Abbot Archebius Gives Away His Cell

When we had seen this, we were on fire with the desire to imitate them. The Archebius we mentioned, the most famous among them for the grace of kindness, drew us into his cell. Having found out our desire, he pretended that he wanted to leave the place and offered us his cell as though he were going away, declaring that he would have done so even if we had not come. And we, on fire with the desire to stay there, and putting unhesitating faith in the statements of so great a man, gladly agreed, and took over his cell with all its furnishings and belongings. Having succeeded in his pious deception, he left the place for a few days, in which he obtained the means to build a cell. After this he came back and with the utmost labor built another cell for himself. Some time later, when some other brothers came, on fire with the same desire to stay there, he deceived them with a similar loving falsehood and gave up this cell too, with everything in it. But he, persevering tirelessly in his act of love, built himself a third cell to live in. [a]