THE LIFE AND WORKS OF OUR HOLY FATHER,
ST. DANIEL THE STYLITE

[An asterisk * indicates a note, keyed by chapter, at the end of the life.]

35.

And when these things had thus been auspiciously accomplished Eudoxia* of pious memory came from Africa and heard all about this holy man from her own son-in-law Olybrius* of glorious memory; she rejoiced greatly and visited the Saint's enclosure.

And after prayers had been offered and she had been blessed by him she said, 'Everything I heard from my son Olybrius I have found more abundantly in your angelic presence* and the prophecies which you announced to him about my coming here when you were still in the church are also known to me. On that account am I come both to enjoy seeing you face to face and to receive a perfect blessing. Now I have many convenient lands here, therefore, if it is to your liking, I beg you to move on to land that belongs to me, for by so doing you would cause me great content of spirit'. But the Saint replied to her, 'May the God, Who has shown us sinners the face of your Piety in the flesh, grant you together with an earthly kingdom a heavenly and eternal one according to your faith. But as regards my removal you will remember that our Lord told us (1. Cor 7:24) not to move from place to place, but where each man is called-provided only that the place be pleasing to God-there, too, let him practise to remain until he leave this tabernacle; therefore as the Lord has once planted me here, it is not permissible for me to move from here. For as your Piety sees, this place is barren and I must not seek a pleasant resting-place'. When Eudoxia, the most faithful Empress, heard these words she was edified by them all and, having paid him reverence with all good-will, she came down from the hill.

36.

On the following day there happened to come the elder daughter of Cyrus, the eminent man of whom we have already spoken,* and she had an evil spirit; and after staying some time in the enclosure she obtained healing through God. After his daughter had been freed from the demon and returned to her home, the most distinguished man, Cyrus, whom we have often mentioned, came giving thanks to God and to the Saint and asked to be allowed to put an inscription on the column. Though the just man did not wish this to be done, yet, being hard pressed by Cyrus and not wishing to grieve him, he allowed him to do it. So he had carved on the column the following lines:

Standing twixt earth and heaven a man you see
Who fears no gales that all about him fret;
Daniel his name. Great Simeon's rival he
Upon a double column firm his feet are set;
Ambrosial hunger, bloodless thirst support his frame
And thus the Virgin Mother's Son he doth proclaim.*

These verses are still inscribed on the column and thus preserve the memory of the man in whose honour they were written.

37.

Things were in this state when a certain elder born in Pontus came to the Saint's enclosure bringing with him his son, a young man of about twenty years old, who was afflicted by an evil spirit. And this evil spirit was deaf and dumb. Then the father fell down before Daniel begging him to heal his son. Now while the father and his son were still on their way the Saint saw the young man being held fast by his own servants. And knowing in his spirit why the man was coming, he besought God for him and asked that He would give him a speedy healing. In consequence the demon was greatly agitated and having wrenched the young man from the grasp of the servants who were holding him he dashed away from them. It was Sunday and thus by the providence of God the ladder was necessarily standing against the column. And the young man rushed headlong to the ladder and climbed up it, but before he had gone half way up he was cleansed and descended in perfect health and stood in front of the column with his father glorifying God; and other signs, too, God did at Daniel's hands.

38.

Now the blessed Emperor Leo* of pious memory had heard from many of these things and desired for a long time to see the man. Therefore he sent for the pious Sergius, who carried the Saint's messages, and through him he asked that the Saint would pray and beseech God to grant him a son. And Daniel prayed, and through God's good pleasure the Emperor's wife, the Empress Verina,* thereafter conceived and begot a son- whereupon the Emperor immediately sent and had the foundations laid of a third column.

39.

Now the demon of envy could not control his envy so he found an instrument worthy of his evil designs. A certain harlot,* Basiane, who had lately come to Constantinople from the East, entrapped many of those who hunted after women of her sort. The sons of some heretics summoned her and made the following suggestion to her: 'If you can in any way bring a scandal upon the man who stands on the pillar in Anaplus* or upon any of those who are with him, we will pay you a hundred gold pieces.' The shameless woman agreed and went up to the holy man with much parade and took with her a crowd of young men and prostitutes and simulated illness and remained in the suburb opposite the Saint's enclosure. And though she stayed there no little time she spent her time in vain. As she was anxious to get possession of the money she went down to the city and plotted after this fashion. To her lovers she said, 'I managed to seduce the man, for he became enamoured of my beauty and ordered his disciples to bring me up to him by means of the ladder; but as I would not consent, the men there planned to lie in wait and kill me; and it is with difficulty that I have escaped from their hands'. When her lovers heard this they thought they had gained their object and imparted the news to all their fellow conspirators. And thereupon as the report spread you could have seen a war between the believers and unbelievers. While matters were in this state, God Who rejoices in the truth and ever defends His servants, brought it about that the abandoned woman, Basiane, should be tormented by an evil demon in the middle of the City and then and there should proclaim her plot and the wrong which the licentious men had suggested to her against the righteous Daniel, promising her money if she were successful. And not only did she make public their names, shouting them for all to hear, but their rank also. Then could be seen a change in the ordering of affairs, for the faithful now rejoiced, whilst the faithless who had threatened to throw stones against the just man were put to shame.

40.

While she was being chastised terribly for many days, the Christ-loving inhabitants of the City took pity upon her and led her away to the Saint and importuned him to pray to God on her behalf that she might obtain healing. But the servant of God said to them, 'Believe me, beloved, the former calumnies have now become as it were blessings to me; for neither does a man who is praised falsely benefit thereby nor does he sustain any injury who is slandered unjustly. For he who has entrusted his soul to God rejoices rather in false calumnies-for they procure a reward for him-than in true praises which swell and puff up the mind'. After these words as they all besought him to bear no malice against her, because they saw the wretched woman being so afflicted before the column, he

bade them all stand for prayer. And stretching out his hands to heaven in the sight of them all, he besought God with tears for many hours that she might be healed. And it came to pass, as he prayed, that the demon cast her to the ground and came out of her in that same hour; and he bade them give her to drink from the oil of the saints. And when she came to herself she stood up and embraced the pillar weeping and praising God. And all those who were present gave thanks to God Who had granted such grace to the holy man: and they took her and went away with rejoicing.

41.

About that time it was revealed to the holy man by the power of God that very great wrath from heaven was about to descend upon the city, and he made this known to the blessed Archbishop Gennadius,* and also to the Emperor, begging them to order rites of intercession concerning this. But as the feast of the saving Passion of Christ was at hand, they did not wish to disturb the people and cause sorrow to reign through the whole city during the feast. And when the holy feast was past, the matter was not remembered any more.*

42.

Thereafter the blessed Emperor Leo of pious memory reflected that he had often put Daniel to the test and had obtained many benefits through his holy prayers; so, through a guardsman,* he sent a message to the Archbishop, of whom I have already spoken, saying, 'Go up to the holy man and honour him with the rank of priest'.-But the Archbishop was unwilling and sent various excuses to the most pious Emperor through the messenger. The Emperor waxed indignant at the delay and sent again to the blessed Gennadius saying, 'If you intend to go up, do so, for I myself am going and the will of God is coming to pass'. Then the Bishop was afraid, so he took some of the clerics with him, and came to the holy man's enclosure. The reason of his coming had been made known to the holy man beforehand. The Archbishop said, 'Father, bless your children'. The holy man replied, 'Your Holiness must bless both me and them'. The blessed Gennadius said 'For a long time I have wished to come up and enjoy your prayers; I pray you order the ladder to be placed so that I may come up and receive a full blessing, for God will convince your Holiness that it is through my being busied with the manifold needs of the Church that I have not been able to do this long ago'. But the servant of God having heard these words, though the Archbishop continued to implore him to allow the ladder to be set against the column, yet refused to make any further answer.

43.

Whilst all those present continued to importune Daniel and the just man still refused to consent, the day was slipping by; and as the crowd was tormented with thirst owing to the heat and the Archbishop saw that he was not achieving anything, he bade the Archdeacon offer a prayer; he himself stood and uttered a further prayer and through the prayer ordained the holy man to be a priest and said, 'Bless us, sir priest; from henceforth you are a priest by the grace of Christ; for when I had prayed God laid His hand upon you from above'.* And for a long time the crowd shouted, 'Worthy is he'. Afterwards all, together with the Archbishop, besought the holy man saying, 'Order the ladder to be put in position, seeing that you have now become what you wished to avoid'. On the just man's giving permission for this to be done, the Archbishop mounted the ladder holding in his hand the chalice of the Holy Body and the Precious Blood of our good Mediator Jesus Christ our God. After saluting each other with a holy kiss, they received the communion at each other's hands. Then the Archbishop descended from the hill and entering the palace reported all that had happened to the Emperor.

44.

And the blessed Leo of pious memory rejoiced in these doings; and not long afterwards he visited the place in which the holy man dwelt and asked for the ladder to be set so that he might go up and be blessed. When the ladder was placed, the Emperor went up to the servant of God and begged to touch his feet; but on approaching them and seeing their mortified and swollen state he was amazed and marvelled at the just man's endurance. He glorified God and begged the holy man that he might set up a double column and that Daniel would take his stand upon it. [And when this double column had been set up] the Bishop and almost the whole city came up and people, too, from the opposite shore. As the Emperor Leo importuned him incessantly to cross over on to it there and then, the servant of God bade planks to be laid to form a bridge from one ladder to another. This being done, the holy man walked across to the double column. And on that day so many received healing that all were astonished.

45.

And it came to pass shortly afterwards that there was a great fire in the capital.* So all the inhabitants were in great distress and the majority had to flee from the city. They made their way to the holy man and each of them implored him to placate God's anger so that the fire should cease. At the same time they would relate to him the personal misfortunes they had suffered; one would say, 'I have been stripped bare of great possessions'; another, 'As the fire was far off I felt no uneasiness but slept with my wife and children; but suddenly the catastrophe overtook me and now I am a widower and childless, and have barely escaped being burnt alive'. Or again another, 'I ran away from that terrible danger only to suffer shipwreck of my scanty belongings'. The holy man wept with them and said, 'The merciful God wished to spare you in His goodness and made these things known beforehand and He did not keep silence concerning it ;* you should therefore have importuned God and escaped His terrible wrath. For once upon a time when the Ninevites were warned by the prophet that destruction threatened them, they escaped it by repenting. I was not vexed by the thought that God's mercy might prove me to be a false prophet; for I had as an example the prophet who was angry because of the gourd; and now I beg you bear with gratitude that which God has sent. For a master is most truly served when he sees his servant bearing chastisement gratefully; and then he deems him worthy not only of his former honour but even of greater by reason of his goodwill towards him'. And many other words of counsel he spoke unto them and turned their hopelessness into hopefulness and then dismissed them saying, 'The city will be afflicted for seven days'.

46.

When the fire had ceased, fear seized upon all the citizens. And then the most blessed Emperor Leo of pious memory took his wife and went up and did reverence to the servant of God and said, 'This wrath was caused by our carelessness; I therefore beg you pray to God to be merciful to us in the future'.- Now consider, dear reader, how the saying of the holy man's mother was fulfilled. For now he received the adoration of the two lights which his mother had seen over her bed in a vision of the night.*-After all had with one accord received a blessing, the Emperor lodged in the palace of St. Michael, which was about one mile distant near the sea.

47.

One day a terrific storm arose and as for some reason the column had not been properly secured, it was torn from its supports on either side by the violence of the winds and was only kept together by the iron bar which held the two columns in the middle. Thus you could see the double column swaying to and fro with the just man; for when the south wind blew it leant over to the left side, but when the north wind blew it inclined to the right, and streams of water poured down like rivers, and the base was getting shattered, for the violent winds were accompanied by thunderstorms. His disciples sought to underpin it with iron bars, but one swing of the column smashed them, too, and very nearly killed the men who tried to withstand it. Their shouts were mingled with their tears, for they were likely to suffer the loss of their father, and in their distracted state one ordered one thing and another. By this time they had all become pretty well desperate; there they stood trembling and aghast, turning their head from side to side as the column swayed now this way and now that, following with their eyes to see in what direction the corpse of the just man would be hurled with the column. But the servant of God answered not a word to anyone but persevered in prayer and invocations to God for aid; and through His compassion the merciful God caused the danger to cease by sending a calm.

48.

On the following day the Emperor sent his chamberlain,* Andreas by name, to inquire whether the holy man had suffered any harm from the violence of the winds. When the messenger came up and saw the extremity of the danger through which the just man had passed he went back and reported it to the Emperor. When he heard it he was furious against the architect who had laid the foundation of the column so badly and the Emperor purposed to put him to death. He went up at once in all haste and when he saw with his own eyes how the column had been shaken and what the holy man had endured, he was amazed and all present glorified God. And the Emperor said to the holy man, 'For all that man could do, you were helpless and in sore peril, but as you had God to support you, you have triumphed over the plot of the devisers of evil'. Hearing of the Emperor's threat against the architect, the servant of God begged the Emperor not to do him any harm. And so a pardon was granted him, and instructions were given that the column should be fixed securely; and this was done.

49.

As the Emperor was on the point of leaving, the Devil, who is ever envious of the good, devised against him a dangerous snare because of the so great affection which he cherished for the holy man; for the horse he was riding shied and reared, and then fell to the ground on its back together with its rider. The curved edge of the saddle caught the Emperor's face and grazed it a little and the crown which he was wearing was shot from his head, and some of the pearls which hung over the back of his neck were dashed from their setting. The Emperor by the will of God was preserved unhurt, and after he had gone down to the City a special act of grace was shown by God. For the Emperor was angry with the general, Jordanes*, who was his count of the stable, and the latter, seized with fear on hearing his threats, took refuge in the holy man's enclosure and obediently listening to the just man's counsel, he renounced the doctrine of the Arians and joined the community of the Orthodox faith. At the same time the Emperor was reconciled to him; for when he of pious memory heard that the holy man was anxious about the accident which he had sustained on riding home he immediately sent Calapodius, his head chamberlain, to reassure the servant of God and say, 'Your angelic presence* must not have any anxiety about me, for through your holy prayers I was preserved unhurt, and I know now why I had that accident, for when visiting your Holiness I ought not to have mounted my horse so long as you could see me; but, I beg you, pray earnestly to God to forgive me for my ignorance'.

50.

Remark now, dear readers, the Wicked One's disgrace!- for just as he thought he would have some success, he was still further disgraced, for the aforementioned most pious Emperor built a palace close to the church of St. Michael and spent the greater part of his days there and became the holy man's inseparable companion. And in future as soon as he perceived the just man from a distance he alighted from his horse; similarly, too, when he went down from the hill, he did not mount until he was hidden from his sight.

51.

It happened about the same time that Gubazius,* the king of the Lazi arrived at the court of the Emperor Leo, who took him up to visit the holy man. When he saw this strange sight Gubazius threw himself on his face and said, 'I thank Thee, heavenly King, that by means of an earthly king Thou hast deemed me worthy to behold great mysteries; for never before in this world have I seen anything of this kind'. And these kings had a point in dispute touching the Roman policy; and they laid the whole matter open to the servant of God and through the mediation of the holy man they agreed upon a treaty which satisfied the claims of each. After this the Emperor returned to the city and dismissed Gubazius to his native land, and when the latter reached his own country he related to all his folk what he had seen. Consequently the men who later on came up from Lazica to the City invariably went up to Daniel. Gubazius himself, too, wrote to the holy man and besought his prayers and never ceased doing so to the end of his life

52.

In the following year a storm of unbearable violence took place and caused the Saint's leather tunic* to become like a bit of tow under the searing blast of the winds, and then the wind tore off even that wretched rag from the holy man and hurled it some distance away into a gully and the holy man was exposed to the snow all night long. And as the bitterest winds dashed against his face, he came to look like a pillar of salt. When morning broke the ladder could not be dragged along to him because of the tempest's violence, so he remained as he was and very nearly became a lifeless corpse.

53.

But by God's mercy a calm followed, and they brought up the ladder. His disciples saw the hair of his head and beard glued to the skin by icicles, and his face was hidden by ice as though it were covered by glass and could not be seen and he was quite unable either to speak or to move. Then they made haste and brought cans of warm water and large sponges and gradually thawed him and with difficulty restored his power of speech. When they said, 'You have been in great danger, father', he answered them as though he were just awaking from sleep and said at once, 'Believe me, children, until you woke me, I was completely at rest. When the terrible storm broke and my garment was torn off me by the force of the winds, I was in great distress for about an hour, and then after a violent fainting fit I called upon the merciful God for help. And I was wafted, as it were, into sleep and I seemed to be resting on a magnificent couch and kept warm by rich coverings and I saw an old man sitting on a seat by my head, and I thought he was the man who met me on the road when I was coming away from the blessed Saint Simeon's enclosure.* And he appeared to be talking with great love and sincerity and he pointed out to me a huge hawk coming from the East and entering this great city and finding an eagle's nest on the column in the Forum of the most pious Emperor Leo. And he came and settled down in the nest with the eagle's young and then no longer appeared to be a hawk but an eagle. And I inquired of the old man what that might mean. And he answered. "There is no need for you to learn that now, but you shall know hereafter". And whilst he held me in his arms and warmed me, the same Old man said very pleasantly, "I love you dearly; I wanted to be near you; many fruit-bearing branches are to blossom from your root". And as we found pleasure in each other you did not do well in waking me; for I was delighted at meeting him'. Then the disciples said to the holy man, 'We pray your forgiveness, but truly we were in great despair; for we thought your Holiness had died. What do you think that vision means, father?' He said to them, 'I do not understand it clearly, but God will do what is pleasing to Him and expedient for us'. But his disciples tried to interpret the vision and said, 'It behoves you with the help of the Emperor to bring the corpse of the holy and most blessed Simeon to this city. For it appears from the vision that this is the pleasure of the blessed Saint Simeon'.

The servant of God said to them, 'Fetch another leather tunic and wrap me in it'.

54.

And the Emperor considering the peril through which Daniel had passed, said, ' It is not right for him to stand naked and unprotected and incur such dangers'. And he went up to him and begged him to let him make him a shelter of iron in the shape of a little enclosure. But the holy man did not wish it saying: 'Our sainted father Simeon did not have anything of the kind although he was far older than myself; therefore it is right that I who am young should practise endurance and not seek ease which relaxes the body'. But the Emperor replied, 'You have spoken well, father, and I approve your resolve; for I rejoice in your endurance, when I see, too, the help of God which constantly sustains you. For this reason a crown is being woven for you; yet be willing to serve us for many years still, and therefore do not kill yourself outright, for God has given you to be fruitful on our behalf'. With these arguments he with difficulty persuaded the holy man to accept his offer; and then the shelter was made. And from that time on the holy man remained untouched by storms. All the visitors who came from different nations, were they kings or emperors or ambassadors, the Emperor in person would either take them to see the Saint or send them up, and he never ceased boasting of the Saint and showing him to all and proclaiming his feats of endurance.

55.

About that time a certain Zeno,* an Isaurian by birth, came to the Emperor and brought with him letters written by Ardaburius, who was then General of the East; in these he incited the Persians to attack the Roman State and agreed to cooperate with them. The Emperor received the man and recognizing the importance of the letters he ordered a Council to be held; when the Senate had met the Emperor produced the letters and commanded that they should be read aloud in the hearing of all the senators by Patricius,* who was Master of the Offices at that time. After they had been read the Emperor said, 'What think you?' As they all held their peace the Emperor said to the father of Ardaburius, 'These are fine things that your son is practising against his Emperor and the Roman State'. The father replied, 'You are the master and have full authority; after hearing this letter I realize that I can no longer control my son; for I often sent to him counselling and warning him not to ruin his life; and now I see he is acting contrary to my advice. Therefore do whatsoever occurs to your Piety; dismiss him from his command and order him to come here and he shall make his defence'.

The Emperor took this advice; he appointed a successor to Ardaburius and dismissed him from the army; then ordered him to present himself forthwith in Byzantium. In his place he gave the girdle of office to Jordanes* and sent him to the East; he also appointed Zeno, Count of the Domestics.

And the Emperor went in solemn procession and led him up to the holy man and related to him all about Ardaburius' plot and Zeno's loyalty; others told him, too, how Jordanes had been appointed General of the East in place of Ardaburius. The holy man rejoiced about Jordanes and gave him much advice in the presence of the Emperor and of all those who were with him then he dismissed them with his blessing.

56.

Some time later it befell that a report was spread that Genseric, King of the Vandals, intended to attack the city of Alexandria;* this caused great searchings of heart to the Emperor and to the Senate and to the whole city. So the Emperor sent his spatharius* Hylasius, who was a eunuch, to inform the holy man about Genseric and of the Emperor's intention to dispatch an army to Egypt. Hylasius went up and delivered the Emperor's message to the holy man; and the holy man said to him, 'Go and say to the Emperor, "Do not be troubled about this, for God sends word to you through me, a sinner, that neither Genseric nor any of his will ever see the city of Alexandria; but if you wish to send an army that is a matter for you to decide; the God, Whom I adore, will both preserve your Piety unhurt and will strengthen those who are sent against the enemies of the Empire".' Hylasius departed and reported these words to the Emperor, and by the grace of God his words come true.*

57.

Thereupon the Emperor returned thanks to God and the holy man, and went up to the ladder and asked his permission to build a lodging for the brethren and for strangers. But the blessed Saint opposed the idea saying, 'Saint Simeon never had any building at all in his enclosure during his lifetime; but I beseech your Piety to grant me the request I make of you'. The Emperor said, 'I for my part beseech you to do so, command me if you have any wish', to which the holy man replied, 'I beg you to send men to Antioch, and to bring back the corpse of Saint Simeon'. The Emperor rejoiced at this request and answered, 'Do you then give orders for a house to be built where strangers can rest, and a dwelling for the brethren: for I see that with God's help the number of brethren and disciples will increase, and there will be a large crowd of strangers who will be sore put to it if they come up and find no place wherein to lodge. For the blessed Simeon, as you said, did not live in such a storm-beaten place, nor did people go up to him for so many different needs but only to pray and to be blessed; whereas you suffer annoyance in many ways from those who are perplexed over matters of State. Through them I receive many letters from you and rejoice to do so, for they bring me much profit. And so let that come to pass which I wanted when I made my request'. Then the blessed Daniel said to the Emperor, 'Since it was for the glory of God and for the protection of brothers and strangers that your Piety proposed to do what you suggest, give orders for it to be done'. Then the Emperor planned that the martyr-chapel of Saint Simeon should be placed to the north of the column and be built with piers and vaults but no columns;* and the monastery for brothers and strangers should be behind the column. And after prayers had been offered, he returned to the city.

58.

While the work was progressing well by the grace of God, the remains of Saint Simeon arrived from the city of Antioch.* Being informed of this the Emperor ordered the Archbishop to announce that the deposition of the holy remains would take place and that there would also be an all-night service in the church of St. Michael at Anaplus because the Emperor himself was in his palace there. Thus on the following day an imperial carriage was prepared in which the Archbishop took his seat and taking the remains with him went up the hill in this fashion, and all the people in untold numbers, some going ahead, and others following, made their way to the appointed place singing psalms and hymns. And many healings took place on that day of the deposition of the holy remains. After the service which followed the whole populace streamed out into the enclosure to the holy man in order to be blessed. And the Archbishop with all the clergy went there likewise; and a throne was placed in front of the column; and when the Archbishop had taken his seat he said to the holy man, 'Behold, the Lord has fulfilled all your desires; and now bless your children with your counsel'. After the deacon had said the 'Let us attend', the holy man from his pillar said to the people: 'Peace be upon you !' and then opening his mouth taught them, saying nothing rhetorical or philosophical, but speaking about the love of God and the care of the poor and almsgiving and brotherly love and of the everlasting life which awaits the holy, and the everlasting condemnation which is the lot of sinners. And by the grace of God the hearts of the faithful people were so touched to the quick that they watered the ground with their tears. After this the Archbishop offered a prayer, and then the holy man dismissed them all, and each man returned to his house in peace.

59.

One day a disbelieving heretic came up to the holy man, ostensibly for prayer, with his wife and children and some girls; but instead of prayers he began uttering calumnies against the holy man and poking witticisms at him. And the crowds who were united in their belief in God said to him, 'What are you doing, man, talking thus foolishly and, instead of praying, hindering us? Why have you come up here?' He said to them, 'I, too, heard from many about this man and came up to be edified, and I found the opposite; for when I approached the column to do obeisance I found this fish lying on the step'. And from the inside of his garment he pulled out a very large fried fish, which he had prepared in the market as lunch for himself and his companions; this he showed them, casting blame upon the holy man for being a voluptuary and not temperate. They who saw it first were astonished at his scheme and then, after censuring him severely, they left him alone saying, 'You will find out what lies you are uttering against the servant of God'. And as he was returning to the city, in order that the merciful God might make manifest how He protects His servants, it came to pass that the man himself, as well as his wife and children, began to shiver with ague; then after they had reached the market of the Archangel Michael and he wanted to partake of the fish, the wretched fellow was suddenly seized by an unclean spirit, and as he was driven by the demon all round the market he confessed all the deception he had practised against the holy man. And so, being driven on by the demon, he reached the enclosure with all his friends following him. There they persisted in their repentance and made full confession. Within three days the Lord healed them after they had been given oil of the saints to drink. As thank offering he dedicated a silver icon, ten pounds in weight, on which was represented the holy man and themselves writing these words below, 'Oh father, beseech God to pardon us our sins against thee'. This memorial is preserved to the present day near the altar.

60.

At that time the blessed Emperor Leo heard from many about a certain Titus, a man of vigour who dwelt in Gaul and had in his service a number of men well trained for battle; so he sent for him and honoured him with the rank of Count that he might have him to fight on his behalf if he were forced to go to year. This Titus he sent to the holy man for his blessing; on his arrival the Saint watered him with many and divers counsels from the Holy writings and proved him to be an ever blooming fruit-bearing tree; and Titus, beholding the holy man, marvelled at the strangeness of his appearance and his endurance* and just as good earth when it has received the rain brings forth much fruit, so this admirable man Titus was illuminated in mind by the teaching of the holy and just man and no longer wished to leave the enclosure, for he said, 'The whole labour of man is spent on growing rich and acquiring possessions in this world and pleasing men; yet the single hour of his death robs him of all his belongings, therefore it is better for us to serve God rather than men'. With these words he threw himself down before the holy man begging him to receive him and let him be enrolled in the brotherhood. And Daniel, the servant of the Lord, willingly accepted his good resolve. Thereupon that noble man Titus sent for all his men and said to his soldiers,* 'From now on I am the soldier of the heavenly King; aforetime my rank among men made me your captain and yet I was unable to benefit either you or myself, for I only urged you on to slaughter and bloodshed. From to-day, however, and henceforth I bid farewell to all such things; therefore those of you who wish it, remain here with me, but I do not compel any one of you, for what is done under compulsion is not acceptable. See, here is money, take some, each of you, and go to your homes'. Then he brought much gold and he took and placed it in front of the column and gave to each according to his rank. Two of them, however, did not choose to take any, but remained with him. All the rest embraced Titus and went their ways.

61.

When the Emperor heard this he was very angry and sent a messenger up to the holy man to say to Titus, 'I brought you up from your country because I wanted to have you quite near me and I sent you to the holy man to pray and receive a blessing, but not that you should separate yourself from me'. Titus replied to the messenger, 'From now on, since I have listened to the teaching of this holy man, I am dead to the world and to all the things of the world. Whatever the just man says about me do you tell to the Emperor, for Titus, your servant, is dead'. Then the messengers went outside into the enclosure to the holy man and told him everything. And the holy man sent a letter of counsel by them to the Emperor, beseeching him and saying, 'You yourself need no human aid; for owing to your perfect faith in God you have God as your everlasting defender; do not therefore covet a man who to-day is and tomorrow is not; for the Lord doeth all things according to His will. Therefore dedicate thy servant to God Who is able to send your Piety in his stead another still braver and more useful; without your approval I never wished to do anything'.

And the Emperor was satisfied and sent and thanked the holy man and said, 'To crown all your good deeds there yet remained this good thing for you to do.* Let the man, then, remain under your authority, and may God accept his good purpose'. Not long afterwards they were deemed worthy of the holy robe, and both made progress in the good way of life; but more especially was this true of Titus, the former Count.

62.

Next the Devil, the hinderer of good men, imbued Titus with a spirit of inquisitiveness and suggested that he should watch the holy man in order to see if he ate and what he took to eat. So one day he waited till about the time of lamp-lighting and then unnoticed by all the brethren he remained outside in the enclosure hidden behind the column. When the nightly psalmody took place in the oratory the brothers imagined he had stayed behind because he was sick. The following day he spent with all the others. Although he did the same thing for seven nights, he found out nothing. Finally he openly conjured the holy man to explain his manner of life to him. And the holy man granted him his wish saying, 'Believe me, brother, I both eat and drink sufficient]y for my needs; for I am not a spirit nor disembodied, but I too am a man and am clothed with flesh. And the business of evacuation I perform like a sheep exceedingly dryly, and if ever I am tempted to partake of more than I require, I punish myself, for I am unable either to walk about or to relieve myself to aid my digestion; therefore in proportion as I struggle to be temperate, to that degree I benefit and the pain in my feet becomes less intense'. Titus answered, 'If you, your Holiness, who are in such a state of body and standing in such a wind-swept spot, struggle in that manner to be temperate for your own good, what ought I to do who am young in years and vigorous in body?' The Saint replied, 'Do whatever your flesh can endure; neither force it beyond measure nor on the other hand abandon it to slackness; for if you load a ship beyond its usual burden, it will readily be sunk by its weight, but if on the contrary you leave it too light, it is easily overturned by the winds. By the grace of God, brother, I understand my natural capacity and know how to regulate my food'. After hearing this Titus went away to the oratory, took his place in one corner and hung himself up by ropes under his armpits so that his feet did not rest upon the ground, and from one evening to another he would eat either three dates or three dried figs and drink the ration of wine. He also fixed a board against his chest on which he would sometimes lay his head and sleep and at others place a book and read.

63.

And he did this for some long time and benefited all those who visited him; amongst these was the most faithful Emperor, Leo, for whenever he went up to the holy man, after taking leave of him, he would go in to the blessed Titus; and beholding his inspired manner of life he marvelled at this endurance and besought him to pray for him. And it pleased the Lord to call him while he was at prayer, with his eyes and his face turned upwards and heavenwards, and thus it was that he breathed his last. The brethren looking at him thought he was praying as usual. When evening had fallen, the two brethren came who had formerly been his servants and now ministered unto him and brought him all he required, and they discovered that he was dead. And when they began to lament all recognized that he had gone to his rest. His head lay back on his neck, his hands were crossed and supported by the plank and since the weight of the body was borne by the shoulder ropes his legs hung down straight and were not bent up. And as one looked on the corpse of this saintly champion it showed the departed soul's longing for God. The brethren went and told the elders who came out to the holy man's enclosure and announced to him the death of the glorious saint. When he heard of it he thanked the Lord and bade them carry out the corpse to him after the time of lamp-lighting and put it in front of the column and hold an all-night service there in his memory. The nest day Titus was buried in the tomb of the elders by command of the holy man.

64.

After Titus had died this holy death, one of the barbarians who had come with him and had been named Anatolius by the holy man aspired to the same kind of life in the same place, and conducting himself blamelessly therein for a long time he greatly benefited all those who visited him. Thus his fame spread on every side. As he wished to flee from glory among men he went out at night into the enclosure to the holy man and fell down before him imploring him to grant him his permission. The holy man inquired the reason and, on hearing it, prayed over him and dismissed him. After receiving his dismissal Anatolius travelled to the chapel of St. Zacharias in Catabolus (the Harbour) and took up his dwelling there in a suburb on the opposite shore; at that time Idoubingos* was general. Shutting himself up in a small cell, he lived in it for a long time; later he established a small monastery* of about twelve men, which by the grace of God and the prayers o f the holy father is still in existence to-day; thus in blessedness he passed away to the Lord.

65.

About that time the pious Emperor Leo married his daughter Ariadne to Zeno* (of whom we have spoken before) and also created him consul. And shortly afterwards when the barbarians created a disturbance in Thrace, he further appointed him commander-in-chief in Thrace.* And in solemn procession he went up to Anaplus to the holy man and besought him as follows: 'I am sending Zeno as general to Thrace because of the war which threatens; and now I beg you to pray on his behalf that he may be kept safe'. The holy man said to the Emperor, 'As he has the holy Trinity and the invincible weapon of the Holy Cross on his side he will return unharmed. However, a plot will be formed against him and he will be sorely troubled for a short time, but he shall come back without injury'. The Emperor said, 'Is it possible, I beg you, for any one to survive a war without some labour and trouble?' When they had received a blessing and taken their leave they returned to the city. Then the aforesaid Zeno set out for the war and soon afterwards a plot was formed against him as the holy man had foretold, but by God's assistance he escaped and reached the Long Wall and crossed from there and came to Pylae ;* and later still he reached the city of the Chalcedonians.

66.

Now while the patrician Zeno was still absent at the war a male child was born to him by the Emperor's daughter and received the name of Leo.* When Aspar and his sons stirred up a rebellion against the most pious Emperor Leo, He 'that maketh wars to cease unto the ends of the earth (Ps. 45:9) fought on the side of the pious Emperor and destroyed them both. After that Leo crowned his own grandson and namesake, emperor. And thus it came to pass that Zeno took courage and crossed from Chalcedon to the city and entered the palace and came to the Emperor Leo.

67.

As time went on it befell that the pious Emperor Leo the Great fell sick and died;* he made a good end and left as successor to the throne his own grandson Leo, son of the patrician Zeno. Then the Senate convoked a meeting because the Emperor was an infant and unable to sign documents; and they determined that his father Zeno should hold the sceptre of the Empire. And thus he was crowned and became Emperor. After three years had passed the Lord took the infant, the pious Emperor Leo, into His eternal kingdom; and he went to the land of his fathers, and left the Empire to his* father.

68.

The Roman government was being well administered by the will of God, and the State was enjoying a time of quiet and order, and the holy churches were living in peace and unity, when the ever envious and malignant Devil sowed seeds of unjust hatred in the hearts of some who claimed to be the Emperor Zeno's kinsmen, I mean Basiliscus, Armatus and Marcianus and some other senators. When Zeno became aware of the treachery that was being planned against him, he went up to the holy man and confided to him the matter of the plot. The holy man said to him, 'Do not let yourself be troubled about this; for all things that have been foreordained must be accomplished upon you. They will chase you out of the kingdom, and in the place where you find a refuge, you will be in such distress that in your need you will partake of the grass of the earth. But do not lose heart; for it is necessary that you should become a second Nebuchadnezzar, and those who are now expelling you, having felt the lack of you, will recall you in the fullness of time. You will return to your Empire, and more honour and glory shall be added unto you and you shall die in it. Therefore bear all with gratitude; for thus must these things be'. The Emperor thanked him for these words (for he had already put him to the test in the case of other prophecies of his) and after being blessed by the holy man he took his leave and went down to the City.

69.

Now the malicious men whom I mentioned above had free access to the blessed Empress Verina, Basiliscus because he was her brother and chief of the Senate, and Armatus as being her nephew and Zuzus as being the husband of her sister, and Marcianus the husband of her daughter and son of an emperor. They were constantly at her side and by their guile persuaded her to conspire with them to drive Zeno from the throne. As he knew of their wickedness and that he was in danger of assassination, he took his own wife, the Empress Ariadne, and some eunuchs, and unbeknown to all he left the palace one night during a very heavy storm. They crossed the straits and landed* at Chalcedon because of their pursuers, and they escaped and reached the province of Isauria. The Empress Verina so controlled the revolution that she secured the crown for her brother Basiliscus; who shortly afterwards attempted to do away with his own sister. However, she fled to the oratory of the Ever-Virgin Mary in Blachernae and remained there as long as Basiliscus lived.

70.

Next Basiliscus-name of ill omen*-made an attack upon the churches of God, for he wished to bring them to deny the incarnate dispensation of God. For this reason he came into conflict with the blessed Archbishop Acacius, and sought to malign him so as to bring about his ruin. Directly news of this attempt reached the monasteries all the monks with one accord assembled in the most holy Great Church in order to guard the Archbishop. After some consideration the Archbishop ordered all the churches to be draped as a sign of mourning, and going up into the pulpit he addressed the crowds and explained the blasphemous attempt which was being made. 'Brethren and children', he said, 'the time of martyrdom is at hand; let us therefore fight for our faith and for the Holy Church, our mother, and let us not betray our priesthood.' A great shout arose and all were overcome by tears, and since the Emperor remained hostile and refused to give them any answer, the Archbishop and the archimandrites determined to send to the holy man, Daniel, and give him an account of these things, and this they did.