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 lightly of him that standeth before thee, for thou knowest not whether the Spirit of God is in thee or in him, though thou callest him who standeth before thee him that ministereth unto thee.”

479. Abbâ John the Less used to say, “Humility and the fear of God are more excellent than all the [other] virtues.”

480. They used to say that a certain old man, who had young men living with him, told them on one occasion to do something, and when they did it not he said nothing further to them about it, but rose up himself in their sight and did what he had told them to do without anger, and without labour.

481. Another old man used to say, “Humility is not without salt, but it is salted with salt.”

482. An old man used to say, “I would rather learn than teach.”

483. And he also used to say, “Do not learn before the time, so that thou mayest not have little admonition all thy time.”

484. Abbâ Agathon said, “If a man of wrath were to raise the dead, he would not be accepted by any man.”

485. A brother asked Abbâ Timothy, saying, “I myself can see that my memorial is ever before God”; and the old man said unto him, “It would not be any great thing for thy thought (or mind) to be with God, but it would be a great thing for a man to see his soul beneath all creation.”

486. Abbâ Theodore used to say, “There is no spiritual excellence greater than that of a man who despiseth not his companion.”

487. An old man was asked, “By what means doth the soul receive humility?” And he said, “By searching into it, and by remembering the evil things which have been done by it.”

488. One of the old men said, “I asked Abbâ Sisoes, saying, ‘Tell me a word,’ and he said, ‘It is right for a monk to humble himself lower than the idols’; and I went to my cell, and took counsel with myself, and meditated for an hour, saying, ‘What do the words “lower than the idols” mean?’ Then I returned and went to the old man, and said unto him, ‘What do the words “lower than the idols” mean?’ And he said unto me, ‘It is written concerning the idols, “They have a mouth and speak not, and they have eyes and see not, and they have ears and hear not”; even thus is it right for a monk to be.’ And because idols are an abomination, a man must hold himself to be abominable in his own sight.”

489. A brother asked Abbâ Sisoes of Thebaïs, saying, “Speak a word to me,” and Sisoes said unto him, “What have I to