pared for them a table before the appointed season, and whatsoever he had in his cell he set before them, and refreshed them. Now when the evening was come they sang twelve Psalms, and they did the same thing during the night, but the old man left them to rest, and he departed that he might sing and pray by himself. And whilst he was keeping vigil, he heard the brethren conversing together and saying, “The monks who live in the desert live more comfortably than do we who are in the monasteries.” And when they were making ready in the morning to go to an old man who was his neighbour, he said unto them, “Salute him for me”; and they said unto him, “Thou shalt not water the green herb,” and when he heard [this], he understood the matter. And he kept them until the evening working and fasting, and when the evening had come they sang the great service through, and the brother said unto them, “To-day, because ye have come from toil, we have shortened the service somewhat,” and he also said unto them, “We are not in the habit of eating every day, but because of you we will eat a little.” And he prepared for them dry bread and salt, and he said unto them, “It is fitting that on your account we should this day make a feast,” and he sprinkled a little vinegar in the salt, and they rose up to sing and pray until the morning, and he said unto them, “We are, on account of you, unable to perform the whole of the service as we are wont to do, for ye must rest a little, and ye are strangers.” Now when the morning had come they wished to escape, but he entreated them, saying, “Spend a few days with us, especially that ye may live according to the custom of the desert, for we cannot let you go”; and when they saw that he did not want to send them away, they rose up and fled secretly.
15. On one occasion a certain brother came to Mount Sinai to visit Abbâ Sylvanus, and he saw the brethren working with their hands to supply their wants, and he said unto Abbâ Sylvanus, with boasting, “Ye toil for the food which perisheth; Mary chose a good portion for herself.” Then Abbâ Sylvanus said unto Zechariah, his disciple, “Give him a book and take him to a cell wherein there is nothing.” And when the time of the ninth hour had come, the brother looked this way and that way to see if they were going to send for him to come and eat, but no man came to seek him. Then he rose up and came to the old man and said unto him, “Father, have not the brethren eaten to-day?” and he said unto him, “Yea.” And the brother said unto him, “Why have ye not called me?” The old man said unto him, “Thou art a spiritual man and hast no need of the meat which is for the body, but we are corporeal
