From his life, by a fellow-disciple, in Bollandus, p. 38, and from S.
Dorotheus, Docum. 1.
DOSITHEUS, a young man who had spent his first years in a worldly
manner, and in gross ignorance of the first principles of Christianity,
came to Jerusalem on the motive of curiosity, to see a place he had
heard frequent mention made of in common discourse. Here he became so
strongly affected by the sight of a picture representing hell, and by
the exposition given him of it by an unknown person, that, on the spot,
he forsook the world, and entered into a monastery, where the abbot
Seridon gave him the monastic habit, and recommended him to the care of
one of his monks, named Dorotheus. This experienced director, sensible
of the difficulty of passing from one extreme to another, left his pupil
at first pretty much to his own liberty in point of eating, but was
particularly careful to instil into him the necessity of a perfect
renunciation of his own will in every thing, both great and little. As
he found his strength would permit, he daily diminished his allowance,
till the quantity of six pounds of bread became reduced to eight ounces.
St. Dorotheus proceeded with his pupil after much the same manner in
other monastic duties; and thus, by a constant and unreserved denial of
his own will, and a perfect submission to his director, he surpassed in
virtue the greatest fasters of the monastery. All his actions seemed to
have nothing of choice, nothing of his own humor in any circumstance of
them, the will of God alone reigned in his heart. At the end of five
years he was intrusted with the care of the sick, an office he
discharged with such an incomparable vigilance, charity, and sweetness,
as procured him a high and {448} universal esteem: the sick in
particular were comforted and relieved by the very sight of him. He fell
into a spitting of blood and a consumption, but continued to the last
denying his own will, and was extremely vigilant to prevent any of its
suggestions taking place in his heart; being quite the reverse of those
persons afflicted with sickness, who, on that account, think every thing
allowed them. Unable to do any thing but pray, he asked continually, and
followed, in all his devotions, the directions of his master; and when
he could not perform his long exercises of prayer, he declared this with
his ordinary simplicity to St. Dorotheus, who said to him: "Be not
uneasy, only have Jesus Christ always present in your heart." He begged
of a holy old man, renowned in that monastery for sanctity, to pray that
God would soon take him to himself. The other answered: "Have a little
patience, God's mercy is near." Soon after he said to him: "Depart in
peace, and appear in joy before the blessed Trinity, and pray for us."
The same servant of God declared after his death, that he had surpassed
the rest in virtue, without the practice of any extraordinary austerity.
Though he is honored with the epithet of saint, his name is not placed
either in the Roman or Greek calendars.