d without walls." And because so much
hindrance of good is in much speech, the philosopher binds his disciples
with silence (during) their first five years. Also, Abbot Agathon bore a
stone in his mouth for three years to teach him to hold still. Against
those who are ever raking about to feed their wits with vanities and
lusts is the teaching of the angel, who taught holy Abbot Arsenius and
said:--"Arsenius, flee the world and its yearnings: keep thee in rest,
bridle thy tongue," that it fleet not out in quarrelling nor idle
speech. Where these three are is a way to GOD, and withdrawing from
evil. It tells of an Abbot who (for) fully 20 years sat in his school,
and never lifted up his head to see the school-roof. Against those who
care over-much about worldly goods, Solomon says this:--"Vain is their
hope, and their labour without fruit, because they can carry away
nothing of all their labour." This is seen every day, by the dead, who,
be they never so rich bear with them but a winding cloth.

The third manner of men are they that have a liking to do good, but
because they do it not in the manner they should do it in, they lose
their reward; for when good intent fails in any deed, the reward that
should fall to the good work fails. And that may be in four ways; first,
for the wickedness of the working; as the offering of Cain, that though
he offered to GOD of the fruit that was new, GOD would not look thereon:
but to the offering of Abel his brother, GOD looked. Therefore says S.
Gregory: "By the heart's will of him that offers is the gift received of
GOD or rejected: and GOD was not pleased with Abel for the offering, but
pleased with the offering for Abel, who in all his works was true and
good; but to Cain and to his offering GOD would not look, for he who
made the offering displeased GOD greatly." And why our offering, or what
we do that is in its nature good, displeases GOD, the prophet
says:--"When ye make many prayers, I will not hear: because your hands
are full of blood." The second that reaves away a man's reward for his
good deed, is vanity, which stirs man to do the good because he would be
praised. For vain-glory makes evil of good: as if alms-deed that is good
in nature be done for praising, it wins only sin. The third that
snatches a reward from a good deed is boasting by him that does the good
deed, as the Pharisee did, of whom GOD said to the folk that stood
before Him, "Soothly, this man has lost his r