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And Nicetas began to say: On that same night, when the ship, as you know, was breaking up, some men, not fearing to commit piracy on the deep, picked us up, and putting us in a skiff and rowing with oars, sometimes they carried us along the land, and sometimes, sending for provisions, they brought us to Caesarea Stratonis; and there they were able to sell us, who were weeping with hunger, fear, and blows, so that we would not say anything rash that they did not approve of, and after even changing our names. And a certain woman, a proselyte to the Jews, very worthy, by name Justa, having bought us, kept us in the place of children and educated us with diligence in all Greek learning. And when we came to an age of understanding, we both loved the religion and labored at our education, so that by reasoning with the other nations we might be able to convict them of their error. But we also studied philosophy accurately, especially the most atheistic, I mean those of Epicurus and Pyrrho, so that we might be better able to refute them. But having become almost foster-brothers to a certain magician, Simon, we were in danger of being deceived by way of friendship. For there is a certain teaching about a certain man, at whose appearance in the kingdom the crowd of the God-fearing is to live immortally and without grief; however, these things, mother, will be set forth to you more accurately at the proper time. But when we were about to be deceived by Simon, a certain companion of our Lord Peter, named Zacchaeus, approached and admonished us not to be deceived by the magician, and when Peter arrived, he brought us to him, so that having fully informed us he might persuade us concerning the things that pertain to godliness. Therefore we also pray for you, mother, that you may also partake of the good things of which we have been counted worthy, so that we may be able to partake of salt and table in common. This then is the reason, mother, why you thought we were dead, that on that most terrible night we were carried off by pirates on the high sea, and you thought we had perished. When Faustinus had said these things, our mother fell down before Peter, begging and asking that he send for both her and her hostess and baptize them immediately, so that (she said) not a single day might be without its share, from when I received my children back, in which I have not feasted with them. And so, when we also urged our mother to the same things, Peter said: What do you think? Am I alone uncompassionate, that I do not wish you to feast with your mother, having baptized her today? But it is necessary for her to fast for at least one day before being baptized. And this, since she uttered something simply on her own behalf, which I perceived to be a sufficient interpreter of her faith; since it was necessary for her to renounce Hellenism for many days. And I said: Tell us what word she uttered, which revealed her faith. And Peter said: Her request that her benefactress, the hostess, be baptized with her. For she would not have asked for this to be given to the one she longed for, if she had not first been disposed as if toward the great gift of baptism. Wherefore I condemn many, who, when they have been baptized and say they believe, do nothing worthy of faith, nor do they urge toward this those whom they love (I mean their own wives or sons or friends). For if they have believed that God bestows eternal life with good works, without delay those whom

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Καὶ ὁ Νικήτης ἤρξατο λέγειν· Τῆς αὐτῆς ἐκείνης νυκτός, τοῦ πλοίου, ὡς οἶσθα, διαλυομένου, ἡμᾶς ἄνδρες τινὲς ἐν τῷ βυθῷ λῃστεύειν μὴ φοβού- μενοι ἀνείλαντο καὶ ἐν σκάφῃ θέντες καὶ κώπαις ἐλαύνοντες ὁτὲ μὲν παρὰ γῆν ἔφερον, ὁτὲ δὲ καὶ τροφὰς μεταπεμπόμενοι εἰς τὴν Στράτωνος ἦγον Και- σάρειαν· κἀκεῖ δακρύοντας ἡμᾶς λιμῷ φόβῳ τε καὶ πληγαῖς, ὅπως μή τι προπετὲς λαλήσωμεν τῶν αὐτοῖς μὴ δοκούντων, ἔτι τε καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα ἡμῶν ἀλλάξαντες, πωλῆσαι ἠδυνήθησαν. γυνὴ δέ τις Ἰουδαίοις προσήλυτος, ἀξιόλογος πάνυ, ὀνόματι Ἰοῦστα, ὠνησαμένη ἡμᾶς εἰς τέκνων ἐφύλαττεν τόπον καὶ πάσῃ ἑλληνικῇ παιδείᾳ μετὰ σπουδῆς ἐξεπαίδευσεν. ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐφ' ἡλικίας ἔμφρονος γενόμενοι καὶ τὴν θρησκείαν ἠγαπήσαμεν καὶ τὰ τῆς παι- δείας ἐφιλοπονέσαμεν, ὅπως πρὸς τὰ λοιπὰ ἔθνη διαλεγόμενοι ἐλέγχειν αὐτὰ περὶ πλάνης δυνώμεθα. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ φιλοσόφων ἠκριβώσαμεν, ἐξαιρέ- τως δὲ τὰ ἀθεώτατα, λέγω δὲ τὰ Ἐπικούρου καὶ Πύρρωνος, ἵνα μᾶλλον ἀνασκευάζειν δυνώμεθα. Σίμωνι δέ τινι μάγῳ σχεδὸν σύντροφοι γενό- μενοι, φιλίας ὁδῷ ἀπατηθῆναι ἐκινδυνεύσαμεν. ἔστιν δέ τις περὶ ἀνθρώ- που τινὸς λόγος, οὗ φανέντος ἐν βασιλείᾳ τῶν θεοσεβησάντων ὄχλος ἀθανάτως καὶ ἀλύπως βιῶσαι ἔχει· ὅμως ταῦτα μέν σοι, μῆτερ, ἐπὶ καιροῦ ἀκριβέστερον ἐκτεθήσεται. πλὴν μέλλουσιν ἡμῖν ἀπατᾶσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ Σίμωνος ἑταῖρός τις τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Πέτρου, Ζακχαῖος λεγόμενος, προσηκάμενος ἐνουθέτησεν μὴ ἀπατηθῆναι τῷ μάγῳ, ἐπελθόντι δὲ τῷ Πέτρῳ προσήγαγεν, ὅπως ἡμᾶς πληροφορήσας πείσῃ περὶ τῶν τῇ θεο- σεβείᾳ διαφερόντων. διὸ καὶ σέ, μῆτερ, εὐχόμεθα ἵνα ὧν ἡμεῖς κατηξιώ- θημεν ἀγαθῶν, τούτων καὶ σὺ μεταλάβῃς, ὅπως κοινῇ ἁλῶν καὶ τραπέζης μεταλαβεῖν δυνηθῶμεν. αὕτη οὖν ἐστιν ἡ αἰτία, τεκοῦσα, δι' ἣν ἐνόμιζες ἡμᾶς τεθνάναι, τῷ ἐκείνῃ τῇ χαλεπωτάτῃ νυκτὶ ὑπὸ πειρατῶν ἀρθῆναι ἐν πελάγει, σὲ δὲ νομίζειν ἡμᾶς ἀπολωλέναι. Ταῦτα τοῦ Φαυστίνου εἰπόντος ἡ μήτηρ ἡμῶν προσέπεσεν τῷ Πέτρῳ, δεομένη καὶ ἀξιοῦσα ὅπως αὐτήν τε καὶ τὴν ξενοδόχον αὐτῆς μεταπεμψά- μενος ἐξαυτῆς βαπτίσῃ, ἵνα (φησίν) μηδεμία τις ἡμέρα ἄμοιρος γένηται, ἀφ' ἧς τὰ ἐμαυτῆς ἀπέλαβον τέκνα, ἐν ᾗ μὴ συνεστιάσθην αὐτοῖς. ταὐτὰ οὖν καὶ ἡμῶν τῇ μητρὶ συνπαρακαλεσάντων, ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· Τί νομίζετε; ἐγὼ μόνος ἄσπλαγχνός εἰμι ὅτι μὴ βούλομαι ὑμᾶς συνεστιασθῆναι τῇ μητρί, βαπτίσας αὐτὴν σήμερον; ἀλλὰ κἂν μίαν ἡμέραν πρὸ τοῦ βαπτισθῆ- ναι νηστεῦσαι αὐτὴν δεῖ. καὶ ταῦτα ἐπεὶ ἁπλῶς τινα ὑπὲρ ἑαυτῆς ἐφθέγξατο, ὃν ἐγὼ τῆς πίστεως αὐτῆς ἱκανὸν ἑρμηνέα συνεῖδον· ἐπεὶ πολ- λῶν ἡμερῶν αὐτὴν ἀφελληνισθῆναι ἔδει. κἀγὼ ἔφην· Eἰπὲ ἡμῖν τίνα ἐφθέγξατο λόγον, ὃς τὴν πίστιν αὐτῆς ἐξέφανεν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· Ἡ ἀξίωσις αὐτῆς τοῦ συνβαπτισθῆναι αὐτῇ τὴν ξενοδόχον εὐεργέτιν. οὐκ ἂν δὲ τοῦτο τῇ ὑπ' αὐτῆς ποθουμένῃ δοθῆναι παρεκάλει, εἰ μὴ πρό- τερον αὐτὴ διετέθη ὡς ἐπὶ μεγάλῃ τῇ τοῦ βαπτίσματος δωρεᾷ. ὅθεν ἐγὼ πολλῶν καταγινώσκω, ὁπόταν βαπτισθέντες καὶ πιστεύειν λέγοντες μηδὲν ἄξιον πίστεως ποιῶσιν μηδὲ οὓς ἀγαπῶσιν (λέγω δὴ γυναῖκας αὑτῶν ἢ υἱοὺς ἢ φίλους) πρὸς τοῦτο προτρέπωνται. εἰ γὰρ πεπιστεύκασιν ζωὴν αἰώνιον σὺν ἔργοις καλοῖς δωρεῖσθαι τὸν θεόν, ἀνυπερθέτως οὓς