One of the fathers used to say that there was an official sent on an imperial mission who found a dead pauper lying naked on the road. Moved with compassion, he said to his servant: “Take the horse and go on a little.” He dismounted, took off one of his shirts, put it on the dead man lying [there] and went his way. Some days later the same official was again sent out on a mission and, as he was leaving the city, he happened to fall from his horse and his foot was broken. His servant took him back to his house and the doctors took care of him, but after five days his foot turned black. When the doctors saw that the foot had turned black, they signalled to each other that the foot ought to be amputated; otherwise, the whole body would become septic and the man would die. They said to him: “We will come in the morning and heal you”, but the sick man signalled to his servant to go out after the doctors and find out from them what they wanted [to do]. They said to him: “Your master’s foot has turned black; the man is lost unless we amputate. We will come in the morning and do what God wills.” The slave came in to his lord-and-master weeping and saying: “They are planning to do this-and-this in your case.” [The official] was distressed on hearing this and so fainthearted that he did not sleep. Now there was a lamp burning and, around midnight, he saw a man entering through the window, coming towards him and saying to him: “Why are you weeping? Why are you distressed?” He said: “Sir, do you not want me to weep and to be distressed because [my foot] is broken and the doctors are planning to do this-and-this in my case?” Then the apparition said to him: “Show me your foot”, and he anointed it, saying: “Now get up and walk around.” The sick man said: “It is broken and I cannot.” “Lean on me”, said [the other] to him. He leaned on him and walked around, limping. The apparition said to him: “Are you still lame? Sit down again”, whereupon he anointed him again equally on both his feet and said to him: “Now get up and walk around.” He stood up and walked around healthily. “Sit down and rest”, said [the apparition] and spoke some words to him about almsgiving: that the Lord said: “Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy” [Mt 5:7] and: “He who has showed no mercy shall have judgement without mercy” [Jas 2:13] and such like things. Then he said to him: “Farewell.” The official said: “Are you leaving?” and he said: “What [more] do you want, when you have become healthy?” The official said to him: “By the God who sent you, tell me who you are.” “Look at me,” he said to him; “surely you recognise this linen?” “That I do sir,” he said to him, “it is mine.” “And I am the corpse you saw thrown on the road and you threw me the shirt”, the other said to him, “and God sent me to heal you. Always be grateful to God”, and he went out again through the window by which he came. Restored to health [the official] began to glorify God, the cause of every good thing. #Sayings_of_the_desert_fathers