CHAPTER X

PAMBO

[1] TO this mountain also belonged the blessed Pambo, teacher of Dioscorus the bishop and Ammonius and Eusebius and Euthymius, “the (Tall) Brethren,” also of Origen the nephew of Dracontius, a wonderful man. This Pambo possessed heroic virtues and great qualities, one of which was this: he was very suspicious of gold and silver, as Scripture demands. [2] For the blessed Melania told me this story: “In early days, when I came to Alexandria from Rome, I heard of his virtue and—the blessed Isidore having told me of him and having conducted me to him in the desert—I brought him a casket of silver containing silver to the weight of three hundred pounds and besought him to take a part of my goods. But he sitting still and weaving palmleaves merely blessed me in a sentence and said: ‘May God give you your reward.’ [3] And he said to his steward Origen: ‘Take it and distribute it to all the brethren who live in Libya and the islands, for these monasteries are poorer (than the rest)’; instructing him to give to none of those in Egypt, because their country was more fertile. But I,” she said, “remained standing, expecting to be honoured or glorified by him because of my gift, but hearing nothing from him I said to him: ‘That you may know, Sir, how much there is, it amounts to three hundred pounds.’ [4] But he without even raising his head answered me: ‘The One to Whom you brought them, my child, has no need of weights. For He Who weighs the mountains, much more does He know the weight of the silver. If you had given it to me, you would have done well to tell me; but if it was to God, Who did not scorn the two obols, then be silent.’ So,” said she, “did the Lord manifest His power when I came to the mountain. [5] After a little while the man of God fell asleep, not from an attack of fever, nor from any illness, but while he was stitching up a basket, at the age of seventy. He had sent for me and—the last stitch being ready to be completed—he said to me when about to die: ‘Receive the basket at my hands to remember me by, for I have nothing else to leave you.’ ” Having prepared the body for burial and wrapped it in linen cloths she buried him, and then returned from the desert, keeping the basket with her till her death.

[6] This Pambo on his death-bed, at the very moment of his passing, is reported to have said this to the bystanders, Origen the priest and steward and Ammonius—famous men, both of them—and the rest of the brethren: “From the day that I came to this place in the desert and built my cell and inhabited it, I cannot remember having eaten ‘bread for nought,’ not earned by my hands. I have not had to repent of any word that I have spoken up to the present hour. And so I go to God, as one who has not even begun to be pious.” [7] Prominent men, Origen and Ammonius, testified further to us, saying: “When he was asked about a word of Scripture or other practical matter never did he answer at once, but would say: ‘I have not yet found (the answer).’ Often he went three months even and gave no answer, saying he had not put his hand on it. Accordingly men received his answers as come from God, so carefully were they framed, as God would approve them. For this one virtue he was said to possess even above the great Antony and above all others, namely exactness of language.”

[8] The following incident is told of Pambo. Pior the ascetic came to see him, bringing his own bread, and being accused by Pambo, “Why have you done this?” answered: “Lest I should burden you.” Pambo gave him a silent lesson expressly. For after a while he went to see Pior and took with him his bread, having first moistened it, and when asked why he said: “I moistened it as well, lest I should burden you.”