44

he said, being very round? and if I wish to make them square, much must be cut off from them; but some of them must of necessity be placed into the building. If then, I said, sir, it is a necessity, why do you torment yourself and not choose for the building those you want, and fit them into it? he selected from them the larger and brilliant ones, and he dressed them; and the virgins, having lifted them up, fitted them into the outer parts of the building. And the rest that were left over were taken up and put away in the plain, from where they had been brought; they were not rejected, however, Because, he said, the tower still lacks a little to be built. And by all means the master of the tower wishes these stones to be fitted into the building, because they are very brilliant. And twelve women were called, very beautiful in appearance, dressed in black, girded and with their shoulders bare, and their hair loose. And these women seemed to me to be wild. And the shepherd commanded them to take up the stones that had been rejected from the building and to carry them away to the mountains, from where they had also been brought. And they cheerfully took up and carried away all the stones and put them where they had been taken from. And after all the stones were taken up and no stone any longer lay around the tower, the shepherd said to me, Let us go around the tower and see if there is any defect in it. And I went around with him. And when the shepherd saw that the tower was comely in its building, he was very cheerful; for the tower was so built, that when I saw it I desired its structure; for it was built as if from a single stone, having not one joint in it. And the stone appeared as if hewn out of the rock; for it seemed to me to be a monolith. And I, walking around with him, was cheerful, seeing such good things. And the shepherd said to me, Go and bring lime and fine clay, so that I may fill up the impressions of the stones that were taken up and put into the building; for all the parts around the tower must be made smooth. And I did as he commanded, and brought them to him. Serve me, he said, and [soon the work will be finished]. He therefore filled in the impressions of the stones that had gone into the building and commanded the area around the tower to be swept and made clean; and the virgins, taking brooms, swept and took away all the rubbish from the tower, and sprinkled water, and the place of the tower became cheerful and very comely. The shepherd said to me, All, he said, has been cleaned; if the lord comes to inspect the tower, he has nothing to blame us for. Having said these things, he wanted to depart; but I took hold of his bag and began to adjure him by the Lord, that he would explain to me what he had shown me. He said to me, I am a little pressed for time, but I will explain everything to you; wait for me here until I come. I said to him, Sir, being alone here, what shall I do? You are not, he said, alone; for these virgins are with you. Commit me then, I said, to them. The shepherd called them to him and said to them, I entrust this man to you until I come; and he departed. And I was alone with the virgins; and they were more cheerful and were kind to me; especially [but] the four more glorious of them. The virgins said to me, Today the shepherd is not coming here. What then, I said, shall I do? Until evening, [they said,] wait for him. and if he comes, he will speak with you, but if he does not come, you will remain here with us until [he comes.] I said to them, I will wait for him until evening; but if he does not come, I will depart to

44

φησί, λίαν στρογγύλους ὄντας; καὶ ἐὰν αὐτοὺς θελήσω τετραγώνους ποιῆσαι, πολὺ δεῖ ἀπ' αὐτῶν ἀποκοπῆναι· δεῖ δὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐξ ἀνάγκης τινὰς εἰς τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τεθῆναι. Eἰ οὖν, φημί, κύριε, ἀνάγκη ἐστί, τί σεαυτὸν βασανίζεις καὶ οὐκ ἐκλέγῃ εἰς τὴν οἰκοδομὴν οὓς θέλεις, καὶ ἁρμόζεις εἰς αὐτήν; ἐξελέξατο ἐξ αὐτῶν τοὺς μείζονας καὶ λαμπρούς, καὶ ἐλατόμησεν αὐτούς· αἱ δὲ παρθένοι ἄρασαι ἥρμοσαν εἰς τὰ ἐξώτερα μέρη τῆς οἰκοδομῆς. οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ οἱ περισσεύσαντες ἤρθησαν καὶ ἀπετέθησαν εἰς τὸ πεδίον, ὅθεν ἠνέχθησαν· οὐκ ἀπεβλήθησαν δέ, Ὅτι, φησί, λείπει τῷ πύργῳ ἔτι μικρὸν οἰκοδομηθῆναι. πάντως δὲ θέλει ὁ δεσπότης τοῦ πύργου τούτους ἁρμοσθῆ ναι τοὺς λίθους εἰς τὴν οἰκοδομήν, ὅτι λαμπροί εἰσι λίαν. ἐκλήθησαν δὲ γυναῖκες δώδεκα, εὐειδέσταται τῷ χαρακτῆρι, μέλανα ἐνδεδυμέναι, περιεζω σμέναι καὶ ἔξω τοὺς ὤμους ἔχουσαι, καὶ τὰς τρίχας λελυμέναι. ἐδοκοῦ σαν δέ μοι αἱ γυναῖκες αὗται ἄγριαι εἶναι. ἐκέλευσε δὲ αὐτὰς ὁ ποιμὴν ἆραι τοὺς λίθους τοὺς ἀποβεβλημένους ἐκ τῆς οἰκοδομῆς καὶ ἀπενεγκεῖν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὰ ὄρη, ὅθεν καὶ ἠνέχθησαν. αἱ δὲ ἱλαραὶ ἦραν καὶ ἀπήνεγκαν πάντας τοὺς λίθους καὶ ἔθηκαν, ὅθεν ἐλήφθησαν. καὶ μετὰ τὸ ἀρθῆναι πάντας τοὺς λίθους καὶ μηκέτι κεῖσθαι λίθον κύκλῳ τοῦ πύργου, λέγει μοι ὁ ποιμήν· Κυκλώσωμεν τὸν πύργον καὶ ἴδωμεν, μή τι ἐλάττωμά ἐστιν ἐν αὐτῷ. καὶ ἐκύκλευον ἐγὼ μετ' αὐτοῦ. ἰδὼν δὲ ὁ ποιμὴν τὸν πύργον εὐπρεπῆ ὄντα τῇ οἰκοδομῇ, λίαν ἱλαρὸς ἦν· ὁ γὰρ πύργος οὕτως ἦν ᾠκο δομημένος, ὥστε με ἰδόντα ἐπιθυμεῖν τὴν οἰκοδομὴν αὐτοῦ· οὕτω γὰρ ἦν ᾠκοδομημένος, ὡσὰν ἐξ ἑνὸς λίθου, μὴ ἔχων μίαν ἁρμογὴν ἐν ἑαυτῷ. ἐφαί νετο δὲ ὁ λίθος ὡς ἐκ τῆς πέτρας ἐκκεκολαμμένος· μονόλιθος γάρ μοι ἐδόκει εἶναι. Κἀγὼ περιπατῶν μετ' αὐτοῦ ἱλαρὸς ἤμην τοιαῦτα ἀγαθὰ βλέπων. λέγει δέ μοι ὁ ποιμήν· Ὕπαγε καὶ φέρε ἄσβεστον καὶ ὄστρακον λεπτόν, ἵνα τοὺς τύπους τῶν λίθων τῶν ἠρμένων καὶ εἰς τὴν οἰκοδομὴν βεβλημένων ἀνα πληρώσω· δεῖ γὰρ τοῦ πύργου τὰ κύκλῳ πάντα ὁμαλὰ γενέσθαι. καὶ ἐποίησα καθὼς ἐκέλευσε, καὶ ἤνεγκα πρὸς αὐτόν. Ὑπηρέτει μοι, φησί, καὶ [ἐγγὺς τὸ ἔργον τελεσθήσεται]. ἐπλήρωσεν οὖν τοὺς τύπους τῶν λίθων τῶν εἰς τὴν οἰκοδομὴν ἀπεληλυθότων καὶ ἐκέλευσε σαρωθῆναι τὰ κύκλῳ τοῦ πύργου καὶ καθαρὰ γενέσθαι· αἱ δὲ παρθένοι λαβοῦσαι σάρους ἐσάρωσαν καὶ πάντα τὰ κόπρια ἦραν ἐκ τοῦ πύργου, καὶ ἔρραναν ὕδωρ, καὶ ἐγένετο ὁ τόπος ἱλαρὸς καὶ εὐπρεπέστατος τοῦ πύργου. λέγει μοι ὁ ποιμήν· Πάντα, φησί, κεκάθαρται· ἐὰν ἔλθῃ ὁ κύριος ἐπισκέψασθαι τὸν πύργον, οὐκ ἔχει ἡμᾶς οὐδὲν μέμψασθαι. ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἤθελεν ὑπάγειν· ἐγὼ δὲ ἐπελαβό μην αὐτοῦ τῆς πήρας καὶ ἠρξάμην αὐτὸν ὁρκίζειν κατὰ τοῦ κυρίου, ἵνα μοι ἐπιλύσῃ, ἃ ἔδειξέ μοι. λέγει μοι· Μικρὸν ἔχω ἀκαιρεθῆναι καὶ πάντα σοι ἐπιλύσω· ἔκδεξαί με ὧδε ἕως ἔρχομαι. λέγω αὐτῷ· Κύριε, μόνος ὢν ὧδε ἐγὼ τί ποιήσω; Oὐκ εἶ, φησί, μόνος· αἱ γὰρ παρθένοι αὗται μετὰ σοῦ εἰσι. Παράδος οὖν, φημί, αὐταῖς με. προσκαλεῖται αὐτὰς ὁ ποιμὴν καὶ λέγει αὐταῖς· Παρατίθεμαι ὑμῖν τοῦτον ἕως ἔρχομαι· καὶ ἀπῆλθεν. ἐγὼ δὲ ἤμην μόνος μετὰ τῶν παρθένων· ἦσαν δὲ ἱλαρώτεραι καὶ πρὸς ἐμὲ εὖ εἶχον· μάλιστα [δὲ] αἱ δ αἱ ἐνδοξότεραι αὐτῶν. Λέγουσί μοι αἱ παρθένοι· Σήμερον ὁ ποιμὴν ὧδε οὐκ ἔρχεται. Τί οὖν, φημί, ποιήσω ἐγώ; Μέχρις ὀψέ, [φασίν,] περίμεινον αὐτόν. καὶ ἐὰν ἔλθῃ, λαλήσει μετὰ σοῦ, ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ἔλθῃ, μενεῖς μεθ' ἡμῶν ὧδε ἕως [ἔρχεται.] λέγω αὐταῖς· Ἐκδέξομαι αὐτὸν ἕως ὀψέ· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ἔλθῃ, ἀπελεύσομαι εἰς