ver ventured to broach; these opinions the elders before us,
who also were disciples of the Apostles, did not hand down to thee.
For I saw thee, when I was still a boy ([Greek: pais on eti]), in
Lower Asia in company with Polycarp, while thou wast faring
prosperously in the royal court, and endeavouring to stand well
with him. For I distinctly remember ([Greek: diamnemoneuo]) the
incidents of that time better than events of recent occurrence; for
the lessons received in childhood ([Greek: ek paidon]), growing
with the growth of the soul, become identified with it; so that I
can describe the very place in which the blessed Polycarp used to
sit when he discoursed, and his goings out and his comings in, and
his manner of life, and his personal appearance, and the discourses
which he held before the people, and how he would describe his
intercourse with John and with the rest who had seen the Lord, and
how he would relate their words. And whatsoever things he had heard
from them about the Lord, and about his miracles, and about his
teaching, Polycarp, as having received them from eye-witnesses of
the life of the Word [97:1], would relate altogether in accordance
with the Scriptures. To these (discourses) I used to listen at the
time with attention by God's mercy which was bestowed upon me,
noting them down, not on paper, but in my heart; and by the grace
of God, I constantly ruminate upon them faithfully ([Greek:
gnesios]). And I can testify in the sight of God, that if the
blessed and Apostolic elder had heard anything of this kind, he
would have cried out, and stopped his ears, and said after his
wont, 'O good God, for what times hast Thou kept me, that I should
endure such things?' and would even have fled from the place where
he was sitting or standing when he heard such words. And indeed,
this can be shown from his letters which he wrote either to the
neighbouring Churches for their confirmation, or to certain of the
brethren for their warning and exhortation [97:2].

Unfortunately the chronological notices are not sufficiently precise to
enable us to fix the date either of this intercourse with Polycarp, or
of the letter to Florinus in which Irenaeus records it. In the year 155
or 156 Polycarp died; in the year 177 Irenaeus became Bishop of Lyons.
Putting these two facts