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421. On one occasion Adlêp, Bishop of Neapolis, went to visit Abbâ. Sisoes, and when he wished to depart the old man made him and the brethren who were with him to eat in the morning; now the days were the first days of the fast. And when they had made ready the table to eat, behold, certain men from the plough knocked at the door, and the old man said unto his disciple, “Open to them, and put some of the boiled food in a dish, and set it before them to eat, for they have just come from labour.” The Bishop said, “Let it alone, or perhaps they will say that Abbâ Sisoes eateth at this time.” And the old man looked at the youth and said unto him, “Go, and give them the food”; and when the strangers saw the boiled food they said unto him, “Have ye strangers with you? Peradventure Abbâ is also eating with them?” And the disciple said unto them, “Yes.” Then they cried out and spake words of condemnation to the company, saying, “May God forgive you, for ye have made the old man to eat at this time of the day. Perhaps ye are unaware that ye are causing him much vexation thereat?” And when the Bishop heard these things he expressed contrition, and said unto him, “Forgive me, I have behaved after the manner of a man, but thou hast acted like God.”

422. They used to say that, [on one occasion] when Abbâ Agathon came to the city to sell his handiwork, he found a stranger lying sick in the market, and he had no man to care for him, and the old man stayed with him; and he hired a room in the town and remained therein working with his hands, now [what he received therefor] he spent on the rent of the room and on the needs of the sick man, for a period of four months, and when the sick man was made whole the old man departed to his own cell.

423. And an old man used to say, “It is a defect in a man if, when he is reviled by his brother, or when any evil cometh to him from him, he cannot strengthen his love before he meeteth him.”

424. A brother was, on one occasion, sent from Scete by his Abbâ on a camel to Egypt to fetch palm leaves for [making]. baskets, and having gone down and brought the camel, another brother met him and said unto him, “Had I known that thou wast coming up I should have begged thee to bring a camel for me also”; and when the brother came and told his Abbâ what had been said unto him by his companion, his Abbâ said unto him, “Take the camel and lead it to that brother, and say unto him, ‘We have taken counsel, and we have given up the intention of bringing up palm leaves at present, but do thou take [the camel] and bring some up