A Damaged Monk

Ἐγγὺς τούτων ἐωράλαμεν καὶ ἕτερον ἀναχωρητὴν ὁμοίως καὶ αὐτὸν ἐνοικοῡντα σπηλαίοις. Οὖτος οἶστρῳ κενοδοξίας ἐμπαιζόμενος ὑπὸ ὀνειράτων ἀντενέπαιζεν τοῖς πρὸς αὐτὸν παραγινομένοις καὶ ἀπατωμένοις. Ἄφρων γεγονὼς κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, τοῖς ἐνυπνίοις ἀναπτερούμενος, ἀνέμους ποιμαίνων, καὶ διώκων σκιάς. Καὶ τὴν μὲν κατὰ τὸ σῶμα σωφροσύνην ἐκέκτητο· καὶ διὰ τὸ γῆρας λοιπὸν καὶ διὰ τὸν χρόνον, τάχα δὲ καὶ διὰ τὴν κενοδοξίαν, τὴν δὲ κατ' ἀρετὴν φρένα ἀπώλεσεν, διαφθαρεὶς ὑπὸ τῆς ἀκαθάρτου κενοδοξίας, καὶ ἐξωκείλας δι' αὐτῆς τῆς ἐνθέσμου πολιτείας. Παλλάδιος, Ἡ Προς Λαυσον Ἱστορια

Near these men we saw also another anchorite dwelling in a cave in similar fashion. He was mocked in dreams by the madness of vainglory and he himself took to mocking his neighbours as men who deceived themselves. 'Fools,' as it is written, 'who would fly away in dreams, herd the winds and chase shadows' 1 And yet he possessed bodily continence on account of his age and his long time in his state, and perhaps it was also thanks to his vainglory, but his mind was ruined in respect of virtue, corrupted owing to the uncleanliness of his vainglory, and by it he was expelled from any lawful state Palladius of Galatia, Lausiac History, 1 cf Prov 9.12 LXX