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a rope. And having untied the rope, he goes away to a private place and wraps himself with it over his whole body; and he puts on over the rope a hair tunic and entered the monastery and says to the brothers: I went out to draw water and I did not find the rope in the bucket. The brothers say to him: Be silent, lest anyone learn of it from the archimandrite. And no one knew that he had the rope wrapped around him underneath. He remained therefore for one year and more having the rope wrapped in his flesh, and it ate into his flesh, so that the rope was covered by the putrefied flesh of the righteous one, and because of his stench no one was able to stand near him, and no one knew the secret. And his bed was filled with worms, and no one knew what had happened.

6 And he would take his food and give it to the poor without anyone knowing. On one of the days, therefore, one of the monks goes out and finds him giving his bread and the pulse which he received to the poor. And all were fasting until evening, but the holy Symeon tasted food from Sunday to Sunday. And one of the monks, having entered, slandered him to the archimandrite, saying: I beseech your holiness; this man wants to destroy the monastery, that is, the rule which you delivered to us. The archimandrite says to him: How does he want to destroy the rule? The monk says to him: We have been instructed to fast until evening, but this man eats from Sunday to Sunday, and his bread, which he receives, and the pulse he secretly gives to the poor each day; not only this, but also from his body an unbearable stench arises, so that no one can stand near him; and his bed is filled with worms, and we are not able to endure it. But if you wish, keep this man here and we will depart, or send him away to go whence he came.

7 Having heard these things, the archimandrite was astonished, and he observes his bed, and finds it filled with worms, and from the stench he could not stand there. And the archimandrite says: Behold, a new Job. And seizing him, he says to him: Why have you done these things, man? Whence is this stench of yours, why do you lead the brothers astray, why do you destroy the rule of the monastery? Are you a phantom? Go elsewhere and die apart from us. Did I, wretched one, come to be tempted perhaps through you? For if you were a true man from prudent parents, you would have told us who your father and your mother and your family were, and from where you came here. Having heard these things, the saint, looking down toward the ground, was silent, saying nothing, and from his tears the place where he stood was filled. And having become very furious, the archimandrite says to the monks: Strip him, so that we may see whence this stench is.

8 They wished therefore to strip him and they were not able; for his garment was stuck fast to his putrefied flesh. For three days, therefore, they did not cease soaking him with warm water with oil, and thus with much pain they were able to strip him, so that with the garment his putrefied flesh was flayed off, and they find the rope wound around his body, so that none of it was visible, except only the ends of the rope. And of the worms that were on him there was no count; then all the monks were astonished at him, seeing that incurable wound, and they reasoned among themselves how and by what device they might remove the rope from him. But the holy Symeon cried out, saying: Forgive me, my lords and brothers, allow me, the stinking dog, to die thus, for according to my deeds so I ought also to be judged; for all injustice and greed have been with me, for I am the

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σχοινίον· καὶ λύσας τὸ σχοινίον ἀπέρχεται εἰς ἰδιάζοντα τόπον καὶ φασκιοῖ ἑαυτὸν ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ σώματι αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἐνδύεται ἐπάνω τοῦ σχοινίου στιχάριν τρίχινον καὶ εἰσῆλθεν ἐν τῷ μοναστηρίῳ καὶ λέγει τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς· Ἐξῆλθον ἀντλῆσαι ὕδωρ καὶ τὸ σχοινίον οὐχ εὗρον ἐν τῇ σίτλᾳ. λέγουσιν αὐτῷ οἱ ἀδελφοί· Σιώπα, μηδεὶς μάθῃ τῷ ἀρχιμανδρίτῃ. καὶ οὐδεὶς ᾔδει ὅτι ἔσωθεν ἦν πεφασκιωμένος τὸ σχοινίον. ἔμεινεν οὖν ἕως ἐνιαυτοῦ ἑνὸς καὶ πλεῖον ἔχων τὸ σχοινίον ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ αὐτοῦ ἐνειλιγμένον καὶ κατέφαγεν τὰς σάρκας αὐτοῦ, ὥστε σκεπασθῆναι τὸ σχοινίον ἀπὸ τῶν σεσημμένων σαρκῶν τοῦ δικαίου, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς δυσωδίας αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐδύνατό τις ἔγγιστα αὐτοῦ στῆναι, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἔγνω τὸ μυστήριον. ἡ δὲ κοίτη αὐτοῦ ἐπληροῦτο σκωλήκων, καὶ οὐ δεὶς ᾔδει τὸ γεγονός.

6 Ἐλάμβανεν δὲ τὴν τροφὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐδίδου αὐτὴν πτωχοῖς μηδενὸς εἰδότος. ἐν μιᾷ οὖν τῶν ἡμερῶν ἐξέρχεταί τις τῶν μοναχῶν καὶ εὑρίσκει αὐτὸν διδόντα τὸν ἄρτον αὐ τοῦ καὶ τὸ ὄσπριον ὃ ἐλάμβανεν πτωχοῖς. πάντες δὲ ἐνή στευον ἕως ἑσπέρας, ὁ δὲ ἅγιος Συμεὼν ἀπὸ κυριακῆς εἰς κυριακὴν ἐγεύετο. εἰσελθὼν δὲ εἷς τῶν μοναχῶν διέβαλλεν αὐτὸν τῷ ἀρχιμανδρίτῃ λέγων· ∆έομαι τῇ ἁγιοσύνῃ σου· ὁ ἄνθρωπος οὗτος καταλῦσαι θέλει τὸ μοναστήριον ἤτοι τὸν κανόνα ὃν παρέδωκας ἡμῖν. λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ ἀρχιμανδρίτης· Πῶς θέλει καταλῦσαι τὸν κανόνα; λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ μοναχός· Ἡμεῖς ἕως ἑσπέρας παρελάβομεν νηστεύειν, οὗτος δὲ ἀπὸ κυριακὴν εἰς κυριακὴν ἐσθίει καὶ τὸν ἄρτον αὐτοῦ, ὃν λαμβάνει, καὶ τὸ ὄσπριον κρυφέως δίδωσι πτωχοῖς καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν· οὐ μόνον δὲ τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ δυσωδία ἀνέρχεται ἀφόρητος, ὡς μὴ δύνασθαι ἔγγιστα αὐτοῦ στῆναί τινα· καὶ ἡ κοίτη αὐτοῦ σκωλήκων πεπλήρωται, καὶ ἡμεῖς οὐ δυνάμεθα ὑπενεγκεῖν· Ἀλλ' εἰ βούλει, τοῦτον ὧδε ἔχε καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀναχωροῦμεν, ἢ ἀπόλυσον αὐτὸν ἀπελθεῖν, ὅθεν ἦλθεν.

7 Ταῦτα ἀκούσας ὁ ἀρχιμανδρίτης ἔκθαμβος ἐγένετο, καὶ καταμανθάνει τὴν κοίτην αὐτοῦ, καὶ εὑρίσκει αὐτὴν πεπλη ρωμένην σκωλήκων, καὶ ἐκ τῆς δυσωδίας οὐκ ἠδύνατο στῆναι ἐκεῖ. Καί φησιν ὁ ἀρχιμανδρίτης· Ἰδοὺ καὶ ὁ νέος Ἰώβ. Καὶ κρατήσας αὐτὸν λέγει αὐτῷ· Τί ταῦτα ἐποίησας, ἄνθρωπε; πόθεν ἡ δυσωδία σου αὕτη, τί πλανᾷς τοὺς ἀδελφούς, τί καταλύεις τὸν κανόνα τοῦ μοναστηρίου; ἦ φάντασμα ὑπάρ χεις; ἀλλαχοῦ ἄπελθε καὶ ἀπόθανε χωρὶς ἡμῶν· διὰ σοῦ τάχα ἦλθον πειρασθῆναι ὁ ἄθλιος ἐγώ; εἰ γὰρ ἦς σὺ ἀνὴρ ἀληθὴς ἐκ γονέων συνετῶν, ἀπήγγειλες ἂν ἡμῖν, τίς ἦν ὁ πατήρ σου καὶ ἡ μήτηρ σου καὶ τὸ γένος σου, καὶ πόθεν ἦλθες ὧδε; ταῦτα ἀκούσας ὁ ἅγιος κάτω προσέχων πρὸς τὴν γῆν ἐσιώπα μηδὲν λέγων, καὶ ἐκ τῶν δακρύων αὐτοῦ ἐπληροῦτο ὁ τόπος, ἐν ᾧ ἵστατο· ἐπὶ πολὺ δὲ ἐμμανὴς γενάμενος ὁ ἀρχιμανδρί της λέγει τοῖς μοναχοῖς· Ἀποδύσατε αὐτόν, ὅπως ἴδωμεν ἡ δυσωδία πόθεν αὕτη.

8 Ἠβουλήθησαν οὖν ἀποδῦσαι αὐτὸν καὶ οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν· κεκολλημένον γὰρ ἦν τὸ ἱμάτιον αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς σαπείσης σαρκός. Ἐπὶ τρεῖς οὖν ἡμέρας οὐκ ἐπαύοντο διαβρέχοντες αὐτὸν ὕδατι χλιαρῷ σὺν ἐλαίῳ, καὶ οὕτως μετὰ πολλῆς ὀδύνης ἠδυνήθησαν ἀποδῦσαι αὐτὸν, ὥστε σὺν τῷ ἱματίῳ ἀποδαρῆναι τὴν σεσημμένην σάρκα αὐτοῦ, καὶ εὑρίσκουσι τὸ σχοινίον περι πεπλεγμένον ἐν τῷ σώματι αὐτοῦ, ὡς μὴ φαίνεσθαί τι ἐξ αὐ τοῦ, εἰ μὴ μόνον τὰς ἀρχὰς τοῦ σχοινίου· τῶν δὲ σκωλή κων τῶν ὄντων ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἦν εἰκασμός· τότε ἔκθαμβοι ἐγένοντο ἐπ' αὐτὸν πάντες οἱ μοναχοὶ ὁρῶντες τὴν ἀνίατον πληγὴν ἐκείνην, καὶ διελογίζοντο ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, τὸ πῶς καὶ ποῖον μηχάνημα ποιήσαντες ἀροῦσι τὸ σχοινίον ἀπ' αὐτοῦ· ὁ δὲ ἅγιος Συμεὼν ἔκραζε λέγων· Συγχωρήσατέ μοι, κύριοί μου ἀδελφοί, ἐάσατέ με ἀποθανεῖν οὕτως τὸν κύνα τὸν ὄζοντα, κατὰ γὰρ τὰς πράξεις μου οὕτως ὤφειλον καὶ κριθῆναι· πᾶσα γὰρ ἀδικία καὶ πλεονεξία σὺν ἐμοὶ γεγένηται, ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι τὸ