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“The spirit of prophecy, too, so shone forth in him that he foresaw the future and had knowledge of the secrets of the heart. He was aware of things absent as it they were present, and he miraculously appeared present to those who were absent. At the time when the Christian army was besieging Damietta, the man of God was there, armed with faith and not weapons. When on the day of the battle he heard that the Christians were preparing to fight, Christ's servant sighed heavily and said to his companion: "The Lord has shown me that if the battle takes place, it will not go well for the Christians. But if I tell them this, I will be considered a fool. If I remain silent, I will not escape my conscience. What therefore seems best to you?" His companion replied: "Brother, consider it unimportant to be judged by men, for this won't be the first time you pass for a fool. Unburden your conscience, and fear God rather than men." When he heard this, the herald of Christ jumped to his feet and went to the Christians with his salutary warnings, forbidding the battle and announcing their defeat. They took his truth for a fairy tale, hardened their hearts and refused to turn back. They advanced and engaged the enemy in battle, with the result that the whole Christian army was turned to flight, bearing away disgrace rather than triumph. The Christian forces suffered such heavy losses that there were about six thousand dead or captured. From this it was abundantly clear that the wisdom of this poor man was not to be scorned, since sometimes the soul of a just man will declare truths more clearly than seven sentinels searching the horizon from a height (Eccl. 37:14).”