to her own daughter. 57.2 I knew this woman, who labored through every night, grinding with her hands for the subduing of the body, explaining that, "Since fasting is not enough, I add as an ally also laborious sleeplessness, that I may break down the arrogance of Esau." She abstained completely from bloody and living things, but taking fish and vegetables with oil on a feast day, she thus continued, contenting herself with sour wine and dry bread. 57.3 Following her zeal, the most venerable Gelasia, who was the daughter of a tribune, journeyed piously, having drawn the yoke of virginity; whose virtue is reported as this, that the sun never set on her grief, not against a male servant, nor against a female servant, nor against anyone else. 58 .tConcerning those in Antinoë 58.1 Having spent four years in Antinoë of the Thebaid, in so much time I also gained knowledge of the monasteries there. For about twelve hundred men dwell around the city, living by their hands, practicing asceticism to the utmost. Among these are also anchorites who have shut themselves up in caves in the rocks; among whom is a certain Solomon, a most gentle and prudent man, and having the gift of patience; who said he was in his fiftieth year in the cave, supporting himself by the work of his hands and having learned all of holy scripture. 58.2 Dorotheus, a presbyter living in another cave, exceedingly good, who himself also lived the blameless life, and having been deemed worthy of the presbyterate, ministered to the brothers in the caves. To this man Melania the younger, granddaughter of the great Melania, about whom I will speak later, once sent five hundred coins, asking him to minister to the brothers there. But he, taking only three, sent the rest on to Diokles the anchorite, a most gnostic man, saying that, "My brother Diokles is wiser than I, and is able to manage them without harm, knowing those who ought to be assisted with good reason; for I am content with these." 58.3 This Diokles, having first been drawn from grammar and later having given himself to philosophy, when in time grace drew him, being in his twenty-eighth year of age, renounced secular studies and enlisted with Christ, and he himself was in his thirty-fifth year in the caves. He said to us that, "A mind that departs from the thought of God becomes either a demon or a beast." And when we inquired about the way he meant, he said thus, that "A mind that departs from the thought of God necessarily falls into desire or anger"; and he said that desire is bestial, and anger demonic. 58.4 But when I objected, "How is it possible for a human mind to be with God unceasingly?" he himself said that, "In whatever pious and divine thought or deed the soul may be, it is with God." Near him stayed a certain Capito, who had been a robber; who, having completed fifty years in the caves four miles from the city of Antinoë, did not come down from the cave, not even as far as the river Nile, saying he was not yet able to meet with the crowds because the adversary still opposed him. 58.5 With these we have seen also another anchorite, likewise himself in a cave; who, being deluded by dreams through the gadfly of vainglory, deluded in turn those who were deceived, "shepherding winds." And he had bodily continence both on account of old age and on account of time, and perhaps also on account of vainglory; but his mind was corrupted by the licentiousness of vainglory. 59 .tConcerning Amma Talis and Taor 59.1 In this city of Antinoë there are twelve monasteries of women, in which I also met Amma Talis, an old woman of eighty years in the ascetic life, as both she herself and her neighbors related. With her lived sixty young women who loved her so much that there was not even a lock set on the courtyard of the monastery, as in others, but they were restrained by this love. And the old woman had advanced to such a degree of passionlessness that when I entered and sat down, she came and sat with me, and placed her hands on my shoulders with exceeding confidence. 59.2 In this monastery a virgin disciple

ἑαυτῆς θυγατρί. 57.2 Ταύτην ἔγνων ἐγὼ διὰ πάσης νυκτὸς κοπιῶσαν καὶ ἀλήθουσαν ταῖς χερσὶν ἐπὶ καθαιρέσει τοῦ σώματος, διηγουμένην ὅτι "Τῆς νηστείας μὴ ἐπαρκούσης σύμμαχον δίδωμι καὶ τὴν ἐπίμοχθον ἀγρυπνίαν, ἵνα κατα λύσω τὸ φρύαγμα τοῦ Ἠσαῦ". Ἥτις ἐναίμων μὲν καὶ ἐμψύχων εἰς ἄκρον ἀπέσχετο, ἰχθύος δὲ καὶ λαχάνων μετ' ἐλαίου λαμβάνουσα ἐν ἑορτῇ, οὕτω διετέλεσεν ὀξυκράματι καὶ ξηρῷ ἄρτῳ ἀρκουμένη. 57.3 Ταύτης κατὰ ζῆλον ὥδευσεν εὐσεβῶς τὸν τῆς παρ θενίας ζυγὸν ἑλκύσασα ἡ σεμνοτάτη Γελασία, θυγάτηρ τριβούνου γενομένη· ἧς ἀρετὴ φέρεται αὕτη, ὅτι ἥλιος οὐδέ ποτε ἔδυ ἐπὶ λύπῃ αὐτῆς, οὐ κατὰ οἰκέτου, οὐ κατὰ θερα παινίδος, οὐ κατά τινος ἑτέρου. 58 .tΠερὶ τῶν ἐν Ἀντινόῳ 58.1 Ἐν Ἀντινόῳ τῆς Θηβαΐδος διατρίψας τέσσαρα ἔτη ἐν τοσούτῳ χρόνῳ καὶ γνῶσιν εἴληφα τῶν ἐκεῖ μο ναστηρίων. Καθέζονται μὲν γὰρ ἀμφὶ τὴν πόλιν ἄνδρες ὡς χίλιοι διακόσιοι, ταῖς χερσὶν ἀποζῶντες, εἰς ἄκρον ἀσκού μενοι. Ἐν τούτοις εἰσὶ καὶ ἀναχωρηταὶ ἐν τοῖς σπηλαίοις τῶν πετρῶν ἑαυτοὺς ἐγκαθείρξαντες· ἐν οἷς ἐστι Σολομών τις, ἀνὴρ πραότατος καὶ σώφρων καὶ ὑπομονῆς ἔχων χά ρισμα· ὃς ἔλεγεν ἔχειν πεντηκοστὸν ἔτος ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ, ἐπαρκέσας ἑαυτῷ ἐκ τοῦ ἔργου τῶν χειρῶν καὶ ἐκμαθὼν πᾶσαν ἁγίαν γραφήν. 58.2 ∆ωρόθεος ἐν ἄλλῳ σπηλαίῳ οἰκῶν πρεσβύτερος, ὑπερ βολῇ ἀγαθώτατος, καὶ αὐτὸς ζήσας τὸν ἀνεπίληπτον βίον, πρεσβυτερίου δὲ ἠξιωμένος καὶ λειτουργῶν τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς τοῖς ἐν τοῖς σπηλαίοις. Τούτῳ ποτὲ Μελάνιον ἡ νεωτέρα, τῆς μεγάλης Μελανίου ἐγγόνη, περὶ ἧς ἐς ὕστερον λέξω, ἀπέστειλε πεντακόσια νομίσματα, παρακαλέσασα αὐτὸν δια κονῆσαι τοῖς ἐκεῖ ἀδελφοῖς. Ὁ δὲ τρία λαβὼν μόνα, τὰ λοιπὰ παρέπεμψε ∆ιοκλεῖ τῷ ἀναχωρητῇ, ἀνδρὶ γνωσ τικωτάτῳ, λέγων ὅτι "Σοφώτερός μού ἐστιν ὁ ἀδελφὸς ∆ιοκλῆς, καὶ δύναται αὐτὰ ἀβλαβῶς διοικῆσαι, ἐπιστάμενος τοὺς ὀφείλοντας ἐπικουρηθῆναι εὐλόγως· ἐγὼ γὰρ τούτοις ἀρκοῦμαι". 58.3 Οὗτος ὁ ∆ιοκλῆς, ἀπὸ γραμματικῆς μὲν ἀχθεὶς τὰ πρῶτα ἐς ὕστερον δὲ δοὺς ἑαυτὸν εἰς φιλοσοφίαν, τῷ χρόνῳ τῆς χάριτος αὐτὸν ἑλκυσάσης, εἰς εἰκοστὸν ὄγδοον ἔτος ἄγων τὴν ἡλικίαν ἀπετάξατο μὲν τῶν ἐγκυκλίων μαθη μάτων, συνετάξατο δὲ τῷ Χριστῷ, καὶ αὐτὸς ἔχων τρια κοστὸν πέμπτον ἔτος ἐν τοῖς σπηλαίοις. Ἔλεγεν ἡμῖν ὅτι "Νοῦς ἀποστὰς θεοῦ ἐννοίας ἢ δαίμων γίνεται ἢ κτῆνος". Ἡμῶν δὲ φιλοπευστούντων τὸν τρόπον ὃν εἶπεν, ἔλεγεν οὕτως ὅτι "Νοῦς ἀποστὰς θεοῦ ἐννοίας ἐξ ἀνάγκης περι πίπτει ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἢ θυμῷ"· καὶ τὴν μὲν ἐπιθυμίαν ἔλεγε κτηνώδη, τὸν δὲ θυμὸν δαιμονιώδη. 58.4 Ἐμοῦ δὲ ἀντιλέγοντος ὅτι "Πῶς δυνατὸν ἀδια λείπτως εἶναι νοῦν ἀνθρώπινον μετὰ θεοῦ;" ἔλεγεν ὁ αὐτὸς ὅτι "Ἐν οἵῳ δ' ἂν νοήματι ἢ πράγματι εἴη ἡ ψυχὴ εὐσε βεῖ καὶ θεϊκῷ, μετὰ θεοῦ ἐστιν". Τούτου πλησίον Καπίτων τις ἔμενεν ἀπὸ λῃστῶν· ὃς πεντήκοντα ἔτη πληρώσας ἐν τοῖς σπηλαίοις ἀπὸ τεσσά ρων μιλίων τῆς πόλεως Ἀντινόου οὐ κατῆλθεν ἐκ τοῦ σπηλαίου οὐδὲ μέχρι τοῦ ποταμοῦ τοῦ Νείλου, λέγων μηδέπω δύνασθαι συντυγχάνειν τοῖς ὄχλοις τῷ ἀκμὴν ἀντιπράττειν αὐτῷ τὸν ὑπεναντίον. 58.5 Σὺν τούτοις ἑωράκαμεν καὶ ἕτερον ἀναχωρητὴν ὁμοίως καὶ αὐτὸν ἐν σπηλαίῳ· ὂς οἴστρῳ κενοδοξίας ἐμπαιζόμενος ὑπὸ ὀνείρων, ἀντέπαιζε τοὺς ἀπατωμένους, "ἀνέμους ποι μαίνων". Καὶ τὴν μὲν κατὰ σῶμα σωφροσύνην εἶχε καὶ διὰ τὸ γῆρας καὶ διὰ τὸν χρόνον, τάχα καὶ διὰ τὴν κενο δοξίαν· διέφθαρτο δὲ αὐτοῦ τὸ φρονοῦν τῇ ἀκολασίᾳ τῆς κενοδοξίας. 59 .tΠερὶ ἀμμᾶ Ταλίδος καὶ Ταώρ 59.1 Ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ πόλει Ἀντινόῳ ἐστὶ μοναστήρια γυναικῶν δώδεκα, ἐν οἷς καὶ συντετύχηκα ἀμμᾷ Ταλίδι γραΐδι ὀγδοήκοντα ἔτη ἐχούσῃ ἐν τῇ ἀσκήσει ὡς καὶ αὐτὴ καὶ αἱ γειτνιῶσαι διηγοῦντο. Ταύτῃ συνῴκουν ἑξήκοντα νεάνιδες αἳ τοσοῦτον αὐτὴν ἠγάπων ὡς μηδὲ κλεῖδα ἐφε στάναι τῇ αὐλῇ τοῦ μοναστηρίου, ὡς ἐν ἄλλοις, ἀλλὰ κρα τεῖσθαι αὐτὰς ὑπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης ταύτης. Εἰς τοσοῦτον δὲ ἀπαθείας ἤλασεν ἡ γραῦς ὡς εἰσελθόντι μοι καὶ καθεσ θέντι ἐλθεῖν καὶ συγκαθεσθῆναί μοι, καὶ τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῆς ἐπιθεῖναι τοῖς ὤμοις μου ὑπερβολῇ παρρησίας. 59.2 Ἐν τούτῳ τῷ μοναστηρίῳ παρθένος μαθήτρια