of them. And rising after the week, I went to them to see how they were sitting; and when I knocked they opened, and they greeted me in silence; and having made a prayer, I sat down. And the elder, having motioned to the younger to go out, sat down to plait the rope, speaking nothing. And at the hour of the ninth he knocked, and the younger came, and made a small cooked meal, and set a table, the elder having motioned to him; and he placed on it three rusks, and stood in silence. But I said: Rise, let us eat. And rising, we ate. And he brought the small jug, and we drank. And when evening came, they say to me: Are you leaving? But I said: No, but I will sleep here. And they placed a mat for me separately, and for themselves in the corner separately. And they took off their belts and their scapulars, and laid themselves down together on the mat in front of me. And when they laid themselves down, I prayed to God that he might reveal to me their work. And the roof was opened, and there was light as of day; but they did not see the light. And as they thought that I was sleeping, the elder nudges the younger in the side, and they arise, and gird themselves, and stretch out their hands to heaven. And I was watching them; but they did not see me; and I saw the demons coming like flies upon the younger; and some came to sit on his mouth, others on his eyes. And I saw an angel of the Lord holding a sword of fire, and surrounding him and driving the demons away from him. But they were not able to approach the elder. And around dawn they laid themselves down; and I pretended that I had awakened, and they likewise. And the elder said this word to me only: Do you want us to say the twelve psalms? I say: Yes; and the younger chants five psalms of six verses and one alleluia. And at each verse a torch of fire came out of his mouth, and went up to heaven. Likewise also the elder, when he opened his mouth chanting, like a rope of fire it came out, and reached to heaven. And I said a little from memory. And going out I say: Pray for me. But they made a prostration in silence. I learned therefore that the elder is perfect, but the enemy still warred against the younger. And after a few days the elder brother fell asleep, and on the third day the 34.257 younger. And when some of the fathers visited Abba Macarius, he would take them to their cell saying: Come, see the martyry of the little strangers. Once the elders of the mountain sent to Abba Macarius in Scetis, entreating him; and they say to him: So that all the people may not be troubled coming to you, we ask you to come to us, so that we may see you before you depart to the Lord. When he came to the mountain, all the people gathered to him; and the elders asked him to say a word to the brothers. And he, having heard, said: Let us weep, brothers, and let our eyes bring down tears, before we go where our tears will burn our bodies. And all wept, and fell on their faces and said: Father, pray for us. Another time again a demon stood by Abba Macarius with a small knife, wanting to cut off his foot; and being unable because of his humility, says to him: Whatever you have, we also have; only in humility do you differ from us, and you prevail. Abba Macarius said: If we remember the evils brought upon us by men, we destroy the power of the remembrance of God; but if we remember the evils of the demons, we will be invulnerable. Abba Paphnutius, the disciple of Abba Macarius, said that the old man said that when I was a child, with the other children I was tending oxen; and I went to steal

αὐτῶν. ἀναστὰς δὲ μετὰ τὴν ἑβδομάδα, ἀπῆλθον πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἰδεῖν, πῶς κάθηνται· καὶ κρού σαντός μου ἀνέῳξαν, καὶ ἠσπάσαντό με σιωπῶντες· καὶ ποιήσας εὐχὴν ἐκάθισα. νεύσας δὲ ὁ μείζων τῷ μικροτέρῳ ἐξελθεῖν, ἐκάθισε πλέκειν τὴν σειρὰν λαλήσας μηδέν. καὶ τῇ ὥρᾳ τῆς ἐνάτης ἔκρουσε, καὶ ἦλθεν ὁ νεώτερος, καὶ ἐποίησε μικρὸν ἕψημα, καὶ παρέθηκε τράπεζαν, νεύσαντος αὐτῷ τοῦ μειζοτέρου· καὶ ἔθηκεν εἰς αὐτὴν τρεῖς παξαμάδας, καὶ ἔστη σιω πῶν. ἐγὼ δὲ εἶπον· ἐγείρεσθε, φάγωμεν. καὶ ἀνα στάντες ἐφάγομεν. καὶ ἤνεγκε τὸ βαυκάλιον, καὶ ἐπίομεν. ὡς δὲ ἐγένετο ἑσπέρα, λέγουσί μοι· ὑπ άγεις; ἐγὼ δὲ εἶπον· οὐχί, ἀλλ' ὧδε κοιμῶμαι. καὶ ἔθηκάν μοι ψιάθιον παρὰ μέρος, καὶ ἑαυτοῖς εἰς τὴν γωνίαν παρὰ μέρος. καὶ ἦραν τὰς ζώνας αὐτῶν καὶ τοὺς ἀναλάβους, καὶ ἔθηκαν ἑαυτοὺς ὁμοῦ εἰς τὸ ψιάθιον ἔμπροσθέν μου. ὡς δὲ ἔθηκαν ἑαυτούς, ηὐξάμην τῷ Θεῷ, ἵνα μοι ἀποκαλύψῃ τὴν ἐργασίαν αὐτῶν. καὶ ἠνεῴχθη ἡ στέγη, καὶ ἐγένετο φῶς ὡς ἡμέρα· αὐτοὶ δὲ οὐκ ἐθεώρουν τὸ φῶς. καὶ ὡς ἐνόμιζον ὅτι κοιμῶμαι, νύσσει ὁ μείζων τὸν μι κρότερον εἰς τὴν πλευράν, καὶ ἐγείρονται, καὶ ζων νῦσιν ἑαυτούς, καὶ ἐκτείνουσι τὰς χεῖρας εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν. καὶ ἐθεώρουν αὐτούς· αὐτοὶ δὲ οὐκ ἐθεώρουν με· καὶ εἶδον τοὺς δαίμονας ἐρχομένους ὥσπερ μυίας ἐπὶ τὸν μικρότερον· καὶ οἱ μὲν ἤρχοντο καθίσαι εἰς τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ, οἱ δὲ εἰς τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ. καὶ εἶδον ἄγγελον κυρίου κατέχοντα ῥομφαίαν πυρός, καὶ περιχαρακοῦντα αὐτὸν καὶ διώκοντα τοὺς δαίμονας ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. τῷ δὲ μειζοτέρῳ οὐκ ἐδύναντο προσεγγί σαι. καὶ ὡς περὶ τὴν πρωΐαν ἔθηκαν ἑαυτούς· κἀγὼ ἐποίησα ἐμαυτὸν ὅτι διυπνίσθην, καὶ αὐτοὶ ὡσαύτως. εἶπε δέ μοι ὁ μείζων τὸν λόγον τοῦτον μόνον· θέλεις βάλωμεν τοὺς δώδεκα ψαλμούς; λέγω· ναί· καὶ ψάλλει ὁ μικρότερος πέντε ψαλμοὺς ἀπὸ ἓξ στίχων καὶ ἓν ἀλληλούια. καὶ κατὰ στίχον ἐξήρχετο λαμπὰς πυρὸς ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀνέβαινεν εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν. ὡσαύτως καὶ ὁ μείζων ὅτε ἤνοιγε τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ ψάλλων, ὡς σχοινίον πυρὸς ἐξήρχετο, καὶ ἔφθανεν ἕως τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. κἀγὼ εἶπον μικρὸν ἀπὸ στήθους. καὶ ἐξελθὼν λέγω· εὔξασθε περὶ ἐμοῦ. αὐτοὶ δὲ ἔβαλον μετάνοιαν σιωπῶντες. ἔμαθον οὖν ὅτι ὁ μείζων τέλειός ἐστι, τῷ δὲ μικροτέρῳ ἀκμὴν ἐπολέμει ὁ ἐχθρός. μετὰ δὲ μικρὰς ἡμέρας ἐκοι μήθη ὁ μείζων ἀδελφός, καὶ τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ὁ μι 34.257 κρότερος. καὶ ὅτε παρέβαλόν τινες τῶν πατέρων πρὸς τὸν ἀββᾶν Μακάριον, ἐλάμβανεν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν κέλ λαν αὐτῶν λέγων· δεῦτε, ἴδετε τὸ μαρτύριον τῶν μικρῶν ξένων. Ἀπέστειλάν ποτε πρὸς τὸν ἀββᾶν Μακάριον ἐν τῇ Σκήτει οἱ γέροντες τοῦ ὄρους, παρακα λοῦντες αὐτόν· καί φασι πρὸς αὐτόν· ἵνα μὴ σκυλῇ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς πρὸς σέ, ἀξιοῦμέν σε παραγενέσθαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ὅπως θεασώμεθα πρὸ τοῦ σε ἐκδημῆσαι πρὸς κύριον. παραγενομένου αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ ὄρει, συνήχθη πᾶς ὁ λαὸς πρὸς αὐτόν· καὶ παρεκάλουν αὐτὸν οἱ γέροντες εἰπεῖν λόγον τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς. ὁ δὲ ἀκούσας ἔφη· κλαύσωμεν, ἀδελφοί, καὶ καταγαγέτωσαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν δάκρυα, πρὸ τοῦ ἡμᾶς ἀπελθεῖν, ὅπου τὰ ἡμῶν δάκρυα κατακαύσει τὰ σώματα ἡμῶν. καὶ ἔκλαυσαν πάντες, καὶ ἔπεσον ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐ τῶν καὶ εἶπον· πάτερ, εὖξαι ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. Ἄλλοτε πάλιν δαίμων ἐπέστη τῷ ἀββᾷ Μα καρίῳ μετὰ μαχαιρίου, θέλων τὸν πόδα αὐτοῦ κόψαι· καὶ διὰ τὴν ταπεινοφροσύνην αὐτοῦ μὴ δυνηθεὶς λέγει αὐτῷ· ὅσα ἔχετε, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἔχομεν· μόνῃ τῇ ταπεινοφροσύνῃ διαφέρετε ἡμῶν, καὶ κρατεῖτε. Εἶπεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Μακάριος· ἐὰν μνησθῶ μεν τῶν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπαγομένων ἡμῖν κα κῶν, ἀναιροῦμεν τὴν δύναμιν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ μνήμης· ἐὰν δὲ μνησθῶμεν τῶν κακῶν τῶν δαιμόνων, ἐσόμεθα ἄτρωτοι. Εἶπεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Παφνούτιος ὁ μαθητὴς τοῦ ἀββᾶ Μακαρίου, ὅτι ἔλεγεν ὁ γέρων, ὅτι ὅτε ἤμην παιδίον, μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων παιδίων ἔβοσκον βοΐδια· καὶ ἀπῆλ θον κλέψαι