cried out to certain other brethren before the whole assembly, saying, “Such and such a brother doth not eat boiled food, therefore bring him salt.” Then one of the old men came to that brother, and said unto him, “It would have been better for thee this day to have eaten flesh in thy cell than that this word should have been heard before the whole assembly.”
324. On one occasion Ammon came to the brethren, and the brethren expressed contrition, saying, “Tell us a word [whereby we may live].” The old man said unto them, “It is this: we must travel along the path of God with due order.”
325. They used to say that the face of Abbâ Panbô never smiled or laughed. Now one day when the devils wished to make him laugh, they hung a feather on a piece of wood, and they carried it along and danced about therewith in great haste, and they cried out, “Hâilâw, Hâilâw.” Now when Abbâ Panbô saw them, he laughed, and the devils began to run and jump about, saying, “Wâwâ, Abbâ Panbô hath laughed.” Then Abbâ Panbô answered and said unto them, “I did not laugh [for myself], but I laughed at your weakness, and because it needeth so many of you to carry a feather.”
326. On one occasion a certain brother committed an offence in the coenobium, and in the places which were therein a certain old man had his abode; now he had not gone out of his cell for many years. And when the Abbâ of the coenobium came to the old man he told concerning the folly (or offence) of that brother, and about his transgression. Then the old man answered and said, “Drive him out from you”; and when that brother was driven out, he departed and went into a reedy jungle, and as some brethren happened to pass by to go to Abbâ Poemen they heard the voice of the brother weeping; and they went in and found him in great labour, and they entreated him to let them take him with them to Abbâ Poemen, but he would not be persuaded [to go], and said, “I will die here.” And when they came to Abbâ Poemen they told him about him, and he entreated them, saying, “Go to that brother, and say ye unto him, Abbâ Poemen calleth thee”; now when the brother learned that Abbâ Poemen had sent the brethren to him, he rose up and went. And when Abbâ Poemen saw that he was sorrow-stricken, he rose up and gave him the salutation of peace, and smiling with him, gave him [food] to eat. Then he sent his brother to the old man, saying, “For many years past I have greatly longed to see thee, because I have heard about thee, but through negligence both of us have been prevented from seeing each other. Now therefore that God wisheth it, and the opportunity calleth, I beg thee to trouble thyself [to come] hither, and we will each welcome the other.”
