Iacobus de Voragine: LEGENDA AUREA

Macarius abbas descendit per vastitatem deserti et intravit dormire in monumentum, ubi sepulta erant corpora paganorum, et exrraxit unum corpus sub caput suum tamquam pulvinarium. Daemones autem volentes eum terrere vocabant quasi unam mulierem dicentes: "Surge et veni nobiscum ad balneum." Et alter daemon sub ipso tamquam ex mortuo illo dicebat: "Peregrinum quendam habeo super me, non possum venire." Ille autem non expavit, sed respondebat corpori illi dicens: "Surge et vade, si potes." Et audientes daemones fugerunt voce magna clamantes: "Vicisti nos, domine."

Abbot Macarius went down through the vastness of the desert and went in to sleep in a monument, where the bodies of pagans had been buried, and he drew out one body under his head as a pillow. But the daemons, wishing to terrify him, were calling as though a certain woman, saying: "Rise and come with us to the bath." And another daemon beneath him, as if from that dead man, was saying: "I have a certain pilgrim upon me; I cannot come." But he did not grow afraid, rather he answered that body, saying: "Rise and go, if you can." And on hearing this, the daemons fled, crying with a great voice: "You have conquered us, lord."

Dum aliquando abbas Macarius in palude ad cellam suam praeteriret, occurrit ei diabolus cum falce messoria et volens eum cum falce percutere non potuit. Et dixit ei: "Multam violentiam patior a te, Macari, quia non possum praevalere adversum te. Ecce enim quidquid tu facis, et ego facio. Ieiunas tu, et ego penitus non comedo, vigilas tu, et ego modo non dormio.

While at one time Abbot Macarius was passing through the marsh toward his cell, the Devil met him with a reaping sickle, and, wishing to strike him with the sickle, he could not. And he said to him: "I suffer much violence from you, Macarius, because I am not able to prevail against you. Behold, indeed, whatever you do, I also do. You fast, and I do not eat at all; you keep vigil, and I likewise do not sleep just now."

Unum est solummodo, in quo me superas." Et dixit abbas: "Quid est illud?" Cui ille: "Humilitas tua, per quam non praevaleo adversum te."

"There is one thing only, in which you surpass me." And the abbot said: "What is that?" To which he: "Your humility, through which I am not able to prevail against you."

Dum tentationes ipsum iuvenem molestarent, surgens et magnum saccum arenae humens suis imponens diebus multis sic per desertum ibat. Quem Theosebius inveniens dixit: "Abba, cur tantum onus portas!" Et ille: "Vexo vexantem me."

While temptations were harassing the youth himself, rising up and placing a great sack of sand upon his shoulders, for many days thus he went through the desert. Theosebius, finding him, said: "Abba, why do you carry so great a burden!" And he: "I vex the one vexing me."

Abbas Macarius vidit Satanam transeuntem in habitu hominis et habentem vestimentum lineum laceratum, et per omnia foramina dependebant ampullae et dixit ei: "Quo vadis!" Et ille: "Vado potionare fratres." Cui Macarius: "Quare tot ampullas portas!" Respondit: "Gustum fratribus porto, et si unum alicui non placebit, offeram aliud vel tertium, et sic per ordinem, ut aliquid placeat." Et cum rediret, dixit ei Macarius: "Quid fecisti!" Respondit: "Omnes sanctificati sunt et nemo mihi acquievit, nisi unus, qui vocatur Theotistus." Surgens autem Macarius illuc ivit ei fratrem tentatum inveniens sua eum exhortatione convertit. Post haec iterum eum Macarius inveniens dixit: "Quo vadis!" Cui ille: "Ad fratres vado." evenerti occurrit senex et dixit: "Quid faciunt fratres illi!" Cui diabolus: "Male." Et dixit: "quare?" "Quia omnes sancti sunt et, quod est maius malum, unum, quem habebam, amisi et omnibus sanctior factus est." Audiens hoc senex gratias egit Deo.

Abbot Macarius saw Satan passing by in the habit of a man and wearing a torn linen garment, and from all its holes ampoules were hanging; and he said to him: "Where are you going!" And he: "I am going to administer potions to the brothers." To whom Macarius: "Why do you carry so many ampoules!" He answered: "I carry a taste for the brothers; and if one will not please someone, I will offer another or a third, and so in order, that something may please." And when he was returning, Macarius said to him: "What have you done!" He answered: "All are sanctified, and no one acquiesced to me, except one who is called Theotistus." But Macarius, rising, went there, and finding that brother tempted, by his exhortation converted him. After these things, Macarius finding him again said: "Where are you going!" To which he: "I am going to the brothers." As he was coming along, the elder met him and said: "What are those brothers doing!" To whom the devil: "Badly." And he said: "Why?" "Because all are holy, and—what is the greater evil—the one whom I had I have lost, and he has been made holier than all." Hearing this, the elder gave thanks to God.

Quodam die sanctus Macarius caput defuncti reperit et, dum orasset, interrogavit illud, cuius caput fuerit. Et respondit se fuisse paganum. Et dixit ei Macarius: "Ubi est anima tua!" Respondit: "In inferno." Cumque requireret, si multum in profundo esset, respondit, quod tantum in profundo esset, quantum distaret terra a coelo.Cui Macarius: "Suntne aliqui te profundiores?" Respondit: "Etiam, Iudaei." Cui iterum ille: "Et ultra Iudaeos suntne aliqui profundiores!" Cui ille: "Profundiores omnibus sunt falsi Christiani, qui Christi sanguine redempti tantum pretium parvi pendunt.

One day Saint Macarius found the head of a deceased man, and, when he had prayed, he asked it whose head it had been. And it answered that it had been a pagan. And Macarius said to it: "Where is your soul!" It answered: "In hell." And when he inquired whether it was very much in the deep, it answered that it was so far in the deep as the earth is distant from heaven.To him Macarius: "Are there any deeper than you?" He answered: "Yes, the Jews." To whom again he: "And beyond the Jews are there any deeper!" To whom he: "Deeper than all are the false Christians, who, redeemed by the blood of Christ, hold so great a price of little account.

Dum per quandam solitudinem profundissimam pergeret, ad milliare harundinem figebat, ut postmodum redire sciret. Sed dum iam novem diaetas fecisset et in quodam loco quiesceret, diabolus omnes harundines collegit et ad caput eius posuit, unde ad redeundum plurimum laborabat.

While he was proceeding through a certain deepest solitude, at each milestone he was planting a reed, so that afterward he might know how to return. But when he had already made nine day-journeys and was resting in a certain place, the devil gathered all the reeds and placed them at his head, whence he labored very much to return.

Frater quidam plurimum cogitationibus suis molestabatur, quod scilicet in cella sua inutiliter esset, sed si inter homines habitaret, multis prodesse posset. Qui cum cogitationes suas Macario retulisset, ille ait: "Fili, sic illis responde: Hoc saltem facio, quia propter Christum parietes istius cellae custodio.

A certain brother was greatly vexed by his cogitations, namely that he was useless in his cell, but that if he were to dwell among men, he could profit many. And when he had reported his cogitations to Macarius, he said: "Son, answer them thus: At least this I do, for Christ’s sake I keep the walls of this cell.

Dum quendam pulicem se pungentem manu occidisset et multum de illo sanguinis emanasset, reprehendens se, quod propriam vindicasset iniuriam, nudus sex mensibus in deserto mansit et inde a scabronibus totus laceratus exivit. Post hoc multis clarus virtutibus in pace quievit.

While he had slain with his hand a certain flea that was pricking him, and much blood had emanated from it, reprehending himself, because he had vindicated his own injury, he remained naked for six months in the desert, and from there he came forth wholly lacerated by gadflies. After this, illustrious for many virtues, he rested in peace.