I am first truth, and may flee by the air; I can make new trees and turn stones into bread; endure in the fire without hurting; and all that I will I may do.  St. Peter disputed against all these, and disclosed all his malefices.  Then Simon Magus, seeing that he might not resist Peter, cast all his books into the sea, lest St. Peter should prove him a magician, by his books, and went to Rome where he was had and reputed as a god.  And when Peter knew that, he followed and came to Rome.  The fourth year of Claudius the emperor, Peter came to Rome, and sat there twenty-five years, and ordained two bishops as his helpers, Linus and Cletus, one within the walls, and that other without.  He entended much to preaching of the Word of God, by which he converted much people to the faith of Christ, and healed many sick men, and in his preaching always he praised and preferred chastity.  He converted four concubines, of Agrippa the provost, so that they would no more come to him, wherefore the provost sought occasion against Peter.

After this, our Lord appeared to St. Peter, saying to him:  Simon Magus and Nero purpose against thee, dread thee not, for I am with thee, and shall give to thee the solace of my servant Paul, which to-morn shall come in to Rome.  Then Peter, knowing that he should not long abide here, assembled all his brethren, and took Clement by the hand and ordained him a bishop, and made him to sit in his own seat.  After this, as our Lord had said tofore, Paul came to Rome, and with Peter began to preach the faith of Christ.

Simon Magus was so much beloved of Nero that he weened that he had been the keeper of his life, of his health, and of all the city.  On a day, as Leo the pope saith, as he stood tofore Nero, suddenly his visage changed, now old and now young, which, when Nero saw, he supposed that he had been the son of God.  Then said Simon Magus to Nero:  Because that thou shalt know me to be the very son of God, command my head to be smitten off and I shall arise again the third day.  Then Nero commanded to his brother to smite off his head, and when he supposed to have beheaded Simon, he beheaded a ram.  Simon, by his art magic went away unhurt, and gathered together the members of the ram, and hid him three days.  The blood of the ram abode and congealed.  The third day he came and showed him to Nero, saying:  Command my blood to be washed away, for lo I am he that was beheaded, and as I promised I have risen again the third day.  Whom Nero seeing, was abashed and trowed verily that he had been the son of God.  All this saith Leo.  Sometime also, when he was with Nero secretly within his conclave, the devil in his likeness spake without to the people.  Then the Romans had him in such worship that they made to him an image, and wrote above, this title:  To Simon the holy God.  Peter and Paul entered to Nero and discovered all the enchantments and malefices of Simon Magus, and Peter added thereto, seeing that