E00099: Optatus, bishop of Milevis (North Africa), writing in Latin in Africa c. 364/384, calls Rome the see of *Peter (the Apostle, S00036) and doubts if Macrobius, a Donatist bishop of Rome, probably his contemporary, ever had any association with the memoriae (most probably graves) of the Apostles Peter and *Paul (S00008) in Rome or even approached them. From Optatus' polemical treatise Against Parmenianus.

Optatus of Milevis, Against Parmenianus 2.4.1

Sed et habere uos in urbe Roma partem aliquam dicitis; ramus est uestri erroris, protentus de mendacio, non de radice ueritatis. Denique si Macrobio dicatur ubi illic sedeat, numquid potest dicere in cathedra Petri? Quam nescio si uel oculis nouit, et ad cuius memoriam non accedit quasi schismaticus contra apostolum faciens, qui ait: memoriis sanctorum communicantes. Ecce praesentes sunt ibi duorum memoriae apostolorum. Dicite si ad has ingredi potuit aut obtulit illic ubi sanctorum memorias esse constat.

'But you [the Donatists] say that you have a certain party in the city of Rome. It is a branch of your error, springing from a lie, not from the root of truth. Moreover, if Macrobius were to say where he has his see, could he say, in the see of Peter? I do not know if he has ever seen it with his eyes, and he has not approached Peter's memorial, acting like a schismatic against the Apostle, who speaks of communicating with the memorials of the saints (memoriae sanctorum). See, there are memorials of the two Apostles. Tell me if he was able to come up to these or made an offering [i.e. celebrated the Eucharist] in the place where the memorials of the saints are agreed to be.'

Text: Labrousse 1995. Translation: Edwards 1997, 33-34.