak in seeking goodness.’
20. She also said, ‘The same thing cannot at once be seed and a full-grown bush. So men with a worldly reputation cannot bear heavenly fruit.’
21. Once at a feast day in Cellia the brothers were eating their meal in church. But one of them said to the server, ‘I eat nothing cooked, only salted.’ The serving monk called to another brother in front of the whole crowd, ‘This brother doesn’t eat what is cooked, bring him the salt.’ But one of the brothers stood up and said to him, ‘It would have been better for you to eat meat today in your cell than to have heard this said in front of many brothers.’
22. A hermit was fasting and not eating bread, and he went to visit another hermit. By chance some other pilgrims came there and the hermit made them a little vegetable soup. When they sat down to eat, the fasting hermit took a single pea which he dipped in the soup and chewed it. When they got up from the table, the hermit took him to one side and said, ‘Brother, if you visit someone, don’t make a display there of your way of life. If you want to keep your own rule, stay in your cell and never go out.’ The brother accepted the advice, and thenceforth behaved like other people and ate what was put before him.
23. A hermit said, ‘If a man prepares for the next day, it cuts away the fruit of his spirit and leaves him dry.’
24. A hermit said, ‘When you flee from the company of other people, or when you despise the world and worldlings, take care to do so as if it were you who was being idiotic.’