Chapter LXII.—Peter’s Experience of Imagination.

When Simon thus spoke, Peter answered:⁶⁶⁸⁶⁶⁸    [This story (chaps. 62–65) is peculiar to the Recognitions.  In Homily XVII. 14–19 there is an argument against the trustworthiness of supernatural visions, which is supposed to be anti-Pauline in its aim.—R.]  “Now listen patiently concerning both these matters, that is, concerning the example of stretching out the senses, and concerning the immensity of light.  I know that I myself, O Simon, have sometimes in thought extended my sense, as you say, into regions and islands situated afar off, and have seen them with my mind not less than if it had been with my eyes.  When I was at Capernaum, occupied in the taking of fishes, and sat upon a rock, holding in my hand a hook attached to a line, and fitted for deceiving the fishes, I was so absorbed that I did not feel a fish adhering to it while my mind eagerly ran through my beloved Jerusalem, to which I had frequently gone up, waking, for the sake of offerings and prayers.  But I was accustomed also to admire this Cæsarea, hearing of it from others, and to long to see it; and I seemed to myself to see it, although I had never been in it; and I thought of it what was suitable to be thought of a great city, its gates, walls, baths, streets, lanes, markets, and the like, in accordance with what I had seen in other cities; and to such an extent was I delighted with the intentness of such inspection, that, as you said, I neither saw one who was present and standing by me, nor knew where myself was sitting.”  Then said Simon:  “Now you say well.”