Chapter XXVIII

Chapter XXVIII.—More Recognitions.

And when Peter said this, ⁷⁹⁹ Niceta and Aquila suddenly started up, and being astonished, began to be greatly agitated, saying:  “O Lord, Thou Ruler and God of all, are these things true, or are we in a dream?”  Then Peter said:  “Unless we be mad, these things are true.”  But they, after a short pause, and wiping their faces, p. 163 said:  “We are Faustinus and Faustus:  and even at the first, when you began this narrative, we immediately fell into a suspicion that the matters that you spoke of might perhaps relate to us; yet again considering that many like things happen in men’s lives, we kept silence, although our hearts were struck by some hope.  Therefore we waited for the end of your story, that, if it were entirely manifest that it related to us, we might then confess it.”  And when they had thus spoken, they went in weeping to our mother.  And when they found her asleep, and wished to embrace her, Peter prevented them, saying:  “Permit me first to prepare your mother’s mind, lest haply by the great and sudden joy she lose her reason, and her understanding be disturbed, especially as she is now stupefied with sleep.”

Footnotes

162:799

[With chaps. 28–36 the narrative in Homily XIII. 3–11 corresponds quite closely.—R.]