goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control", is acknowledged. Pref.14 For Paul himself said: "For the fruit of the spirit is" such and such things. That he who is zealous to have such fruits will not eat meat nor drink wine irrationally or aimlessly or unseasonably, nor will he dwell with anyone with an evil conscience, the same Paul said again that "Everyone who competes is self-controlled in all things", while the flesh is healthy abstaining from fattening things, but when it is sick or in pain or even sharing in griefs and difficulties he will use foods or drinks as medicines for the healing of afflictions, but he will abstain from things harmful to the soul, anger, envy, vainglory, acedia, slander and irrational suspicion, giving thanks in the Lord. Pref.15 Having therefore discussed this sufficiently, I again bring another exhortation to your love of learning. Flee with all your might the company of men who have no benefit and adorn their skin unsuitably, even if they are orthodox, let alone of heretics, who do harm by their hypocrisy, even if they seem to be venerable with grey hairs or wrinkles from length of time. For even if you are not harmed at all by them because of the nobility of your character, you will at least become conceited or be puffed up, despising them, which is a harm to you. But more than a window of light, pursue the holy company of men and women, so that through them, as through a finely written book, you may be able to see clearly also your own heart, being able to test your own sloth or negligence by the comparison. Pref.16 For the complexion of their faces blooming with grey hair and the adornment of their clothing and the lack of pride in their words and the reverence of their speech and the grace of their thoughts will strengthen you, even if you happen to be in acedia. "For a man's attire and gait of foot and laughter of teeth will tell things about him," as Wisdom says. Beginning the narratives, therefore, I will not leave unknown to you in this account those in the cities nor those in the villages or deserts. For it is not the place where they lived that is sought, but the manner of their purpose. 1 .tConcerning Isidore 1.1 First setting foot in the city of the Alexandrians in the second consulate of Theodosius the great emperor, who is now among the angels because of his faith in Christ, I met in the city a wonderful man, adorned in every way both in character and in knowledge, Isidore, a presbyter who was keeper of the hospice of the Alexandrian church; who was said to have completed the first contests of his youth in the desert; whose cell I also saw on the mountain of Nitria. I found this man an old man of seventy years, who having lived another fifteen years, died in peace. 1.2 This man, until his very death, did not wear linen except for a face-cloth, did not touch a bath, did not partake of meat; who had such a little body, sustained by grace, that all who did not know his diet expected that he lived in luxury. If I wish to recount the virtues of his soul in detail, time will fail me; who was so philanthropic and peaceable, that even his enemies, the unbelievers, revered his shadow because he was exceedingly good. 1.3 He had such knowledge of the holy scriptures and of the divine doctrines, that even at the very banquets of the brethren his mind would be in ecstasy and he would become mute; and being asked to recount the things of his ecstasy, he would say "I was away in my mind, snatched up by some contemplation." I myself knew him to have often wept at table, and having asked the reason for his tears, I heard him saying "I am ashamed partaking of irrational food, being rational and obliged to live in a paradise of delight because of the authority given to us by Christ." 1.4 This man, being known to the whole senate in Rome and to the wives of the great men, when he had gone away first with Athanasius the bishop, and then with Demetrius the bishop, and abounding in wealth and plenty of necessities, when he died he did not write a will, he did not leave behind a coin, nor a thing to his own sisters
ἀγαθωσύνη, πίστις, πραΰτης, καὶ ἐγκράτεια", ὡμολόγηται. Pref.14 Αὐτὸς γὰρ ἔλεγε Παῦλος· "Ὁ γὰρ καρπὸς τοῦ πνεύματός ἐστι" τὰ καὶ τά. Ὅτι δὲ ὁ σπουδάζων τοιούτους ἔχειν καρποὺς ἀλόγως ἢ ἀσκόπως ἢ ἀκαίρως οὐ βρώσεται κρέα οὐδὲ πίεται οἶνον, οὐδὲ συνοικήσει τινὶ κακῷ συνειδότι, πάλιν ἔλεγεν ὁ αὐτὸς Παῦλος ὅτι "Πᾶς ὁ ἀγωνιζόμενος πάντα ἐγκρατεύεται", ὑγιαινούσης μὲν τῆς σαρκὸς ἀπε χόμενος τῶν πιαινόντων, ἀρρωστούσης δὲ ἢ ὀδυνωμένης ἢ καὶ λύπαις καὶ περιστάσεσι κοινωνούσης χρήσεται μὲν βρώμασιν ἢ πόμασιν ὡς φαρμάκοις εἰς ἴασιν τῶν λυπούντων, ἀφέξεται δὲ τῶν κατὰ ψυχὴν βλαβερῶν, ὀργῆς, φθόνου, κενοδοξίας, ἀκηδίας, καταλαλιᾶς καὶ ὑπονοίας ἀλόγου, εὐχα ριστῶν ἐν κυρίῳ. Pref.15 Αὐτάρκως τοίνυν περὶ τούτου διαλαβὼν πάλιν ἄλλην παράκλησιν προσάγω σου τῇ φιλομαθείᾳ. Φεῦγε ὅση δύναμις συντυχίας ἀνδρῶν ὄφελος οὐδὲν ἐχόντων καὶ κοσμούντων τὸ δέρμα ἀκαταλλήλως, κἂν ὀρθόδοξοι εἶεν, μή τί γε αἱρε τικῶν, βλαπτόντων τῇ ὑποκρίσει, κἂν δόξωσι πολιαῖς ἢ ῥυτίσιν ἐπισύρεσθαι μῆκος χρόνου. Κἂν γὰρ μηδὲν βλαβῇς παρ' αὐτῶν δι' εὐγένειαν τρόπων, τὸ γοῦν ἔλαττον χαυνω θήσῃ ἢ ἐπαρθήσῃ καταγελῶν τούτων, ὅπερ ἐστί σοι βλάβη. Ὑπὲρ δὲ θυρίδα φωτεινὴν μεταδίωκε ἀνδρῶν τε καὶ γυναικῶν ὁσίας συντυχίας, ἵνα διὰ τούτων, καθάπερ λεπτόγραφον βιβλίον, δυνηθῇς σαφῶς ἰδεῖν καὶ τὴν σὴν καρδίαν, διὰ τῆς παραθέσεως τὴν ῥᾳθυμίαν ἢ τὴν ἀμέλειαν δυνάμενος τὴν σὴν δοκιμάζειν. Pref.16 Ἥ τε γὰρ χρόα τῶν προσώπων ἐπανθοῦσα τῇ πολιᾷ καὶ ὁ στολισμὸς τῆς ἐσθῆτος καὶ ἡ ἀτυφία τῶν λόγων καὶ ἡ εὐλάβεια τῶν λέξεων καὶ τὸ χαρίεν τῶν νοημάτων ἐνδυναμώσει σε, κἂν ἐν ἀκηδίᾳ τυγχάνῃς. "Στολισμὸς γὰρ ἀνδρὸς καὶ βῆμα ποδὸς καὶ γέλως ὀδόντων ἀναγγελεῖ τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ" καθὼς ἡ σοφία λέγει. Ἀρξάμενος τοίνυν τῶν διηγήσεων οὐ τοὺς ἐν ταῖς πόλεσιν οὔτε τοὺς ἐν ταῖς κώμαις ἢ ἐρημίαις σοι καταλείψω ἀγνώσ τους τῷ λόγῳ. Οὐ γὰρ ὁ τόπος ἐστὶν ὁ ζητούμενος ἔνθα κατῴκησαν οὗτοι, ἀλλ' ὁ τρόπος τῆς προαιρέσεως. 1 .tΠερὶ Ἰσιδώρου 1.1 Πρώτως πατήσας τὴν Ἀλεξανδρέων πόλιν ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ ὑπατείᾳ Θεοδοσίου τοῦ μεγάλου βασιλέως, ὃς νῦν ἐν ἀγγέλοις ὑπάρχει διὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ πίστιν εἰς τὸν Χριστόν, περιέτυχον ἐν τῇ πόλει ἀνδρὶ θαυμασίῳ παντόθεν κεκοσ μημένῳ ἔν τε ἤθει καὶ γνώσει, Ἰσιδώρῳ πρεσβυτέρῳ ξενο δόχῳ ὄντι τῆς Ἀλεξανδρέων ἐκκλησίας· ὃς τὰ μὲν πρῶτα τῆς νεότητος ἆθλα ἐλέγετο ἠνυκέναι ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ· οὗ καὶ τὴν κέλλαν ἐθεασάμην ἐν τῷ ὄρει τῷ τῆς Νιτρίας. Κατ έλαβον δὲ τοῦτον ἔτων ἑβδομήκοντα γέροντα, ὃς ἐπιζήσας πεντεκαίδεκα ἔτη ἄλλα τελευτᾷ ἐν εἰρήνῃ. 1.2 Οὗτος μέχρις αὐτῆς τῆς τελευτῆς οὐκ ὀθόνην ἐφόρεσεν ἐκτὸς φακιολίου, οὐ λουτροῦ ἥψατο, οὐ κρεῶν μετέλαβεν· ὃς ἔσχε τοιοῦτον τὸ σωμάτιον ὑπὸ τῆς χάριτος συγκροτούμενον, ὡς προσδοκῆσαι πάντας τοὺς ἀγνοοῦντας αὐτοῦ τὴν δίαιταν ὅτι ἐν τρυφῇ διάγει. Τούτου τὰς ἀρετὰς τῆς ψυχῆς ἐὰν θέλω διηγήσασθαι κατὰ μέρος ἐπιλείψει μοι ὁ χρόνος· ὃς τοσοῦτον ἦν φιλάνθρωπος καὶ εἰρηνικός, ὡς καὶ αὐτοὺς τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτοῦ τοὺς ἀπίστους αἰδεῖσθαι αὐτοῦ τὴν σκιὰν διὰ τὸ λίαν χρηστόν. 1.3 Τοσαύτην δὲ ἔσχε γνῶσιν τῶν ἁγίων γραφῶν καὶ τῶν θείων δογμάτων, ὡς καὶ παρ' αὐτὰ τὰ συμπόσια τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐξίστασθαι τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ ἐνεάζειν· καὶ παρακαλούμενος διηγήσασθαι τὰ τῆς ἐκστά σεως, ἔλεγεν ὅτι "Ἀπεδήμησα τῇ διανοίᾳ, ἁρπαγεὶς ὑπὸ θεωρίας τινός". Ἔγνων κἀγὼ τοῦτον πολλάκις δακρύσαντα ἐπὶ τραπέζης, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν πυθόμενος τῶν δακρύων ἤκουσα αὐτοῦ λέγοντος ὅτι "Αἰδοῦμαι μεταλαμβάνων ἀλόγου τροφῆς, λογικὸς ὑπάρχων καὶ ὀφείλων ἐν παρα δείσῳ τρυφῆς διάγειν διὰ τὴν δοθεῖσαν ἡμῖν παρὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐξουσίαν". 1.4 Οὗτος γνώριμος ὢν τῇ κατὰ Ῥώμην συγκλήτῳ πάσῃ ταῖς τε γυναιξὶ τῶν μεγιστάνων, ὁπηνίκα σὺν Ἀθανασίῳ τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ ἀπεληλύθει τὸ πρῶτον, ἔπειπα σὺν ∆ημητρίῳ τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ, καὶ περισσεύων πλούτῳ καὶ ἀφθονίᾳ χρειῶν, οὐ διαθήκην ἔγραψε τελευτῶν, οὐ νόμισμα καταλέλοιπεν, οὐ πρᾶγμα ταῖς ἰδίαις αὐτοῦ ἀδελ φαῖς