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they loved, they urged to be baptized. But one of you will say: They love them and care for them. This is foolish. For why then, when they see them sick or being led away to death or suffering any other terrible things, do they lament and pity them? So, if they had believed that eternal fire awaits those who do not worship God, they would not have ceased admonishing or, seeing them disobedient, grieving as over unbelievers, being fully convinced of the punishment against them. And now, having sent for the hostess, I will question her, whether she chooses to love the law given through us, and thus we will do what is necessary accordingly. But since your mother is faithfully disposed concerning baptism, let her fast at least one day before the baptism. But she swore: For two of the past days, while relating to the woman the things concerning the recognition, because of the great joy I was not able to partake of food, except yesterday only a little water. And Peter's wife bore witness to the oath, saying: Truly she has not tasted. And Aquila (or rather, henceforth Faustinianus) said: Then nothing prevents her from being baptized. And Peter, laughing, answered: But this is not a baptismal fast, which has not happened for its sake. And Faustinus answered: Perhaps, then, God, wishing that our mother not be separated from our table for a single day of our recognition, prearranged the fast. For as she was chaste in ignorance, doing what is proper to the truth, so also now God has perhaps arranged for her to fast one day beforehand in ignorance for the sake of the true baptism, so that from the first day of recognizing us she may be able to partake of salt with us. And Peter said: Let not wickedness overcome us, finding a pretext in providence and a mother's affection, but rather let you and I with you remain today, and tomorrow she will be baptized. For the hour of today is not suitable for baptism. And thus all for it to be so

On that evening therefore we all enjoyed the teaching of Peter, as he showed us from the pretext concerning our mother for what reason the ends of chastity are good, while those of adultery, being terrible, are by nature wont to bring destruction on a whole family, if not quickly, then at least slowly. To such a degree (he says) does chastity please God, that even to those who are in error He bestows some small grace for its sake in the present life (for salvation there is given only to those who have been baptized through hope in Him and act justly with chastity), just as you have recognized has happened in the case of your mother, I mean the good things in the end. But perhaps if she had committed adultery, she would have been killed. Therefore God, having had mercy on her for being chaste, turned away the murder plotted against her and gave back the children that had been taken away. But perhaps someone will say: How many have perished on account of chastity? I say, on account of insensibility. For she who perceives that someone has become her lover must immediately flee intercourse with him as a burning fire or a rabid dog. In just the way she who bore you did, truly loving the good of chastity; wherefore, having been preserved with you, she received the knowledge of the eternal kingdom. The woman who wishes to be chaste ought to know that, being envied by wickedness under the pretext

we all consented.

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ἠγάπων προετρέποντο βαπτισθῆναι. ἀλλ' ἐρεῖ τις ὑμῶν· Ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτοὺς καὶ φροντίζουσιν αὐτῶν. τοῦτο εὔηθές ἐστιν. ἐπεὶ τί δήποτε νοσοῦντας ὁρῶντες ἢ ἀπαγομένους τὴν ἐπὶ θανάτῳ ἢ ἄλλα τινὰ χαλεπὰ πάσχοντας ὀδύρονται καὶ ἐλεῶσιν; οὕτως εἰ πεπιστεύκεισαν αἰώνιον πῦρ μένειν τοὺς τὸν θεὸν μὴ σέβοντας, οὐκ ἂν ἐπαύσαντο νουθετοῦντες ἢ καὶ ἀπειθοῦντας ὁρῶντες ὡς περὶ ἀπίστων ὀδυνώμενοι, τὴν κατ' αὐτῶν κόλασιν πεπληροφορη- μένοι. καὶ τὰ νῦν τὴν ξενοδόχον πέμψας ἀνακρινῶ, εἰ τὸν νόμον τὸν δι' ἡμῶν ἀγαπᾶν αἱρεῖται, καὶ οὕτως ἀκολούθως ἃ δεῖ πράξομεν. ἡ δὲ μήτηρ ὑμῶν ἐπειδὴ πιστῶς διάκειται περὶ τοῦ βαπτίσματος, κἂν μίαν πρὸ τοῦ βαπτίσμα- τος νηστευσάτω ἡμέραν. ἡ δὲ ὤμνυεν· ∆ύο τῶν διελθουσῶν ἡμερῶν, τῇ γυναικὶ τὰ κατὰ τὸν ἀναγνωρισμὸν διηγουμένη, ὑπὸ τῆς πολλῆς χαρᾶς τροφῆς μεταλαβεῖν οὐκ ἠδυνήθην ἢ ἐχθὲς μόνον βραχέος ὕδατος. ἐμαρ τύρησέ τε τῷ ὅρκῳ ἡ γυνὴ Πέτρου λέγουσα· Ἀληθῶς οὐκ ἐγεύσατο. καὶ ὁ Ἀκύλας (μᾶλλον δὲ τοῦ λοιποῦ Φαυστινιανός) ἔφη· Oὐκοῦν οὐδὲν κωλύει αὐτὴν βαπτισθῆναι. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος γελάσας ἀπεκρίνατο· Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστιν τοῦτο νηστεία βαπτίσματος, ὃ μὴ δι' αὐτὸ γέγονεν. καὶ ὁ Φαυστῖνος ἀπε- κρίνατο· Ἴσως οὖν ὁ θεὸς βουλόμενος ἡμῶν τὴν μητέρα μηδεμίαν ἡμέραν τῆς ἡμῶν ἐπιγνώσεως χωρίσαι τῆς τραπέζης προῳκονόμησεν τὴν νηστείαν. ὡς γὰρ ἐσωφρόνησεν ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ, τὸ πρέπον τῆς ἀληθείας ποιήσασα, οὕτως καὶ νῦν ὁ θεὸς ἴσως ᾠκονόμησεν αὐτὴν πρὸ μιᾶς νη- στεῦσαι ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἀληθοῦς βαπτίσματος, ἵνα ἀπὸ πρώτης ἡμέ- ρας τοῦ γνωρίσαι ἡμᾶς σὺν ἡμῖν ἁλῶν μεταλαβεῖν δυνηθῇ. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· Μὴ ἡμᾶς νικάτω ἡ κακία, πρόφασιν εὑροῦσα τὴν πρόνοιαν καὶ τεκούσης στοργήν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ὑμεῖς κἀγὼ σὺν ὑμῖν τὴν σήμερον διαμείνωμεν, καὶ αὔριον βαπτισθήσεται. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἡ ὥρα τῆς σήμερον ἡμέρας ἐπιτήδειός ἐστιν εἰς βάπτισμα. καὶ ὁμῶς οὕτως γενέσθαι οἱ πάντες

Aὐτῆς οὖν ἑσπέρας τῆς Πέτρου οἱ πάντες διδασκαλίας ἀπηλαύομεν, δεικνύντος ἡμῖν ἐκ τῆς κατὰ τὴν μητέρα προφάσεως τίνι λόγῳ τὰ τέλη τῆς σωφροσύνης καλά, τὰ δὲ τῆς μοιχείας χαλεπὰ ὄντα ὅλῳ γένει ὄλεθρον ποιεῖν φύσιν ἔχει, κἂν μὴ ταχέως, ἀλλ' οὖν γε κἂν βραδέως. ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον δέ (φησίν) τὰ τῆς σωφροσύνης ἀρέσκει τῷ θεῷ, ὅτι καὶ τοῖς ἐν πλάνῃ οὖσιν βραχεῖάν τινα ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς ἐν τῷ νῦν βίῳ ἀπονέμει χάριν (ἡ γὰρ ἐκεῖ σωτηρία μόνοις τοῖς διὰ τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν ἐλπίδα βαπτισθεῖσιν καὶ σωφρόνως δικαιο- πραγοῦσιν ἀποδίδοται), ὥσπερ ἐγνώκατε ἐπὶ τῆς ὑμετέρας μητρὸς γε- νόμενα, λέγω δὴ τὰ ἐπὶ τέλει καλά. ἴσως δὲ εἰ ἐμοιχήσατο, ἀνῄρητο ἄν. διὸ σωφρονέσασαν ἐλεήσας ὁ θεὸς τὸν κατ' αὐτῆς ἀπέστρεψεν φόνον καὶ τὰ ἀφαιρεθέντα τέκνα ἀπέδωκεν. ἀλλ' ἐρεῖ τις ἴσως· Πόσοι διὰ σω- φροσύνην ἀπώλοντο; φημὶ ἀναισθησίας αἰτίᾳ. χρὴ γὰρ τὴν αἰσθανο- μένην γενομένου τινὸς ἐραστοῦ παρ' αὐτὸ φυγεῖν τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐπι- μιξίαν ὡς πῦρ φλέγον ἢ λυσσῶντα κύνα. ὅνπερ τρόπον ἐποίησεν ἡ ὑμᾶς τεκοῦσα, τὸ τῆς σωφροσύνης ὄντως ἀγαπήσασα καλόν· διὸ φυλαχθεῖσα σὺν ὑμῖν αἰωνίου βασιλείας ἔλαβεν τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν. ἡ σωφρονεῖν βουλο- μένη γυνὴ εἰδέναι ὀφείλει ὅτι φθονουμένη ὑπὸ κακίας προφάσει

συνευδοκήσαμεν.