Thaïs | Page 6

the breath of Thy mouth? Let her not
continue to sin with many citizens and strangers. There is great pity for
her in my heart. Her wickednesses are abominable, and but to think of
them makes my flesh creep. But the more wicked she is, the more do I
lament for her. I weep when I think that the devils will torment her to
all eternity."
As he was meditating in this way, he saw a little jackal lying at his feet.
He felt much surprised, for the door of his cell had been closed since
the morning. The animal seemed to read the Abbot's thoughts, and
wagged its tail like a dog. Paphnutius made the sign of the cross and
the beast vanished. He knew then that, for the first time, the devil had
entered his cell, and he uttered a short prayer; then he thought again
about Thais.
"With God's help," he said to himself, "I must save her." And he slept.
The next morning, when he had said his prayers, he went to see the
sainted Palemon, a holy hermit who lived some distance away. He
found him smiling quietly as he dug the ground, as was his custom.
Palemon was an old man, and cultivated a little garden; the wild beasts
came and licked his hands, and the devils never tormented him.

"May God be praised, brother Paphnutius," he said, as he leaned upon
his spade.
"God be praised!" replied Paphnutius. "And peace be unto my brother."
"The like peace be unto thee, brother Paphnutius," said Palemon; and
he wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.
"Brother Palemon, all our discourse ought to be solely the praise of
Him who has promised to be wheresoever two or three are gathered
together in His Name. That is why I come to you concerning a design I
have formed to glorify the Lord."
"May the Lord bless thy design, Paphnutius, as He has blessed my
lettuces. Every morning He spreads His grace with the dew on my
garden, and His goodness causes me to glorify Him in the cucumbers
and melons which He gives me. Let us pray that He may keep us in His
peace. For nothing is more to be feared than those unruly passions
which trouble our hearts. When these passions disturb us we are like
drunken men, and we stagger from right to left unceasingly, and are
like to fall miserably. Sometimes these passions plunge us into a
turbulent joy, and he who gives way to such, sullies the air with brutish
laughter. Such false joy drags the sinner into all sorts of excess. But
sometimes also the troubles of the soul and of the senses throw us into
an impious sadness which is a thousand times worse than the joy.
Brother Paphnutius, I am but a miserable sinner, but I have found, in
my long life, that the cenobite has no foe worse than sadness. I mean by
that the obstinate melancholy which envelopes the soul as in a mist,
and hides from us the light of God. Nothing is more contrary to
salvation, and the devil's greatest triumph is to sow black and bitter
thoughts in the heart of a good man. If he sent us only pleasurable
temptations, he would not be half so much to be feared. Alas! he excels
in making us sad. Did he not show to our father Anthony a black child
of such surpassing beauty that the very sight of it drew tears? With
God's help, our father Anthony avoided the snares of the demon. I
knew him when he lived amongst us; he was cheerful with his disciples,
and never gave way to melancholy. But did you not come, my brother,
to talk to me of a design you had formed in your mind? Let me know

what it is--if, at least, this design has for its object the glory of God."
"Brother Palemon, what I propose is really to the glory of God.
Strengthen me with your counsel, for you know many things, and sin
has never darkened the clearness of your mind."
"Brother Paphnutius, I am not worthy to unloose the latchet of thy
sandals, and my sins are as countless as the sands of the desert. But I
am old, and I will never refuse the help of my experience."
"I will confide in you, then, brother Palemon, that I am stricken with
grief at the thought that there is, in Alexandria, a courtesan named
Thais, who lives in sin, and is a subject of reproach unto the people."
"Brother Paphnutius, that is, in truth, an abomination which we do well
to deplore. There are many women amongst the Gentiles who lead lives
of that kind. Have you thought of any remedy