Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume VIII/Pseudo-Clementine Literature/The Clementine Homilies/Homily XIII/Chapter 1

Homily XIII.

Chapter I.&#8212;Journey to Laodicea.

Now at break of day Peter entered, and said: &#160; &#8220;Clement, and his mother Mattidia, and my wife, must take their seats immediately on the waggon.&#8221;&#160; And so they did straightway.&#160; And as we were hastening along the road to Balan&#230;ae, my mother asked me how my father was; and I said:&#160; &#8220;My father went in search of you, and of my twin brothers Faustinus and Faustinianus, and is now nowhere to be found.&#160; But I fancy he must have died long ago, either perishing by shipwreck, or losing his way, or wasted away by grief.&#8221;&#160; When she heard this, she burst into tears, and groaned through grief; but the joy which she felt at finding me, mitigated in some degree the painfulness of her recollections.&#160; And so we all went down together to Balan&#230;ae.&#160; And on the following day we went to Paltus, and from that to Gabala; and on the next day we reached Laodicea.&#160; And, lo! before the gates of the city Nicetas and Aquila met us, and embracing us, brought us to our lodging.&#160; Now Peter, seeing that the city was beautiful and great, said:&#160; &#8220;It is worth our while to stay here for some days; for, generally speaking, a populous place is most capable of yielding us those whom we seek.&#8221; &#160; Nicetas and Aquila asked me who that strange woman was; and I said:&#160; &#8220;My mother, whom God, through my lord Peter, has granted me to recognise.&#8221;