the wind," and fed him all the way to Rome, where we lose sight of
him and his humour.

To go on with almost chance quotations:--

Some monks were eating at a festival, and one said to the serving
man, "I eat nothing cooked; tell them to bring me salt." The
serving man began to talk loudly: "That brother eats no cooked
meat; bring him a little salt." Quoth Abbot Theodore: "It were
more better for thee, brother, to eat meat in thy cell than to hear
thyself talked about in the presence of thy brethren."

Again: a brother came to Abbot Silvanus, in Mount Sinai, and found
the brethren working, and said, "Why labour you for the meat which
perisheth? Mary chose the good part." The abbot said, "Give him a
book to read, and put him in an empty cell." About the ninth hour
the brother looked out, to see if he would be called to eat, and at
last came to the abbot, and asked, "Do not the brethren eat to-day,
abbot?" "Yes." "Then why was not I called?" Then quoth Abbot
Silvanus: "Thou art a spiritual man: and needest not their food.
We are carnal, and must eat, because we work: but thou hast chosen
the better part." Whereat the monk was ashamed.

As was also John the dwarf, who wanted to be "without care like the
angels, doing nothing but praise God." So he threw away his cloak,
left his brother the abbot, and went into the desert. But after
seven days he came back, and knocked at the door. "Who is there?"
asked his brother. "John." "Nay, John is turned into an angel, and
is no more among men." So he left him outside all night; and in the
morning gave him to understand that if he was a man he must work,