Chapter XXXVII.
Of the cells which Abbot Archebius gave up to us with
their furniture.
Having
then seen this, as
we were inflamed with the desire of imitating them, the aforesaid
Archebius, the most famous among them for the grace of kindness, drew
us into his cell, and having discovered our desire, pretended that he
wanted to leave the place, and to offer his cell to us, as if he were
going away, declaring that he would have done it, even if we had not
come. And we, inflamed with the desire of remaining there, and putting
unhesitating faith in the assertions of so great a man, willingly
agreed to this, and took over his cell with all its furniture and
belongings. And so having succeeded in his pious fraud, he left the
place for a few days in which to procure the means for constructing a
cell, and after this returned, and with the utmost labour built another
cell for himself. And after some little time, when some other brethren
came inflamed with the same desire to stay there, he deceived them by a
similar charitable falsehood, and gave this one up with everything
pertaining to it. But he, unweariedly persevering in his act of
charity, built for himself a third cell to dwell in.
872
872
Somewhat similar
stories are told of others by Palladius (Lausiac History, cc. ii. 1,
lxx.); and Rufinus, History of the Monks, I. xxiii.