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But Peter, waking up much earlier than usual, came in to us and, waking us, said: Let Faustinus and Faustinianus, along with Clement and their household members, follow me, so that, having come to a sheltered place by the sea, we might be able to baptize her unobserved. However, when we had come to the shore, and found a calm and clear place between some rocks, he baptized her. But we the brothers, for the sake of the women, having withdrawn along with some others [brother] and bathed, then came and took the women with us, and thus going to a secret place, we prayed. Then Peter sent the women ahead on account of the crowd, ordering them to come to the lodging by another road, and for us men alone to be with our mother and the other women. Therefore, having come to the lodging and waiting for him to come, we talked with one another. But after a considerable time Peter came, broke the bread with thanksgiving, and having put salt on it, gave it first to our mother, and after her to us her sons. And thus we ate with her and blessed God-

Then, therefore, Peter, seeing that the crowd had come in, and having sat down and ordered us to sit beside him, began by explaining to us for what reason he had sent us ahead from the baptism and had himself come late. And he said the reason was this. "As soon as you (he said) departed, an old man, a workman, came in with me, furtively hiding himself, having spied on us beforehand (as he himself later confessed) in order to see what we might do upon entering the sheltered place. Having gone out secretly, he followed. Approaching in an opportune place and greeting me, he said: 'Having followed you for a long time and wishing to meet with you, I was ashamed lest you be angry with me for being meddlesome, but now, if you wish, I will say what seems true to me.' And I answered: 'Tell us what seems good to you, and we will welcome you, even if what is said is not in reality good, since with good intention you wished to say what seemed good to you.' And the old man began to speak thus: 'Seeing you bathing in the sea and withdrawing to the hidden place, I approached secretly and watched to see what you might be doing entering the secret place, and when I saw you praying, I withdrew. But pitying you, I waited, so that by speaking to you as you came out I might persuade you not to be deceived. For there is neither a god nor providence, but all things are subject to genesis, as I have been fully convinced by what I have suffered, having for a long time carefully examined the doctrine. Therefore do not be deceived, my child. For whether you pray or not, you are under necessity to suffer the things that come from genesis. For if prayers or doing good had any power, I myself would be in better circumstances. And now if this my poor clothing does not deceive you, you will not disbelieve what I say. Once being in great abundance of life, I both sacrificed many things to the gods and gave to those in need, and yet though praying and being pious I was not able to escape my fate. And I said: 'What are the things that you have suffered?' And he answered: 'There is no need to say now; perhaps in the end you will hear who I am and of what stock and in what circumstances of life I have been.' But now that at least-

[HOMILY 14.]

ed.

114

Ὀρθρίτερον δὲ πολλῷ τοῦ καθ' ἡμέραν ὁ Πέτρος διυπνισθεὶς εἰσῄει πρὸς ἡμᾶς καὶ ἐξυπνίσας ἔφη· Φαυστῖνος καὶ Φαυστινιανὸς ἅμα Κλήμεντι μετὰ τῶν οἰκείων ἀκολουθησάτωσάν μοι, ὅπως ἐν σκεπινῷ τῆς θαλάσσης τόπῳ ἐλθόντες ἐν ἀκατασκόπῳ βαπτίσαι αὐτὴν δυνηθῶ- μεν. πλὴν ἐπὶ τὸν αἰγιαλὸν γενομένων ἡμῶν μεταξὺ πετρῶν τινων γαληνοῦ καὶ καθαροῦ τόπου εὐπορεσάντων, ἐβάπτισεν αὐτήν. ἡμεῖς δὲ οἱ ἀδελφοί, τῶν γυναικῶν χάριν ἅμα [ἀδελφῷ] ἄλλοις τισὶν ὑποχωρή- σαντες καὶ λουσάμενοι, ἐλθόντες ἔπειτα τὰς γυναῖκας παρελάβομεν καὶ οὕτως ἐν κρυφαίῳ τόπῳ πορευθέντες εὐχόμεθα. ἔπειτα ὁ Πέτρος τὰς γυναῖκας διὰ τὸν ὄχλον προέπεμψεν, δι' ἄλλης ὁδοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν ξενίαν ἐλθεῖν κελεύσας, ἀνδρῶν τε μόνοις ἡμῖν συνεῖναι τῇ μητρὶ καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις γυναιξίν. ἐλθόντες οὖν εἰς τὴν ξενίαν καὶ ἀναμένοντες αὐτὸν ἐλθεῖν ἀλλήλοις διελεγόμεθα. μετὰ ἱκανὰς δὲ ὥρας ὁ Πέτρος ἐλθών, τὸν ἄρτον ἐπ' εὐχαριστίᾳ κλάσας καὶ ἐπιθεὶς ἅλας, τῇ μητρὶ πρῶτον ἐπέδωκεν, μετ' αὐτὴν ἡμῖν τοῖς υἱοῖς αὐτῆς. καὶ οὕτως αὐτῇ συνεστιάθημεν καὶ τὸν θεὸν εὐλογή-

Τότε λοιπὸν ὁ Πέτρος τὸν ὄχλον εἰσεληλυθότα ἰδὼν καὶ καθεσθεὶς καὶ παρακαθεσθῆναι ἡμᾶς κελεύσας ὑφηγεῖται τὰ πρῶτα πείθων ἡμᾶς τίνι λόγῳ προπέμψας ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ βαπτίσματος καὶ αὐτὸς βραδύνας ἐπῆλθεν. τὴν δὲ αἰτίαν ἔλεγεν τοιαύτην. ἅμα τῷ ὑμᾶς (φησίν) ἀποστῆναι, γέρων συνεισῄει ἐργάτης, περιέργως κλέπτων ἑαυτόν, προκατασκοπήσας ἡμᾶς (ὡς αὐτὸς ὕστερον ὡμολόγει) πρὸς τὸ ἰδεῖν τί ἂν πράττοιμεν εἰς τὸν σκεπινὸν τόπον εἰσελθόντες. λάθρα ἐκβὰς ἠκολούθησεν. ἐν εὐκαίρῳ τόπῳ προσελθὼν καὶ προσαγορεύσας ἔφη· Ἐκ πολλοῦ σοι ἀκολουθῶν καὶ συντυχεῖν θέλων ᾐδούμην μήπως ὡς περιέργῳ μοι χαλεπαίνῃς, νῦν δὲ τὰ ἐμοὶ δοκοῦντα ἀληθῆ, εἰ βούλει, λέγω. κἀγὼ ἀπεκρινάμην· Λέγε ἡμῖν ὅπερ σοι δοκεῖ καλὸν εἶναι, καὶ ἀποδεξόμεθά σε, κἂν τῷ ὄντι μὴ καλὸν ᾖ τὸ λεγόμενον, ἐπείπερ ἀγαθῇ προαιρέσει τὸ δοκοῦν σοι καλὸν εἰπεῖν ἠθέ- λησας. καὶ ὁ γέρων τοῦ λέγειν ἤρξατο οὕτως· Θαλάσσῃ ὑμᾶς λελουμένους εἰς τὸν ἀπόκρυφον τόπον ὑποχωρήσαντας ἰδών, προσελθὼν λάθρα κατεσκόπουν τὸ τί ἂν ἐν κρυφαίῳ εἰσιόντες πράττοιτε, καὶ ἐπειδὴ εὐχομένους εἶδον, ὑπεχώρησα· ἐλεήσας δὲ ὑμᾶς ἀνέμεινα, ὅπως ἐξιοῦ- σιν προσομιλήσας πείσω μὴ ἀπατᾶσθαι. οὔτε γὰρ θεός ἐστιν οὔτε πρόνοια, ἀλλὰ γενέσει τὰ πάντα ὑπόκειται, ὡς ἐγὼ ἐφ' οἷς πέπονθα πε- πληροφόρημαι, ἐκ πολλοῦ ἀκριβῶν τὸ μάθημα. μὴ οὖν ἀπατῶ, τέκνον. εἴτε γὰρ εὔχῃ εἴτε μή, τὰ ἐκ τῆς γενέσεως πάσχειν ἀνάγκην ἔχεις· εἰ γὰρ εὐχαί τι ἐδύναντο ἢ τὸ εὖ ποιεῖν, αὐτὸς ἂν ἐν τοῖς κρείττοσιν ἤμην. καὶ νῦν εἰ μή σε ἀπατᾷ ἡ πενιχρά μου αὕτη ἐσθής, οὐκ ἀπιστήσεις οἷς λέγω. ἐν πολλῇ βίου ποτὲ ὢν περιουσίᾳ, πολλὰ καὶ θεοῖς ἔθυον καὶ δεομένοις παρεῖχον, καὶ ὅμως εὐχόμενός τε καὶ εὐσεβῶν τὴν πεπρω- μένην ἐκφυγεῖν οὐκ ἠδυνήθην. κἀγὼ ἔφην· Τίνα ἐστὶν ἃ πέπονθας; ὁ δὲ ἀπεκρίνατο· Oὐκ ἀνάγκη λέγειν νῦν, ἴσως ἐπὶ τέλει ἀκούσει τίς τε ὢν ἐγὼ καὶ τίνων ἐν ποίαις βίου περιστάσεσιν γέγονα. νῦν δὲ ὅτι γε-

[OΜIΛIA I∆.]

σαμεν.