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kingdom. This man immediately took up this ascetic way of life, with a certain man then living in the desert, an excellent trainer in such things—Marosas was his name. But after this, that man too, leaving behind the leading of others, came with the Abba to this flock, and survived for no short time, but having contended brilliantly and become famous, departed this life. But he has now spent thirty-eight years there; and as if he had just lately begun to labor, so he desires to labor. For up to this very day he has never covered his feet with shoes; and remaining in the shade during the frost, he receives the sun in the scorching heat, and accepts the flame from it as if it were a zephyr's breeze. And all this time he has not endured to partake of water, not eating those things that are usually offered to those who make it a practice not to drink—for they are accustomed to enjoy moister foods—, but enjoying the same foods as the others, eating little, and as much as gives little strength, he considers the need for water superfluous. Girded about the loins with heavy iron he sits but seldom, and for most of the night and the day, either standing or on his knees, he offers the liturgy of prayer to the Master, and has completely denied the need for lying down; for no one has ever seen him lying down up to this very day, but even having been shown to be the leader of the choir and appointed to preside, he bears all this toil eagerly, setting himself forth as a model of philosophy to all his subjects. 4.13 Such victorious combatants did the divine Eusebius, the trainer and instructor of these contests, present to God; and having shown many others to be such, he sent them as teachers to other training schools, who filled that whole sacred mountain with these divine and fragrant meadows. For to the east of the ascetic hut that was fixed from the beginning, and to the west and south, it is possible to see the offspring of this philosophy dancing like stars around the moon, some praising the Creator in the Greek language, others in the local tongue. But I am attempting impossibilities, desiring to recount all the things accomplished by that divine soul; therefore an end must be put to this narrative, and one must turn to another and add the benefit from there again, having beseeched to partake of the blessing of these great men. 5.t PUBLIUS 5.1 At the same time there was a certain Publius, both remarkable in appearance and having a soul that matched his appearance, or rather showing it to be much more wonderful than his body. This man, hailing from a senatorial class, had a city near which that much-fabled Xerxes, campaigning against Greece and hastening to cross the Euphrates river with his army, gathered a multitude of ships and joined them to each other and in this way bridged the river, named the place Zeugma and gave the city its name from the deed, hailing from there and having sprung from such a family, he takes possession of a certain high place, not more than thirty stades distant from the city. In this place having built a certain small hut, he sold everything that he had received from his father, I mean a house and properties and herds and garments, and silver and bronze vessels and whatever else he happened to have with these. 5.2 And having distributed these things according to the divine law to those who had need, and having freed himself from all earthly care, he received one care in place of all those, that of the

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βασιλείαν. Οὗτος εὐθὺς μὲν τῆς ἀσκητικῆς ταύτης ἥψατο πολιτείας, παρά τινι τηνικάδε τὴν ἔρημον οἰκοῦντι, γυμναστῇ τῶν τοιούτων ἀρίστῳ- Μαρωσᾶς δὲ ἦν ὄνομα τούτῳ. Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα καὶ ἐκεῖνος τὸ ἑτέρων ἡγεμονεύειν καταλιπὼν εἰς ταύτην σὺν τῷ Ἀββᾷ τὴν ἀγέλην ἀφίκετο καὶ χρόνον μὲν οὐ σμικρὸν ἐπεβίω, λαμπρῶς δὲ ἀγωνισάμενος καὶ ἀοίδιμος γενόμενος ὑπεξῆλθε τὸν βίον. Ὁ δὲ ὀκτὼ μὲν ἤδη καὶ τριάκοντα ἐκεῖ διετέλεσεν ἔτη· ὡς ἔναγχος δὲ τοῦ πονεῖν ἀρξάμενος, οὕτως ἐφίεται τοῦ πονεῖν. Μέχρι γὰρ καὶ τήμερον ὑποδήμασι μὲν τοὺς πόδας οὐκ ἐκάλυψε πώποτε· τῇ σκιᾷ δὲ προσεδρεύων ἐν τῷ κρυμῷ, τὸν ἥλιον ἐν τῷ φλογμῷ καταδέχεται, καὶ ὡς ζεφύριον αὖραν τὴν ἐκεῖθεν δέχεται φλόγα. Ἅπαντα δὲ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον ὕδατος μεταλαχεῖν οὐκ ἠνέσχετο, οὐκ ἐκεῖνα ἐσθίων ἃ τοῖς τὸ μὴ πίνειν ἐπιτηδεύουσι προσφέρεσθαι σύνηθες-ὑγροτέρων γὰρ οὗτοι σιτίων ἀπολαύειν εἰώθασιν-, ἀλλὰ τῶν αὐτῶν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀπολαύων σιτίων, ἐσθίων δὲ βραχέα, καὶ ὅσα βραχεῖαν ἐντίθησι δύναμιν, περιττὴν ἡγεῖται τὴν τοῦ ὕδατος χρείαν. Σιδήρῳ δὲ βαρεῖ τὴν ὀσφὺν ἐζωσμένος κάθηται μὲν ὀλιγάκις, τῆς δὲ νυκτὸς καὶ τῆς ἡμέρας τὸ πλέον ἢ ἑστηκὼς ἢ ἐπὶ τῶν γονάτων κείμενος τὴν τῆς εὐχῆς τῷ δεσπότῃ λειτουργίαν προσφέρει, τῆς δὲ κατακλίσεως παντελῶς τὴν χρείαν ἠρνήθη· οὐδεὶς γὰρ αὐτὸν κατακλιθέντα μέχρι καὶ τήμερον ἐθεάσατο πώποτε, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ χοροῦ κορυφαῖος ἀποφανθεὶς καὶ προστατεύειν λαχὼν τοῦτον ἅπαντα φέρει προθύμως τὸν πόνον, ἀρχέτυπον ἑαυτὸν φιλοσοφίας τοῖς ὑπηκόοις ἅπασι προτιθείς. 4.13 Τοιούτους νικηφόρους ἀγωνιστὰς ὁ θεῖος Εὐσέβιος ὁ τῶνδε τῶν ἀγώνων παιδοτρίβης καὶ γυμναστὴς παρέστησε τῷ θεῷ· καὶ ἄλλους δὲ πλείστους ἀποφήνας τοιούτους ἑτέραις παλαίστραις διδασκάλους παρέπεμψεν οἳ τὸ ὄρος ἅπαν ἐκεῖνο τὸ ἱερὸν τῶν θείων τούτων καὶ εὐωδῶν λειμώνων ἐπλήρωσαν. Πρὸς ἕω γὰρ τῆς ἐξ ἀρχῆς παγείσης ἀσκητικῆς καλύβης καὶ πρὸς ἑσπέραν καὶ μεσημβρίαν ἐστὶν ἰδεῖν ταύτης τῆς φιλοσοφίας τὰ ἔκγονα οἷόν τινας ἀστέρας περὶ σελήνην χορεύοντας καὶ τοὺς μὲν τῇ ἑλλάδι, ἄλλους δὲ τῇ ἐγχωρίῳ φωνῇ τὸν ποιητὴν ἀνυμνοῦντας. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἀδυνά τοις ἐπιχειρῶ τὰ ὑπὸ τῆς θείας ἐκείνης κατορθωθέντα ψυχῆς ἅπαντα διεξελθεῖν ἐφιέμενος· τοιγαροῦν τῷδε τῷ διηγήματι τὸ πέρας ἐπιθετέον, ἐφ' ἕτερον δὲ τρεπτέον καὶ τὴν ἐκεῖθεν πάλιν ὠφέλειαν προσθετέον, τῆς εὐλογίας τῶνδε τῶν μεγάλων ἀνδρῶν μεταλαχεῖν ἱκετεύσαντα. 5.t ΠΟΥΠΛΙΟΣ 5.1 Κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον ἐγένετό τις Πούπλιος καὶ τὸ εἶδος ἀξιοθέατος καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν τῷ εἴδει συμβαίνουσαν ἔχων, μᾶλλον δὲ πολλῷ τοῦ σώματος θαυμαστοτέραν ἐπιδεικνύς. Οὗτος ἐκ βουλευτικῆς μὲν συμμορίας ὁρμώμενος, πόλιν δὲ ἔχων παρ' ἣν Ξέρξης ἐκεῖνος ὁ πολυθρύλητος, ἐπὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα στρατεύων καὶ τὸν ποταμὸν Εὐφράτην διαβῆναι σπεύδων τῇ στρατιᾷ, πλῆθος νεῶν συναγείρας καὶ ταύτας ἀλλήλαις συζεύξας καὶ τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ τὸν ποταμὸν γεφυρώσας, Ζεῦγμα τὸ χωρίον ὠνόμασε καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ πράγματος ἔδωκεν ἐπωνυμίαν τῇ πόλει, ἐντεῦθεν ὁρμώμενος καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ τοιούτου γένους βεβλαστηκὼς ὑψηλόν τι χωρίον καταλαμβάνει, τοῦ ἄστεως οὐ πλεῖον ἢ τριάκοντα σταδίους ἀφεστηκός. Ἐν τούτῳ βραχύν τινα οἰκίσκον δειμάμενος, ἀπέδοτο μὲν ἅπαντα ὅσα πατρόθεν ἐδέξατο, οἰκίαν φημὶ καὶ κτήματα καὶ βοσκήματα καὶ ἐσθήματα, σκεύη τε ἀργυρᾶ καὶ χαλκᾶ καὶ εἴ τι ἕτερον μετὰ τούτων ἐτύγχανεν. 5.2 ∆ιανείμας δὲ ταῦτα κατὰ τὸν θεῖον νόμον οἷς ἔδει καὶ πάσης ἑαυτὸν φροντίδος γηΐνης ἐλευθερώσας, μίαν ἀντὶ πάντων ἐκείνων ἐδέξατο φροντίδα, τὴν τοῦ