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could you endure it? Or do you not know that friends are always together in memory, even if they are separated in body? Just as some, though present in body, are absent in soul from their friends because of forgetfulness. And I answered: Do not think, then, lord, that I was about to suffer these griefs foolishly, but rather with a very right reasoning. For since I have you, my lord, in place of all things, of father and mother and brothers and relatives, you who have become for me, through God, the cause of saving truth, having you in place of all, I obtain the greatest consolation. In addition to this, fearing also the natural desire of my youth, I was anxious lest, if left by you, being a younger man, I should be overcome by desire, although I now have such steadfastness that it is impossible to be separated from you even by some wrath of God. But since it is much better and safer for me to be with you, whom my mind has reasonably chosen to revere, for this reason I pray always to be with you. In addition to this, I remember you saying in Caesarea: If anyone wishes to travel with me, let him travel piously. And you said that 'piously' meant to grieve no one according to God, for example by leaving parents, a like-minded wife, or others devoted to the worship of God. Therefore I am in every way a suitable travelling companion for you, to whom, even if you grant me the greatest favors, you permit me to perform the services of slaves. And Peter, hearing this, said laughingly: What then do you think, Clement? Should you by this same necessity be assigned the place of a slave to me? Since who will look after the fine and many linen garments, along with the rings and sandals that follow me? And who will prepare the pleasant and costly dishes, which, being various, require many and skillful cooks, and all those other things which, procured out of all greediness for effeminate men, are prepared for desire as for a great beast? But perhaps such a choice has occurred to you from not understanding and being ignorant of my way of life, that I use only bread and olives, and rarely vegetables—and that my coat and cloak are this very thing which I wear, and I have no need of another nor of anything else; for in these I even have abundance. For my mind, seeing all the eternal good things there, does not look for anything here. However, I accept your good intention and, admiring it, I praise how a man who comes from luxurious habits has easily exchanged your life for necessities. For from childhood we (both I and Andrew, my blood-relation and brother according to God) were not only brought up in orphanhood, but also, being accustomed to manual labor by poverty and hardship, we now easily bear the toils of the road. Therefore, if you would be persuaded by me, you would have permitted me, a working man, to fulfill the parts of a slave for you. But when I heard this, I began to tremble and weep at the sort of thing said by a man to whom all men of the present generation are inferior in the word of knowledge and piety. And he, seeing me in tears, asked the reason for my tears. And I said: What sin have I committed, that you should say such a thing to me? And Peter answered: If I have spoken wrongly in offering to serve you, you sinned first, in deeming it right to do this for me. And I said: It is not the same thing; for it is altogether fitting for me to do this, but for you, the herald of God, the

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μως ὑποσταίης; ἢ οὐκ οἶσθα ὅτι σύνεισιν αἰεὶ φίλοι ταῖς μνήμαις, κἂν τοῖς σώμασιν ἀπολιμπάνωνται; ὡς ἔνιοι συνόντες τοῖς σώμασιν ἀμνημοσύνης αἰτίᾳ τὰς ψυχὰς ἀποδημοῦσιν τοῖς φίλοις. κἀγὼ ἀπεκρινάμην· Μὴ τοίνυν νο- μίσῃς, κύριε, ὅτι τὰ λύπης πάσχειν ἤμελλον ἀνοήτως, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάνυ ὀρθῷ τινι λογισμῷ. ἐπεὶ γὰρ σέ, κύριέ μου, ἀντὶ πάντων ἔχω, πατρός τε καὶ μητρὸς καὶ ἀδελφῶν καὶ συγγενῶν, αἴτιόν μοι γενόμενον διὰ τὸν θεὸν τῆς σῳζούσης ἀληθείας, ἀντὶ πάντων ἔχων σε παραμυθίας τῆς με- γίστης τυγχάνω. πρὸς τούτοις δεδιώς μου καὶ τῆς ἀκμῆς τὴν ἐκ φύσεως ἐπιθυμίαν, ἠγωνίων μήπως ἀπολειφθείς σου, ἄνθρωπος ὢν νεώτερος, ὅπερ νῦν οὕτως ἐνστάσεως ἔχω, κἂν κατά τινα χόλον θεοῦ ἀποστῆναί σου ἀδύνατον, εἰ ἥττων ἐπιθυμίας ἔσομαι. ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ πολλῷ ἄμεινον καὶ ἀσφαλέστερον συνεῖναί με σοί, τούτῳ ᾧ ὁ νοῦς μου αἰδεῖσθαι εὐλόγως προείληφεν, διὸ πάντοτέ σοι συνεῖναι εὔχομαι. πρὸς τούτοις δὲ μέμνη- μαί σου ἐν Καισαρείᾳ εἰπόντος· Eἴ τις βούλεταί μοι συνοδεῦσαι, εὐσεβῶς συνοδευέτω. εὐσεβῶς δὲ ἔφης τὸ μηδένα λυπεῖν κατὰ θεόν, οἷον ἀπο- λιπὼν γονεῖς, γυναῖκα ὁμόφρονα ἢ ἑτέρους τινὰς τῇ θεοσεβείᾳ προσκει- μένους. ὅθεν ἐγὼ κατὰ πάντα ἐπιτήδειός εἰμί σοι συνοδοιπόρος, ᾧ εἰ καὶ τὰ μέγιστα χαρίζῃ, τὰς δούλων μοι ὑπηρεσίας συγχωρεῖς ποι- εῖν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀκούσας γελοιάζων ἔφη· Τί οὖν οἴει, Κλήμης; μὴ ὑπ' αὐτῆς ἀνάγκης σε εἰς δούλων μοι ταγῆναι τόπον; ἐπεὶ τίς τὰς καλὰς καὶ πολλὰς σινδόνας μετὰ τῶν ἑπομένων μοι δακτυλίων καὶ ὑποδήσεων φυλάξει; τίς δὲ καὶ τὰ ἡδέα καὶ πολυτελῆ ὄψα προετοιμάσει, ἅτινα ποι- κίλα ὄντα πολλῶν καὶ τεχνιτῶν δεῖται μαγείρων, καὶ πάντα ἐκεῖνα ὅσα ἐκτεθηλυμμένων ἀνθρώπων ὡς θηρίῳ μεγάλῳ τῇ ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἐκ πάσης πλεονεξίας πορισθέντα ἑτοιμάζεται; πλὴν ἡ τοιαύτη σε προαίρεσις ὑπεισ- ῆλθεν ἴσως μὴ συνέντα καὶ τὸν ἐμὸν ἀγνοοῦντα βίον ὅτι ἄρτῳ μόνῳ καὶ ἐλαίαις χρῶμαι καὶ σπανίως λαχάνοις-καὶ ὅτι ἱμάτιόν μοι καὶ τρι- βώνιον ὑπάρχει τοῦτ' αὐτὸ ὃ περιβέβλημαι καὶ ἑτέρου χρείαν οὐκ ἔχω οὐδὲ ἄλλων τινῶν· ἐν γὰρ τούτοις καὶ περισσεύομαι. ὁ νοῦς γάρ μου τὰ ἐκεῖ πάντα ὁρῶν αἰώνια ἀγαθὰ οὐδὲν τῶν ἐνταῦθα περιβλέπεται. πλήν σου μὲν τὴν ἀγαθὴν προαίρεσιν ἀποδέχομαι καὶ θαυμάζων ἐπαινῶ πῶς ἀνὴρ ἐκ πολυτελῶν ἐθῶν ὑπάρχων ·ᾳδίως τοῖς ἀναγκαίοις τὸν σεαυ- τοῦ ὑπήλλαξας βίον. ἡμεῖς γὰρ ἐκ παίδων (ἐγώ τε καὶ Ἀνδρέας ὁ σύναι- μος καὶ κατὰ θεὸν ἀδελφὸς ὢν ἐμός) οὐ μόνον ἐν ὀρφανίᾳ ἀνατραφέντες. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὸ πενίας καὶ κακουχίας εἰς ἐργατείαν ἐθισθέντες, εὐμαρῶς νῦν τὰς τῶν ὁδῶν φέρομεν σκύλσεις. ὅθεν εἰ ἐπείθου μοι, ἐμοὶ ἂν συγκε- χωρήκεις, ἀνδρὶ ἐργάτῃ, σοὶ τὰ δούλων ἀποπληροῦν μέρη. ἐγὼ δὲ ἀκούσας σύντρομος ἐγενόμην καὶ ἐπίδακρυς οἷον λόγον εἶπεν ἀνήρ, οὗ πάντες οἱ τῆς νῦν γενεᾶς ἄνθρωποι τῷ τῆς γνώσεως καὶ εὐσεβείας λόγῳ ἥττους τυγχάνουσιν. ὁ δὲ ἰδών με σύνδακρυν τῶν δακρύων ἐπύθετο τὴν αἰτίαν. κἀγὼ ἔφην· Τί τοιοῦτον ἥμαρτον, ἵνα μοι τοιοῦτον εἴπῃς λόγον; καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀπεκρίνατο· Eἰ μὲν κακῶς εἴρηκα τὸ δουλεῦσαί σοι, σὺ πρῶ- τος ἥμαρτες, τοῦτ' ἐμοὶ ποιῆσαι ἀξιώσας. κἀγὼ ἔφην· Oὐχ ὅμοιόν ἐστιν· ἐμοὶ μὲν γὰρ τοῦτο ποιεῖν πρέπει πάνυ, σοὶ δὲ τῷ τοῦ θεοῦ κήρυκι τὰς