Chapter XXVIII.—Fruitless Counsel.

“These things, and things reckoned greater than these, he promised us, on condition only that we should associate with him, and keep silence as to the wickedness of his undertaking, so that the scheme of his deceit might succeed.  But still we would not consent, but even counselled him to desist from such madness, saying to him:  ‘We, O Simon, remembering our friendship towards you from our childhood, and out of affection for you, give you good counsel.  Desist from this attempt.  You cannot be a God.  Fear Him who is really God.  Know that you are a man, and that the time of your life is short; and though you should get great riches, or even become a king, few things accrue to the short time of your life for enjoyment, and things wickedly gotten soon flee away, and procure everlasting punishment for the adventurer.  Wherefore we counsel you to fear God, by whom the soul of every one must be judged for the deeds that he hath done here.’