His Wise Answer to a Commander

At another time he again suffered the same compulsion from people in need, and after many entreaties from the commander of the soldiers he came down. When he arrived, he spoke to them briefly about the things that lead to salvation and about those who wanted him, and he was hurrying away. But when the duke, as he is called, begged him to stay, he answered that he could not linger among them, and persuaded him with a charming comparison: “Fish die if they stay long on dry land. In the same way monks lose their strength if they loiter among you and spend their time with you. So as fish must hurry to the sea, we must hurry to the mountain; otherwise, if we delay, we may forget the things within us.” When the general heard this and much else from him, he was amazed and said: “Truly this man is the servant of God. For unless he were loved by God, where could an unlettered man get such great understanding?” [a]