And so, moving again and again into the depths of the wondrous garden, for I thought that I would no longer see the darkness of this world (for what is here is darkness in comparison with what is there), I came to a spacious place and saw a great river flowing in the middle of the garden, serenely watering all these plants, washing their roots. In it, too, these beautiful birds found freshness, fluttering up and down and chirping incessantly. And around the river there is a vineyard, adorned with golden foliage, the branches of which are like a lamp or the first stone, according to the words of the one who said: "I am the cornerstone with sharp edges." It was spread over the whole garden, weighed down with massive and magnificent clusters, so that the trees growing there were crowned and decorated with the interlacing of its branches. Seeing this, I rejoiced in my heart, moving my soul from fear to wonder and from surprise to delight. And for a long time I stood, silent, inhaling a stream of incense from this wind, so that I imagined that angels were burning incense before the Son of God in heaven.

When this wind had subsided, I heard from the west the sound of another wind, which inspired me with incomprehensible pleasure, the breath of which brought steam like snow. And the splendor of the trees growing there was filled with a wondrous fragrance, surpassing all earthly fragrances, so that I forgot about those delightful wonders that I had already passed through and enjoyed. And to these birds, with their chirping and singing of inflamed and exultant songs, I was amazed in my mind: whether they were birds or angels, God knows.

And again another supernatural wind appears from the north, fiery in appearance, with a radiance like the glow at sunset. And when it blew, those dazzling trees stirred gently. It blew, stirring the fragrance hidden in the trees, so that I, having become silent for a long time, tasted the bliss and charm of this sweetest incense that emanated from the wind. I was, however, in fear because of the improbability of what was happening, wondering how such a beautiful thing could happen to me.

At last the third wind arrived. And when suddenly there was the deepest silence, I moved forward a little, passing that river. And as soon as I stepped into that wide place, looking at the unspeakable riches of the Almighty God, gathered there in abundance (for I do not know how to describe the incomprehensible riches of the Lord with human lips); so, as I have already said, I approached the wide place of this garden and gazed into the Holy of Holies, suddenly a very fragrant wind blew again, as if from the north side, sweet as roses and lilies, and purple in color as violet. And these plants swayed, exuding an aroma surpassing myrrh and musk, which penetrated into my heart. And it seemed to me that my eyes were either bodily or spiritual, the Lord knows. And it seemed to me that I was there without my flesh, for there was no weight, no desire, or any other thing in my body that is proper to my flesh: and I was struck by the thought that I was there without my body, and only God, to whom hearts know, knows. And as soon as an extraordinary number of these plants were agitated by the breath of the fourth wind, emitting sounds and a pleasant melody, again a striking fragrance and sweetness penetrated through my nostrils into my senses. So I stood, silent, and an inexpressible radiance permeated my mind. Nevertheless, contemplating this, my heart rejoiced exceedingly, and my spirit rejoiced. When the fourth wind had died down, I saw a great wonder: for in so long a time the night had never appeared to me, but joy and life were with me.

After this, delight fell upon me, and, unable to speak, I thought that I was standing above the firmament; and a cloaked young man, whose face shone like the sun, passed before me. I thought it was the one who patted me in the face when I was dying of cold, who ordered his assistants to lift me up. And so, when he passed before me, I saw the following: here is a cross, large and beautiful in appearance, and four curtains around it, like a luminous cloud, and two of them are flashing like lightning, and two are white as snow. And around him lined up singers, beautiful, stately and white as light, emitting fiery rays from their eyes. They sang the song to the glory of Him crucified on the cross. And then the cloaked young man who was guiding me kissed the cross as he passed by, and made a sign to me to do so. And I, of course, obeying him, fell on my face and kissed him. And just as I was kissing that precious fire, I was filled with spiritual honey and fragrance that I had never inhaled, not even in that garden. And when I lifted up my eyes, I suddenly saw the depths of the sea below us, and a tremor came over me, and I was afraid. Then I cried out to him who led me, and said, "O my lord and guide, look, for I walk as if on a cloud, and in fear I tread with light steps, for I am afraid to fall from here if it no longer holds me, and I will slip into the waters below us." And he said: "Do not be afraid: we must rise still higher."

With these words, he gives me his hand, and we find ourselves above the second firmament. She looked as white as snow. And there I see two crosses similar to the lower one, and with them a frightening retinue, which was also at the lower cross. And the air of those places was fiery — a rest for the handsome young men who were there. Of course, in divine love and zeal, we also kissed these crosses, as well as the first. Their fragrance was inexplicable, as if divine, stronger than the joy and delight of that which is below. And suddenly I looked: behold the fire that burns up everything that is there! And, seized with trembling, I again began to call for help from him who accompanied me; and he, giving me his hand, said: "We must go still higher."

With these words we rose from there and found ourselves above the third heaven. It was not like the sky in this world, but instead of a strong firmament, it spread out a leather covering, like a golden leaf. Again we found three crosses in the antechamber, flashing like lightning, the greatest and most terrifying, even more than the two and that one. And he who accompanied me plucked up courage, and entered into the midst of the fire, and prostrated himself before them; I, having absolutely no strength for this, moved away and knelt before them. Then, having walked enough, we reached the second canopy, and I saw as if lightning had spread out in the air. We were lifted up and passed on, and within that canopy there was a great host of heaven, praising and praising God. Then we passed through what was there; And here again we have before us another canopy of thin linen and indescribable purple. At last we arrived at the most famous place, and there was a veil that caused the greatest awe, like dazzlingly bright and very pure amber. And it was as if a fiery hand took her aside and made us pass. And within her were an innumerable multitude of wise and holy angels of fire, with eyes shining brighter than the sun. They were drawn up in a certain order and rank on that terrible height, in accordance with their immaterial size, holding in their hands dreadful rods: here are legions, and there are legions, which are innumerable. And behold, the one who led me said: "Look, when this veil is lifted, you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Father; then, prostrating yourself, worship Him, direct all your mental eyes to Him, and listen to what is said to you." And as soon as the guide advised me this, I looked at the beauty of the canopy and saw: behold, a huge dove, flying down from above, sat on the curtain. And his head was like gold, his chest was made of purple, his wings were shining like flames, his feet were scarlet, and from his eyes it was as if rays of light were emanating. But while I was looking at his beautiful appearance, he suddenly took off and rushed upward. And after this canopy had been raised, I fixed my gaze on that frightening height, which would have frightened every mind and thought, and beheld the awe-inspiring throne hanging in the air without any support. The flame from it was not like our fire, but it looked whiter than snow. And on that throne sat my Lord Jesus Christ, shining with purple and fine linen; but dimmed his brilliance out of condescension to my simplicity. Of course, I looked at the greatness and beauty of the God-Man as one looks at the sun when, rising in the east, it appears in the sparkle of its rays. But after that I could no longer see him clearly. Three times I knelt before Him and tried again to rise and behold His beauty, but, as I said, overwhelmed with a tremor of joy and an inexpressible trembling, I could no longer contemplate Him and gaze at the fiery radiance of His infinite power and divinity. And there appeared a voice from this light, having such a sound that the wondrous air was torn from it. And the voice was honeyed, tender and sweet-sounding. And behold, He spoke three words to me, and I listened, and learned, and rejoiced in my soul as never before. Then, after a while, He spoke three other words, and the heart of me was filled with divine joy when I received them. After this, for the third time, He spoke to me three other words, which were trembling, so that those venerable hosts of angels suddenly cried out with a terrible cry: and when I pondered this, I perceived that because I was there, they had shouted a song of wisdom and unheard-of.

After hearing these sacred and divine words, I descended exactly the same way that I had ascended; and I was wholly myself, and stood in the place whence I had been carried away. After much reflection on what had happened to me, where I had been and where I had been, I was amazed at how I had come to the vastness of that divine garden. And as I surveyed what was there, I pondered and spoke." Is there anyone else here, or am I the only one here?" And as soon as I thought of it, I saw that there was a plain in the center, and there were no trees on it, but it was a very beautiful plain, thickly overgrown with grass and flowers of lilies and roses. And the springs on it flowed with milk and honey, and the greatest fragrance emanated from them and sweetness. And when I saw the charm of this place and the greenery intended for rest, I stopped in bewilderment, marveling at the divine wonders and not keeping up with one splendor to another. And suddenly I saw a shining man, dressed in a tunic, as if in a glowing cloud, and holding a cross. Being near me, he said: "The crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ is with you! But blessed are the fools, for many of them abide in wisdom. And God has appointed a place for you here, but for now return to the trials and torments of the world, to where there are thorns, and vipers, and serpents, and creeping creeping things. The wonder, however, is strange and incredible: for no one in the flesh has come here, except the one who has labored most for the good news, and you, who have received the horn of supreme humility. But I have learned why this has happened to you: because of boundless poverty, because of "Go away, dog!", because of humiliation, and also because you came to the lists of the lord of the world, naked, young, simple-minded, and in single combat overthrew him from top to bottom, and overthrew his throne to the ground. Have you seen awe-inspiring miracles here? Have you comprehended the true recompense of the righteous? Has the garden of Christ come to know? I know, I know that you saw and trembled. How do you see this mortal world in comparison with what is there? What do you say? Do you see the magnificence? Do you know what joy sinners want to deprive themselves of? Who showed them glory and goodness?" As he said this to me, he rejoiced when he looked at me, and rejoiced. And then he said to me again: "Our radiant Lady, the queen of heavenly hosts, and the Mother of God, is not here now, for she is in that mortal world for the sake of support and help to those who call on her only-begotten Son, and the Word of God, and her all-holy name. It would be better to show you her abode, which is resplendent and indescribable, but time does not permit, dear friend, for you must return to whence you came, for the Lord has commanded so." When he told me this, I seemed to fall asleep, and after sleeping as if all night, from evening to morning, I found myself there, as you see. Now, O beloved brother and my friend in Christ, rejoice, and let us struggle tirelessly to be saved."

Having told me about this, Blessed Andrew plunged my soul into a spiritual frenzy. And while he was telling me this, I could see a wonderfully stunning and incredible: as if fragrant flowers of roses and lilies were around us; But I think that it was the holy angels who were in divine communion with the righteous man. I then fervently begged him to reveal to me one word of what the Lord had said to him, but I did not convince him, and it would remain in his blessed soul and with the Lord.

After we had thus enjoyed the blessings of the Lord all night long, when morning came, he went out, keeping his way to the porticoes, and in agony did what was his custom. From that time on, he spent all nights without sleep, constantly praising God. All day long he was spinning among the crowd, but it would be better to say that he was being tested in the midst of fire. He pretended to be drunk, pushed others, and was pushed back, got tangled in the legs of passers-by, and some beat him, others trampled on him, and still others boldly beat him with sticks. Some tortured him on the head with a stick, and others, dragging him by the hair, beat him on the neck, while still others, throwing him to the ground, tying his feet with a rope, dragged him across the square, fearing neither God nor having sympathy for their brother, as some Christians did. The saint endured all this in the hope prepared for the righteous.

12. A vile demon overwhelmed with envy...

The vile demon, overcome with envy, unable to do anything, turned into an aged woman and sat down on the road, wailing and saying: "Woe to me, poor old woman! How much terrible and evil this madman has done to me! What vile demon is inciting him against me? After all, he has already caused me many troubles, and there is no peace in my life. What, then, shall I do, poor unfortunate widow of this world, since this touched man has seized power over me?" And some, seeing her tearing her gray hair with tears and loud cries, asked, showing sympathy for her, why she sat there and moaned sorrowfully. And she answered them: "Be merciful to me, inhabitants of this city! I am a stranger to those who live here; Because of a lawsuit that happened to me, I left home and ended up here. And so, coming to the theater, as usual, I took my seat; But when the evening came late, some demon and madman, passing by, took away part of my belongings and fled. The next night he reappeared and, taking away another part in the same way, ran away. When he came for the third time and was seized by me, he threw down a heavy sack of loot, dragging me in all directions, began to tear out my gray hair, tortured me, trampling my entrails with his feet, and knocked out my decrepit teeth with his fist. Tell me, citizens, what should I do to take away my property from him?" And while the demon cried out about this, some, hearing about the demoniac and madman, quickly left there, while others said: "Give us a reward, come with us, and we will show it to you." And in the meantime, while everyone was questioning her and she was making excuses, Blessed Andrew was not far from there, fulfilling the task given to him by God. He knew the character of the evil demon and, running from where he was, appeared in that place. He found the demon sitting in the guise of an old woman, and those who had asked her questions had already left. Then the righteous man, as if passing by, looked at her with a stern look and said: "Weep and mourn, low, violent, disgusting and gloomy old woman, the burden of your sins from eternity! Let him use his divination, which is alien to God and the saints." And having said this, he looked at the ground, seized a piece of clay and, giving it the shape of a stone, threw it at its shameless face, and at the same time breathed on it in the form of a cross. And immediately, casting off the appearance of human form, becoming a huge snake, she crawled into the house of a woman. And the woman saw the beast and, trembling, ran out of the house. She called her neighbors to kill the snake, and many rushed to search the house, but could not find anything: after all, the evil demon, having changed the appearance of the snake to his own, fled.

And Blessed Andrew made his usual journey. On the way back, doing harmless pranks, he meets the most beautiful young man Epiphanius, about whom the story was told above. And this lad was troubled by the intrigues of the devil. The saint, of course, kissed him, and, holding hands, they went to look for a quiet place to sit down. And while they were walking, the righteous man said to Epiphanius: "Just look at this lost demon: when he wants, he becomes an old woman, and when he wants, he turns into an Ethiopian dressed in black! cloak; He also comes across on the path of my dearest son, scolds and threatens him!" Hearing this, Epiphanius was amazed: for the vile devil, the eternal enemy of the human race, had only recently met him in the guise of an Arab merchant and showered him with threats, seeing his virtuous behavior, for Epiphanius opposed him in carnal pleasures, fighting, fasting, and abstaining from everything that was repugnant to him. And he was eighteen years old, and he lived in a way that was pleasing and pleasing to God. This young man was also very handsome in appearance, modest, affable, very gentle, and sweet-mouthed in communication: for when he took part in the conversation and interpreted the divine words, all those who excelled in wisdom were amazed at his understanding and answers, and some had learned conversations with him about theology, and dogmas, and questions of death and supreme humility, and he modestly answered questions, resolving each of them. But I will tell you one story about him, and then I will also write about the threat with which Satan frightened him.

13.[4] So one day he was sitting at his parents' table, and with him some so-called philosophers...