Page:The Apocryphal Acts of Paul, Peter, John, Andrew and Thomas.djvu/155

 the commander in chief of the Ephesians, a wealthy man, met us, fell down before John, and asked him for help, with these words, "Thy name is John; the Lord whom thou preachest, sent thee for the benefit of my wife, which is paralyzed already seven days and lies past recovery. But give the glory to thy God and treat her out of compassion for us." Whilst I was reflecting what to do, a certain man came to me and said, "Desist, Lycomedes, from the evil thought which militates against thee, yield not to it! For out of compassion for my servant Cleopatra, I sent to thee a man from Miletus, named John, who will comfort her and restore her to thee cured. Delay not, therefore, servant of that God who announced thee to me, but hasten to the rattling woman." And John went at once from the gate with the brethren who were with him, and followed Lycomedes into his house. And Cleobius said to his young servants, "Go to my relative Callippus and make yourselves comfortable in his house—for I come thither with his son—that we may find everything well arranged!"

20. When Lycomedes and John had come into the house, in which was the woman, he (Lycomedes) again touched his feet, and said, " See, Lord, the lost beauty, see the youth, see the much talked of bloom of my unhappy wife, the admiration of all Ephesus! Woe to me, unhappy one! I was envied, humbled, the enemy's eye struck me. I never wronged anyone, although I could harm many. I was always anxious to experience no sorrow