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a sea of sins. And the monks and the archimandrite were weeping, seeing that incurable wound; and the archimandrite says to him: You are not yet eighteen years old, and what sins do you have? The holy Symeon says to him: The prophet David says: Behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and in sins did my mother conceive me; and I am clothed in the likeness of all these things. And the archimandrite was astonished at his wise answer, that being an uncultured man, how he was moved to compunction in the fear of God. And the archimandrite, having called two doctors, with many toils and pains, so that he was thought to be dead, they pulled the rope from him † from the flesh that was stuck to it, and having tended to him for fifty days, they helped him partially. And the archimandrite says to him: Child, behold, you have become well; go where you wish.

9

Then the holy Symeon goes out from the monastery; and behold, there was a well situated near the monastery, in which there was no water, but a multitude of unclean, wicked spirits dwelt in it; and not only of unclean spirits, but also an unimaginable multitude of asps and vipers and serpents and scorpions; for which reason everyone was afraid to pass through that place. And the holy Symeon went there without anyone knowing and throws himself into that well, having made the sign in Christ, and hides himself in the side of the well.

10

After seven days, then, of his departing from the monastery, the archimandrite sees in a dream an unimaginable multitude of men dressed in white and circling the monastery, holding lamps and saying: We will now burn you here, if you do not hand over to us the servant of God, Symeon. For what reason did you drive him away, and what did he do, that you cast him out of the monastery, and what is his fault? Tell us, before we burn you; do you not know what you had in your monastery? For he will be found greater than you on that fearful and terrible day. And the archimandrite, having been awakened and become terrified, says to the monks: As I see it, that man is a true servant of God; for behold, I suffered many bad things in a dream this night because of him; but I beg you, brothers, run about for me and find him for me, or else let none of you come back here.

11

And having gone out, they sought him in every place, and not having found him they came saying to the archimandrite: Truly, master, we have not left a place where we did not seek, except for the place where no one dares to pass through because of the multitude of wild beasts. The archimandrite says to them: Children, having made a prayer and taken lamps, go forth, descend, and seek him. And having made a prayer over the well for three hours, they lowered into the well five monks with ropes, holding lamps; and the reptiles, seeing them, fled into the corners. And the holy Symeon, seeing them, cried out, saying: I beseech you, brothers and servants of God, give me a little time, so that I may give up my spirit, for it is enough for me that I have not completed what I undertook. But the monks, compelling him with much force, brought him up from the well, dragging him as one who had done evil; and they brought him to the archimandrite. And he, seeing him, fell at his feet, saying: Forgive me, servant of God, you yourself be my guide and teach me what things endurance possesses and bestows.

12

But the holy Symeon did not cease weeping and praying to God, and having spent three years in that monastery, he departs with no one knowing, and goes away to a deserted place, in which were situated several villages, and nearest to him was a village

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πέλαγος τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν. οἱ δὲ μοναχοὶ καὶ ὁ ἀρχιμανδρίτης ἔκλαιον ὁρῶντες τὴν ἀνίατον πληγὴν ἐκείνην· καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ ἀρχιμανδρίτης· Οὔπω τυγχάνεις ἐνιαυτῶν δέκα καὶ ὀκτὼ καὶ ποίας ἁμαρτίας ἔχεις; λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ ἅγιος Συμεών· Ὁ προφήτης ∆αβὶδ λέγει· Ἰδοὺ ἐν ἀνομίαις συνελήφθην καὶ ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ἐκίσσησέν με ἡ μήτηρ μου· καὶ πάντων τούτων τὰ ὅμοια ἠμφίεσμαι. ἐξεπλήττετο δὲ ὁ ἀρχιμανδρίτης ἐπὶ τῇ συνετῇ αὐτοῦ ἀποκρίσει, ὅτι ἄγροικος ὢν πῶς κατηνύγη εἰς τὸν φόβον τοῦ θεοῦ. καλέσας δὲ ὁ ἀρχιμανδρίτης ἰατροὺς δύο, μετὰ πολλῶν μόχθων καὶ πόνων ὡς νομίζεσθαι αὐτὸν τεθνηκέναι, ἀπέσπασαν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τὸ σχοινίον † ἀπὸ τῶν σαρ κῶν τῶν κεκολλημένων ἐν αὐτῷ, καὶ ἐπιμελησάμενοι αὐτοῦ ἡμέρας πεντήκοντα ὠφέλησαν αὐτὸν ἐκ μέρους. καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ ἀρχιμανδρίτης· Τέκνον, ἰδοὺ ὑγιὴς γέγονας· ἄπελθε ὅπου βούλει.

9 Τότε ἐξέρχεται ἐκ τοῦ μοναστηρίου ὁ ἅγιος Συμεών· καὶ ἰδοὺ ἦν παρακείμενον φρέαρ πλησίον τοῦ μοναστηρίου, ἐν ᾧ ὕδωρ οὐχ ὑπῆρχεν ἐν αὐτῷ, πλῆθος δὲ πνευμάτων ἀκα θάρτων πονηρῶν κατῴκει ἐν αὐτῷ· οὐ μόνον δὲ πνευμάτων ἀκαθάρτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀσπίδων καὶ ἐχιδνῶν καὶ ὄφεων καὶ σκορπίων πλῆθος ἀνείκαστον· ὅθεν πάντες ἐφοβοῦντο διελ θεῖν διὰ τοῦ τόπου ἐκείνου. Ἀπῆλθεν δὲ ἐκεῖ ὁ ἅγιος Συ μεὼν μηδενὸς εἰδότος καὶ ῥίπτει ἑαυτὸν ἐν τῷ φρέατι ἐκείνῳ, ποιήσας τὴν ἐν Χριστῷ σφραγῖδα, καὶ κρύβει ἑαυτὸν ἐν τῷ πλαγίῳ τοῦ φρέατος.

10 Μετὰ οὖν ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας τοῦ ἀναχωρῆσαι αὐτὸν τοῦ μοναστηρίου θεωρεῖ ὁ ἀρχιμανδρίτης κατ' ὄναρ ἀνείκαστον πλῆθος ἀνδρῶν λευχειμονούντων καὶ κυκλούντων τὸ μοναστήριον, λαμπάδας κρατούντων καὶ λεγόντων· Ἄρτι κατακαί ομέν σε ἐνταῦθα, εἰ μὴ τὸν δοῦλον τοῦ θεοῦ Συμεὼν παρα δώσεις ἡμῖν. διὰ ποίαν δὲ αἰτίαν ἐδίωξας αὐτόν, τί δὲ ἐποίησεν, ὅτι ἀπέρριψας αὐτὸν ἐκ τοῦ μοναστηρίου, ποῖον δέ ἐστιν τὸ σφάλμα αὐτοῦ; εἰπὲ ἡμῖν, πρίν σε κατακαύσωμεν· οὐκ οἶδας, τί εἶχες ἐν τῷ μοναστηρίῳ σου; οὗτος γὰρ μείζων σου εὑρε θήσεται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ τῇ φοβερᾷ καὶ φρικτῇ. καὶ δι υπνισθεὶς ὁ ἀρχιμανδρίτης ἔντρομος γενόμενος λέγει τοῖς μοναχοῖς· Ὡς ὁρῶ ὅτι ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐκεῖνος γνήσιος δοῦλος τοῦ θεοῦ τυγχάνει· ἰδοὺ γὰρ πολλὰ κακὰ ἔπαθον κατ' ὄναρ τῇ νυκτὶ ταύτῃ δι' αὐτόν· ἀλλὰ παρακαλῶ ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοί, διαδράμετέ μοι καὶ εὕρετέ μοι αὐτόν, ἐπεὶ μηδεὶς ἔλθοι ἐξ ὑμῶν ἐνταῦθα.

11 Καὶ ἐξελθόντες ἐζήτησαν ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ αὐτὸν καὶ μὴ εὑρόντες αὐτὸν ἦλθον λέγοντες τῷ ἀρχιμανδρίτῃ· Ὄντως, δέσποτα, οὐκ ἐάσαμεν τόπον, ὅπου οὐκ ἐζητήσαμεν, εἰ μὴ τὸν τόπον, ἐν ᾧ οὐδεὶς τολμᾷ διοδεῦσαι διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἀγρίων θηρίων. λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ ἀρχιμανδρίτης· Τέκνα, ποιή σαντες εὐχὴν καὶ λαβόντες λαμπάδας, ἀπελθόντες κατέλθατε καὶ ἐπιζητήσατε αὐτόν. καὶ ποιήσαντες εὐχὴν ἐπάνω τοῦ φρέατος ἐπὶ ὡρῶν τριῶν ἐχάλασαν ἐν τῷ φρέατι πέντε μοναχοὺς μετὰ σχοινίων λαμπάδας κρατοῦντας· καὶ τὰ ἑρ πετὰ θεωροῦντα εἰς τὰς γωνίας ἔφυγον. ἰδὼν δὲ αὐτοὺς ὁ ἅγιος Συμεὼν ἀνέκραζεν λέγων· ∆έομαι ὑμῶν, ἀδελφοὶ καὶ δοῦλοι τοῦ θεοῦ, ἔνδοτέ μοι μικρόν, ἵνα παραδῶ τὸ πνεῦμά μου, ἀρκεῖ γάρ μοι, ὅτι ὃ ἐπεβαλόμην οὐκ ἐπλήρωσα. οἱ δὲ μοναχοὶ βιασάμενοι αὐτὸν μετὰ πολλῆς βίας ἀνήγαγον αὐτὸν ἐκ τοῦ φρέατος, σύροντες αὐτὸν ὡς κακὸν πράξαντα· ἤγαγον δὲ αὐτὸν τῷ ἀρχιμανδρίτῃ. ὁ δὲ ἰδὼν αὐτὸν ἔπεσεν εἰς τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ λέγων· Συγχώρησόν μοι, δοῦλε τοῦ θεοῦ, αὐτός μου γενοῦ καθηγητὴς καὶ δίδαξόν με, ἅπερ ἔχει καὶ δωρεῖται ἡ καρτερία.

12 Ὁ δὲ ἅγιος Συμεὼν οὐκ ἐπαύετο κλαίων καὶ δεόμενος τοῦ θεοῦ, ποιήσας δὲ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ μοναστηρίῳ χρόνους τρεῖς ἐξέρχεται μηδενὸς γινώσκοντος, καὶ ἀπέρχεται εἰς ἔρημον τό πον, ἐν ᾧ παρέκειντο χωρία ἱκανά, ἔγγιστα δὲ αὐτοῦ ἦν χω