Excerpt from The Fathers of the Desert, Vol. 2 of 2

Leasest. Serapion answered, Now that God as given you the grace to recognise the to enter upon the right road to salvation, I leave you with comfort, and go in search of other souls to save. And he related to them how he was an Egyptian monk, and a free man, and how, after the exam 1e of the Son of God, who took upon Himself t e form of a servant to free the world from the bondage of sin, he had of his own will become their slave out of love for their souls. Then they burst into tears, and im lored him to remain with them as their lord and ather But Serapion could be detained no longer, and gave them back the price they had paid for him Oh! Keep this money which has hel to save us, exclaimed they, weeping, or 'stribute it amongst the r. It belongs to you and not to me, said ggiiapion, for I am a poor monk, who can neither possess nor give awa anything. And he took an affectionate leave of t em Divine Providence guided him to Lacedaemon to a childless widow, who was ill, and in extreme want. He knew not how to help her, yet he could not leave her in such misery. He heard that a diet ished man of that town, who was infected by t e Manichean heresy, but otherwise upright, was in want of an active servant. He went immediately to him, sold himself to him, gave the roceeds to the poor widow, and man aged so t at within the course of two years, his master's family and whole household returned to the Catholic faith. This master also gave his holy slave his liberty out of gratitude, clothed him in a cod coat and cloak, and gave him a book of t e Gospels as well. Serapion joyfu¿y he had never before been so well pro He had indeed never been in such want of it before, for the winter was cold in the mountains of Lacedaemon. As he was wandering.

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