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Not long after Annubion came to us, declaring Simon's flight to us and how on that very night he set out for Judea. And he found our father beating his breast and saying with lamentations: Woe is me, wretched one, hearing he was a magus, I, miserable one, disbelieved; having been recognized for one day by my wife and children, I have quickly come to the former misfortune of ignorance. And our mother, lamenting, was tearing her hair, and we, being distressed about our father's alteration, were groaning, not being able to comprehend what it was. But Annubion, hearing and seeing these things, stood speechless. But Peter said to us children in the presence of all: Believe me, this is Faustus your father. Therefore I command you to attend to him as your father; for God will provide some occasion, through which, having put off the form of Simon, he will clearly show that of your father again. Having said these things to us and looking at our father, he said: I permitted you to greet Appion and Annubion, since you confess they have been friends to you from childhood, not to converse with Simon the magus. And our father said: I have sinned, I confess. And Annubion said: And I myself with him beg you to forgive a noble and good old man who has been deceived; for the unfortunate man has become the plaything of the notorious one. But I will tell you how it happened. This good old man came to greet us. And at that very hour, we who were present there happened to be listening to Simon, who wished to run away that night, having heard that some men would arrive from somewhere here in Laodicea by imperial command to seek him. And to Faustus as he was entering, his own spirit ... having said thus to us: Make him, having come, partake with you of the salt, and I will prepare a certain ointment, so that after he has supped and recovered, having anointed his own face, he may seem to all to have my form. But you, having been previously anointed by me with the juices of a certain herb, will not be deceived by his strange form, but to all others Faustus will seem to be Simon. And as he was foretelling these things, I said: What profit is there for you now from such a device? And Simon said: First, those who seek me, having arrested him, will cease from their search for me. And if he should be killed by the emperor's hand, his children, who having left me have fled to Peter and are working with him, will have the greatest grief. For now to you, O Peter, I confess the truth, that I was afraid then to Faustus to disclose this. But Simon did not give us time to be alone, so that one of us might reveal to him the evil plan of Simon. But in the middle of the night Simon arose and made his flight to Judea, being escorted by both Appion and Athenodorus. Then I pretended to be unwell in body, so that remaining after they had gone, I might immediately make him return to his own people, if somehow he could hide unnoticed with you, lest, having been taken as Simon by those seeking Simon, he should die by the emperor's wrath. Therefore, I sent him away to you at an untimely hour, and caring for him, I came by night both to see him and to depart more quickly, before those who sent Simon away returned. And looking at us he said: I, Annubion, see the true form of your father, having been anointed by Simon himself as befo-

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οὐ πολὺ <Ἀννουβίων ἦλθε> πρὸς ἡμᾶς τὴν Σίμωνος ἡμῖν δηλῶν φυ- γὴν καὶ ὡς αὐτῆς νυκτὸς ἐπὶ Ἰουδαίαν ὥρμησεν. εὗρε δὲ τὸν πατέρα ἡμῶν κοπτόμενον καὶ μετὰ ὀδυρμῶν λέγοντα· Oἶμοι ὁ τάλας, μάγον αὐτὸν ἀκούων ἠπίστουν ὁ ταλαίπωρος· πρὸς μίαν ἡμέραν ἐπιγνωσθεὶς συμβίῳ καὶ τέκνοις ταχέως ἐπὶ τὴν προτέραν τῆς ἀγνοίας ἦλθον συμφοράν. καὶ ἡ μήτηρ ὀδυρομένη τὰς τρίχας κατέτιλλεν, ἡμεῖς δὲ περὶ τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς ἀλλοιώσεως ἀδημονοῦντες ἐστένομεν, ὅτι ποτὲ ἦν συννοῆσαι μὴ δυνάμενοι. Ἀννουβίων δὲ ταῦτα ἀκούων καὶ ὁρῶν ἀχανὴς ἔστη. ὁ δὲ Πέτρος ἡμῖν τοῖς τέκνοις ἐπὶ πάντων ἔφη· Πιστεύσατέ μοι, οὗτός ἐστι Φαῦστος ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν. διὸ δὴ κελεύω ὑμῖν ὡς πατρὶ προσέχειν· παρέξει γὰρ ὁ θεὸς πρόφασίν τινα, δι' ἧς τὴν Σίμωνος ἀποδυσάμενος μορφὴν τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν προδήλως ἀναδείξει πάλιν. ταῦτα ἡμῖν εἰπὼν καὶ τῷ πατρὶ προσβλέψας ἔφη· Ἐγώ σοι ἐπέτρεψα προσαγορεῦσαι Ἀππίωνα καὶ Ἀννουβίωνα, ἐπει- δὴ ἐκ παίδων σοι φίλους εἶναι ὁμολογεῖς, οὐχὶ Σίμωνι τῷ μάγῳ συνο- μιλεῖν. καὶ ὁ πατήρ· Ἥμαρτον, ἔφη, ὁμολογῶ. καὶ Ἀννουβίων· Καὶ αὐτὸς ἐγώ, ἔφη, σὺν αὐτῷ δέομαί σου συγγνῶναι γέροντι εὐγενεῖ καὶ ἀγαθῷ ἠπατημένῳ· παίγνιον γὰρ γέγονεν ὁ δυστυχὴς τοῦ περιβοήτου. πλὴν ὡς γέγονε φράσω. ὁ ἀγαθὸς οὗτος γέρων ἦλθε προσαγορεύσων ἡμᾶς. ἐτυγχάνομεν δὲ αὐτῆς ὥρας κατὰ ταὐτὸν οἱ ἐκεῖ παρόντες ἀκούοντες Σίμωνος, ὃς ἀποδιδράσκειν ἤθελεν αὐτῇ νυκτί, ἀκηκοὼς ἐπιδημήσειν ποθέν τινας ἐνταῦθα τῇ Λαοδικείᾳ ἐκ προσταγῆς βασιλικῆς ζητοῦντας αὐτόν. Φαύστῳ δὲ εἰσιόντι τὸν ἴδιον θυμὸν <...> φήσας οὕτως πρὸς ἡμᾶς· Ἁλῶν αὐτὸν ἐλθόντα συμμετασχεῖν ὑμῖν ποιήσατε, ἐγὼ δὲ μύρον τι σκευάσω, ἵνα δειπνήσας καὶ ἀναλαβὼν τὸ ἴδιον χρίσας πρόσωπον τὴν ἐμὴν πᾶσιν ἔχειν δόξῃ μορφήν. ὑμεῖς δὲ βοτάνης τινὸς χυλοῖς προεναλειψάμενοι ὑπ' ἐμοῦ, οὐκ ἀπατηθήσεσθε ὑπὸ τῆς ξένης αὐτοῦ μορφῆς, πλὴν τοῖς ἄλλοις πᾶσιν ὁ Φαῦστος δόξει εἶναι Σίμων. ἐκείνου δὲ ταῦτα προλέγοντος ἔφην· Τί νῦν σοὶ ἐκ τῆς τοιαύτης μηχανῆς ἐστι κέρδος; καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη· Πρῶτον μὲν συλλαβόντες αὐτὸν οἱ ἐμὲ ζητοῦντες παύσονται τῆς κατ' ἐμοῦ ζητήσεως. εἰ δὲ καὶ ὑπὸ βασιλικῆς χειρὸς ἀναιρεθείη, μέγιστον πένθος ἕξουσιν οἱ τούτου παῖδες, οἵτινες ἐμὲ καταλιπόντες προσφυγόντες τῷ Πέτρῳ συνεργοῦσι. νῦν γὰρ σοί, ὦ Πέτρε, ὁμολογῶ τὰ ἀληθῆ ὅτι ἐφο- βούμην τότ<ε τῷ Φαύ>στῳ τοῦτο μηνύειν. ἀλλ' οὐδὲ καιρὸν ἡμῖν ὁ Σίμων ἐδίδου πρὸς τὸ ἰδιάζειν, <ἵνα τις ἡ>μῶν αὐτῷ τὴν ἐκ τοῦ Σίμωνος κακὴν ἐκφάνῃ βουλήν. πλὴν ἐν μέσῃ γε νυκτὶ ἀναστὰς ὁ Σίμων τὴν ἐπὶ Ἰουδαίαν ἐποιεῖτο φυγήν, προπεμπόμενος ὑπό τε Ἀππίωνος καὶ Ἀθηνοδώ- ρου. τότε ἐγὼ δυσαρέστως ἔχειν τὸ σῶμα ὑπεκρινάμην, ὅπως μείνας μετὰ τὸ ἐκείνους πορευθῆναι εὐθὺς αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὰ ἑαυτοῦ ἐπανελθεῖν ποιήσω, εἴ που δύναιτο παρ' ὑμῖν κρυπτόμενος λανθάνειν, μήπως ὑπὸ τῶν Σίμωνος ζητούν- των ὡς Σίμων ληφθεὶς ὑπὸ βασιλικῆς ὀργῆς ἀποθάνῃ. ἀωρίας οὖν αὐτὸν ἐξαπέστειλα πρὸς ὑμᾶς καὶ κηδόμενος αὐτοῦ νύχιος ἦλθον ὀψόμενός τε αὐτὸν καὶ τάχιον ἀπελευσόμενος, πρὶν τοὺς πέμψαντας <τὸν Σίμωνα> ἐπανελθεῖν. καὶ προσβλέψας ἡμῖν ἔφη· Ἐγὼ Ἀννουβίων τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν ἀληθῆ μορφὴν ὁρῶ ἐναλειψάμενος ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Σίμωνος ὡς προ-