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Life of St Ambrose
Paulinus the Deacon, tr. Kaniecka, 1928
The Virtues of the Holy Bishop. His Abstinence, His Zeal in Divine Affairs, His Contempt…
Moreover the venerable bishop himself was a man of great abstinence and many vigils and labors, wearing out his body by daily fasts, whose habit was never to take breakfast except on the day of Sabbath and the Lord’s Day, or when the birthdays of the most celebrated martyrs occurred. His constancy in prayer also was great, day and night; he did not shun the work of writing books with his own hand, unless when his body was hindered by some infirmity. There is also in him a solicitude for all the churches, also great and unceasing constancy in intervening among them. He was most steadfast also in fulfilling his religious duties, to such a degree that what he alone had been accustomed to perform as regards those to be baptized, five bishops after the time of his death performed with difficulty. He was exceedingly solicitous too for the poor and the captives; for at the time when he was consecrated bishop, all the gold and silver which he could have kept he gave to the church or to the poor. The estates also which he had, having reserved their usufruct for his sister, he gave to the church, leaving nothing for himself which he could call his own in this world, that like a lightly clad and unencumbered soldier he might follow Christ the Lord: Who, being rich, became poor for our sakes; that through His poverty we might be rich.
He rejoiced also with those that rejoiced and wept with those that wept, since indeed, as often as anyone confessed his sins to him to receive a penance, he so wept that he compelled that one to weep; he seemed to himself to be prostrate with the prostrate; cases of crime, however, which anyone confessed to him, he told to no one except to the Lord alone with whom he pleaded, leaving a good example to future bishops that they should be intercessors before God rather than accusers before men. For according to the Apostle also, charity is to be confirmed toward a man of this kind, because he himself is his own accuser and does not wait for an accuser but anticipates him, that he himself may lighten his sin by confession lest he have something which his adversary may charge against him. And therefore, Scripture says: “The just is first accuser of his own word.” For he takes away the words of his adversary and he crushes as it were, by the confession of his sins, the teeth prepared for the prey of accursed calumny, giving honor to God, to whom all things are open, and who wishes the life rather than the death of the sinner. For confession alone is not sufficient for him who repents, unless a correction in deed follows, so that on repenting he may not perform deeds that must needs be repented, and may also humble his soul like holy David, who after he heard from the prophet: “Your sin is pardoned,” in the correction of his sin became more humble so that he did eat ashes like bread and mingled his drink with weeping.
He also wept most bitterly as often as by chance announcement was made to him of the death of any holy bishop—so much so that we would strive to console him, ignorant of the pious affection of the man and not knowing for what reason he so wept. And to us he would give a reply of this nature: that he did not weep because the one who had been announced as dead had departed, but because he had gone before him and because it was difficult to find a man who might be regarded as worthy of the high dignity of the episcopacy. He himself, moreover, spoke before hand of his death, saying that he would be with us until Easter—and this indeed he merited through his praying to the Lord, that he might be freed earlier from this life.
For he lamented vehemently whenever he saw that avarice was flourishing, the root of all evil, which can be diminished neither by abundance nor want, and was increasing more and more among men, especially among those who had been placed in authority, so that it was a most difficult task for him to prevent it among these, because all things were being torn asunder for gain. And this thing first brought all evil to Italy; and from it all things are inclined toward the worse. And what shall I say, if it works its madness thus in persons of this kind, who are wont to offer as pretexts children or relatives: To make excuses in sins; since indeed it has seized even many celibates, bishops, and deacons, whose portion is God, so that they themselves practice it. And woe to us in our wretchedness! because not even at the end of the world are we summoned, although we wish to be freed from so heavy a yoke of slavery which sinks even into the depths of hell, that we may make for ourselves friends of the mammon of iniquity, that they may receive us into everlasting dwellings. And yet blessed is he who when on being converted, having broken the chains and having flung down the yoke of such domination, shall take and dash his little ones against the rock, that is, shall dash all his thoughts against Christ, who according to the Apostle is the rock, which destroys all dashed against it, itself remaining unharmed and not making him guilty who has dashed against it the meaner offspring of his worthless womb but innocent, so that he may confidently say: “The Lord is my portion”; because to whom there is nothing in the world, to him truly Christ is the portion, and he who shall despise few things will receive many, and besides shall even possess life eternal.
But a few days before he was confined to his bed, while he was dictating the 43rd Psalm and I was taking it down and observing him, suddenly a fire in the shape of a small shield covered his head, and gradually it entered through his mouth like a householder into his home, after which his face became like snow, but afterwards his countenance returned to its normal appearance. When this happened, being struck with amazement I became stiff and was unable to write down what was being spoken by him until after the vision itself had passed; for he at that time was giving the testimony of the divine Scriptures, which I remembered very well. For he put an end to writing and dictating on that day, since he could not finish that psalm. I, however, immediately related that which had been seen by me to the honorable man Castus, the deacon, under whose care I lived; and he, filled with the grace of God, explained from his reading of the Acts of the Apostles that I had seen in the bishop the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Sometime before, moreover, when a servant of the then Count Stilicho, who had been troubled with a demon, was abiding, already cured in the Ambrosian Basilica at the recommendation of his master, he was reported indeed—and this was freely believed by his master—to be forging letters of the tribunate, so that men who were hastening to their duties were detained; but when Stilicho discovered the character of his servant he did not wish to punish him, and the men who had been deceived, he dismissed at the intervention of the bishop. But to the latter he made complaint of this servant. And the holy man caused him to be sought as he was going out of the Ambrosian Basilica and brought to him. And when he questioned him and discovered him as the author of so great a crime, he said: “He should be given over to Satan for the destruction of his body lest someone in the future should dare commit such deeds.” And at the same moment, when the words were still in the mouth of the bishop, the unclean spirit seized him and began to tear him asunder; and at the sight of this we were filled with no small fear and wonder. In these days also, by the imposition of his hands and by his bidding, we saw many cleansed of unclean spirits.
At the same time when a certain Nicentius an extribune and notary, so crippled by pain in his feet that he was rarely seen in public, approached the altar to receive the sacraments, and on being stepped upon accidently by the bishop cried out, he heard the following words: “Go, and henceforth you will be well.” That he was no longer troubled with his feet, he testified with tears at the time when the holy bishop departed from this life.