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with many infirmities, his face wrinkled, his legs weakened, stooped over, and completely gray-haired, toothless, and speaking brokenly. Amazement therefore seizes him; and indeed bringing him near, he asked to learn the strangeness of the sight. But those present said: This man is already of a very great age, and as his strength little by little diminished, and his limbs grew weak, he has reached the misery which you see. And what, he says, is the end of this? But they said to him: 58 Nothing other than death will succeed him. But is this set before all men, he said? or does this happen only to some of them? they answered: Unless death, seizing beforehand, removes someone from here, it is impossible, as the years advance, not to come to the experience of this state. and the boy says: In how many years then does this come upon someone? and if death is absolutely set before us, and there is no method to escape it, and not to come into this misery? They say to him: In eighty or even a hundred years men arrive at this old age, then they die, it not being possible otherwise. For death is a natural debt, imposed on men from the beginning, and its coming is inevitable. When he had seen and heard all these things, that intelligent and prudent young man, groaning from the depth of his heart, said: Bitter is this life and full of all pain and unpleasantness, if these things are so. and how can anyone be without care in the expectation of uncertain death, whose coming is not only inevitable, but also uncertain, as you have said? and he went away, turning these things over in himself, and ceaselessly pondering, and making frequent reminders about death, living with pains and despondencies because of this and having unceasing sorrow. For he said to himself: Will death ever seize me? And who will be the one to remember me after death, since time consigns all things to oblivion? and if, having died, I shall be dissolved into non-being? or is there some other life and another world? Ceaselessly considering these and 60 similar things, he grew pale and wasted away, but in the sight of his father, when it happened that he arrived, he pretended to be cheerful and without sorrow, not wishing what he was meditating on to come to his father's knowledge. But he longed with a certain uncontrollable desire and yearned to meet someone able to fully convince his heart, and to sound a good word in his ears. But he again asked the aforementioned tutor, if he knew anyone anywhere who was able to help him towards what he desired, and to establish his mind, which was terribly dizzy among his reasonings, and was unable to cast off the care concerning these things. But he, recalling again the things said before, said: I told you before also how your father, concerning those wise men and ascetics who are always philosophizing about such things, killed some, and persecuted others with anger, and I do not now know anyone of that kind in this region. But he, having been filled with much distress at these things, and having been terribly wounded in his soul, was like a man who had lost a great treasure and was occupying his whole mind in its search. From then on he lived with continual struggle and anxiety, and all the pleasant and delightful things of the world were in his eyes as something accursed and an abomination. So as the young man was in this state and supplicating in his soul to find the good, the all-seeing eye saw him, and he who wishes all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth did not overlook him, but, showing his customary love for mankind in this case also, he made known the way in which he must go in the following manner: 62 For there was at that time a certain monk, wise in divine things, and in life

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πολλαῖς, ἐρρικνωμένῳ μὲν τὸ πρόσωπον, παρειμένῳ δὲ τὰς κνήμας, συγκεκυφότι, καὶ ὅλως πεπολιωμένῳ, ἐστερημένῳ τοὺς ὀδόντας, καὶ ἐγκεκομμένα λαλοῦντι. ἔκπληξις οὖν αὐτὸν λαμβάνει· καὶ δὴ πλησίον τοῦτον ἀγαγὼν ἐπηρώτα μαθεῖν τὸ τῆς θέας παράδοξον. οἱ δὲ συμπαρόντες εἶπον· Οὗτος χρόνων ἤδη πλείστων ὑπάρχει, καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν μειουμένης αὐτῷ τῆς ἰσχύος, ἐξασθενούντων δὲ τῶν μελῶν, εἰς ἣν ὁρᾷς ἔφθασε ταλαιπωρίαν. Καὶ τί, φησί, τούτου τὸ τέλος; οἱ δὲ εἶπον αὐτῷ· 58 Οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἢ θάνατος αὐτὸν διαδέξεται. Ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσιν, ἔφη, τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τοῦτο πρόκειται; ἢ καὶ τοῦτο ἐνίοις αὐτῶν συμβαίνει; ἀπεκρίθησαν ἐκεῖνοι· Εἰ μὴ προλαβὼν ὁ θάνατος μεταστήσει τινὰ τῶν ἐντεῦθεν, ἀδύνατον, τῶν χρόνων προβαινόντων, μὴ εἰς ταύτης ἐλθεῖν τὴν πεῖραν τῆς τάξεως. καί φησιν ὁ παῖς· ἐν πόσοις οὖν ἔτεσι τοῦτο ἐπέρχεταί τινι; καὶ εἰ πάντως πρόκειται ὁ θάνατος, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι μέθοδος τοῦτον παραδραμεῖν, καὶ μηδὲ εἰς ταύτην ἐλθεῖν τὴν ταλαιπωρίαν; λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· Ἐν ὀγδοήκοντα μὲν ἢ καὶ ἑκατὸν ἔτεσιν εἰς τοῦτο τὸ γῆρας καταντῶσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, εἶτα ἀποθνήσκουσι, μὴ ἄλλως ἐνδεχομένου. χρέος γὰρ φυσικὸν ὁ θάνατός ἐστιν, ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐπιτεθὲν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, καὶ ἀπαραίτητος ἡ τούτου ἐπέλευσις. Ταῦτα πάντα ὡς εἶδέ τε καὶ ἤκουσεν ὁ συνετὸς ἐκεῖνος καὶ φρόνιμος νεανίας, στενάξας ἐκ βάθους καρδίας, ἔφη· Πικρὸς ὁ βίος οὗτος καὶ πάσης ὀδύνης καὶ ἀηδίας ἀνάπλεως, εἰ ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχει. καὶ πῶς ἀμεριμνήσει τις τῇ προσδοκίᾳ τοῦ ἀδήλου θανάτου, οὗ ἡ ἔλευσις οὐ μόνον ἀπαραίτητος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄδηλος, καθὼς εἴπατε, ὑπάρχει; καὶ ἀπῆλθε ταῦτα στρέφων ἐν ἑαυτῷ, καὶ ἀπαύστως διαλογιζόμενος, καὶ πυκνὰς ποιούμενος περὶ τοῦ θανάτου τὰς ὑπομνήσεις, πόνοις τε καὶ ἀθυμίαις ἐκ τούτου συζῶν καὶ ἄπαυστον ἔχων τὴν λύπην. ἔλεγε γὰρ ἐν ἑαυτῷ· Ἆρά ποτέ με ὁ θάνατος καταλήψεται; καὶ τίς ἔσται ὁ μνήμην μου ποιούμενος μετὰ θάνατον, τοῦ χρόνου πάντα τῇ λήθῃ παραδιδόντος; καὶ εἰ ἀποθανὼν εἰς τὸ μὴ ὂν διαλυθήσομαι; ἢ ἔστι τις ἄλλη βιοτὴ καὶ ἕτερος κόσμος; ταῦτα καὶ τὰ 60 τούτοις ὅμοια ἀπαύστως διενθυμούμενος ὠχριῶν κατετήκετο, κατ' ὄψιν δὲ τοῦ πατρός, ὅτε συνέβη τοῦτον ἀφικέσθαι, προσεποιεῖτο τὸ ἱλαρὸν καὶ ἄλυπον, μὴ βουλόμενος εἰς γνῶσιν τῷ πατρὶ τὰ αὐτῷ μελετώμενα ἐλθεῖν. ἐπόθει δὲ ἀκατασχέτῳ τινὶ πόθῳ καὶ ἐγλίχετο ἐντυχεῖν τινι τῷ δυναμένῳ τὴν αὐτοῦ πληροφορῆσαι καρδίαν, καὶ λόγον ἀγαθὸν ταῖς αὐτοῦ ἀκοαῖς ἐνηχῆσαι. Τὸν προμνημονευθέντα δὲ παιδαγωγὸν αὖθις ἐπηρώτα, εἴ πού τινα γινώσκει τὸν δυνάμενον αὐτῷ συμβαλέσθαι πρὸς τὸ ποθούμενον, καὶ τὸν νοῦν αὐτοῦ βεβαιῶσαι, δεινῶς ἰλιγγιῶντα ἐν τοῖς λογισμοῖς, καὶ μὴ δυνάμενον ἀποβαλέσθαι τὴν περὶ τούτων φροντίδα. ὁ δέ, τῶν προειρημένων πάλιν ἐπιμνησθείς, ἔλεγεν· Εἶπόν σοι καὶ πρότερον ὅπως ὁ πατήρ σου τοὺς σοφοὺς ἐκείνους καὶ ἀσκητὰς ἀεὶ περὶ τῶν τοιούτων φιλοσοφοῦντας, οὓς μὲν ἀνεῖλεν, οὓς δὲ μετ' ὀργῆς ἐδίωξε, καὶ οὐ γινώσκω νυνί τινα τοιοῦτον ἐν τῇ περιχώρῳ ταύτῃ. πολλοῦ δὲ ἐπὶ τούτοις ἄχθους ἐκεῖνος πληρωθείς, καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν δεινῶς κατατρωθείς, ἐῴκει ἀνδρὶ θησαυρὸν ἀπολέσαντι μέγαν καὶ εἰς τὴν αὐτοῦ ζήτησιν ὅλον αὐτοῦ τὸν νοῦν ἀσχολουμένῳ. ἐντεῦθεν ἀγῶνι διηνεκεῖ καὶ μερίμνῃ συνέζη, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἡδέα καὶ τερπνὰ τοῦ κόσμου ἦν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοῦ ὡς ἄγος τι καὶ βδέλυγμα. οὕτως οὖν ἔχοντι τῷ νέῳ καὶ ποτνιωμένῳ κατὰ ψυχὴν τὸ ἀγαθὸν εὑρεῖν, εἶδεν αὐτὸν ὁ πάντα βλέπων ὀφθαλμός, καὶ οὐ παρεῖδεν ὁ θέλων πάντας σωθῆναι καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν, ἀλλά, τὴν συνήθη αὐτῷ φιλανθρωπίαν καὶ ἐπὶ τούτῳ δείξας, ἐγνώρισεν ὁδὸν ἣν ἔδει πορεύεσθαι τρόπῳ τοιῷδε· 62 ῃι Ἐγένετο γὰρ κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν μοναχός τις, σοφὸς τὰ θεῖα, βίῳ τε