Section 11

The next day Antony went out with still greater eagerness to serve God. He met the old man he had known before and asked him to go with him and live in the desert. The old man declined because of his age and because such a practice was not yet customary. Antony therefore set out for the mountain by himself.

Once again the enemy saw his zeal and wanted to obstruct it. He cast in Antony’s path what appeared to be a large silver dish. Antony recognized the deceit of the Evil One, stopped, looked at the dish, and put the devil to shame through it. “Where could a dish in the desert have come from?” he said. “This road is not well traveled, and there is no sign that anyone has passed this way. If so large an object had fallen, it could not have gone unnoticed. And anyone who lost it would have turned back and found it, since this is a deserted place. This is a trick of the devil. You will not hinder my purpose with this, Evil One. May it go with you to destruction.”

As soon as Antony said this, the dish vanished like smoke before a fire.