him serve my God with much reverence and cleanness and security, and be quit of all pleasures
of the body, adultery and prodigality and theft and drunkenness and belly-service and foul
deeds?
127 And Misdaeus hearing these things said: Lo, I let thee go: go then and persuade Mygdonia,
the wife of Charisius, not to desire to depart from him. Judas saith unto him: Delay not if thou
hast aught to do: for her, if she hath rightly received what she hath learned, neither iron nor fire
nor aught else stronger than these will avail to hurt or to root out him that is held in her soul.
Misdaeus saith unto Judas: Some poisons do dissolve other poisons, and a theriac cureth the bites
of the viper; and thou if thou wilt canst give a solvent of those diseases, and make peace and
concord betwixt this couple: for by so doing thou wilt spare thyself, for not yet art thou sated
with life; and know thou that if thou do not persuade her, I will catch thee away out of this life
which is desirable unto all men. And Judas said: This life hath been given as a loan, and this time
is one that changeth, but that life whereof I teach is incorruptible; and beauty and youth that are
seen shall in a little cease to be. The king saith to him: I have counselled thee for the best, but
thou knowest thine own affairs.
128 And as the apostle went forth from before the king, Charisius came to him and entreated him
and said: I beseech thee, O man: I have not sinned against thee or any other at any time, nor
against the gods; wherefore hast thou stirred up this great calamity against me? and for what
cause hast thou brought such disturbance upon mine house? and what profit hast thou of it? but if
thou thinkest to gain somewhat, tell me the gain, what it is, and I will procure it for thee without
labour. To what end dost thou make me mad, and cast thyself into destruction? for if thou
persuade her not, I will both dispatch thee and finally take myself out of life. But if, as thou
sayest, after our departing hence there is there life and death, and also condemnation and victory
and a place of judgement, then will I also go in thither to be judged with thee: and if that God
whom thou preachest is just and awardeth punishment justly, I know that I shall gain my cause
against thee; for thou hast injured me, having suffered no wrong at my hands: for indeed even
here I am able to avenge myself on thee and bring upon thee all that thou hast done unto me.
Therefore be thou persuaded, and come home with me and persuade Mygdonia to be with me as
she was at first, before she beheld thee. And Judas saith to him: Believe me, my child that if men
loved God as much as they love one another, they would ask of him all things and receive them,
and none would do them violence (there would be nothing which would not obey them, Syr.).
129 And as Thomas said this, they came unto the house of Charisius and found Mygdonia sitting
and Narcia standing by her, and her hand supporting her cheek; and she was saying: Let the
remainder of the days of my life, O mother, be cut off from me, and all the hours become as one
hour, and let me depart out of life that I may go the sooner and behold that beautiful one, whose
report I have heard, even that living one and giver of life unto them that believe on him, where is
not day and night, nor light and darkness, nor good and evil, nor poor and rich, nor male and
female, nor free and bond, nor proud that subjecteth the humble. And as she spake the apostle
stood by her, and forthwith she rose up and did him reverence. Then Charisius said unto him:
Seest thou how she feareth and honoureth thee and all that thou shalt bid her she will do
willingly?
130 And as he so spake, Judas saith unto Mygdonia: My daughter Mygdonia, obey that which
thy brother Charisius saith. And Mygdonia saith: If thou wast not able [TO name] the deed in
word wilt thou compel me to endure the act? for I have heard of thee that this life is of no profit,
ron
(Ron)
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