broke it, and found inside two grains of barley; and he ate one grain and placed the other in his hand; and when the brother came, and found that he was eating, he said unto him, “Is this love? Thou hast found food, and thou eatest it by thyself and hast not called me [to share it with thee].” Abbâ Sisoes saith unto him, “I have not defrauded thee, O brother, for behold, I have kept thy share in my hands.”
268. Mother Sarah used to say, “Whensoever I put my foot on the ladder to go up, before I ascend it I set my death before mine eyes.”
269. A certain brother came to Abbâ Theodore and entreated him to shew him how he twisted palm leaves, and he sent him away, saying, “Go away, and come here to-morrow morning.” Then the old man rose up straightway, and put some leaves to soak in water, and made ready, and when the brother came in the morning he shewed him [how to make] one or two plaits, and he said to him, “Work thus”; and the old man left him and went to his cell. And at the proper season the old man took him food and made him eat, and he rose up and went away; and when he came [back again] in the morning, the old man said unto him, “Why didst thou not take some palm leaves with thee? Take some now, and get thee gone, for thou hast made me fall into the temptation of caring about things,” and he did not allow him to come inside [his cell] again.
270. On one occasion Abbâ Muthues went from Re‘îth to Mount Gebêl, and he had with him his brother’ Awsâbh, and Kântîrsâ, the Bishop, took the old man and made him a priest. And when they were eating together the Bishop said unto him, “Forgive me, Abbâ, for I know that thou didst not wish for this thing, but I ventured to do this thing that I might be blessed by thee.” Then the old man said unto him with a meek spirit, and with a sorrowful mind, “I will labour in this work, though I must be separated from this my brother who is with me, for I cannot endure the making of all the prayers.” The Bishop said unto him, “If thou knowest that he is worthy I will make him a priest also”; and Abbâ Muthues said unto him, “Whether he be worthy [or not] I do not know, but one thing I know, and that is, that he is better than I am,” so the Bishop laid his hands upon him and made him a priest also. And they ended their lives together, but one of them never approached the altar for the purpose of offering up the Offering, for the old man used to say, “By God, I hope that ordination doth not make it obligatory on me to do so, because I cannot offer up the Offering, for ordination belongeth unto those who are pure [only].”
