Also in the earlier times of the Goths there was near the city of Spoleto a man of venerable life named Isaac, who lived on almost to the very end of the Gothic era. Many of our people knew him, and especially the holy virgin Gregoria, who now dwells in this city of Rome beside the Church of blessed Mary ever-virgin. She, in the time of her youth, when her marriage had already been arranged, had fled into a church and sought the way of consecrated life; and, defended by this same man, she was, under God's protection, brought to that habit which she desired. And because she fled a bridegroom on earth, she was found worthy to have a Bridegroom in heaven. Now I learned many things about this same man from the account of the venerable Father Eleutherius, who both knew him intimately
and by his very words and life gave credit to him. This venerable Isaac, then, was not born in Italy; rather I relate those miracles of his which he performed while dwelling in Italy. When he first came from the region of Syria to the city of Spoleto, he entered the church and asked the keepers that he be granted leave to pray as long as he wished, and that they not press him to leave during the more secluded hours. He straightway stood up to pray, and passed the whole day in prayer, to which he joined the following night as well. On the second day too, with the night that followed, he persevered untiring in his prayers, and joined a third day likewise in prayer. And when one of the keepers, puffed up with a spirit of pride, beheld this, the very thing whereby he ought to have profited became for him an occasion of loss and ruin.
For he began to call the man a pretender, and with rustic speech to cry out that he was an impostor, who would display himself before men's eyes praying for three days and nights. Running up at once, he struck the man of God with the flat of his hand, that as a mere counterfeit of the religious life he might go forth from the church in disgrace. But suddenly an avenging spirit seized this keeper and cast him down at the feet of the man of God, and began to cry out through his mouth: 「Isaac casts me forth!」 For the pilgrim was not known by what name he should be called, but the very spirit which cried that it could be cast out by him betrayed his name. Then the man of God bent over the body of the tormented man, and the malignant spirit that had invaded him departed. At once it became known throughout the whole city what had been done in the church.
Men and women, noble and common alike, began to run together, and vied with one another in their eagerness to carry him off into their own houses. Some wished to offer the man of God lands for the building of a monastery, some money, some whatever assistance they could, and did so as suppliants. But the servant of the almighty Lord, accepting none of these things, went out into the world and found a deserted place not far off, and there built himself a lowly dwelling. As many resorted to him, they were kindled by his example with a desire for that eternal life, and under his instruction gave themselves to the service of the almighty Lord.
And when his disciples frequently urged him humbly to accept the possessions that were offered, for the use of the monastery, he, being a careful guardian of his own poverty, held firmly to this saying: 「A monk who seeks possession on earth is no monk.」 For he feared to lose the security of his poverty as much as covetous rich men are wont to guard their perishable riches. There, then, by the spirit of prophecy and by great miracles, his life became renowned among all who dwelt far and wide. For on a certain day toward evening he had iron tools cast out into the garden of the monastery—those which by our common name we call spades. And so he said to his disciples: 「Cast so many spades into the garden, and return quickly.」
But that same night, when he had risen according to custom with the brethren to render praises to the Lord, he gave charge, saying: 「Go and cook a dish for our workmen, that it may be ready at earliest morning.」 And when morning came, he had the dish brought out which he had ordered to be prepared, and entering the garden with the brethren, he found as many laborers at work in it as he had commanded spades to be cast. For thieves had entered, but with their minds changed by the Spirit they had taken up the spades they found, and from the very hour they entered until the man of the Lord should come to them, they had cultivated all the spaces of that garden which had lain untilled. As soon as the man of the Lord entered among them, he said: 「Rejoice, brethren; you have labored much—now rest.」
And forthwith he set before them the food he had brought, and refreshed them after the weariness of so great a toil. When they were sufficiently refreshed, he said: 「Do no evil; but whenever you want anything from the garden, come to the garden's entrance, ask peacefully, receive it with a blessing, and cease from the wickedness of theft.」 And at once he had them loaded down with the vegetables they had gathered. And so it came to pass that those who had come to the garden to do it harm returned both filled by him with the reward of their labor and unharmed. At another time also, certain pilgrims came to him asking for mercy, with torn garments, clothed in rags, so that they appeared almost naked. And when they begged him for clothing, the man of the Lord listened to their words in silence;
and he at once quietly called one of his disciples and charged him, saying: 「Go, and in that wood, in such and such a place, look for a hollow tree; and bring back the garments which you will find in it.」 And when the disciple had gone off, he sought the tree as he had been commanded, found the garments, and secretly brought them to his master. Receiving them, the man of God showed them to the naked pilgrims who were begging, and gave them, saying: 「Come, since you are naked; behold, take these, and clothe yourselves.」 Looking at them, they recognized what they had laid there, and were overwhelmed with great shame; and those who had fraudulently sought garments that were another's, received back their own, confounded.
At another time also, a certain man, commending himself to his prayers, sent him by a servant-boy two baskets full of provisions; of which that same boy stole one and hid it along the way, but brought the other to the man of God, and related the request of the one who had commended himself to him by the gift. Kindly receiving it, the man of the Lord admonished that same boy, saying: 「We give thanks; but see to the basket which you set down along the way—do not presume to touch it carelessly, for a serpent has entered into it. Be careful, therefore, lest, if you go to take it up carelessly, you be struck by the serpent.」
At these words the boy was greatly confounded; he rejoiced indeed that he had escaped death, yet for a little while he became sad, because, although the penalty was wholesome, still he suffered shame for it. Returning to the basket, he attended to it warily and anxiously; but a serpent was now holding it, just as the man of God had foretold. And so, though this man was incomparably endowed with the virtue of abstinence, with contempt for passing things, with the spirit of prophecy, and with earnestness in prayer, there was one thing that seemed to be reprehensible in him: that sometimes so great a gladness was in him that, unless one knew him to be full of so many virtues, it could in no way be believed. PETER: What, I pray you, shall we say this to be?
Did he of his own accord loosen the reins to his gladness, or was his mind, though strong in so many virtues, sometimes drawn against its will to present joy? GREGORY: Great, Peter, is the dispensation of almighty God, and it often happens that to those to whom He grants greater goods, He does not bestow certain lesser ones, so that their mind may always have something wherein to reproach itself; to the end that, while they long to be perfect and cannot, and labor at that which they have not received, yet by laboring do not prevail, they may not exalt themselves in those things which they have received, but may learn that of themselves they have not the greater goods, who in themselves cannot overcome small and least faults. For this reason it is that the Lord, when He had led His people through to the land of promise,
while destroying all their strong and mighty adversaries, kept the Philistines and Canaanites longer in reserve, so that, as it is written, 「through them Israel might be tested」 (Judg. 3:4); because sometimes, as has been said, even to those to whom He grants great things He leaves certain small reprehensible faults, that they may always have something against which to wage war, and, having conquered great enemies, may not lift up their mind, while even the least of adversaries still wearies them. And so it comes to pass, in a wondrous manner, that one and the same mind both is strong in virtue and grows faint from weakness, so that it may be in part built up and in part behold itself to be pulled down, that through the good which it seeks and cannot have, it may humbly keep the good which it has.
But what wonder is it that we say this of man, when even that heavenly region suffered loss in part among its own citizens, and in part stood firm, so that the elect angelic spirits, while they beheld others fall through pride, might stand the more robustly the more humbly they stood? To that region, therefore, its very losses proved profitable, which by the part of its destruction was the more solidly built up unto the state of eternity. So too it is wrought in each single soul, that it may sometimes be preserved, by the least loss, for the greatest gains, in the keeping of humility. PETER: What you say is pleasing.