λέγουσιν οἱ μονασταί· Καλῶς εἶπας, ὦ βασιλεῦ· οἱ θάνατον δεδοικότες διὰ φροντίδος ἔχουσι πῶς αὐτὸν ἐκφύγωσι.
τίνες δέ εἰσιν οὗτοι, ἀλλ' ἢ οἱ τοῖς ῥευστοῖς προστετηκότες καὶ τούτοις ἐπτοημένοι, οἵτινες, μηδὲν ἀγαθὸν (9) ἐλπίζοντες εὑρεῖν ἐκεῖθεν, δυσαποσπάστως ἔχουσι τῶν παρόντων, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο δεδοίκασι θάνατον;
ἡμεῖς δὲ οἱ πάλαι μισήσαντες κόσμον καὶ τὰ ἐν κόσμῳ, καὶ τὴν στενὴν καὶ τεθλιμμένην διὰ Χριστὸν βαδίζοντες ὁδόν, οὔτε θάνατον δεδοίκαμεν, οὔτε τὰ παρόντα ποθοῦμεν, ἀλλὰ τῶν μελλόντων ἐφιέμεθα μόνον.
ἐπεὶ οὖν ὁ παρ' ὑμῶν ἐπαγόμενος ἡμῖν θάνατος διαβατήριον γίνεται τῆς (48,1) ἀϊδίου ζωῆς καὶ κρείττονος, ποθητὸς ἡμῖν μᾶλλον ἢ φοβερός ἐστιν οὗτος.
Monachi autem: (456b,1) Recte dixisti, o rex, inquiunt: qui mortem metuunt, id curant, quonam pacto eam effugiant.
Quinam autem hi sunt, nisi qui fluxis rebus intabescunt, easque ad stuporem usque mirantur? Qui quidem cum in altera vita quidquam boni sese consecuturos esse desperent, a praesentibus divelli nequeunt, ob eamque causam mortem timent.
At nos, qui jam pridem mundum et ea quae in mundo sunt odio prosequimur, arctamque et angustam viam Christi causa ingredimur, nec mortis metu, nec praesentium rerum cupiditate afficimur; verum futurarum duntaxat rerum desiderio tenemur.
Quoniam igitur mors ea quam nobis infertis ad sempiternam et praestantiorem vitam transitus efficitur, idcirco cupiditati potius nobis est quam terrori.
“Well spoken, O king,” cried the monks. “They that dread death have concern how to escape it.
And who are these but such as cling to things temporary and are enamoured of them, who, having no good hopes yonder, find it hard to be wrenched from this present world, and therefore dread death?
But we, who have long since hated the world and the things of the world, and are walking along the narrow and strait road, for Christ his sake, neither dread death, nor desire the present world, but only long for the world to come.
Therefore, forasmuch the death that thou art bringing upon us proveth but the passage to that everlasting and better life, it is rather to be desired of us than feared.”
(6) Munkarner mællto. val suaraðu (7) þer herra. konongr : þui at þeir er dauðann (8) ræðazt. hugsar meir firir (9) ser. at forða livi sinv. helldr en at (10) veizlum fara.
en þeir ræðazt dauðan. (11) er illa hava buit firir ser i (12) þessarre verolld.
En ver er nu (13) erom bunir at døya. oc hafum (14) sva firir buit aðr.
at ver hirðum (15) eigi. at huerium tima. er ver latom (16) vart lif.
Munkene sagde: “Ret svarede I, Herre Konge! Thi de, der frygte Döden, ere mere betænkte paa at redde sit Liv end paa at drage i Gjæstebud.
Men de frygte Döden, som ilde have forberedt sig i denne Verden;
men vi, som nu ere rede til at dö, have i Forveien saaledes forberedt os,
at vi ikke (20,1) bryde os om, paa hvilken Tid vi lade vort Liv.“