Chapter XVII.—Annubion’s Services to Faustus.

“And while he stated this beforehand, I said, ‘What, then, is the advantage you now expect to get from such a contrivance?’  And Simon said, ‘First, those who seek me, when they apprehend him, will give up the search after me.  But if he be executed by the hand of the emperor, very great sorrow will fall upon his children, who left me, and fleeing to Peter, now aid him in his work.’  And now, Peter, I confess the truth to you:  I was prevented by fear of Simon from informing Faustus of this.  But Simon did not give us an opportunity for private conversation, lest some one of us might reveal^15331533    An emendation of Wieseler’s.  The parts in italics are supplied by conjecture. to him the wicked design of Simon.  Simon then rose up in the middle of the night and fled to Judæa, convoyed by Appion and Athenodorus.  Then I pretended that I was sick, in order that, remaining after they had gone, I might make Faustus go back immediately to his own people, if by any chance he might be able, by being concealed with you, to escape observation, lest, being caught as Simon by those who were in search of Simon, he might be put to death through the wrath of the emperor.  At the dead of night, therefore, I sent him away to you; and in my anxiety for him I came by night to see him, with the intention of returning before those who convoyed Simon should return.”  And looking to us, he said:  “I, Annubion, see the true shape of your father; for I was anointed, as I related to you before, by Simon himself, that the true shape of Faustus might be seen by my eyes.  Astonished, therefore, I exceedingly wonder at the magic power of Simon, in that standing^15341534    We should have expected “standing near” or something similar, as Weiseler remarks; but the Latin of the Recognitions agrees with the Greek in having the simple “standing.” you do not recognise your own father.”  And while our father and our mother and we ourselves wept on account of the calamity common to all of us, Annubion also through sympathy wept with us.