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There is solitude, there is no laughter, nor a crowd of worldly affairs, there is fasting, there is sleeping on the ground, everything is pure of the smell of burnt offerings, of blood, of noise, of disturbance, of bustling crowds. It is a calm harbor; like lighthouses they are, shining from on high for those approaching from afar, seated at a harbor, and drawing all to their own tranquility, not allowing shipwrecks to happen to those who look to them, not allowing those who look there to live in darkness. Go to them, be friendly, approach, touch their holy feet; for it is much more honorable to touch their feet than the head of others. For tell me, if some people hold the feet of statues, since they bear a royal image at all, will you not hold by the feet one who has Christ himself within him, and be saved? Holy are their feet, even if they are humble; but of the profane, not even the head is honorable; for the feet of the saints have great power. Wherefore they also punish, when they shake the dust from themselves. When a holy man is with us, let us be ashamed of nothing about them. And all are saints who have right faith with their life; even if they do not work signs, even if they do not cast out demons, they are saints. Go to the tents of the saints; just as from earth to heaven, so it is to take refuge in the monastery of a holy man. You do not see there these things that are in the house; that company is pure of all things; great silence and stillness; "Mine" and "Thine" are not there. And if you remain for one day, or a second, then you will feel the pleasure all the more. Day comes, or rather before day the cock has crowed. And it is not, as in the house, the servants are snoring, the doors are shut, all sleeping seem like corpses, the muleteer jangles his bells. Nothing of the sort is there, but immediately all, laying aside sleep with reverence, rise up, as their superior awakens them, and they have stood, forming a holy choir, and immediately raising their hands, they sing the sacred hymns. For they do not, like us, need many hours to shake off sleep and heaviness of the head. For we, as soon as we get up, sit for a long time stretching, we go to relieve ourselves, then we wash our face, our hands; after this we get our shoes and clothes, and much time is spent. 4. But there is nothing of the sort there; no one calls a servant; for each is sufficient for himself; he does not need many clothes, he does not need to shake off sleep, but as soon as he opens his eyes, he is like one who has been awake for a long time, on account of his sobriety. For when the heart, not having been weighed down by food, is plunged low, it does not need much time to recover, but is immediately sober; their hands are always clean; for their sleep is also orderly. No one hears any snoring there, no one panting, nor sees anyone tossing about during sleep, or uncovered, but they sleep lying more decently than those who are awake. And all this 62.576 comes from the good order in the soul. Truly these are saints, and angels among men. And do not be amazed hearing these things; for the great fear of God does not allow them to descend into the depths of sleep and plunge their mind, but it rests lightly upon them, only giving them rest. And since their sleep is such, their dreams must also be such, not fantastical, nor monstrous. But, as I was saying, the cock crowed, and immediately the superior came and, simply prodding the one lying down with his foot, he raised them all; for it is not lawful to sleep naked there. Then having risen, they immediately stand, singing prophetic hymns with great harmony, with rhythmic melodies. Neither kithara, nor pipes, nor any other musical instrument produces such a sound as one can hear in the deep quiet and in the wilderness when the saints are singing

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ἔνθα μόνωσις, ἔνθα γέλως οὐδεὶς, οὐδὲ βιωτικῶν πραγμάτων ὄχλος, ἔνθα νηστεία, ἔνθα χαμευνία, πάντα καθαρὰ κνίσσης, αἱμάτων, θορύβου, ταραχῆς, πολυοχλίας. Λιμήν ἐστιν εὔδιος· ὥσπερ λαμπτῆρές εἰσιν ἀφ' ὑψηλοῦ τοῖς πόῤῥωθεν ἐπιβαίνουσι φαίνοντες, ἐπὶ λιμένος καθήμενοι, καὶ πρὸς γαλήνην τὴν αὐτῶν ἅπαντας ἕλκοντες, οὐκ ἐῶντες γενέσθαι ναυάγια τοῖς εἰς αὐτοὺς ὁρῶσιν, οὐκ ἐῶντες ἐν σκότῳ διάγειν τοὺς ἐκεῖ βλέποντας. Ἄπιθι πρὸς αὐτοὺς, φιλοφρόνησον, πρόσιθι, ἅψαι ποδῶν ἁγίων· πολλῷ γὰρ ἐντιμότερον τῶν ἐκείνων ἅπτεσθαι ποδῶν, ἢ τῆς ἑτέρων κεφαλῆς. Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, εἰ ἀνδριάντων πόδας κατέχουσί τινες, ἐπειδὴ ὅλως τύπον ἔχουσι βασιλικὸν, σὺ τὸν αὐτὸν ἔχοντα τὸν Χριστὸν ἐν ἑαυτῷ, οὐ καθέξεις ἀπὸ τῶν ποδῶν, καὶ σωθήσῃ; Ἅγιοί εἰσιν οἱ πόδες, κἂν εὐτελεῖς ὦσι· τῶν δὲ βεβήλων οὐδὲ ἡ κεφαλὴ τιμία· πόδες γὰρ ἁγίων μεγάλα ἴσχυσαν. ∆ιόπερ καὶ κολάζουσιν, ὅταν ἐξ ἑαυτῶν τὸν κονιορτὸν ἐκτινάξωσιν. Ὅταν ἅγιος ᾖ παρ' ἡμῖν, μηδὲν ἐπαισχυνώμεθα τῶν αὐτῶν. Ἅγιοι δέ εἰσι πάντες, ὅσοι πίστιν ὀρθὴν μετὰ βίου ἔχουσι· κἂν σημεῖα μὴ ἐργάζωνται, κἂν δαίμονας μὴ ἐκβάλλωσιν, ἅγιοί εἰσιν. Ἄπιθι πρὸς τὰς τῶν ἁγίων σκηνάς· ὥσπερ ἀπὸ γῆς εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, οὕτως ἐστὶν εἰς μοναστήριον ἀνδρὸς ἁγίου καταφυγεῖν. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς ἐκεῖ ταῦτα ἅπερ ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ· πάντων καθαρὸς ὁ χορὸς ἐκεῖνος· σιγὴ καὶ ἡσυχία πολλή· τὸ Ἐμὸν οὐκ ἔνι καὶ τὸ Σὸν ἐκεῖ. Ἂν δὲ καὶ ἡμέραν μίαν μείνῃς, ἢ καὶ δευτέραν, τότε πλέον αἰσθήσῃ τῆς ἡδονῆς. Ἡμέρα γίνεται, μᾶλλον δὲ πρὸ ἡμέρας ἀλεκτρυὼν ἐφώνησε. Καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν, ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας, ῥέγχουσιν οἱ οἰκέται, αἱ θύραι κεκλεισμέναι, πάντες νεκροῖς ἐοίκασι καθεύδοντες, ὁ ὀρεοκόμος τοὺς κώδωνας σείει. Οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ἐκεῖ, ἀλλ' εὐθέως ἅπαντες μετὰ εὐλαβείας τὸν ὕπνον ἀποθέμενοι διανίστανται, τοῦ προεστῶτος αὐτοὺς διεγείροντος, καὶ ἑστήκασι τὸν ἅγιον στησάμενοι χορὸν, καὶ τὰς χεῖρας εὐθέως ἀνατείναντες, τοὺς ἱεροὺς ᾄδουσιν ὕμνους. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ, ὥσπερ ἡμεῖς, πολλῶν ὡρῶν δέονται πρὸς τὸ τὸν ὕπνον ἀποτινάξασθαι καὶ τὴν καρηβαρίαν. Ἡμεῖς μὲν γὰρ ἅμα διαναστάντες, καθήμεθα ἐπὶ πολὺ διατεινόμενοι, πρὸς χρείαν ἀπερχόμεθα, εἶτα νιπτόμεθα τὴν ὄψιν, τὰς χεῖρας· μετὰ τοῦτο ὑποδήματα καὶ ἐνδύματα λαμβάνομεν, καὶ πολὺς ἀναλίσκεται καιρός. δʹ. Ἐκεῖ δὲ τοιοῦτον οὐδέν· οὐδεὶς οἰκέτην καλεῖ· ἕκαστος γὰρ ἀρκεῖ ἑαυτῷ· οὐ δεῖται ἱματίων πολλῶν, οὐ δεῖται τοῦ τὸν ὕπνον ἀποτινάξασθαι, ἀλλ' ἅμα τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἀνέῳξε, καὶ τῷ πολὺν ἐγρηγορότι χρόνον προσέοικε τῆς νήψεως ἕνεκεν. Ὅταν γὰρ ἡ καρδία μὴ βαρηθεῖσα τοῖς σιτίοις βαπτίζηται κάτω, οὐ δεῖται πολλοῦ τοῦ καιροῦ πρὸς τὸ ἀνενεγκεῖν, ἀλλ' εὐθέως ἐστὶν ἐν νήψει· χεῖρες ἀεὶ καθαραί· καὶ γὰρ ὁ ὕπνος εὔτακτος. Οὐδεὶς ἀκούει ῥεγχόντων ἐκεῖ, οὐδεὶς ἀσθμαινόντων, οὐδὲ ῥιπταζόμενον ὁρᾷ κατὰ τὸν ὕπνον, οὐδὲ γυμνούμενον, ἀλλὰ καθεύδουσι τῶν ἐγρηγορότων εὐσχημονέστερον κείμενοι. Τοῦτο δὲ ὅλον 62.576 ἀπὸ τῆς εὐταξίας γίνεται τῆς ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ. Ὄντως ἅγιοι οὗτοι, καὶ ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἄγγελοι. Καὶ μὴ θαυμάσῃς ἀκούων ταῦτα· ὁ γὰρ πολὺς φόβος ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐκ ἀφίησι πρὸς τὰ βάθη τοῦ ὕπνου κατελθεῖν, καὶ βαπτίσαι τὴν διάνοιαν αὐτῶν, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἐπιπολῆς ἐπίκειται διαναπαύων αὐτοὺς μόνον. Τοιούτου δὲ αὐτοῖς ὄντος τοῦ ὕπνου, τοιαῦτα εἶναι αὐτῶν ἀνάγκη καὶ τὰ ὀνείρατα, οὐ φαντασιώδη, οὐδὲ τερατώδη. Ἀλλ', ὅπερ ἔφην, ἀλεκτρυὼν ἐφώνησε, καὶ εὐθέως ἐλθὼν ὁ προεστὼς, καὶ τῷ ποδὶ τὸν κείμενον ἁπλῶς ὑπονύξας, πάντας ἀνέστησεν· οὐδὲ γὰρ γυμνοὺς ἐκεῖ καθεύδειν θέμις. Εἶτα διαναστάντες, εὐθέως ἑστήκασιν, ὕμνους ᾄδοντες προφητικοὺς μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς συμφωνίας, μετ' εὐρύθμων μελῶν. Οὔτε κιθάρα, οὔτε σύριγγες, οὔτε οὐδὲν ἄλλο ὄργανον μουσικὸν τοιαύτην ἀφίησι φωνὴν, οἵαν ἔστιν ἀκοῦσαι ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ βαθείᾳ, καὶ ἐν ἐρημίᾳ τῶν ἁγίων ᾀδόντων