without taking anything from it, and he departed to his disciples in the body, that is to say, to Alexander and Zoilus. Then he said to Alexander, “Arise, and go back to the place where I was living”; and Alexander did so; and he said to Zoilus, “Arise; and come with me to the river, and seek out for me a ship which is going to Alexandria, and then come back, and go to thy brother.” Now Zoilus marvelled at this speech, but he held his peace; and thus they parted from each other, and the old man Arsenius then went down to the country of Alexandria, where he fell ill of a serious sickness. And his disciples went back and came to the place where they had been formerly, and they said to each other, “Perhaps one of us hath offended the old man, and it is for this reason that he hath separated from us”; but they could not find in themselves anything with which they had ever offended him. Now the old man became well again, and he said, “I will arise and go to the fathers,” and he journeyed on and came to Patârâ where his disciples were. Now when the old man was nigh unto the river-side a young Ethiopian woman saw him, and she came behind him, and drew near him, and plucked his raiment; and the old man rebuked her. Then the maiden said unto him, “If thou art a monk, depart to the mountain.” Now the old man being somewhat sad at this remark, said within himself, “Arsenius, if thou art a monk, depart to the mountain”; and afterwards his disciples Alexander and Zoilus met him, and they fell down at his feet, and the old man threw himself down [on the ground] also, and he wept himself, and his disciples wept before him. And the old man said unto them, “Did ye not hear that I have been sick?” And they said unto him, “Yes.” And the old man said, “Why did ye not seek to come and see me?” And Abbâ Alexander said, “Because the way in which thou didst leave us was not right, and because of it many were offended, and they said, ‘If they had not wearied (or pressed) the old man in some way he would never have separated from them.’ ” The old man saith unto them, “I know that myself, but men will also say, ‘The dove could not find rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned to Noah in the ark’ ”; thus the disciples were healed, and they took up their abode with him again.
344. Abbâ Daniel used to tell concerning Arsenius that he never wished to speak about any investigation into the Scriptures, although he was well able to speak [on the subject] if he had been so disposed, but he could not write even a letter quickly.
345. A certain old man used to say, “Vaunt not thyself over thy brother in thy mind, saying, ‘I possess a greater measure
