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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.
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