generation, but he was very far removed from the men of old. I saw in Scete an old man who was able to hold back the sun in his course in the heavens like Joshua, the son of Nun”; and when they heard [this] they marvelled and praised God.
399. A certain brother asked Abbâ Poemen about fornication, and he answered and said, “[It cometh upon a man] because our eyes will not allow us to see the help of God which surroundeth a man, for a man is constrained to humility and to the fear of God at all times, even as he is constrained [to draw] the breath which goeth forth from his mouth.”
400. An old man used to say, “If thou wishest to learn to know [thy] neighbour praise him more than thou rebukest him.”
401. They used to say that whensoever one of the fathers wished to sleep a little, he would sit down in his cell at some distance from the wall, so that whenever he nodded his head he became wide awake.
402. And whensoever another of the old men lay down he used to hold up a book above him, and when he dropped off to sleep the book would fall down and wake him.
403. Abbâ Besarion said, “I stood up for forty nights and did not sleep.”
Abbâ Anthony said, “I do not fear God, on the contrary I love Him.”
404. One of the old men whilst exhorting the brethren to work of spiritual excellence used to say, “Troubles are hard unto those who are not accustomed to them. Troubles are like unto dogs; for as dogs bite those who are not familiar with them and wag their tails at those who are, so also are labours, because they give pain to those who have no experience of them, and they are pleasing unto those who are trained in bearing them. This exception must, however, be made: lusts are wont to produce troubles and adversities, but troubles are the cause of pleasure and delights.”
405. On one occasion Abbâ Ammon came to cross the river, and he found that they were making ready a boat to take [some] men over, and he sat down in it; and behold, there was another boat which was going to take over some women, and they cried out to him, “Come thou, father, and cross over with us.” And he answered and said unto them, “If I had not been going to cross over in the public boat I could not cross [with you].” Now he had with him a bundle of palm leaves, and he sat down and plaited mats until that boat was ready, and then he crossed over the river [in it]. And the brethren expressed their regrets, saying, “Why hast thou done thus?” Then the old man said unto them, “Because I
