157Book VII.

Chapter I.—Journey from Tripolis.

At length leaving Tripolis,⁷⁹¹⁷⁹¹    [The narrative of book vii. is given in Homilies XII., XIII.; chap. 38 including some details of Homily XIV. 1.  The variations in the narrative portions are unimportant:  but the Homilies contain longer discourses of the Apostle.  Chaps 1–24 here correspond quite exactly with Homily XII. 1–24; the topics of the respective chapters being the same, and the variations mainly in forms of expression.—R.] a city of Phœnicia, we made our first halt at Ortosias, not far from Tripolis; and there we remained the next day also, because almost all those that had believed in the Lord, unable to part from Peter, followed him thus far.  Thence we came to Antharadus.  But because there were many in our company, Peter said to Niceta and Aquila:  “As there are immense crowds of brethren with as, and we bring upon ourselves no little envy as we enter into every city, it seems to me that we must take means, without doing so unpleasing a thing as to prevent their following us, to secure that the wicked one shall not stir up envy against us on account of any display!  I wish, therefore, that you, Niceta and Aquila, would go before us with them, so that you may lead the multitude divided into two sections, that we may enter every city of the Gentiles travelling apart, rather than in one assemblage.