to the sick; which of them will receive the [greater reward for] his service?” The old man saith, “If he who fasted were to raise himself up upon the works which are profitable, he would not find himself equal before God with him that visited the sick.”
409. There was a certain head of a monastery in a house of monks in the desert, and it happened that the brother who ministered unto him had a desire to leave the monastery, and he departed and dwelt in another monastery; now the old man was unwilling to let him go, and on this account he was always going to him to visit him, and he entreated him to return to his monastery, and the brother refused to do so. And for three whole years the old man used to go to the brother and entreat him to return, and finally he was constrained, and he departed with him. One day the old man told him to go out and bring in some fuel for the fire, and whilst he was gathering the firewood, by the agency of Satan, a stick stuck in his eye and it was put out; and when the old man heard of this he was greatly grieved, and being full of sorrow he began to speak to him words of good cheer. And the brother answered, and said, “Be not afflicted, O father, for I was the cause of this myself, for this hath happened to me through all the toil and labour which I brought upon thee when thou usedst to go and come to me.” And after a little time, when the brother had recovered from the sickness caused by the injury to his eye, the old man said unto him, “Go out and bring in some palm leaves from the ground,” for this was the work which the monks who dwelt there had to do; and whilst the brother was cutting them, once again, as it were by the agency of Satan, a stick sprang up in the air, and smote the man in the other eye, and it was put out, and he came to the monastery in grief, and he was perforce idle and useless because he was unable to do any work. Thus the old man was deprived [of a servant], and he had no one with him, because each of the brethren dwelt in his own cell. And after a short time the day of his departure, which he had known beforehand, drew nigh, and he sent and called all the brethren and said unto them, “The day of my departure hath drawn nigh. Watch ye yourselves, and take good heed to the service of your lives (or life’s work), and treat not lightly your ascetic labours.” And each one of them began to say to him sorrowfully, “Father, why art thou leaving us?” and the old man held his peace. Then he sent and brought the blind man, and revealed to him concerning his departure, and the blind man wept and said unto him, “Wherefore leavest thou me, the blind man?” The old man saith unto him, “Pray that I may have openness of face with God, and that I may find mercy before Him, and
