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I embraced that ground, where the feet of my lord and father walk; would that I had venerated the keys and bolts against you, as guarding a treasury of piety. But rather I wished to kiss that precious mouth, which confessed the word of truth, the holy hands which are raised in holy and well-pleasing prayers. Where has my sweet face flown away, and where has the saving voice been silenced? Behold, I am a pitiable orphan and completely desolate, not having my father, not having my luminary, the physician and nourisher of my humble soul, unprotected, undefended against those who invisibly war against me. I have become like a raven in the desert, like a sparrow on the housetop, straining my eyes day by day, looking here and there and gazing around and nowhere the longed-for face; and not yet would I be able to lament my suffering worthily. But I give thanks and more than thanks, that for the law of God I have been deemed worthy of these things, that I was named the child of such a father. Perhaps I think I reign through you today, holy father, if indeed your prayer might keep me safe; for I fear my sin and profligacy. But you will know that by your holy prayers I am strengthened and established, even though I am very easily overcome; and not only I, but we are all one, of one mind with you, of one soul, choosing to suffer with you until death, and may you in no way be afraid on our account. Well done, O father, well done, well done, O best helmsman, zealous for piety, imitator of the saints; truly you have struggled magnificently, you have contended vigorously, with the martyrs I know that your spirit may be. So it is with these things, even if not yet as my desire and your worthiness demand. But since you command me to relate to you word for word from the day we underwent that painful separation, both the journey and the things that happened to us on it, I am not able, but what has been commanded me I will do most unhesitatingly. Therefore, on that very day on which you, O father, went the road to death by your choice, we also set out on the journey of exile, mounted on whatever animals were at hand. And as we were at first inexperienced in such a drama, we were somehow in despair; for we also approached some villages, being made a spectacle before people of every appearance and age; and with noises and shouts both our ears were assailed both in departing and stopping, besides the guards procuring the necessities. But as we went forward, having become accustomed, we bore the hardships more easily. But what grieved us more was the weakness of the father, the lord deacon. And so, burdened, drenched, we completed the journey. And these were the stopping-places: from Kathara to Libiana, then to Leucas, and so to Phyraeum. There also a painful thing happened to us, and worthy of telling; for appearing somehow from a high place, nine of the leading brothers like scattered sheep stood around us weeping and breaking our hearts. And the one leading us did not allow us even to speak to them, but looking and being looked upon piteously and having uttered exclamations to one another, at last with tears we were separated. Then, having been brought down to Paula, we found your much-longed-for sister with the lord Sabas, having secretly met and having remained in the same place for the whole night; having spoken what was fitting and having greeted one another as if at the point of death, we parted, groaning and lamenting. There one could see bowels being torn and convulsed, with nature being conquered in a manner worthy of God. From there we stopped in Loupadion, having been kindly sympathized with by the host, and having also used a bath on account of the bruises (for some had also become hard to heal from the journey), and we were brought to Tilis; there, then, both Abba Zacharias with Pionius found us, from fervent zeal weeping and choosing to go with us, even though they were not allowed. from this place to Alceriza, from there to Anagrammenoi, then to Perperina and from there to the

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ἔδαφος ἐκεῖνο περιεπτυξάμην, οὗ οἱ πόδες τοῦ κυρίου μου καὶ πατρὸς βαδίζουσιν· εἴθε τὰς κατὰ σοῦ κλεῖς καὶ κλεῖθρα προσεκύνησα, ὡς θησαυρὸν εὐσεβείας φυλάττοντα. μᾶλλον δὲ ἐβουλόμην τὸ τίμιον ἐκεῖνο ἀσπάσασθαι στόμα, τὸ ὁμολογῆσαν τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας, τὰς ὁσίας χεῖρας τὰς ἐπαιρομένας εἰς ἁγίας προσευχὰς καὶ εὐπροσδέκτους. ποῦ ποτέ μου τὸ γλυκὺ ἀπέπτη πρόσωπον, ποῦ δὲ ἡ σωτήριος φωνὴ κατεσιγάσθη; ἰδοὺ δὴ ἐγὼ ὀρφανὸς ὁ ἐλεεινὸς καὶ παντέρημος, οὐκ ἔχων τὸν πατέρα μου, οὐκ ἔχων τὸν φωστῆρά μου, τὸν ἰατρὸν καὶ τροφέα τῆς ταπεινῆς μου ψυχῆς, ἀπροστάτευτος, ἀνεπαμύνευτος πρὸς τοὺς πολεμοῦντάς με ἀοράτως. ἐγενόμην ὡσεὶ κόραξ ἐν ἐρήμῳ, ὡς στρουθίον ἐπὶ δώματος, καθ' ἡμέραν ἀποφθαλμιῶν, ὧδε κἀκεῖσε βλέπων καὶ περιαθρῶν καὶ οὐδαμοῦ τὸ ποθούμενον πρόσωπον· καὶ οὔπω κατ' ἀξίαν δυναίμην ἐκτραγῳδεῖν μου τὸ πάθος. πλὴν εὐχαριστῶ καὶ ὑπερευχαριστῶ, ὅτι διὰ νόμον θεοῦ ταῦτα κατηξίωμαι, ὅτι τοιούτου πατρὸς ἐχρημάτισα τέκνον. τάχα βασιλεύειν οἴομαι διὰ σοῦ σήμερον, πάτερ ἅγιε, εἴπερ ἡ εὐχή σου σῶόν με διαφυλάξοι· δέδοικα γάρ μου τὴν ἁμαρτίαν καὶ τὴν ἀσωτίαν. εἴσῃ δὲ γινώσκων ὅτι σοῦ ταῖς ἁγίαις εὐχαῖς ἐνίσχυμαι καὶ ἐνίδρυμαι, κἂν λίαν εὐκαταγώνιστός εἰμι· καὶ οὐ μόνον ἐγώ, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ πάντες τὸ ἓν ἐσμέν, συμφρονοῦντές σοι σύμψυχοι, συμπάσχειν αἱρούμενοι μέχρι θανάτου, καὶ μηδαμῶς ἡμῶν ἕνεκα δεδιὼς ᾖς. εὖγε, ὦ πάτερ, εὖγε, εὖγε ὦ ἄριστε κυβερνῆτα, ζηλωτὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας, μιμητὰ τῶν ἁγίων· μεγαλοπρεπῶς ὄντως ἠγώνισαι, νεανικῶς ὑπερήθλησας, μετὰ μαρτύρων οἶδ' ὅτι εἴη τὸ πνεῦμά σου. Ἔχει μὲν οὕτω ταῦτα, εἰ καὶ μήπω τῆς ἐπιθυμίας μου καὶ τῆς ἀξίας σου εἰς δέον. ἐπεὶ δὲ κελεύεις ἱστορῆσαί σοι καθ' ἔπος ἀφ' ἧς ἡμέρας ὑπέστημεν ἐκείνην τὴν ὀδυνηρὰν διάζευξιν τήν τε ὁδοιπορίαν καὶ τὰ κατ' αὐτὴν ἡμῖν συμβεβηκότα, οὐχ ἱκανῶ, πλὴν τὸ κελευσθέν μοι ποιήσω ἀοκνότατα. κατ' αὐτὴν τοιγάρτοι τὴν ἡμέραν καθ' ἣν ἀπῄεις σὺ μέν, ὦ πάτερ, τὴν ἐπὶ θάνατον ὁδὸν τῇ προαιρέσει καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐστειλάμεθα τὴν ἐξόριστον ὁδοιπορίαν, ἐποχηθέντες ἐφ' οἷς ἔτυχε ζῴοις. καὶ ὡς ἀπείραστοι κατ' ἀρχὰς τοῦ τοιούτου δράματος ἦμέν πως ἐν ἀθυμίᾳ· προσεβάλομεν γὰρ καί τισι κώμαις, θεατριζόμενοι ἐπὶ πάσης ὄψεως καὶ ἡλικίας ἀνθρώπων· θορύβοις τε καὶ κραυγαῖς περιηχήθημεν ἀμφότερα τὰ ὦτα ἔν τε τῷ ἀπαίρειν καὶ καταπαύειν παρὰ τὸ τὰ ἐπιτήδεια συμπορίζεσθαι τοὺς ἄγοντας. ὡς δὲ ᾔομεν ἐπὶ πρόσω, εἰθισθέντες ῥᾷον μᾶλλον ἐφέρομεν τὰ δυσχερῆ. τὸ δὲ ἀνιῶν ἡμᾶς πλέον ἡ ἀσθένεια ἦν τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ κυρίου διακόνου. καὶ οὕτω τὴν ὁδὸν ἀχθούμενοι, περιαντλούμενοι διεπεράναμεν. Αὗται δὲ αἱ καταμοναί· ἀπὸ τῶν Καθαρᾶ εἰς Λιβιανά, ἔπειτα εἰς Λεύκας, εἶθ' οὕτως εἰς τὸ Φύραιον. ἔνθα καὶ ὀδυνηρὸν ἡμῖν συνέβη καὶ ἱστορίας ἄξιον· ὑπερφανέντες γάρ πως ἐξ ἀπόπτου ἐννέα τῶν πρωτευόντων ἀδελφῶν ὡς πρόβατα διεσπαρμένα περιέστησαν ἡμῖν κλαίοντες καὶ συνθρύπτοντες ἡμῶν τὴν καρδίαν. καὶ ὁ μὲν ἄγων ἡμᾶς οὐδὲ προσλαλῆσαι εἴα, ἐλεεινὰ δὲ βλέποντες καὶ βλεπόμενοι καὶ ἐπιφθέγματα ἀλλήλοις ἐπειπόντες τελευταῖον μετὰ δακρύων διεχωρίσθημεν. εἶτα καταχθέντες ἐν τῇ Παύλᾳ εὕρομεν τὴν πολυπόθητόν σου ἀδελφὴν σὺν τῷ κυρῷ Σάβᾳ, κρυπτῶς συνοψισθέντες καὶ δι' ὅλης νυκτὸς ἐν ταὐτῷ μείναντες· λαλήσαντες τὰ εἰκότα καὶ ἀσπασάμενοι ἀλλήλους ὡς ἐπιθανατίους διέστημεν στένοντες καὶ ποτνιώμενοι. ἦν ἰδεῖν ἐκεῖ σπαρασσόμενα σπλάγχνα καὶ σφαδάζοντα, θεοπρεπῶς νικωμένης τῆς φύσεως. Ἐκ τῶνδε κατεπαύσαμεν ἐν τῷ Λουπαδίῳ, φιλοφρόνως συμπαθηθέντες παρὰ τοῦ ξενοδοχοῦντος, χρησάμενοί τε καὶ λουετρῷ διὰ τοὺς μώλωπας (γεγόνασι γὰρ καί τινων δυσίατοι ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοιπορίας), καὶ κατήχθημεν εἰς Τίλιν· ἐκεῖ τοίνυν καταλαβὼν ἡμᾶς ὅ τε ἀββᾶς Ζαχαρίας μετὰ τοῦ Πιονίου, ἐκ θερμῆς προθέσεως κλαίοντες καὶ μεθ' ἡμῶν αἱρούμενοι πορεύεσθαι, κἂν οὐκ εἰάθησαν. ἀπὸ τῶν τῇδε εἰς Ἀλκέριζαν, ἐκ τῶνδε εἰς Ἀναγραμμένους, ἔπειτα εἰς Περπερίναν κἀκεῖθεν εἰς τὸ