Chapter
XV.—The Repentance of Faustus.
When my father said this, after no long time
Annubion came to us to
announce to us the flight of Simon, and how that very night he had
hurried to Judæa. And he found our father wailing, and with
lamentations saying: “Alas, alas! unhappy man! I did
not believe when I was told that he was a magician. Miserable man
that I am! I have been recognised for one day by my wife and
children, and have speedily gone back to my previous sad condition when
I was still ignorant.” And my mother lamenting, plucked her
hair; and we groaned in distress on account of the transformation of
our father, and could not comprehend what in the world it could
be. But Annubion stood speechless, seeing and hearing these
things; while Peter said to us, his children, in the presence of
all: “Believe me, this is Faustus your father. Wherefore I urge you to attend to him as being your father. For God will vouchsafe some occasion for his putting off the shape of Simon, and exhibiting again distinctly that of your father.” And saying this, and looking to my father, he said: “I permitted you to salute Appion and Annubion, since you asserted that they were your friends from childhood, but I did not permit you to associate with the magician Simon.”