Letter 13: Evagrius wants the quiet of the cell and asks not to be pushed into the sea of human affairs.

You have sufficiently persuaded us about what has already happened, blessed one, and you have encouraged us about what is still to come. You have left undone nothing that a true father should do for his children. What, then, am I to do or suffer? I want to live as a monk and not be entangled in constant dealings with people, because it is impossible to see God unless we drive out of the mind altogether the passions and the images of this world, which is full of stumbling blocks and countless traps. I pray to be made a stranger to these things and to stay within myself. Yet I wonder at your sobriety of mind, because you press me to leave my cell and fall into the waves of the sea. I do not refuse your company. I beg God instead to let me see your sober wisdom with my own eyes. Pray for your son Evagrius, so that the Lord may not put him to shame in this hope.

Greek retroversion from Syriac transmission (Frankenberg 1912, TAN/TEI CC BY 4.0): αρκουντως μακαριε περι των παρεληλυθοτων ημας επεισας και περι των μελλοντων παρεκαλεσας και ουδεν ο πρεπει αληθινον πατερα ποιειν τοις υιοις εξελιπες· και τι πραττω η παοχω; θελω μοναζοντως ζην ανθρωποις δε μη ομιλειν οτι αδυνατον τον θεον οραν εαν μη ολως καθολον απο της διανοιας ημων απωθωμεν τα παθη και τα τουτου του κοσμου ειδωλα προσκομματων τε και πληθους παγιδων μεστου· και προσευχομαι τουτων απαλλοτριωθηναι και εν τηι παρ' εμαυτωι οιησει (Ε). θαυμαζω δε επι τηι σηι σωφροσυνηι οτι με βιαζεις την κελλαν αφιεναι τε και εις της θαλασσης τα κυματα εμπεσειν. την δε υμων ομιλιαν ου παραιτουμαι αλλα ικετευω τον θεον ινα μοι δωι την σωφροσυνην σου ιδειν τοις εμοις οφθαλμοις· προσευχου δε περι του υιου σου ευαγριου ινα μη καταισχυνηι αυτον ο κυριος απο της ελπιδος ταυτης Syriac transmission available in the linked TAN/TEI source. The complete corpus is Syriac-transmitted; Greek survives only fragmentarily, so this display text is a retroversion witness.