19. Abbâ Abraham asked Abbâ Theodore, saying, “Father, which is the better thing for me to do, [to give] praise or to blame?” The old man said unto him, “I myself prefer to perform the works of praise, and not of blame”; and Abbâ Abraham said unto him, “How is this?” And the old man said unto him, “If I perform good works, and I be praised there for, I find that I can bring an accusation against my mind whilst I flee from the love of approbation, and I can say that I do not deserve this praise, but blame belongeth to evil works, and how shall I be able to comfort my heart, because men are offended at me? It is necessary for us to do good works, and to be praised, without receiving upon ourselves the love of approbation, and not evil deeds, lest we be blamed.” And Abbâ Abraham said, “Thou hast said well, O father; even so is it.”
20. They used to say about one of the fathers who had lived in the world, that when he was in the desert he was occupied in fighting [his desire] to return to his wife whom he had married before [he became a monk], and when he related the matter to the fathers, they appointed him certain works, so that he might be kept back from the fight [within him]. Now because he was an obedient man and one who laboured, he performed these works in excess, and at length his body became so emaciated that he was unable to rise up from his place. And, by the operation of God, a certain father who was a stranger came to the place of Scete, and he passed by the cell of that monk and found it to be empty; and as he passed by he said in his mind, “How is it that no man hath come out to meet me from this cell?” And he went back there, and knocked, saying, “Perhaps he is sick”; and when he knocked the brother who was grievously sick went forth, and the father said unto him, “What is thy sickness, O father?” And the brother told him of all his suffering, saying, “I belonged to the world, and the Enemy made war upon me through my wife, and I told the fathers the story, and they imposed upon me severe labours; and having performed these my body hath become ill, and the war hath waxed stronger against me.” Now when the old man heard these things, he was grieved, and he said unto him, “The fathers have imposed upon thee great labours as if [thou hadst been] a mighty man, but if thou wilt hearken to my feeble [voice] thou wilt relinquish those labours, and partake of a little food, at the appointed time, and wilt sing and pray a little, and wilt cast thy business upon God. For by thy pains and sickness thou wilt not be able to conquer this matter, because our body is like unto a garment; if thou take care of it, it will last, but if thou neglect it, it will come to an
