116

was shipwrecked and perished. And I answered: How do you know that she, having fled and being in a foreign land, married the slave and after marrying died? And the old man: I know the truth for certain, not that she married (since I did not even know that she was in love), but after her departure her husband's brother related to me everything concerning her love, and how, being a man of honor (as was fitting for a brother), he was unwilling to defile the marriage bed, and how the wretched woman, both wanting him and being ashamed of him and of the blame (for it is not possible to blame her, because from birth she was compelled to do and suffer these things), fabricated a dream, whether true or false I cannot say. For he said that she had said as follows: ‘In a vision someone appeared and commanded me, along with my children, to leave the city of the Romans immediately.’ And the husband, eager for her and his sons to be saved, at once sent them to Athens to be educated, along with their mother and slaves, and having a third, younger son, he kept him with him, as though the one who had spoken in the dream had permitted him to be with him. And when much time had passed and he had not received a letter from her, after he himself had sent many times to Athens, he took me along, as being more loyal to him than anyone, and went on the search. Therefore, I labored with him much and eagerly during the journey, remembering that he had made me a partner in all of his former prosperity, loving me more than all his friends. And so we sailed from Rome itself and thus came to these parts of Syria and put in at Seleucia, and so, when we had disembarked from the ship, after not many days he died of despondency, but I, having come here, supporting myself by the work of my hands from then until now

When the old man said these things, I perceived that the old man whom he said had died was himself (from what he said) your father, but I did not wish to compare your story with his, until I had conferred with you. However, having learned the circumstances of his being a stranger and having disclosed my own, for the sake of accuracy I asked only this: what was the old man’s name? And he said, ‘Faustus.’ And what about the twin sons? And he answered, ‘Faustinus and Faustinianus.’ And what about the third son? And he said, ‘Clement.’ And what was the name of their mother? And he said, ‘Mattidia.’ Therefore, moved by sympathy, I became tearful, and having dismissed the crowds, I came to you, so that after the sharing of salt I might confer these things with you. But before partaking of the salt I was unwilling to tell you, lest, overcome by grief on the day of your baptism, you should spend it mourning, at a time when even the angels rejoice. As Peter said these things, we all wept with our mother. And he, seeing us weeping, said: ‘Now let each of you, with fear toward God, bear nobly what has been said. For your father did not die for you today, but long ago, as you yourselves have said from conjecture.’ When Peter said these things, the mother, unable to bear it, crying out, said: ‘Woe is me, husband, loving us you died without a trial, while we who are alive see the light and partake of food.’ And before this one lament had ceased, behold, the old man entered and at the same time as he wished concerning the outcry

I provide food.

116

λάσσῃ διεφθάρη. κἀγὼ ἀπεκρινάμην· Πῶς γινώσκεις ὅτι ἡ φυγοῦσα ἐν ἀλλοδαπῇ γενομένη τὸν δοῦλον ἔγημεν καὶ γήμασα ἐτελεύτησεν; καὶ ὁ γέρων· Ἀσφαλῶς οἶδα τἀληθῆ οὐχ ὅτι ἔγημεν (ὁπότε οὐδὲ ὅτι ἤρα ἐγί- νωσκον), ἀλλὰ μετὰ τὴν αὐτῆς ἀπαλλαγὴν ὁ ἀδελφὸς ὁ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς αὐτῆς ἐμοὶ διηγήσατο πάντα τὰ κατὰ τὸν αὐτῆς ἔρωτα καὶ ὡς σεμνὸς ὤν (ἅτε δὴ ὁ ἀδελ- φός) οὐκ ἐβουλήθη μιᾶναι τὴν κοίτην καὶ πῶς βουλομένη καὶ αἰδουμένη αὐτὸν καὶ τὸν ψόγον ἡ τάλαινα (οὐκ ἔστιν γὰρ αὐτὴν μέμψασθαι, ὅτι ἐκ γενέσεως ταῦτα ποιεῖν καὶ πάσχειν ἠναγκάζετο) ὄνειρον εἴτε ἀληθῆ εἴτε ψευδῆ ἐπλάσατο οὐκ ἔχω λέγειν· ἔλεγεν γὰρ αὐτὴν εἰρηκέναι ὡς ὅτι· Ἐν ὁράματι ἐπιστάς τις ἐκέλευσέν μοι ἅμα τέκνοις ἐξαυτῆς τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἐκβῆναι πόλιν. ὁ δὲ ἀνὴρ σσζεσθαι αὐτὴν σὺν τοῖς υἱοῖς σπεύδων αὐτίκα αὐτοὺς παιδευθησομένους εἰς τὰς Ἀθήνας ἐξέπεμψεν σὺν τῇ μητρὶ καὶ δούλοις, τρίτον δὲ νεώτερον υἱὸν ἔχων ἔσχεν παρ' αὐτῷ ὡς δὴ τοῦ χρη- ματίσαντος κατ' ὄναρ συνεῖναι αὐτὸν αὐτῷ ἐπιτρέψαντος. πολλοῦ δὲ χρό- νου διελθόντος ὡς οὐκ ἔλαβεν γράμματα παρ' αὐτῆς, αὐτὸς πολλάκις πέμψας εἰς Ἀθήνας, ἐμὲ παραλαβὼν ὡς πάντων αὐτῷ γνησιώτερον ὄντα, ἐπὶ τὴν ζήτησιν ἐπορεύθη. πολλὰ μὲν οὖν αὐτῷ καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἀπο- δημίαν συνέκαμον προθύμως, μεμνημένος ὅτι τῆς πάλαι αὐτοῦ εὐδαιμονίας κοινωνόν με πάντων εἶχεν, ὑπὲρ πάντας αὐτοῦ με τοὺς φίλους ἀγαπῶν. καὶ δὴ ἀπεπλεύσαμεν αὐτῆς Ῥώμης καὶ οὕτως εἰς τὰ ἐνταῦθα τῆς Συρίας μέρη ἐγενόμεθα καὶ εἰς Σελεύκειαν παρεβάλομεν καὶ οὕτως ἐκβάντων ἡμῶν τοῦ πλοίου μετ' οὐ πολλὰς ἡμέρας ἀθυμῶν ἐτελεύτησεν, ἐγὼ δὲ ἐνταῦθα ἐλθών, ἑαυτὸν ἀποδοὺς τὰς διὰ τῶν χειρῶν ἔκτοτε μέχρι τοῦ δεῦρο

Ταῦτα τοῦ γέροντος εἰπόντος συνιδὼν ὅτι, ὃν ἔλεγεν τεθνάναι γέροντα, αὐτὸς ἦν (ἐξ ὧν ἔλεγεν) ὁ ὑμέτερος πατήρ, οὐκ ἐβουλήθην τὸ καθ' ὑμᾶς αὐτῷ συναντιβαλεῖν, μέχρις ἂν ὑμῖν προσανάθωμαι. πλὴν τὰ κατὰ τὴν ξενίαν αὐτοῦ καταμαθὼν καὶ τὴν ἐμὴν μηνύσας, ἀκριβείας ἕνεκα τοῦτο μόνον ἐπυθόμην τί ὄνομα τῷ γέροντι; ὁ δὲ ἔφη· Φαῦστος. Τί δὲ τοῖς διδύμοις υἱοῖς; ὁ δὲ ἀπεκρίνατο· Φαυστῖνος καὶ Φαυστινιανός. Τί δὲ τῷ τρίτῳ υἱῷ; ὁ δὲ εἶπεν· Κλήμης. Τί δὲ τῇ τούτων μητρὶ ὄνομα; ὁ δὲ ἔφη· Ματτιδία. ὑπὸ συμπαθείας οὖν ἐγὼ σύνδακρυς γενόμενος, ἀπολύσας τοὺς ὄχλους ἦλθον πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἵνα μετὰ τὴν ἁλῶν κοινωνίαν ταῦτα προσανάθωμαι ὑμῖν. πρὸ δὲ τοῦ ἁλῶν μεταλαβεῖν εἰπεῖν ὑμῖν οὐκ ἐβουλήθην, μήπως ὑπὸ λύπης νικηθέντες ἐν τῇ τοῦ βαπτίσματος ἡμέρᾳ πενθοῦντες διατελέσητε, ὁπότε καὶ ἄγγελοι χαίρουσιν. ταῦτα τοῦ Πέτρου λέγοντος ἐδακρύομεν οἱ πάντες μετὰ τῆς μητρός. ὁ δὲ δακρύ- οντας ἡμᾶς ἰδὼν ἔφη· Νῦν ἕκαστος ὑμῶν φόβῳ τῷ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν γενναίως φερέτω τὰ λεχθέντα· οὐ γὰρ δὴ σήμερον ὑμῖν ἐτελεύτησεν ὁ πατήρ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔκπαλαι, ὡς ὑμεῖς στοχαζόμενοι εἰρήκατε. Ταῦτα τοῦ Πέτρου εἰπόντος ἡ μήτηρ μὴ φέρουσα βοῶσα ἔφη· Oἴμοι ἄνερ, ἡμᾶς ἀγαπῶν ἀκριτὶ ἐτελεύτησας, ἡμεῖς δὲ ζῶντες φῶς ὁρῶμεν καὶ τροφῆς μεταλαμβάνομεν. οὔπω δὲ τῆς μιᾶς ταύτης ὀλολυγῆς παυσα- μένης ἰδοὺ ὁ γέρων εἰσῄει καὶ ἅμα τῷ βούλεσθαι αὐτὸν τῆς κραυγῆς

πορίζω τροφάς.