the village, and work in the fields for thy living, and give thanks unto God at the same time that thou art not able to endure the afflictions of the desert.” And again Paul answered and said unto him, “Whatsoever thou wilt teach me, that will I do.” Anthony said unto him, “I have told thee that thou art an old man, and thou canst not [do it]; but if thou wishest to become a monk, get thee gone to some monastic house, and abide where the brethren are many, and where they will be able to bear with thy sickness (or infirmity). As for me, I live by myself alone here, and I only eat once in five days, and even then I do not eat a full meal.” With these and suchlike words did Anthony frighten Paul. And as he would not be persuaded to depart, Anthony went into [his cell], and shut the door upon himself for three days, and because of him he did not go outside his cell for three whole days, not even for his need’s sake. Nevertheless Paul did not go away; and on the fourth day, when his need compelled him, Anthony opened the door and went forth. And again he said unto Paul, “Get thee gone, O old man, why dost thou trouble me? It is impossible for thee to stay here.” Paul said unto him, “It is impossible for me to die in any other place except this.”
And the blessed Anthony, having looked carefully and seen that he was carrying no food with him, and no bread and no water, and that he had fasted during the four days which he had remained, said within himself, “Peradventure he will escape and die, and will plunge my soul in tribulation”; so he accepted him and brought him into [his cell]. And because of Paul during those days Anthony performed exceedingly severe ascetic labours, the like of which, even in his early manhood, he had never performed. And he soaked [palm] leaves in water, and gave them unto Paul, and said unto him, “Take these palm leaves, and weave a mat therefrom even as do I myself.” And the old man Paul took [them], and wove them [into a mat] fifteen cubits [long], until at the ninth hour he was exhausted. And Anthony, seeing what he had woven, was angry with him, and said unto him, “Thou hast woven [the leaves] loosely, unweave [them], and weave [them] over again neatly and closely.” And Paul unwove what he had woven, and wove the leaves over again, but still he wove too loosely, because the leaves had become twisted through [the former] weaving and unweaving. Meanwhile Paul was fasting all these days, and Anthony laid these hard labours upon him while his soul was vexed with hunger, so that he might become disgusted and depart from him.
Now when Anthony saw that Paul was neither angry nor
