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 And after she had gone forth, she followed him to a certain church, and he said unto her in the church, “If thou wishest me to believe that thou art dead to the world and art not alive, in order that thou mayest be pleasing unto the children of men, do what I do, and then I will believe thee, and I shall know that thou art a dead woman, even as thou sayest.” And she said unto him, “Tell me what it is meet for me to do, and I will do it.” Then he said unto her, “Cast off thy garments and put [them] on thy head, and walk through the midst of the city, and I will do likewise, and will go in front of thee in this guise.” And the nun said unto him, “I should offend many folk by such a remarkable act as this, and then they would say, ‘This woman hath gone mad, and hath a devil.’ ” And he said unto her, “What need hast thou to consider [their words] even if they should say, ‘She hath gone mad, and hath a devil?’ For, according to what thou thyself sayest, thou art a dead woman unto them.” And the nun said unto him, “If there be any other thing [except this] tell me, for I cannot come to such a measure of disgrace as this.” Then he said unto her, “Do not imagine in thy mind that thou art more perfect than anyone else, or that thou art dead to the world; for I am far more dead to the world than thou art, and I can show thee that I am indeed so, and that I can boldly do this thing without [feeling] shame or disgrace.” Then having broken her spirit and humbled her pride, he departed from her. And there were many things of the same kind which this same Serapion did in the world, for he despised both worldly shame and the glory which passeth away; he died at the age of sixty years, and was buried at a good old age, being adorned with all virtues.

HE following story] was related unto me by Cronius, the priest of Nitria, [who said]:—When I was a young man I abhorred the monastery, and I fled from it, and from the head of the monastery who was my instructor, and having lost my way and gone round about, I came unto the Monastery of Mâr Anthony; now he used to dwell between the mountains of Babylon and Herakleia, in a parched desert which led to the Red Sea, about thirty miles from the river [Nile], and I was there in that monastery wherein dwelt those disciples of his who buried him when he died, now their names were Macarius and Amatus, in a place which was called Espîr.