263. On one occasion, whilst Abbâ Zechariah was dwelling in Scete, there appeared unto him a vision from God, and he rose up and came to his father, Abbâ Kîrîôn, and the old man was perfect, and did not take pains to boast of these things. And he rose up [and smote him, and said unto him, “They are of devils”; and when he had thought about the matter a long time, he rose up] and went by night to Abbâ Poemen, and informed him about the matter, and how his thoughts were burning in his heart. Then the old man knew that the matter was of God, and he said unto him, “Get thee to such and such an old man, and whatsoever he saith unto thee that do.” And having departed to that old man, before he could tell him anything, the old man said unto him, “The vision is of God; but do thou go and be subject unto thy father.”
264. A certain old man from Scete was dwelling in the mountain of Pîlîsîôn, and there came unto him a man from the palace who had a devil, and he healed him, and the man who had had the devil offered him a bag which was full of gold, but the old man refused to accept it. Now when he saw that he was offended, the old man took the bag itself, which was empty, and he said unto him, “Go [and] distribute the gold among the poor and the wretched,” and he made the bag into a colubium, and wore it; now it was made of hair, and was very stiff, and he wore it for a long time so that he might vex his body.
265. Abbâ Longinus asked Abbâ Lucius three things, saying, “I wish to become a stranger”; the old man said unto him, “If thou dost not hold thy tongue, where wilt thou go? Wilt thou not become a stranger? Hold thy tongue here, and behold thou art a stranger.” And Abbâ Longinus said unto him also, “I wish to lead a twofold life”; and the old man said unto him, “If thou dost not bend thy neck like a hook thou art nothing; purify thy wicked thoughts.” Abbâ Longinus said unto him, “But I wish to flee from men”; and the old man said unto him, “If thou canst not set thyself straight first of all with men, thou wilt never be able [to live] by thyself.”
266. A brother asked Abbâ Joseph, saying, “I want to go out from the monastery, and live a solitary life”; the old man said unto him, “Where thou seest that thou wilt find rest for thy soul, there dwell.” And the brother said unto him, “I am content to live in the monastery, and I am content to live alone; what shall I do then?” The old man said unto him, “If thou art content to live in the monastery, and art [equally] content to lead a solitary life, do this: Weigh thy thoughts as it were in a balance, and the thought which outbalances the other, that fulfil.”
267. An old man used to say, “What beast is as mighty as the lion and yet for the sake of his belly he falleth into the snare, and all his strength is made weakness? in this wise also shall we fall if we be overcome by our bellies.”
268. An old man also said, “When the fathers of Scete were eating bread and salt they said, ‘We must not afflict ourselves overmuch with bread and salt’; and living in this wise they became valiant in the works of God.”
269. Whilst Abbâ Sylvanus was living on Mount Sinai brother Zechariah went to the work of the service [i.e., singing and prayer]; and when he had gone the old man said unto him, “Open out the water [courses] and water the garden.” Then he went forth straightway, and covered his face with his cloak, and he could see only his feet; and during the time when he was watering [the garden], a brother came to him, and he perceived what he was doing, and he went in to him, and made an apology, and entreated him, saying, “Tell me, O father, why thou didst cover thy face with thy cloak and didst in this manner water the garden?” The old man said unto him, “My son, [I did so] that mine eyes might not look upon the trees, and that my mind might not be distracted in its work, and become buried in the trees.”
270. They used to say that, [on one occasion,], when a certain old man was sitting in his cell, a brother happened to come by night to go in to him; and when he arrived at the door, he heard his voice raised in a dispute, saying, “It is sufficient; how long? Get ye gone forthwith.” And again he said, “Come, come to me, my friends.” And when the brother had gone in to him, he said unto him, “With whom wast thou speaking, O father?” He said unto him, “I was driving away my evil thoughts, and calling my good thoughts to me.”
271. There was a certain old man who had a disciple who dwelt in the desert, and the old man took a piece of dry wood, and planted it, and he said to his disciple, “Pour a basin of water over it every day until this piece of wood beareth fruit.” Now the fountain of water was so far away from them that a man would set out for it in the evening and return the next morning. And the disciple did as he had been told, and after two or three years that wood became alive, and bore fruit, and the old man took the fruit thereof, and brought it to the church, and said unto the brethren, “Take ye, and eat the fruit of obedience.”
272. A certain brother on one occasion found on the road a piece of wood which had dropped from camels, and he came to the cell of his Rabbâ bringing it with him; and his Rabbâ said, “Whence hast thou this piece of wood?” And the brother said unto him, “From the road.” The old man said unto him, “If it be of the things which are taken from the road bring it inside; but if not, go and put it in the place wherefrom thou didst take it.”
273. They used to say that Zechariah, the disciple of Abbâ Sylvanus, took certain brethren, and without [the knowledge of] Abbâ Sylvanus, they broke through the fence of the garden, and enlarged the garden, and then built up the fence again. And when the old man learned this, he took [his cloak], and wrapped himself up therein, and went forth, and he said to the brethren, “Pray ye for me.” Now when they saw him, they fell down at his feet, saying, “Tell us, father, what hath happened to thee”; and he said unto them, “I will neither go inside [my cell], nor unwrap myself from my cloak until ye bring the fence back to its former position”; and [when they had done so] straightway the old man went into his cell.
274. They used to say that when the old man Rabbâ Magatîs went forth from his cell, and the thought rose up in his mind that he would depart from the place, he returned not to his cell; now he possessed nothing whatsoever of the things which are required in this world. But he took pleasure in the work of splitting up the palm leaves which he twisted into ropes, for he performed sufficient labour each day to provide him with the very small amount of food which he needed.
275. A brother asked an old man, saying, “If a certain brother cometh to me, and saith, ‘Perform an act of love, and come with me here, or go [with me] to a certain place,’ and I am inconvenienced by the command, what am I to do?” The old man said unto him, “If thou knowest that without offence thou canst fulfil the commandment, go, and it shall be accounted unto thee as an acceptable sacrifice; but if thou knowest that there will be some offence, thou shalt not go. And if thou dost go, take good heed to thy soul.”
276. A brother asked an old man, saying, “How is it that there are at this present men who labour, but who do not receive grace as the early fathers did?” The old man said unto him, “Formerly love existed, and one brother was raised up by the other; but now love hath grown cold, and we each drag the other down, and in consequence we do not receive grace.”
277. They used to say that when Abbâ Theodore dwelt in Scete, a devil came and wanted to go into him, and the old man perceived that he wanted to go into [his cell], but he kept him fettered outside. Then another devil came to go in, and the old man fettered him also, and a third devil also came, and finding the other two fettered by the door, he said unto them, “Why do ye stand outside here?” They said unto him, “He who dwelleth within will not permit us to go in”; and the third devil stirred up strife, and, holding Abbâ Theodore in contempt, made so bold as to go in. Now when the old man saw him he fettered him also, and being afraid of the prayers of the old man, they entreated him, saying, “Set us free.” And the old man accepted their petition, and released them, saying, “Get ye gone”; and then they departed being ashamed.
278. They used to say that a certain old man had a young man living with him, and that he one day saw him doing something which was not beneficial for him; and he said unto him once, “Thou shalt not do this thing,” but the young man hearkened not unto him. Now when the old man saw that he would not hearken unto him, he let him alone, and troubled no more about him; and the young man shut the door of the place where the bread was kept, and departed from the cell, and left the old man without bread for three days, and when he went back, the old man did not say unto him, “Where hast thou been?” or, “What hast thou been doing outside?” Now the young man treated the old man in this fashion, like a beast. Then afterwards, when one of the old man’s neighbours perceived the delay of the young man, he boiled a little food, and let it down to the old man from the wall, and made him eat it; and when, by chance, his neighbour said unto him, “The young man tarrieth a long time,” the old man said unto him, “He hath not tarried, but when he is disengaged he will come.”
279. A certain brother made a second key and opened the cell of one of the old men and took his money out of the cupboard, and the old man wrote on a piece of paper, saying, “Do me an act of love and leave me one half of my money, for I have need of it for my necessities”; and he divided the money (or oboli) into two parts, and laid the paper upon them. And the brother who stole the money came as usual, and he tore up the paper and took all the money. Now two years later that brother was forced to die, but his soul was not permitted to go forth from him, and then he called the old man, and made entreaty unto him, saying, “Father, pray on my behalf; it was I who took thy money.” Then the old man said unto him, “Why didst thou not confess this before the light became black to thee?” And the old man prayed and set free the spirit of that brother, and he sold his Book of the Gospel and made a memorial for him.
280. A certain man used to relate that an old man from Scete went up to the Thebaïd to dwell there, and according to the custom with those who are from Scete he made bread sufficient for his wants for several days. And behold, the men of the Thebaïd came to him, saying, “How is it that thou dost not keep the word of the Gospel which commanded men not to care for the morrow?” The old man said unto them, “What is your custom?” And they said unto him, “We work day by day with our hands, and we sell [what we make], and buy food for ourselves in the market.” The old man said unto them, “My market is my cell, and whensoever I have need I lay down the work of my hands, and take up food for myself.”
281. An old man used to say, “Discretion is the most excellent thing of all.”
282. They used to say that certain men came to plead a case for judgement before Abbâ Ammonius, and the old man paid no attention to them, but behaved as if he did not hear them; and behold, a woman said unto her companion, “This old man hath no stability.” And the old man heard her speaking thus to her companion, and he called her, and said unto her, “How many labours have I performed in the desert so that I might acquire this instability! Yet, through thee, I have destroyed this day.”
283. An old man used to say, “Do not eat before thou art hungry, and do not lie down before thou art sleepy, and do not speak before thou art questioned.”
284. A brother asked an old man, saying, “Do I eat too many garden herbs?” The old man said unto him, “It will not benefit thee [to do so], but eat bread and a few vegetables, and thou shalt not go to thy kinsfolk for the sake of things [to eat].”
285. An old man used to say, “It is meet that a monk should be like the Cherub—all eyes.”
286. An old man used to say, “For a man to attempt to teach his neighbour, when he hath not been required [so to do], is the same as offering him a rebuke.”
287. Abbâ Poemen used to say, “Why doth a man distress himself to build the house of others, and to overthrow his own?”
288. He also used to say, “Why is it necessary for a man to enter by cunning, and not to learn [how to do so] properly?”
289. He also used to say, “Everything which is immoderate is from the devils.”
290. The old men used to say, “God demandeth nothing from Christians except that they shall hearken unto the Divine Scriptures, and shall carry into effect the things which are said in them, and shall be obedient unto their governors and the orthodox fathers.”
291. An old man used to say, “Whensoever I have been able to overtake my soul when I have transgressed, I never stumbled a second time.”
292. An old man used to say, “The man who setteth death before his eyes at all times easily overcometh dejection and littleness of soul.”
293. An old man used to say, “Take heed, with all thy might, not to do anything which deserveth blame, and do not take pleasure in making thyself acceptable.”
294. Abbâ Theodore used to say, “There is no spiritual excellence so sublime [as that which consisteth in] not despising a man and treating him with contempt.”
295. An old man was asked, “How, and by what means can the soul acquire humility?” And he made answer, saying, “By examining and enquiring into its own wickednesses only.”
296. Abbâ Poemen used to say, “All the spiritual excellences have entered into this monastery, with the exception of the one without which in labour [no] man standeth”; and they asked him, saying, “Which spiritual excellence is that?” and he said, “That which maketh a man blame and despise himself.”
297. The disciple of a certain old man and Rabbâ was attacked by the lust for fornication, and he went into the world, and betrothed to himself a wife; and the old man, being greatly grieved, prayed to God, and said, “O Lord Jesus Christ, do not Thou permit Thy servant to be defiled.” And it came to pass that when he was shut up with the bride in the bedchamber he yielded up his spirit, and he was not polluted with the union of marriage.
298. An old man used to say:—“If temptation come upon a man, and attack him on all sides to such a degree that his mind falleth into despair, and he murmureth, all his friends will turn away their faces from him as if by reason of the temptation”; and he related the following story (in illustration of this statement) and said: “There was a monk in a cell, and temptation came upon him, and all his friends and beloved ones who met him refused even to salute him, and not one of them would allow him to enter into his cell. If he lacked provisions, and wanted a man to lend him some, none would lend him, and he was compelled by reason of his tribulation to go and work in the harvest field; and when he came back he did not find any bread in his cell. Now it was the custom among the holy men that every man who went to work in the harvest field should on his return eat in the church, but when that brother came on the Sabbath no man took him and gave him refreshment in the usual way, and he went to his cell, and he gave thanks unto God without complaining. Now when God saw his patient endurance, He abated the temptation in him, and straightway a man came and knocked at his door; and he had with him a camel carrying bread which had been sent to him from Egypt; then he began to smite himself and to weep, saying, ‘I am not worthy [of this].’ And the temptation having departed, all the fathers took him, and gave him refreshment, and they persuaded him to let them take him to their cells, and through his patient endurance he found great benefit.”