Anthony. "It is affirmed, I acknowledge."
Hilarion. "Through vengeance he burned down the house of Arsenius."
Anthony. "Alas!"
Hilarion. "At the council of Nicæa he said in speaking of Jesus: 'The man of the Lord.'"
Anthony. "Ah! that is a blasphemy!"
Hilarion. "So limited in understanding, moreover, that he confesses he comprehends nothing of the nature of the "Word!"
Anthony (smiling with gratification). "In sooth his intelligence is not ... very lofty."
Hilarion. "Hypocrite! burying thyself in solitude only in order the more fully to abandon thyself to the indulgence of thy envious desires! What if thou dost deprive thyself of meats, of wine, of warmth, of bath, of slaves, or honours?—dost thou not permit thy imagination to offer thee banquets, perfumes, women, and the applause of multitudes? Thy chastity is but a more subtle form of corruption, and thy contempt of this world is but the impotence of thy hatred against it! Either this it is that makes such as thyself so lugubrious, or else 'tis doubt. The possession of truth giveth joy. Was Jesus sad? Did he not travel in the company of friends, repose beneath the shade of olive trees, enter the house of the publican, drink many cups of wine, pardon the sinning woman, and assuage all sorrows? Thou!—thou hast no pity save for thine own misery! It is like a remorse that gnaws thee, a savage madness that impels thee to repel the caress of a dog or to frown upon the smile of a child."
Anthony (bursting into tears). "Enough! enough! thou dost wound my heart deeply."