Jacobus de Voragine

“ Be thou glad and joyful, for our Lord is debonair and merciful, he hath sent us bread for to eat. It is forty years passed that every day he hath sent me half a loaf, but now at thy coming he hath sent two whole loaves, and double provender. ”

“ We know well that the Saviour of the world is come, and his reknown is spread through the world. And because hereof no man shall have doubtance, all men lnow that in the time of Constantine the emperor, such a man was brought into the city of Alexandria tofore the people, and when he was dead his body was filled with salt against the heat of the sun, and was sent to the emperor to Antioch for a marvel. But return we to our matter: S. Anthony had great labour in going by the desert whereas was no way. ”

“ In this time S. Paul, tofore said, was young, about sixteen years of age, and dwelt in Thebaid which is a part of Egypt, with his sister Maurice. And when he saw the persecutions of christian men, he departed and became an hermit so long and so many years, that he was old one hundred and thirteen years. In this time S. Anthony was a hermit in another desert and was then ninety years of age. And on a time he thought in himself that in the world was none so good ne so great an hermit as he was himself. ”