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When a brother who was very dear to us, Simeon by name, a man utterly
ignorant of Greek, had come from the region of Italy, one of the elders,
anxious to show to him, as he was a stranger, a work of charity, with some
pretence of the benefit being mutual, asked him why he sat doing nothing in
his cell, guessing from this that he would not be able to stay much longer
in it both because of the roving thoughts which idleness produces and
because, of his want of the necessities of life; well knowing that no one
can endure the assault: made in solitude, but one who is contented to
procure food for himself by the labour of his hands. And when the other
replied that he could not do or manage any of the things which were usually
done by the brethren there, except write a good hand, if any one in Egypt
wanted a Latin book for his use, then he at length seized the opportunity
to secure the long wished for work of charity, under colour of its being a
mutual benefit; and said, "From God this opportunity comes, for I was just
looking for some one to write out for me the Epistles in Latin; for I
have a brother who is bound in the chains of military service, and is a
good Latin scholar, to whom I want to send something from Scripture for him
to read for his edification." And so when Simeon gratefully took this as an
opportunity offered to him by God, the old man also gladly seized the
pretext, under colour of which he could freely carry out his work of
charity, and at once not only brought him as a matter of business
everything he could want for a whole year, but also conveyed to him
parchment and everything requisite for writing, and received afterwards the
manuscript, which was not of the slightest use (since in those parts they
were all utterly ignorant of this language), and did no good to anybody
except that which resulted from this device and large outlay, as the one,
without shame or confusion, procured his necessary food and sustenance by
the reward of his work and labour, and the other carried out his kindness
and bounty as it were by the compulsion of a debt: securing for himself a
more abundant reward proportioned to the zeal with which he procured for
his foreign brother not only his necessary food, but materials for writing,
and an opportunity of work.
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