The Life of the Holy and Right-Believing Stefan the Tall, Despot of Serbia

more. And when he, running ahead of him a third time, asked again, the Despot gave him yet more, and said to him: Here, you grasper and cheat! And he answered him: I am not a grasper and a cheat, for I am in need; rather it is you who, reigning over the earthly, thereby steal and seize the heavenly (cf. Matt. 11:12; Luke 6:12). And he would also secretly approach the hovels of the needy and place money for them through the window or an opening (like St. Nicholas). And all of them knew who it was that did this for them. A great crowd of lepers always followed him, whom he himself always fed, and in the night he filled their right hands. And that the truth may be made still clearer, this happened. Hearing of his mercifulness, lepers once came from the coastal regions and the Bulgarian lands in such numbers that they were plundering the townsfolk by force, and for this reason the governors of the city had to drive them out and expel them. Besides all his other works the Despot unceasingly did this wondrous work. Once, when he wished to go out to give his customary alms while all were asleep, he took with him one of his favorites who also knew his other secrets, and said to him: Take my sword secretly with you as well. But this man did not understand what he was commanded, and did not dare to ask, and so they went out and set off. After going some way together, the Despot left him, saying to him: Wait here. After a long time, somewhere in the very depth of the night, the Despot returned to him, and then they went back to the inner door of the palace. Coming to it, the younger man hastened to open the door, but could not do so quickly. The Despot, thinking that his sword was hindering him, commanded him to hand it to him, saying: Give it to me while you open. Only then did the younger man understand what he had been commanded, and he was frightened and answered: No, nothing hinders me. Then he quickly opened the door and ran ahead up the stairway to light the way for the Despot, and made as though he were putting down the sword, so that the Despot would not learn that he had not taken it at all. And when he lit the way, he noticed from the Despot’s clothes that the pious Despot had gone somewhere into muddy places (distributing to the poor). Such works of his cannot be counted, for they are like the sand of the sea. The Despot did not cease doing this through all the days of his life. And let us leave aside that he sent gifts to the deserts throughout the world, whenever he heard of anyone living in the Lord; and gave gifts to all the hermits in his own regions, and to the Athonite solitaries and anchorites. If anyone asked for a censer or some precious lamp, seeing that it was being carried there, he would entreat the head of that place that, if he gave it, he would quickly give him in its stead something far more costly and bright; and what he said he at once fulfilled entirely. Much more could be said of this unstinting giving of his, but enough has been said.” The right-believing and pious Despot of Serbia Stefan now lived not only in peace with the Turks in the east, but likewise lived in peace with the Western rulers and with the other peoples around him. For, as his biographer says at the beginning of the Life, “in his days he brought to peace with himself the mightiest states, the Eastern and Western peoples, so that those who reigned at various times converged upon him from all sides. He caused his land to be esteemed with dignity, and moreover the Western rulers truly called him lord and guardian of their state; and moreover at a fitting time he would send his chosen men to them with the rest of their army, the mighty men and dynasts of all the land. And never was it that any of the Westerners, having come to the Despot, went back to his home without proclaiming his exceedingly great and praiseworthy gifts. From childhood he fought fierce battles and showed courage; from God he received immortal wisdom, for which he is called the glorious Despot in all lands. And under him the small Serbian army gained the greatest renown and name throughout the world. For this glorious Despot, although he lived nearer to the lands