Section 85

At another time Antony was again compelled to come down because people were in need and the military commander repeatedly begged him.

When he arrived, he spoke briefly to them about the things that lead to salvation and about the matters for which they had requested him. Then he hurried to leave.

The commander—the official called the duke—begged him to stay. Antony replied that he could not remain among them for long and persuaded him with a graceful comparison:

“Fish die if they remain too long on dry land. In the same way, monks lose their strength if they linger among you and spend too much time with you. Just as fish must hurry back to the sea, we must hurry back to the mountain, lest by remaining here we forget the things within us.”

After hearing this and many other things from Antony, the general was astonished and said: “This man truly is a servant of God. Unless he were loved by God, where could an uneducated man have acquired such great understanding?”