A Holy Fool Comes to Town

Διατρίψας τὰς τρεῖς ἡμερας ἐν τοῖς ἀγιος τόποις καταλαμβάνει τὴν Ἐμεσηνῶν πολιν. Ὁ δὲ τρόπος τῆς ἐν τῇ πόλει εἰσόδου αὐτοῦ ὑπῆρχεν οὔτως. Εὐρὼν ὁ ἀοιδιμος ἐπι τῆς κοπρίας τῆς ἔξω τῆς πόλεως, κύνα νεκρὸν, λύσας. ὅ ἐφόρει, ζωναριον ἐκ σχοινίου, καὶ δήσας τὸν πόδα αὐτοῦ, ἔσυρεν αὐτὸν τρεχων, καὶ εἰσερχόμενος διὰ τῆς πόρτης, ὅπου πλησίον ἐστὶν τὸ σχολίον τῶν παιδίων. Ὡς τοῦτον οὖν ἐθεάσαντο όι παιδες, ἣρξαντο κραζειν· Ἐ ἀββᾶς μωρός· καὶ ἐβαλλον τρέχειν ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ καὶ κοσσίζειν αὐτόν. Τῇ οὖν ἐπαύπριον, Κυριακῆ οὔσης. ἔλαβεν κάρυα, καὶ εἰσῆλθεν ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ έν τῇ ἀρχῇ τῆς λειτουργίας καρυδίζων, καὶ σβέσων τὰς κανδήλας, Ὡς οὖν τοῦτον ἐξενέγκαι κατέτρεχον, ἀνέρχεται εἰς τὸν ἅμβωνα, και ἐκεὶθεν ἐλίθαζεν τὰς γυναῖκας τοίς καρυδίοις. Πολλῷ οὖν κόπῳ ἐξενεγκαντων αὐτὸν, ἐν τῷ ἐξέρχεσθαι, ἔστρεψεν τὰ ταβλία τῶν πλακουνταριων, οἱ καὶ ἔδωκαν αὐτῷ πληγὰς εὶς θάνατον.  ὁ βιος του Συμεών, Λεόντιος Νεαπόλις

After spending three days in the Holy Places he came to the city of Edessa. The manner of the entry into the city was as follows: he found a dead dog on a dunghill outside the city, loosened the rope belt he was wearing and tied it to the dog's foot. Then he dragged the dog as he ran and entered the gate. There was a boy's school nearby and when the boys saw him they began to cry, ' Ha, Father is mad! ' And they ran after him and struck him. The next day, a Sunday, he took some nuts and entering the church at the beginning of the liturgy, he threw the nuts around and put out the candles. When the men rushed after him, he hurried up to the pulpit and from there pelted the women below with nuts. With greater effort the men chased after him and running outside he turned over the tables of the pastry sellers. There they seized him and beat him near to death. The Life of Symeon the Holy Fool, Leontius of Neapolis,