Section 12

As he continued on, Antony again saw something lying in the road. This time it was not an apparition but real gold scattered before him. Whether the enemy displayed it, or whether some higher power placed it there to test the athlete and demonstrate to the Evil One that Antony truly cared nothing for wealth, Antony himself did not say, and we do not know. What is certain is that what appeared was gold.

Antony was astonished at the quantity, but he passed over it as though passing over fire. He did not even turn around. Instead he hurried on so quickly that he soon left the place out of sight.

His resolve growing stronger and stronger, he pressed on toward the mountain. On the far side of the river he found an abandoned fort that had stood empty so long that it was full of reptiles. He crossed over and made his home there. The reptiles immediately withdrew, as though someone were driving them away.

Antony completely blocked the entrance. He had stored enough bread for six months—the Thebans make loaves of this kind, which often remain fresh for an entire year—and he found water inside. Then, as though entering a sanctuary, he went down into the fort and remained there alone. He never went out and did not look at those who came to see him. He spent a long time there in ascetic training, receiving bread lowered to him from above only twice a year.