So He wandered through the stony desert, as through the flowery meadows of the fertile valleys.

When His companions complained of the storm or heat, and tore their limbs on the sharp stones and thorns, He remained calm and uncomplaining.

He did not, like the holy men of the East, seek for hardships, but He did not fear them.

He was an enemy of all external trappings, because they distracted the attention from the inner life, and by their attractions might induce a false appearance of reality.

He gladly received invitations to the houses of the joyful, and rejoiced with them; at table He ate and drank with moderation.