‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’
‘Yes,’ thought Julius, ‘he has long been calling me. I did not believe him but was refractory and wicked, and my yoke was heavy and my burden grievous.’
He sat there for a long time with the open Gospel on his knee, thinking over his whole past life and remembering all that Pamphilius had said to him at different times. At last he rose and went to his son. To his surprise he found him on his feet, and was inexpressibly glad to find that he had sustained no injury.
Without saying a word to his son Julius went out into the street and set off towards the Christian settlement. He walked all day, and in the evening stopped at a villager’s for the night. In the room which he entered lay a man, who got up at the sound of footsteps. It was his acquaintance the physician.
‘No, this time you shall not dissuade me!’ cried Julius. ‘This is the third time I have started to go thither, and now I know that only there shall I find peace of mind.’
‘Where?’ asked the physician.
‘Among the Christians.’
‘Yes, perhaps you may find peace of mind, but you will not have fulfilled your duty. You lack manliness: misfortunes crush your spirit. Not so do true philosophers behave! Misfortunes are only the fire in which gold is tried. You have passed through a test. And now that you are wanted you run away! Now is the time to try people and yourself. You have acquired true wisdom and should employ it for the good of your country. What would happen to the people if all who have learnt to know men, their passions, and the conditions of life, were to bury their knowledge and experience in their search for peace of mind, instead of sharing them for the benefit of society? Your experience of life was gained among men and you ought to use it for their benefit.’
‘But I have no wisdom at all! I am altogether sunk in error! My errors have not become wisdom because they are ancient, any more than water becomes wine because it is stale and foul.’
And seizing his cloak Julius hastily left the house and set out to walk farther, without staying to rest. By the close of another day he reached the Christian settlement.
They received him gladly, though they did not know that he was a friend of Pamphilius, whom they all loved and respected. At the refectory Pamphilius, seeing his friend, ran to him gladly and embraced him.
‘At last I have come,’ said Julius. ‘Tell me what I am to do and I will obey you.’
‘Don’t trouble about that,’ said Pamphilius. ‘Come with me.’ And he led Julius into the guest-house, and showing him a bed, said:
‘When you have had time to observe our life you will see for yourself how you can best be of use to men. But I will show you something to do to-morrow to occupy your time for the present. We are gathering grapes in our vineyards. Go there and help. You will see yourself what you can do.’
Next morning Julius went into the vineyards. The first was of young vines which were loaded with clusters. Young people were plucking and gathering them. The places were all occupied and Julius, having walked about for some time, found no place for himself. He went on farther and came to an older vineyard where there was less fruit. But here also there was nothing for him to do; the gatherers were all working in pairs and there was no place for him. He went still farther and entered a very old, deserted vineyard. The vine-stocks were gnarled and crooked and Julius could see no grapes.
‘There, that is like my life,’ he said to himself. ‘Had I come the first time, it would have been like the fruit in the first vineyard. Had I come when I started the second time, it would have been like the fruit in the second vineyard. But now here is my life – like these useless superannuated vines, only fit for fuel!’ And Julius was terrified at what he had done, terrified at the punishment awaiting him for having uselessly wasted his life. And he became sad and said aloud:
‘I am no longer good for anything and can now do nothing!’ And he sat down and wept because he had wasted what he could never recover. Suddenly he heard the voice of an old man calling him:
‘Work, brother!’ said the voice.
Julius looked round and saw an old man, grey and bowed by age and scarcely able to move his feet. He was standing by the vines and gathering the few sweet bunches that still remained here and there. Julius went up to him.
‘Work, dear brother! Work is joyous!’ And the old man showed him where to look for bunches of the grapes that still remained. Julius began to look for them, and finding some, brought them and laid them in the old man’s basket. And the old man said to him:
