And one day, when he was again relieving himself behind the tavern in front of passers-by, a young man, seeing him sitting without blushing, informed the innkeeper, who, running out and seeing the saint, took out a stick and beat him as best he could. And another impudent man passing by, distinguished by his savage temper, when he saw that the saint was being beaten, seized a stick and, incited by the devil, struck him with this stick with all his might, so that the blow could be heard far away. And the saint, looking at the one who had struck him, groaned bitterly, but rising up and coming closer to him, he began to kiss his feet, praying for him. Some, looking at this, said: "See how this madman, like a dog, stupidly kisses the feet of the one who beat him"; And Blessed Andrew, having received unbearable blows, departed from there and, going into one of the corners of the portico, fell asleep, seized by a short sleep. And people passing by, looking at him, said: "He suffers because of female divination," and others — "because of epilepsy." And God, Who knoweth the secret and foresees from afar the lofty, knew also about the service of His servant, and for what reason he did such things.

20. ABOUT A CART DRAWN BY OXEN.

And so, since the saint used to lie, as it was said, now in the alley, now in the city porticoes, it happened that a cart drawn by oxen passed there. The driver, who was dead drunk, to tell the truth, rode singing songs, and, of course, did not realize what was happening to the righteous man. And it so happened that the bulls, having caught up with Andrew, walked over him, and when the wheels drove over his stomach, the passers-by shouted to the driver, and some began to beat him, saying: "Even if you did not notice him, you should have watched where your cart passed!" He, drunk to the point of stupefaction, answered with difficulty: "And who forced him to lie down in the middle of the street?" And they answered: "May God give you his mind and spirit, which leads to such insensibility!" And the righteous man remained unharmed by the mercy of God. And some said in surprise: "We are at a loss what to say or utter about this touched: is it God who protects him or the evil spirits, mingling with whom he rolls to destruction?" And others: "We think that the demon who possessed him, trying to stay with him, sharply reduced the weight of the cart and kept it unharmed." Still others said: "No, it is not so: it is God, who is merciful, who took pity on his misfortune and sickness and protected him." But He created all this of His own free will, for He despised the world and the things of the world for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven.

And another miracle was performed by the righteous man with the permission of God: on summer days, when the sun was unbearably scorching, he pretended to be drunk and, coming to a sultry place, remained there in the scorching heat, lying in the middle of the street without food or drink. Then passers-by, stumbling over him, at the instigation of the devil, and becoming enraged, now beat him with sticks, then kicked him, passing by, some on the run reviled him and trampled him with their feet, and others, seizing him by the leg, dragged him down. When night came, he arose and went from there to the vestibule of the church, and all night he remained there, offering up prayers and petitions to God.

21. At one of the stages of his spiritual service, the following happened to the servant of the Lord...

At one of the stages of his spiritual service, the following happened to the servant of the Lord: having set out on his journey, as was his custom at an odd hour, so that his prayer on the threshold of churches would not become known to anyone, he found himself in the chapel of the Most Holy Theotokos, located in the left portico of the Constantinople Forum. And a boy happened to be walking along this street, carrying out an errand for his master. And when the saint approached the chapel to pray, the boy caught up with him, stepping on tiptoe. The saint did not notice the one who followed him — so God arranged it. And since it pleased God, as I have already said, to reveal what Andrew really was, when he was at the door, and, stretching out his right hand, made the sign of the cross over them, the doors immediately opened of their own accord. Going inside, he began to pray fervently, not knowing that someone was watching him from the outside. For the boy had accompanied him to follow him, for he knew that he was one of the madmen, and when he saw the doors open, he trembled, felt dizzy, and trembled, and said to himself: "This is the kind of servant of God that is truly mad who are called mad! And we, the unfortunates, do not even know who has now shown to those mercilessly beating and insulting him what a saint he really is! Oh, how many secret servants the Lord has, and no one understands or knows what happens to them."

Thus he pondered, standing at the entrance, and coming closer, he began to look out for what was going on inside, and saw how the saint was hovering in the air in front of the ambo and praying. Flashes of flame spread around him, and an incomparable fragrance reached the doors of the temple. Amazed at the sight, the boy withdrew from there to fulfill the order of his master, and the saint, having completed his prayer, went out, and when he was leaving, the doors were again closed with the sign of the cross. He also noticed the boy who was watching him, and he was depressed by this, for he knew in his soul that he had witnessed what he had done. When the boy returned home, the righteous man came up to him and said: "Beware, child, of notifying anyone of what you have seen in this place, and the mercy of the Lord will be with you. If you try to utter a word about what you have seen, I will give orders to the unclean spirit, and you will become a laughing stock in the city. However, it is the will of Jesus! "The angel who guards you will not let you speak: for I will command him, and I need not worry about it." But the boy, not seeing who was speaking to him, was seized with fear, and said, "I will not say, sir." And, amazed, he turned to himself with the words: "What a miracle! There he is, a saint, and we don't know, truly mad! What a wonder! How many secret servants the Lord has, beautiful in their deeds and thoughts, and what we have heard from the lives of the saints, we have now seen with our own eyes."

Coming to his master, he gave him a proper account of his commission. Seized by the demon of oblivion, he thought of telling his master what he had seen, so that he too might partake of the miracle; but when he was about to open his mouth, a young man appeared to him, standing before his eyes and having the appearance of lightning, and, frightening him, said: "Stop, you insignificant one, lest you be possessed by an evil spirit and become the plaything of demons!" Then, when he wanted to speak again, in spite of his fear, the fiery youth again blocked his mouth with his right hand, saying: "Stop, child!" — and with these words he immediately became invisible. Then the boy trembled, unable to understand what he saw, he was stunned and shocked by this miracle.

Once, during the harvest, when the sellers of fruits, according to their custom, lay out and sell the best in glass vessels, in one of the shops there was exhibited such a vessel filled with selected figs. There was also a righteous man and some of the townspeople. And when they noticed that the seller had fallen asleep with his head bent to his knees, they led the saint closer to the fruit, and pointing with their fingers, they said: "Eat, fool, and to satiate your soul, perhaps there will be no more suitable occasion." But he listened to them, and coming nearer, he began to eat and eat as much as he could. And the instigators watched him eat, and nodded to him, that he might be satiated without fear. When at last the vessel was almost empty, the salesman woke up, and the scoffers who had been watching him had disappeared. And since the blessed one continued to eat, the seller, noticing this, jumped up, snatched a stick from someone and began to beat Andrew as fiercely as he had enough strength. And then with dots, blows and kicks, he drove him on.

И тут встречает праведника мальчик, который видел его висящим в воздухе и взирал на его чудеса. Обняв святого, он поцеловал ему руки и лицо; заметив же, что оно почернело, он стал расспрашивать, кто мог сотворить с ним такое? Говорит ему блаженный:"Так угостил меня, дитя, вот этот ненасытный подстрекатель,114 прельщенный, бедолага, сладостью фиг. Если, по правде говоря, мне отвесили столько ударов за простые фиги, что же назначит Бог соблазнившимся самыми постыдными делами и не выказавшим раскаяния?"Затем он сказал мальчику:"Так ты выполнил мои указания? Конечно, если бы пламенная рука огненосного юноши не сковала тебе уста, ты стал бы одним из тех, кем овладели демоны". А тот, услыхав такое, затрепетал, вспомнив о пророчестве праведника и о его ошеломляющем чуде. Тогда, прикоснувшись к его руке, он отправился дальше.

22. ОБ УГРОЗЕ ДЬЯВОЛА.

А проклятый демон, заметив дружбу праведника и мальчика, а также потому, что тот явил ему чудеса, предсказанные ранее, охваченный ненавистью, взял с собой также отпетого грешника сатану; вместе они встретили праведника, когда он шел с мальчиком вдоль темного портика, и, воспылав злобой, воскликнули:"Обманщик, насмехающийся над миром! Ты, верно, рехнулся, отобрав у меня тех, кто, благодаря грехам своим, подвластен мне: тебе не довольно челяди Епифания и всех остальных, которые были моими и которых ты похитил, сделал чистыми и привел к своему Богу, но и этого ты хочешь отобрать у меня и очистить через покаяние?"И тотчас начал перечислять грехи мальчика. А святой говорит ему сурово:"Да пребудет все это с Богом и вне моего попечения! Тебе‑то что за дело до него, негодник? За грехи этого мальчика я приму наказание, я душу свою за него положу, а тебе не достанется и частица души его". Сказав это, святой впал в неистовство, а дьявол и сатана–негодник, ужасные возмутители и враги жителей этого величайшего города и Царицы городов, сидящие в засаде и нападающие на сынов человеческих, чтобы творили они дела постыдные, возжелали похитить мальчика из рук святого. Он же, охваченный великим гневом, поднял с земли камень и метнул его в тех мошенников; и можно было видеть поразительное чудо: завизжав наподобие свиней, они исчезли в воздухе.

А блаженный пришел вместе с мальчиком в таверну, и, купив хлеба, они сели там, довольные друг другом. Затем явился какой‑то юноша, у которого первый пушок появился на лице, вместе с другим молодым человеком; они сели близко к богоносному мужу и начали есть. Тогда святой, разгадав их грехи, стал на них пристально смотреть и, желая напомнить им об их прегрешениях, пустился в свои забавы. А сидящие там люди, глядя на его мнимое безумие, смеялись и веселились. И вот святой протянул руку, выхватил у одного из них печенье и съел, а тот рассердился и говорит праведнику:"Значит, ты не сидишь молча, бесноватый сумасшедший, но, вооружившись бесстыдством, отбираешь чужое?"А блаженный ему в ответ:"Это ты, истинный болван, не можешь быть спокойным и безмятежным, потому что именно ты украл вещи Симеона!"И, произнеся эти слова, он изо всех сил дал ему затрещину, так что у того еще полчаса звенело в ушах. А вор, сознавая за собой грех, не решился противоречить ему, но поразился и сказал самому себе:"Откуда он знает об этом?"А святой и другому дал пощечину, сказав:"И ты, болван, проедаешь наворованное". А тот испугался и стал отпираться, но блаженный Андрей молвил ему:"Поверь мне, что если ты еще вздумаешь воровать, попадешь к демону на допрос". И, словно повернувшись к кому‑то, изрек:"Если еще хоть раз попытается воровать, бери его на дознание!"С этими словами он ушел оттуда.

23. О ВСТРЕЧЕ С ДЬЯВОЛОМ.