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The Life of Antony

13.

But those of his acquaintances who came, since he did not permit them to enter, often used to spend days and nights outside, and heard as it were crowds within clamouring, dinning, sending forth piteous voices and crying, ‘Go from what is ours. What dost thou even in the desert? Thou canst not abide our attack.’ So at first those outside thought there were some men fighting with him, and that they had entered by ladders; but when stooping down they saw through a hole there was nobody, they were afraid, accounting them to be demons, and they called on Antony. Them he quickly heard, though he had not given a thought to the demons, and coming to the door he besought them to depart and not to be afraid, ‘for thus,’ said he, ‘the demons make their seeming onslaughts against those who are cowardly. Sign yourselves therefore with the cross ¹, and depart boldly, and let these make sport for themselves.’ So they departed fortified with the sign of the Cross. But he remained in no wise harmed by the evil spirits, nor was he wearied with the contest, for there came to his aid visions from above, and the weakness of the foe relieved him of much trouble and armed him with greater zeal. For his acquaintances used often to come expecting to find him dead, and would hear him singing ², ‘Let God arise and let His enemies be scattered, let them also that hate Him flee before His face. As smoke vanisheth, let them vanish; as wax melteth before the face of fire, so let the sinners perish from the face of God;’ and again, ‘All nations compassed me about, and in the name of the Lord I requited them ³.’

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La vie de sainte Antoine

Chapitre XIII

Ceux de ses amis qui venaient le visiter, étant contraints — puisqu’ils ne les recevait point dans le lieu où il était — de passer souvent au dehors les jours et les nuits, ils entendaient au-dedans, comme des troupes de gens qui murmuraient, qui faisaient un très grand bruit, et qui criaient d’une voix lamentable : « Quitte ce lieu qui nous appartient ! Qu’as-tu à faire dans le désert ? Penses-tu pouvoir résister à nos embûches ? » Entendant cela, ils croyaient d’abord que c’étaient des hommes qui, étant descendus avec des échelles, se battaient avec lui. Mais, ayant regardé par une fente et ne voyant personne, et étant saisis de frayeur, ils appelaient Antoine qui ne témoignait pas moins de charité pour les rassurer que de mépris pour ceux qui leur avaient occasionné de la crainte. Ses amis venant souvent ainsi pour le voir, et croyant le trouver mort, l’entendaient chanter ces psaumes :

Que Dieu étende seulement son bras, et ses ennemis seront dispersés,

ceux qui le haïssent s’enfuiront loin de sa face ;

Ils s’évanouiront comme la fumée,

et les pécheurs seront exterminés par la présence de Dieu,

comme le feu fait fondre la cire.

Je me suis trouvé environné de toutes parts ;

mais en implorant l’assistance du Seigneur,

j’ai triomphé de tous mes ennemis (Ps 117, 12).