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cast away or having encountered a shipwreck. And a proof of this is that it is now henceforth the twentieth year, since I have heard no truth about him. But Peter, hearing these things, wept out of compassion and immediately said to his genuine companions: If anyone suffered these things in piety, such as this man's father has suffered, he would immediately have attached the cause to the account of piety, ascribing it to the evil one; so also it happens that the wretched Gentiles suffer, and we who are pious are ignorant. And I have reasonably called them wretched, because here they wander and do not attain the hope that is there. For those in piety who suffer tribulations, suffer for the atonement of their transgressions. When Peter had said these things, one of those among us, daring on behalf of all, urged him to sail tomorrow quite early to Aradus, the island opposite, which I think is not even a full thirty stades distant, in order to see the two vine-wood pillars there, which have the greatest thickness. So the obedient Peter consented, saying: When you disembark from the ship, do not all go in at the same time for the viewing of what you desire; for I do not want throngs of citizens to form around you. And so, having sailed, after a short time we were brought to the island. And disembarking from the boat, we went in, where the vine-wood pillars were; at the same time along with them, one person viewed one thing, another another, of the works of Phidias. But Peter alone did not think it necessary to go to the viewing of the things there, but having observed intently a certain woman sitting outside before the doors and begging for food, he said: Woman, what limb do you lack, that you have undertaken such an outrage (I mean, begging) and do not rather, by working with the hands given to you by God, provide your daily food? And she, groaning, answered: Would that I had hands able to serve; but now they keep only the shape of hands for me, being dead, having been tortured by my own bites. And Peter asked: What is the cause of your having suffered this grievous thing? And she answered: A weakness of soul and nothing more; for if I had a courageous spirit, there was a cliff or an abyss, from which, by throwing myself, I could have ceased from the evils that pain me. And Peter said: What then do you think, woman? That those who kill themselves are by all means freed from punishment, or are not the souls of those who die thus punished in Hades with a worse punishment for their suicide? And she said: Would that I were persuaded that souls are truly found living in Hades, and I would be content, despising the punishment, to die, so that I might see my greatly longed-for ones, even for one hour. And Peter said: What then is it that grieves you, I wished to learn, woman. For if you will teach me, in return for this favor I will fully assure you that souls live in Hades, and instead of a cliff or an abyss I will give you a potion, so that you may be able to exchange this life of living without torment. And the woman, not understanding what was said ambiguously, being persuaded by the promise, began to speak thus: As for my family and fatherland, I do not think I could ever bring myself to tell anyone. But what difference does it make for you to learn this, rather than only the cause for which, being in anguish, I have made my hands dead with bites? Nevertheless, I will relate the things concerning myself, as much as it is possible for you to hear. I very much

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θεὶς ἢ ναυφραγίῳ περιπεσών. τούτου δὲ δεῖγμα ὅτι ἤδη λοιπὸν ἔκτοτε εἰκο- στὸν ἔτος ἐστίν, ἀφ' ἧς οὐδεμίαν τινὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ ἀλήθειαν ἤκουσα. ὁ δὲ Πέτρος ἀκούων ταῦτα ὑπὸ συμπαθείας ἐδάκρυσεν καὶ εὐθέως τοῖς συνοῦσιν γνησίοις ἔφη· Ταῦτα εἴ τις πεπόνθει ἐν θεοσεβείᾳ, οἷα ὁ τούτου πέπονθεν πατήρ, εὐθέως τῷ τῆς θεοσεβείας λόγῳ τὴν αἰτίαν προσῆπτεν ἐπιγράφων τὸν πονηρόν· οὕτω καὶ τοῖς ταλαιπώροις ἔθνεσιν συμβαίνει πάσχειν, καὶ ἀγνοοῦμεν οἱ θεοσεβεῖς. ταλαιπώρους δὲ αὐτοὺς εὐλόγως εἴρηκα, ὅτι ἐνταῦθα ἀλῶνται καὶ τῆς ἐκεῖ ἐλπίδος οὐ τυγχάνουσιν. οἱ γὰρ ἐν θεο- σεβείᾳ πάσχοντες τὰ θλιβερὰ εἰς ἔκπραξιν παραπτωμάτων πάσχουσιν. Ταῦτα τοῦ Πέτρου εἰπόντος εἷς τις τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν τολμήσας ἀντὶ πάν- των παρεκάλεσεν αὐτὸν αὔριον ὀρθρίτερον εἰς Ἄραδον τὴν κατέναντι νῆσον εἰσπλεῦσαι, τριάκοντα οἶμαι οὐδ' ὅλους ἀπέχουσαν σταδίους, ὡς ἐπὶ ἱστορίᾳ τῶν ἐκεῖ ἀμπελίνων δύο στύλων μέγιστα ἐχόντων πάχη. ὁ οὖν πειθήνιος Πέτρος συνεχώρησεν εἰπών· Ἐπὰν τοῦ πλοίου ἐκβῆτε, μὴ ἅμα οἱ πάντες εἰσέρχεσθε εἰς τὴν θεωρίαν ὧν ἐπιθυμεῖτε· οὐ γὰρ βούλομαι στρέμματα γίνεσθαι εἰς ὑμᾶς τῶν πολιτῶν. καὶ οὕτως πλεύ- σαντες ·οπῇ ὥρας κατήχθημεν εἰς τὴν νῆσον. ἐκβάντες δὲ τοῦ σκάφους εἰσῄειμεν, ἔνθα οἱ ἀμπέλινοι στῦλοι ἦσαν· ὁμῶς ἅμα αὐτοῖς ἄλλος ἄλλο τι τῶν Φειδίου ἔργων ἐθεώρει. Πέτρος δὲ μόνος οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον ἡγήσατο ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν ἐκεῖ ἱστορίαν γενέσθαι, γυναικὶ δέ τινι ἔξω πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν καθεζομένῃ καὶ τροφῆς χάριν μεταιτούσῃ πυκνὰ κατανοήσας ἔφη· Γύναι, τί σοι τῶν μελῶν λείπει, ὅτι τοσαύτην ὕβριν ἀνεδέξω (λέγω δὴ τὸ προσαιτεῖν) καὶ μὴ μᾶλλον ταῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ σοι δεδωρημέναις χερσὶν ἐργαζομένη τὰς ἐφημέρους πορίζῃ τροφάς; ἡ δὲ στενάξασα ἀπεκρίνατο· Eἴθε γὰρ ἦσάν μοι χεῖρες ὑπουργεῖν δυνάμεναι· νῦν δέ μοι σχῆμα μόνον χειρῶν φυλάσσουσιν, νεκραὶ τυγχάνουσαι, ὑπὸ δηγμάτων ἐμῶν βεβασανισμέναι. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἐπύθετο· Τίς δὲ ἡ αἰτία τοῦ σὲ τὸ χαλεπὸν τοῦτο πεπονθέναι; ἡ δὲ ἀπεκρίνατο· Ψυχῆς ἀσθένεια καὶ πλέον οὐθέν· εἰ γὰρ ἀνδρεῖον εἶχον φρόνημα, ἦν κρημνὸς ἢ βυθός, ὅθεν ἐμαυτὴν ·ίψασα τῶν ὀδυνώντων με παύσασθαι ἠδυνάμην κακῶν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· Τί οὖν οἴει, γύναι; ὅτι πάντως οἱ ἀναιροῦντες ἑαυτοὺς κο- λάσεως ἀπαλλάσσονται ἢ μὴ τῇ χείρονι κολάσει ἐν ᾅδῃ αἱ τῶν οὕτως θνῃσκόντων ψυχαὶ περὶ τῆς αὐτοκτονίας κολάζονται; ἡ δὲ ἔφη· Eἴθε ἐπεπείσμην, ὅτι ὄντως ἐν ᾅδῃ ψυχαὶ εὑρίσκονται ζῶσαι, καὶ ἠγάπων τῆς κολάσεως καταφρονήσασα θανεῖν, ὅπως τοὺς ἐμοὺς περιποθήτους ἴδω κἂν μίαν ὥραν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· Τί ἄρα ἐστὶν τὸ λυποῦν σε, μαθεῖν ἤθε- λον, γύναι. ἐὰν γάρ με διδάξῃς, ἀντὶ ταύτης τῆς χάριτος πληροφορήσω σε, ὅτι ἐν ᾅδῃ ζῶσιν αἱ ψυχαί, καὶ ἀντὶ κρημνοῦ ἢ βυθοῦ φάρμακον δώσω, ὅπως ἀβασανίστως τοῦ ζῆν τὸν βίον μεταλλάξαι δυνηθῇς. Καὶ ἡ γυνὴ τὸ ἀμφιβόλως ·ηθὲν μὴ συνεῖσα, ἐπὶ τῇ ὑποσχέσει πει- σθεῖσα τοῦ λέγειν ἤρξατο οὕτως· Γένος μὲν καὶ πατρίδα εἰπεῖν οὐκ οἴομαι πεῖσαί ποτε δυνηθῆναί τινα. πλὴν καὶ σοὶ τί διαφέρει τοῦτο μαθεῖν ἢ μόνην τὴν αἰτίαν, ἧς ἕνεκεν ὀδυνωμένη δήγμασιν τὰς ἐμὰς ἐνέκρωσα χεῖρας; πλὴν τὰ κατ' ἐμαυτὴν ὡς δυνατὸν ἀκοῦσαί σε, διηγήσομαι. ἐγὼ πάνυ