Arsenius, “How is it that whilst thou hast so much learning, both Greek and Latin, thou askest questions about the thoughts of this villager?” Then Abbâ Arsenius said unto him, “With Greek and Latin learning I am well acquainted, but I have not yet learned the alphabet of this villager.”
235. Now on one occasion when the Archbishop wished to go to visit him, he sent a message to this effect to him, and the old man sent him [back] word, saying, “If thou comest I will open unto thee, and if I open unto thee I must open unto every man, and if I open unto every man I cannot remain here.” And when the Archbishop heard these things, he said, “If I would drive him away I must go to the old man, therefore I will not go.”
236. On one occasion a brother entreated him to let him hear a word from him; and the old man said, “As far as it lieth in thy power, lead an ascetic life; and work thou that secret work which is within, if it be for God’s sake, [for] it shall vanquish [thy] passions which are external.”
237. Abbâ Poemen said, “If there be three [brethren] together, and one leadeth a fair life of silent contemplation, and the other being a weak man giveth thanks, and the other singeth and prayeth with a lowly mind, all three are performing work [of equal merit].”
238. A brother asked Abbâ Poemen, and said unto him, “Tell me: what meaneth it that thou dost not reward evil for evil?” Abbâ Poemen said unto him, “In this perception there are four divisions; the first is of the heart, the second is of the sight, the third is of the tongue, and the fourth is that in actions a man returneth evil for evil. If now thou art able to overcome the heart, thou wilt not come to the sight, but if thou comest to the sight, take heed that thou dost not speak with the tongue; but if thou speakest cut it off immediately, so that thou mayest not actually reward evil for evil; and this is the first of the four which a man may cut off, and the tongue is the second, and the third is the sight, and the fourth is the heart.”
239. The old man Anthony used to say also, “If the baker did not put a covering over the eyes of [his] animal, it would turn round and eat up its hire, and in like manner we also have received a covering by the operation of God, so that we may first of all be working good deeds without seeing them, so that we may not ascribe happiness to ourselves and so destroy the hire of our labour. Therefore are we left from time to time in unclean thoughts, and we see these only so that we may condemn ourselves, and those filthy
