pscelestinus.encomium.03 Chapter 1

O miserable man, eating and drinking shall not deliver thee this day. Why will not the possessions of riches deliver thee, I and work healing to a small degree on thee?

Why will not the phantoms of riches deliver thee from these great necessities?

Hast thou never heard about this foolish rich man, who was like thyself, and who said within himself, 'Thou hast many good things laid up for thee for very many years to come; take thine ease, eat, drink, make merry?' for he thought that he would pass a very long time upon the earth.

But the sentence of God came upon him straightway, saying, 'Thou fool, thy soul shall be taken away from thee this very night, and these things which thou hast prepared, unto whom shall they belong?'

And this is the case of every one who gathereth in, and who is not a rich man in God.

How then, O thou fool, are not thy granaries, which are filled full, unable to deliver thee this day?

Why do not thy garments made wholly of silk and byssus deliver thee this day?

Why do not the possessions which thou hast gathered together restrain the sentence of God which hath come upon thee saying, 'They shall take away thy soul this night'?

Hast thou never heard [the words] which David [spake], 'They shall leave their riches unto others, and their tombs shall be their houses for ever.'

The wise man Solomon spake, saying, 'Leave all thy property behind thee, for there is neither knowledge nor understanding in Amente,' the place whereunto thou shalt depart'; that is to say, 'When thou shalt go forth from this world, thou wilt not have the power to order anything rightly, nay, those things which thou wouldst take with thee are the very things on account of which thou shalt be judged.'

Shew me these sins (are worth), for thou addest sin to sin, and lawlessness to lawlessness, and guile to guile, and strife to strife.

Dost thou not remember that which is written, 'The judgement is merciless for the man who hath not shewn mercy,' and 'Remember that man is like unto a shadow, and that he bringeth his days to a close very speedily'?

Now the whole life of a man is like unto the vapour of a caldron (?) which maketh itself visible for a little time, and afterwards perisheth; and this is especially true in the case of the man who is a sinner.

There is no profit whatsoever in the life of the man who worketh evil, nor, moreover, shall he be found in the place whereto he shall depart, but he shall go forth with the sufferings that are sufferings indeed.

And if the rich man be a sinner, that fact shall be of no benefit to him.

Hast thou never heard (the words) which Solomon (spake), saying, 'He who hath come forth in vanity, shall also depart again in vanity; he who hath come forth in grief, shall depart again in grief,'

even as it is written, 'There shall be no joy to the wicked man, saith the Lord.' And again, 'The hope of the wicked man shall perish.'

And again, 'The wicked man shall be like unto the dust which the wind driveth along before it on the face of the ground.'

Shew me now, O sinner, what kind of pleasure is it which cometh to thee during thy whole life?

If thou sayest, 'I have been a rich man all my life, and I have passed my time as one, and I have enjoyed myself thoroughly well,' then I shall say unto thee very gravely, 'What kind of pleasure was it that came to thee during all the time wherein thou wast living in sin?

If thou art rich in gold and in silver, what advantage hast thou therein, for thou wast produced from the earth?

Verily, such a man eateth and drinketh today,

but tomorrow he is carried off in the midst of his riches, and his mouth is closed, and from this time onwards he will never eat again.

Shew me, O sinful man, what kind of rest it is which thou findest. Thou dost occupy thyself all thy time in lendingmoney at usury, and in trafficking in merchandise.

Thou art filled with anxious care by day and by night, even as is the man who lacketh bread,

and there is nothing about thee which alfordeth thee comfort (or, consolation); on the contrary, thy whole life is one long grief.

Thou buildest houses, and stalls for sheep and cattle, and baths, thou plantest vineyards, thou becomest a merchant, and sailest the seas with thy wares, and yet thou art at all times like unto the man who is in his death agony.

Thou dost oppress the poor,

and dost deceive the stranger,

and dost rob the houses of widows, and amuse thyself by day and by night,

and yet the bread which thou eatest is like that of every other man.

And whilst thou art occupied in doing these things the period of thy life which is appointed unto thee cometh to an end, and thou art rejected, like a sour grape, and they bear thee away.

And the possessions which thou hast heaped together shall remain on this earth, and the sins which thou hast committed shall go before thee to the throne of God.

And the images shall provide the proofs of thy folly, and the houses which thou hast built others shall dwell in.

And as for thy soul, because of thy lawless behaviour they shall carry it away into the outer darkness.

From the vineyards which thou hast planted others shall gather in the grapes, and thou thyself in Amentc shalt eagerly desire that the juice thereof be dropped upon thy tongue to cool it, even like thy brother Nineveh (?).

Shew me now, O thou man who art merciless and a sinner, what advantage there was to thee in thy being born into the world, whether in thy life, or whether in thy death, unless it was the punishments which thou didst heap up on account of thy sins?

In thy lifetime thou didst amuse thyself by day and by night,

and thou wast weary because of the multitude of thy possessions, and at thy death thou didst depart to the punishment which is neverending, in exchange for thy wickedness.

Moreover, if the sinner be a poor man, thou wilt find that he worketh both by day and by night because of the insistence of his poverty.

And thou wilt find his son hungry and naked, and his wife sick and afilicted with the suffering of infirmity, and thou wilt find them quarrelling and cursing each other,

and there is no peace at all between them.

They are occupied by day and by night, they live in tribulation with their children.

And the man longeth for death a thousand times over because of the suffering which is inside him.

He seeth the poverty and suffering of his wife, and the misery of his children, and he committeth sin yet more and more, and he committeth thefts, and sweareth false oaths, even as it is written, 'Poverty humbleth a man.'

And not only doth it reduce him to humility, but it maketh him to commit fraudulent acts, and works which God hateth, for he wisheth to take home something to his wife and his children.

In this manner he never ceaseth to be absorbed with the cares of this life all his days.

He addeth sin to sin, and he spendeth his life in doing this until the appointed span of his life cometh to an end. Then he is carried away suddenly,

heavily laden with the load of his sins, and he cometh forth into poverty, a poverty which is never-ending, and into great suffering.

Shew me now what kind of benefit it is to a man of this kind to be born into the world, for there is nothing in it but suffering, and wretchedness, and sorrow.

It was concerning such a man that were written the words, 'He who hath come in emptiness (or, vanity) shall depart in emptiness (or, vanity), and his name shall be proclaimed in the darkness,' whether he be rich or poor.

Woe be unto those who are born into the world, for the deceitful deeds (?) which they have done in the world shall be a punishment for them.

What comfort (or, consolation) shall there be to the man who shall die in his sins? There is nothing for him except suffering and sorrow in this world and in the next,

Hast thou not heard what is written in the (Book of) Isaiah the prophet, 'The sinner that shall live for one hundred years shall be accursed?'

But tell me, O thou man of sin, when it was that thou didst enjoy thyself.

Didst thon, peradventure, enjoy thyself in thy mother's womb?

If so, what kind of enjoyment hadst tbou? Thou wast shut up in the darkness and in the humour of her body, and thou didst not know when it was day, or when it was night.

Didst thou, peradventure, enjoy thyself when thou earnest forth from thy mother's womb?

If thou didst, what kind of enjoyment hadst thou?

For from the moment wherein thou wast brought forth thou didst cry and wail.

Hadst thou been comfortable thou wouldst not have wept, for weeping belongeth to suffering and pain.

Didst thou, peradventure, enjoy thyself when thou wast being suckled at the breasts of thy mother?

If thou didst, what kind of enjoyment was it?

Thou didst weep at all times, and thou hadst no heart.

Didst thou, peradventure, enjoy thyself when thou wast a small child?

If thou didst, what kind of enjoyment was it?

Thy face was cast down at all times to the earth, thou didst crawl about on thy hands and feet,

thy mouth was always wet with the saliva which trickled from it, and when a beast might have attacked thee and killed thee thou wast ignorant of it.

Didst thou, peradventure, rejoice when thy Jegs gained firmness, and thou couldst walk?

If thou didst, what kind of enjoyment was it?

Thy parents taught thee (first), and then they sent thee to the master craftsman that he might teach thee a trade whereby thou mightest earn a living.

Didst thou, peradventure, rejoice when thou didst grow up and arrive at man's estate?

If thou didst, what kind of enjoyment was it?

The lust of early manhood which was in thee was fighting against thee, and never for one moment did it cease to goad thee.

Didst thou, peradventure, enjoy thyself when thou didst take a wife?

Nay, nay, thou couldst not enjoy thyself, for thou didst burden thyself with heavy cares.

Didst thou, peradventure, enjoy thyself when thou didst beget children?

If thou didst, what kind of enjoyment was it?

Thou didst load thyself with cares both by day and by night.

For the man wdio hath married a wife and hath begotten children hath never a moment's peace; on the contrary, his head is always burdened with cares, especially if he be a poor man, for then his tribulations are doubled.

Didst thou, peradventure, enjoy thyself when thou didst become an old man?

If thou didst, what kind of enjoyment was it?

Thy bones became broken, the light of thine eyes was extinguished, thy teeth became loose and incapable of chewing food, thy heart ceased to have perception and to understand a word of wisdom, thy nerves, sinews, and tendons of the body failed, and ceased to be able to work without difficulty.

Thy mouth lost its shape and was unable to utter words distinctly, thy voice became feeble, and the ears lost their power to hear.

All these things came upon thee in thine old age, but more especially there came great tribulation of heart, because thou wast drawing nigh to the grave, and thou knewest not how long men would enquire after thee.

Wilt thou, peradventure, rejoice when the span of life that hath been allotted to thee hath come to an end, when thou must go before God?

What kind of enjoyment wilt thou have when that moment cometh?

Thou wilt cast thyself down upon (thy) bed in thy tribulation of heart,

a great wave of heat will envelop thee, and the attack of sickness will become more violent, and thou wilt heave sighs over thy sins, because thou hast no good deeds to thy credit.

Thou wilt weep for thy little children who shall become orphans,

and thou wilt be greatly disturbed because of the calamity that hath come upon thee.

Thou wilt look at the Powers with terrifying faces which have come after thee,

and thou wilt sigh over the end of thy life, because it hath drawn nigh so speedily.

Peradventure thou wilt rejoice, O man, when thou standest before the throne of God?

What kind of enjoyment wilt thou have (there) being laden with thy load of sins

and having not one good deed before thee?

And the avenging angels (or, executioners) shall seize thy soul, the fames of fire shooting out from their eyes,

and shall cast thee down, and shall gnash their teeth at thee;

and thy sins shall follow thee closely, and shall be thy accusers.

Whither wilt thou turn thy face, O wretched man? What manner of place wilt thou look for in order to find rest therein? Thou shalt find it neither on the right hand nor on the left.

Behold the poor whom thou hast wronged!

Behold those who were in misery, and the strangers, whom thou didst defraud

and eat up what goods they had

Behold the false oaths!

Behold the slanderings!

Behold the hatred!

Behold the envy!

Behold the contentions!

Behold the impurities!

Behold the pollutions!

Behold the fornications!

Behold the murders, and all the rest of the evil deeds which thovi hast committed!

Then, at that moment, the Judge shall cry out, 'Cast him into the outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

This is the end of all the men who are sinners, and who have not repented of their sins before their deaths.

Behold, I have made the matter quite clear to you, and have shewn yoii that there is no profit in the life of man who is born into this world.

If thou wishest for salvation, and wouldst inherit life, haste thee and redeem thy sins by means of acts of charity and by works of compassion to the poor, so that thou mayest enjoy thyself in the world wherein there are joy and gladness.

And even if thou hast committed every kind of sin, turn thou back and repent, and God shall forgive thee,

for He is compassionate, and He loveth mankind, and sheweth pity for the wickednesses of those who return unto Him.

For He saith, 'I do not desire the death of the sinner, hut rather that he should turn back from his evil way, and repent and live.'

And again (He saith), 'If the transgressor hath turned back from his wickedness, and doeth righteousness, I will no longer remember the wickednesses which he hath committed, but he shall live through the righteousness which he hath done.'

(And He saith), 'Turn ye back to Me, O ye children who have gone afar off, and I will heal you of your wounds.'

(And) He saith by His mouth which is full of life, 'I have not come to invite the righteous, but the sinners to repentance.'

And again, 'Come unto Me every one who is suffering, and is laden, and I will give rest to you.'

Thus thou mayest see, O man, the love for man which God (sheweth) towards us.

Finally, waste not day after day, month after month, and year after year, for the span of life which hath been allotted to thee is coming to an end, and thou must depart, laden with the load of thy sins, and thou wilt curse the day wherein thou wast born.

I have declared all these things out of love for you, and because of the verse which is written, 'Man is born unto trouble.'

Now it was because the prophet thought that there was no profit in a man's life, but only suffering and misery, that he said, 'Man is born unto trouble, and his days pass quickly.'

Now as concerning the righteous, their whole life is joy and gladness, and since they have been born unto blessedness, they shall also depart to the blessedness which is perfect.

Verily, happy and blessed is the righteous man who is born into the world!

In very truth this is the man unto whom the building which he hath made in (this) world shall be for profit.

Blessed is the man who is righteous and merciful, for he shall eat of the good things of the earth, and he shall enjoy refreshing in the kingdom that is in the heavens with the Patriarchs Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and Job, and the other believing men.

And blessed is the poor man who giveth thanks, and who is meek and gentle, for he shall go forth from the poverty of this world, and shall receive riches which are neverending.

In very truth this is the man whose sorrows shall come to an end, and who shall inherit the rest that shall never end, even as it is written, 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for to them belongeth the kingdom which is in the heavens.'

And again, 'Blessed is the man whom Thou shalt receive to Thyself, O Lord.' And again, 'Better is one day inside Thy courts than one thousand (passed) outside them.'

Behold now, we say these things unto you, O my beloved, for the admonition of the soul,

and I have made my discourse somewhat lengthy.

I know, however, that the tears which have come forth from your eyes shall become unto you a fountain of salvation, which shall cleanse your bodies on the day of the great festival of Saint Victor the General, whose festival we are celebrating this day.

Believe me, O ye Godloving congregation, I have no wish to set in motion this word which is full of tribulation, during this great festival this day, and I would not introduce sadness into the festival of Saint Victor, the most glorious of all martyrs, had it not been that my mind was carried away by my thoughts,

and it seemed to me as if I saw the General standing before me.

And he raised up gladness in my heart and in my mind, in his love towards us, and he spake unto me, saying, 'O man, speak unto this congregation for the salvation of their souls.

Thou shalt bring them into the haven of salvation on the day of my commemoration, a,nd they shall repent them of their sins. This result will afford me far greater happiness than ten thousand encomiums.

And I do not wish (to receive) the honour which belongeth to this world, for my justification is in the heavens, before my Lord and my King, the Christ.'

And when I had heard these (words) from Saint Victor, (and saw) the care which he took for all those who are heavy laden, and that he was laying aside his own honour for the sake of the salvation and well-being of our souls and our bodies,

I at length turned my tongue towards you, O my sons and my daughters,

and I spake these few words to you for the welfare of your souls.

Now, therefore, let us send on before us the things which we find for the benefit of our souls in the day of need, so that Saint Victor, whose festival we are celebrating this day, may make supplication on our behalf before the Christ, the True Shepherd, that He may guide our souls into the pasture that pleaseth Him, according to that which is written, 'His counsel is more to be chosen than gold, and the precious stone of very great price.'

Let us pay good heed to the things that we hear, lest we fall away, according to the word of Paul, the wise man.

Let us free ourselves from our sins, before they be required of us.

And if, O man, thou hast sinned through thoughtlessness, turn thee, repent, and God shall forgive thee.

And again, if thou hast not committed sin, take good heed to thyself that the Devil be not envious of thee,

for he is a deceitful villain, and he hateth the race of man. Thou hearest what is written in the Catholic (Epistle), 'Be sober, watch; for your adversary the Devil goeth round about roaring like a lion, seeking to swallow up your soul.'

And again, Paul saith, 'Our strife is not against blood and flesh, but against principalities and powers, and against the governors of the world in darkness, and against spirit beings of evil beneath the heavens.'

And again, our Saviour commanded us, saying, 'If the master of the house knew at what hour the thief was comings he would keep watch, and would not permit him to break into his house;

even so do ye yourselves watch, for ye know not in what hour the thief will come.'

Now ye know well, O my beloved, that it is right for a man to keep watch by day and by night, so that the Devil may not be envious of him, and may not destroy his righteousness.

Do not make a pretence and say, 'I have committed many sins, and God will never forgive me, even if I do repent.'

Take heed to thyself and do not talk in this way.

Never let sin gain dominion over thee.

And even if thou hast committed a multitude of sins, turn thee, repent, and God shall forgive thee, and He will number thee with those who have never committed sin at all.

For as thou findest the grapes full of sourness which come from an (uncultivated) vine,

but when the vine hath been digged about, and water poured upon its roots, the grapes, which only a very little time before had been sour

now their sourness disappeareth so completely that thou canst not possibly imagine whither it hath gone), become sweet to the taste, exactly so it is in the case of the sin which hath been blotted out by repentance, and the righteousness which is performed by the penitent man continueth to be sweet.

Ye see, O my beloved, how Saint Victor rejoiceth with us on this great festival, which we celebrate this day, and how he hath prepared for us the table of the Spirit.

Verily, this holy' encomium is a healing medicine for us.

The understanding of the Holy Scriptures is a consolation to us.

This encomium is a healer of every one,

for it strengtheneth those who do stand, and it raiseth up those who have fallen.

And as for us, let us keep carefully the things which we have heard, and we shall find salvation.

We must never let go of our understanding (or, courage), and persist in committing sins which will lead us into a state of terror, and make us enter into sorrow and shame. But within a very little I also had fallen into a pit,

and had forgotten the mighty deeds and miracles of Saint Victor, whose festival we are celebratingthis day; for the consideration of our own great carelessness carried away into such sorrow of heart that we forgot the glorious General Victor.

And, moreover, my tongue halteth to such a degree that I am not able to declare one of his ten thousand virtues.

But like a man who setteth out boldly to cross over a great sea, or a very wide stream, and whom before the end of his journey thou findest to be overwhelmed and being drawn down into the boiling and raging waters of the torrent—even so am I in respect of the splendid deeds of that General Victor,

For I began to speak to you concerning the mighty deeds and miracles which he hath wrought in the first part of (this) Encomium,

but later on my understanding and my thought were carried away and made me to talk to you about the salvation of your souls on (the day of) his great festival.

And we know that Saint Victor will rejoice over the words of admonition which we are speaking into instructed ears in this Encomium,

especially when he hath seen the very large number of people (here) who are stricken with sorrow, and who are weeping at the words of admonition which we are uttering.

I am afraid, however, that I am causing some offence to my congregation on this great festival today.

I will therefore change the course of my remarks so that I may narrate unto you a few of the mighty deeds which have taken place in his martyrium, the which I have seen with my own eyes, and which will glorify God, Who glorifieth those who glorify Him.

Now I earnestly desire to declare a few of his splendid deeds, but I find myself in a difficulty because my tongue is incapable of paying unto him the honour of which he is worthy.

And, moreover, since certain of our inspired Fathers and Bishops who have lived before my time, that is to say, Eusebius, and Julius, and Innocent, who were teachers in very truth and were inspired by God, undertook to declare thy honour and the miracles which thou didst perform in thy martyrium,

and were unable to proclaim thy powers and the signs (wrought by thee),

how much less shall I, a humble man, who am simple and foolish withal, be able to do so?

How can I possibly pass over the sea of thy splendid deeds? For this reason I lay my finger on my mouth

I do not know how to declare thy gift of healing,

and especially because through thy holy gift the disease which spreadeth over my legs and feet from time to time thou hast made to decrease in my body.

But great is the grace which God giveth unto thee,

and He hath permitted these manifestations of healing to be permanent in thy martyrium, that is to say, the dumb speak, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and thou easiest out devils and raisest the dead through the mighty gift which God hath permitted to be permanent in thy martyrium.

And not only in the place wherein thy body is are signs of this kind taking place, but in every shrine throughout the world which shall be called after thy name shall signs of this kind be performed perpetually, in order that ye may know that what I am saying to you is true.

Hearken ye now, and I will narrate unto you the following great miracle to the glory of God and Saint Victor.

There was a certain man in this city who owned very great possessions, and large flocks and herds, and sheep pastures and vineyards.

And this man was exceedingly good and kind to the poor, and he had such a firm belief in Saint Victor that every year he used to give a large quantity of wine to the shrine [of the saint] for use sacramentally, and for sending out as gifts to those who were suffering from illnesses, and to those who needed it, for the salvation of their souls.

And his offering remained always in the shrine of the holy man during the whole course of his life.

And the Good God, at the request of Saint Victor,

blessed the man,

and he became rich,

and he waxed exceedingly prosperous

And the blessing of God shone on his house, and on his gardens, and on his vineyards, and on his meadows, and his fields and his possessions increased exceedingiy, and there was no couniing the number of the blessings which the Lord set apart for him.

And the man increased his alms and oblations, which he used to give to God in the name of Saint Victor,

And his wealth still continued to increase greatly, and his flocks and herds were exceedingly choice and fine, and his shoe and cattle were innumerable;

and he did not cease to watch over these things until he became an old man.

And at length he fell ill of the sickness of which he died.

And ho called his son and said unto him, 'My son, behold I am going the way of all the earth.

Do thou be zealous in giving gifts to the poor, and to every one who is in need, even as thou hast seen that I have been in the habit of doing, and do thou take especial care in respect of the offering to my Lord Saint Victor.

Thou shalt not diminish aught therefrom, nay, thou shaft add to it; for it is he who hath blessed us, and hath given to us these great riches, and this multitude of possessions.

And let thy charities and gifts be multiplied, for they shall open unto thee the treasure-houses of the kingdom which is in the heavens.'

And his son answered and said, 'Everything that thou sayest I will do'; thereupon the man sank back fainting and died,

and was gathered to his fathers.

And his son took possession of his weath and goods of all kinds,

but his heart was not perfect with God as was his father's, even as it is written concerning Solomon, and he was not charitable towards the poor.

And finally he treated with contempt his father's will and testament,

and he did not observe the commands which he had given to him.

He diminished the charities and gifts which his father used to give,

he ate and drank delicately,

and he put away from him the fear of God and the precepts of his father.

And when the season of the vintage arrived, the steward of Saint Victor sent certain of the clergy to him to receive the offering of first-fruits, according to the custom of his father,

the son would not give them but said (to himself), 'Verily my father hated the things which belonged to him,' and he spake out loud with evil words, saying, 'It is not Saint Victor who drinketh the wine, but it is the clergy who drink it;

moreover, every time they wish to communicate I will send unto them offerings and first-fruits that they may communicate.

I shall certainly not give away this large quantity of wine, but I will put it aside, and will devote it to the needs of the community and to those of my own workmen.'

In this way did he foolishly withdraw the offering from the saint,

and he did not remember that which is written, 'Charity seeketh not its own.'

So he gathered in the grape harvest according to his father's custom,

and he discovered that the wine was so great in quantity that he could not measure it.

And he had it carried into storehouses, saying, 'I will keep it until the time when the merchants of Palestine come [to visit] my father this year, and I will give it to them, and will take in exchange from them much goods,'

And what did Saint Victor do unto him that had neglected to give him his offering through love of possessions?

Quite suddenly he made the wine which, only a very little time before, had been very choice, to change, and it bred worms, and it became putrid and sour.

And all the man's affairs went backward, but he did not know that it was the hand of God that was upon him because of his contemptuous treatment of Him,

And it came to pass that on a certain day the merchants arrived, and they brought him a large quantity of gold wherewith they wished to buy some of his wine;

(and when they had tasted the wine) they found that it was very bad indeed,

and very thin in quality, and that it had bred worms,

and they marvelled exceedingly.

And afterwards they opened (other skins) in the doorway of the wine storehouse,

and they found that the wine in them was worse than that which tliey had tasted before;

in short, they tried all the wine,

and they found that it was quite worthless.

And they said unto him, 'Verily we marvel at this wine, and wonder what hath happened to it since thy father hath become blessed.

Perhaps it is that thou hast neglected it; in any case we know not what hath happened to it.'

And thus saying the merchants took the gold from him again

and returned to their own country.

And the man was very sad indeed, and grieved exceedingly.

And after some days the man became conscious of the sin which he had committed, and that it was Saint Victor who had destroyed his property because he had neglected to supply his holy offering.

And he was saying, 'Woe is me, because I did not listen to the words of my father, and because I allowed avariciousness to blind my eyes.

I wished to bring the offering of the martyr into his hand,

and behold, he hath destroyed all the possessions which were in mine.

What shall I do from this time onwards? I know not.'

And during that night Saint Victor came unto the man in glory unspeakable,

and he said unto him in a very threatening manner, 'Since the love of money hath shut thine eyes,

and thou hast stolen the offering which thy father used to give unto God in my name,

behold I, even I, destroyed all the produce of thy vineyard,

and I made thy wine to become full of worms and putrid.

And I will destroy thy vineyard also, and it shall not yield thee its fruit because of thy audacity.

And as for thee thyself, I have come to bring upon thee a great grief, and I would destroy thee, and thou shouldst die if it were not that I keep in remembrance the a righteousness of thy father.

And assuredly because thou didst neglect to give the offering to my shrine,

I myself made all thy wine to perish.'

And the man was greatly moved, and he said, 'My lord, who art thou that thou art surrounded by such exceedingly great glory?'

And he answered and said, 'I am Victor the General.

I am he who blessed the possessions of thy father.

I miiltiplied for him his corn and wine.

I doubled for him his flocks and herds, and his possessions and his goods, because of the alms and oblations which he gave to the poor, and the offerings which he made unto God in my name.

Thou, however, inasmuch as thou hast not obeyed thy father, and hast not remembered the fear of God, but hast been zealous in the stealing of the oflering from my martyrium,

I myself have punished thee,

and have destroyed thy labours.

And in thee hath been fulfilled that which is written, saying, 'A city is founded by the compassion of a mighty man, and it is uprooted through the folly of the fool.'

And when the man had heard these words he cast himself down upon his face, saying, 'Forgive me, O my lord, thou holy martyr.

I have sinned beyond the measure of all mankind's capacity of sinning,

but count not up my sins, according to my folly, against me. And I will become thy servant, and will fear thee, even as did my father, until the day of my death.

And I promise thy holy splendour that, if thou wilt shew compassion unto me, and wilt forgive me my impudent deeds, I will give the one half of my substance and of my flocks and herds to thy shrine this year,

and the other half (I will give) to the community and to the maintenance of those who work (on my estate). And besides these I will add to the charitable gifts which my father used to make to the poor.'

And the saint said unto him, 'God hath removed thy sin, and this shall be unto thee a sign that he hath done so.

When thou risest up tomorrow morning open the door of thy wine-cellars and taste thy wine, and thou shalt find that it hath turned to a proper, settled condition. Thus shalt thou know that God is able to do everything, and that it is the blessing of God which maketh men rich; but what God truly loveth in a man is for him to choose a right course of action.

God is not in need of thy gifts and charities and of thy offerings, but He doth desire that a right course of action should be displayed by thee in respect of Him.

Hast thou never heard that which is written, 'He who sheweth mercy unto the poor lendeth unto the Lord,' and 'Pay thy vows to God,

and let every one who is round about Him take a gift unto Him?'

Now, therefore, take heed to thyself and do the things which have come forth from thy month.

And I will make supplication unto God on thy behalf that He may make thy riches to be as great as those of thy father.

And when thou shalt go forth from the body thy soul shall not be set apart for punishment, because I will carry it as a gracious thing into the presence of God, and He will give into it the good things of the kingdom which is in the heavens.

Hast thou never heard what is written, 'The supplication of the righteous man is exceedingly mighty and effecteth (much)?'

And dost thou not know that the martyrs endured all (their) sufferings without reward?

Now, therefore, O my son, watch thyself well from this day pife forward. And farewell!

And when the saint had said these words unto the man he ceased to see him.

And straightway he woke up in his dream, and was very much moved, and he told the things which he had seen to his people, and they marvelled.

And when the morning had come he opened the door of his winecellar,

and he found that his wine was exceedingly excellent, and he was disturbed in his mind.

And he proclaimed the mighty deeds of Saint Victor throughout the whole city.

And he summoned the steward of the saint to him,

and he gave unto him the half of his produce and of his wine, which he was to expend in the service of the shrine, and on the poor and on strangers, even according as he had vowed to the saint.

And from that day onward he became a very zealous man, and he was exceedingly anxious about the salvation of his soul.

Thus ye see, O my beloved, that the mighty deeds of Saint Victor, whose festival we are celebrating this day, are truly great, and that ray halting tongue is incapable of declaring one in ten thousand of his virtues and honours, and of the miracles which he hath worked.

Let us celebrate his festival this day in purity of heart and in purity of body. And he is sufficiently strong to pray for us to the Lord, to forgive us our sins;

for lie is gracious and merciful, and he is nigh unto God at all times.

Let us withdraw ourselves from every evil thing, and from every kind of fornication.

And let us not continue in our sins, so that our visitation may not come to an end.

Remember that the world shall pass away and the desirable things thereof, but he who performeth the will of God shall live for ever.

Therefore let us not stablish ourselves upon the hope which is vain,

for the Apostle saith, 'The hope which is seen is not hope,' that is to say, the riches of this world which shall pass away like the snow (or, frost).

Be not a man of violence, for no violent man shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Be not a man of strife, for it is said that there is no profit in any man of strife.

Be not a lover of money, for the root of all evil is the love of money.

Be not a fornicator, for him who shall defile the temple of God will God destroy.

Be not a liar, for God shall destroy every man who uttereth lies.

Be not a drunkard, for no drunkard shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Be not a man of lust, for it is said, 'Whosoever shall look at a woman to desire her hath already committed adultery with her in his heart.'

Be not an adulterer, for the adulterer destroyeth his soul.

Be not a lover of pleasure, for it is written, 'They loved pleasure more than they loved God.'

Be not a babbling gossip, for a gag of fire shall be thrust into the mouth of the babbler.

Be not a hater of (thy) brother, for he who hateth his brother is a murderer.

Be not a man with a double tongue, for double-tonguedness is like unto a twoedged sword.

If thou wilt observe these things in thine own person, thou shalt be a servant of the Lord, and Saint Victor shall rejoice over the celebration of his festival.

Let us stretch out our hands to the poor in charity and compassion, for it is written, 'Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.'

Let us visit the sick and those who are shut up in confinement, in order that God in His compassion may visit us.

Let us put clothing on the naked, in order that we may escape from the trouble and the gnashing of teeth.

Let us receive into our houses the poor, who have no houses, on the festival of Saint Victor, so that he may remember us before God, Who shall take us into His kingdom which is in the heavens.

Let us not permit to remain in our hearts any restraint in respect of any man, on the festival of Saint Victor, in order that God and His angel may be in our midst when we are celebrating his festival, lest he condemn us as enemies.

On the contrary, let us break asunder every bond of violence, and every bond of enmity, and every bond of wickedness in respect of each other, in order that God and His holy angel shall be at peace with us.

And here, at this point, we must give pause to our discourse, because the time is come when we must perform the service of the Holy Offering.

It is true that our discourse hath run to an inordinate length, but (the people) were thirsty for the waters of the word of God, and for (the narrative of) the mighty deeds of the saint.

And it shall happen for us that Saint Victor, whose festival we celebrate this day, shall make entreaty to God on our behalf, that He may forgive us out sins, and may bless the God-loving Emperor, and all the orthodox people,

through Jesus the Christ, our Lord, to Whom be glory, and to His Good Father; and to the Holy, and vivifying, and consubstantial Spirit, now and always for ever and ever and world without end.

Bless us! Amen. So be it!

This book (was copied through) the zeal and care of the most God-loving deacon Pourot (?).

He undertook the preparation thereof, and he presented it to the church of Saint Victor of Tebo, that is of Apollinopolis, according to the speech of the Alexandrians.

May God preserve for life and health (or, salvation) the God-loving brother . . , . Pourot, and make him to be worthy of the joy of the kingdom which is in the heavens. May he live to the full the angelic life which he hath assumed, even as did our fathers, the ancestors (of our) community, and may he (pour out) his blessing upon us, and upon all the saints likewise! Amen.

May the Lord Jesus the Christ, Who is in very truth our Veritable God, preserve for life and salvation the most Godfearing arch-presbyter Apa Abraham, the president and director of the Monastery of Saint Mercurius of Tebo, and may he (pour out) his blessing upon us.

May the Lord preserve for life and salvation all the fathers and sons of the monastery, and make us worthy of their blessing. May He incline (?) their hearts to pray for me before our King, the Christ. May He forgive me my sins, which are many, and may He shew mercy unto me in the day of my visitation,

to me Joseph the least of all men and the most miserable, the son of the blessed Sisinnios, the Archdeacon of the Catholic Church of Saint John the Baptist in the city of Sne.

May the Lord give peace unto him,

and to Zokrator, the least of all men, the deacon, the son of Joseph the deacon. Pray for me Amen.

Written on the eighteenth day of the month Parmouti, in the six hundred and sixty-seventh year of Diocletian (a.d. 951).