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I am amazed how at the beginning, before the inquiry, as though not yet having had experience of me, you brought prejudices against me. And now, having heard the successive parts of the inquiry, and having recognized Peter to be in the superior position, and having now granted to him that he speaks the truth, what do I seem to you? As one who knows how to judge rightly, or not? For if you should say that I judged rightly, but you do not agree, you appear to be prejudiced, the one who, even after admitting defeat, is unwilling to agree. But if, then, I did not rightly declare Peter to be in the superior position in the inquiry, you persuade us how we did not judge rightly. Or will you not cease to dispute with him on all matters? since it will be for you, each time being defeated and agreeing (but if you have any shame, being condemned and disgraced by all the hearers instead of the greatest punishment), to grieve in your own soul by your conscience. For we have seen you conquered in deed, but we have heard your professed speech. In the end, at least, I do not think you will come to the inquiry, as you promised, but you promised to return when you went out, in order to seem not to be ashamed. And Simon, hearing these things, gnashed his teeth in anger and went away in silence. And Peter, since a considerable time still remained, having laid his hands on the great crowd for healing and dismissed them, went into the house with his more intimate followers and sat down. And indeed one of the followers, Sophonias by name, said: Blessed, Peter, be the God who chose you and made you wise for the sake of the rest of the well-disposed. For truly you disputed with Simon with greatness and patience. And we also ask you to discourse to us concerning the evil one, hoping that you will set forth to us the discourse concerning him more genuinely, and this not at this very hour, but tomorrow, if it is agreeable to you. For we make allowance for you on account of the labors from the inquiry. And Peter said: I want you to know that the one who does something with pleasure is rested by the very labors, but the one not doing what he wishes is most wearied by the rest itself. So you are granting me the greatest of rests by causing me to discourse on the things dear to me. Nevertheless, being satisfied with his willingness and making allowance for his labors, we requested the postponement to take place until the night, as was his custom to discourse to the more genuine ones. And so having partaken of salt, we turned to sleep.

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μαι ὡς τὴν ἀρχὴν πρὸ τῆς ζητήσεως ὡς μήπω πεῖράν μου λαβὼν προλή ψεις μου κατέφερες. καὶ νῦν δὲ ἐπαλλήλως ἀκούσας τῆς ζητήσεως καὶ Πέτρον ἐν ὑπεροχῇ γνοὺς καὶ αὐτῷ τὸ ἀληθεύειν νῦν δούς, καὶ τί σοι φαί- νομαι; ὀρθῶς κρίνειν εἰδὼς ἢ οὔ; εἰ μὲν γὰρ ὀρθῶς κρίναντά με φαίης, μὴ συνθῇ δέ, σὺ φαίνῃ προειλημμένος, ὁ καὶ μετὰ ὁμολογίαν ἧτταν συνθέ- σθαι μὴ θέλων. εἰ δ' ἄρα μὴ ὀρθῶς τὸν Πέτρον ἐν ὑπεροχῇ τῆς ζητήσεως ἀπεφαινόμην, σὺ ἡμᾶς πεῖσον πῶς οὐκ ὀρθῶς ἐκρίναμεν. ἢ τοῦ ζητεῖν αὐτῷ ἐπὶ πάντων μὴ παύσῃ; ἐπεὶ ἔσται σοι ἑκάστοτε ἡττωμένῳ καὶ συντιθε- μένῳ (εἰ δὲ τὸ αἰδεῖσθαι ἔχεις, ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἀκροατῶν ἀντὶ μεγίστης τιμωρίας καταγινωσκομένῳ καὶ ἀσχημονοῦντι) ὑπὸ συνειδήσεως τὴν σεαυτοῦ ἀλγεῖν ψυχήν· τὸ γὰρ νενικῆσθαί σε ἔργῳ εἴδομεν, τὸν δὲ ἐπαγ- γελλόμενόν σου λόγον ἠκούσαμεν. πέρας γοῦν οὐκ οἶμαί σε ἐπὶ τὴν ζήτησιν ἐλθεῖν, ὡς ὑπέσχου, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ δοκεῖν μὴ αἰδεῖσθαι ἐξιὼν ἐπανελθεῖν ὑπέσχησαι. ὁ δὲ Σίμων ταῦτα ἀκούσας ὑπὸ ὀργῆς τοὺς ὀδόντας βρύξας, σιωπῶν ἐπορεύθη. ὁ δὲ Πέτρος ἔτι ὥρας οὐκ ὀλίγης οὔσης τὸν πολὺν ὄχλον χειροθετήσας πρὸς ἴασιν καὶ ἀπολύσας, μετὰ τῶν συνηθεστέρων εἰσιὼν οἴκοι ἐκαθέσθη. καὶ δή τις τῶν ἀκολούθων Σοφονίας ὄνομα ἔφη· Eὐλόγηται, Πέτρε, ὁ θεὸς ὁ ἐκλεξάμενός σε καὶ σοφίσας ἀναπαύσεως μὲν ἕνεκεν τῶν εὐγνωμόνων· ἀληθῶς γὰρ μεγάλως καὶ ἀνεξικάκως διελέχθης πρὸς Σίμωνα. καὶ ἡμῖν δὲ περὶ πονηροῦ διαλεχθῆναί σε ἀξιοῦμεν, ἐλπίζοντες γνησιώ- τερόν σε ἡμῖν τὸν περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐκφᾶναι λόγον, καὶ ταῦτα οὐκ αὐτῆς ὥρας, ἀλλ' αὔριον, εἴ σοι φίλον ἐστί. συγγινώσκομεν γάρ σοι διὰ τοὺς ἐκ τῆς ζητή- σεως καμάτους. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· Eἰδέναι ὑμᾶς θέλω ὅτι ὁ μετὰ ἡδονῆς ποιῶν τι ὑπ' αὐτῶν τῶν καμάτων ἀναπαύεται, μὴ ποιῶν δὲ ἃ βούλεται ὑπ' αὐ- τῆς τῆς ἀναπαύσεως κάμνει τὰ μέγιστα. ὥστε μοι τὰ μεγάλα τῆς ἀνα- παύσεως χαρίζεσθε, τὰ ἐμοὶ φίλα διαλέγεσθαι ποιοῦντες. πλὴν ἐπὶ τῇ προαιρέσει αὐτοῦ ἐξαρκεσθέντες καὶ τοῖς καμάτοις συγγνόντες εἰς τὴν νύκτα, ὡς αὐτῷ ἔθος ἦν πρὸς τοὺς γνησι<ωτέρους δια>λέγεσθαι, τὴν ὑπέρθεσιν γενέσθαι ἠξιώσαμεν. καὶ δὴ ἁλῶν μεταλαβόντες εἰς ὕπνον <ἐτρά>πημεν.