Ælfric's Lives of Saints/The Martyrdom of St. Vincent
APPENDIX.
XXXVII.
JAN. 22. THE MARTYRDOM OF ST. VINCENT.
In the Hispanian land of the Spanish people,
was the holy martyr, who was named Vincentius,
born among men, and by his kinsmen nourished
in much Christianity; and he in Christ's lore
was greatly advancing, until he became ordained
as a holy deacon, serving the Saviour
with the illustrious bishop Valerius,
who was the illustrions teacher in the Hispanian land,
as the narrative tells us in the Latin tongue.
Then arose the persecution of impious tormentors
wide throughout the world, very madly,
against belief in Christ, and against Christian men;
because that the devil would quench that belief
with great persecutions and unmeasured torments;
but the more one slew of the martyrs then,
so the more believed, through the great wonders
which the saints wrought through the Saviour's might;
because that the true belief in the very God
shall never be quenched through devilish persecution,
but shall be rather increased, as books tell us.
In those days was then a cruel captain,
named Datianus, a very fierce persecutor
in a head-borough in the aforesaid land;
who obtained of the emperor, that he might kill
the holy Christian men with various torments.
To him the emperor granted, as books inform us,
that the cruel persecutor might have the power
that he might kill the Christians with torments,
because that they both were filled with mischief,
to strive against Christ with mad severity.
So Datianus, the devilish murderer,
by the power that he had received,
manifested his madness against Christian men,
and began to oppress with a daring attempt
the holy bishops and the ordained priests.
He wished, first of all, to prevail over with torments
the chief-men of the holy belief, that he afterwards might
overcome the lesser ones, and turn them from their belief.
Then hastened the bishop and the holy
Vincentius to the noble martyrdom;
they thought that they would be verily blessed,
if they with devotion eagerly received
the glorious diadem of their martyrdom,
through the confession of belief in the Saviour.
Datianus then, the devilish persecutor,
commanded (men) to bring the saints, bound with chains,
into a city, and to lock them both
in a light-less prison. He let them lie so
in extreme famine, heavily loaded
with the hard iron; he hoped that he should
through these torments turn them away from faith in God.
After a long period he commanded (men) to bring them to him;
he thought that they were wasted with the torments,
and through the famine made strengthless.
He would torment them with greater torments
that they should not so easily end (their life).
Then came they both with blithe faces
and wholly-sound bodies, to the unbelieving judge;
and he was astonished that they were wholly-sound,
and of fair hue, in full strength;
and he asked the warders however they dared
so well feed them, with victuals and drinks.
He could not perceive that Christ himself fed them;
and he asked then with anger the aforesaid bishop,
' Ha! thou Valerius, I ask thee now,
what dost thou, inasmuch as thou darest contend
against the emperor, as if for religion?'
But the bishop answered not the cruel one so readily,
because that God would that he should be overcome
by the deacon in the martyrdom,
who was then ready for the glorious victory.
And that the wicked one might also perceive
that the bishop could with bold faith
despise his torments, since he was (even) overcome
by the deacon, through his belief in the Lord.
Then quoth Vincentius to the venerable bishop —
'Answer the profane one with prompt faith,
that his madness may thus be brought to naught,
by the authority of our Lord's might.
The very serpent speaketh now by the mouth of this profane one,
he who formerly seduced the first-created men,
and with envious malice robbed them of the glory
which God would have given them, if they had obeyed him.
He deserved no glory,
neither did he remain in truthfulness;
but that death which he proffered to the first-created men,
that he drank first, to his own bale.
Let him contend with me in this strife now,
and let him fight against me in his fiendly confidence,
and he shall see verily that I am the stronger.
When I am tormented, then he will torment thee,
because that himself shall suffer heavier torments,
and he shall be overpowered in my tribulation.'
Then was vexed straightway the profane Datianus,
and saith to his servants and to his tormentors thus: —
'Let alone this bishop, and bring into torments
Vincentius the rebel, who so vexes us with words.
Hang him up in the rack, and severely stretch
all his limbs, that his joints may give way.'
Then the tormentors fastened the servant of Christ
in the hard rack, and severely stretched him
as a man stretches a web, and the cruel one says to him,
'What sayest thou now, Vincentius? What dost thou think of thyself,
and of thy poor body in these evil torments?'
The holy man then saith to the cruel one thus: —
'This I desired and ever wished for.
Nothing is liefer to me that (ever) happened to me in my life,
and thou agreest very much with my own desire.
I wish not that thou shouldst cease, since I myself am ready
to suffer torments for the glorious Lord.
I wish not that thou shouldst diminish my glory before God;
and when thou tormentest me, thou art thyself tormented.'
Datianus then became fiendishly angry,
and began to strike severely with rods
his own tormentors, who tormented the holy man,
that they the more severely might afflict him.
The holy man then saith, ' Now thou wreakest on them
the torments that I suffer because of thy cruelty,
as if thou thyself wouldst avenge me on them. '
He cried out then the louder, and with fierceness raged,
and yet more he raved, striking his torturers
with rods and sticks, (and) commanded them torment the more
the holy man in the rack.
He thought that he might soften his mood
by the immeasurable torments; but he strove in vain,
because that they became tired in the tormenting,
so that they could no longer torment the martyr;
and he constantly endured the torments nevertheless.
Datianus then asked, with pale face,
his fierce torturers, thus speaking to them: —
' Where is now your might and your strength gone?
I perceive not your hands, that were ever severe
as often as ye tormented those that were condemned
either for homicide or for murders,
either for sorcery or for secret adultery.
Ever ye subdued them all with torments,
and they could not hide from you their secret deeds.
But now ye cannot overcome this man
so that he may at least be silent in these sharp torments.'
Then smiled the holy man and to the savage one spake: —
'This is verily that which is written in God's law,
that the seeing ones see not, nor the hearing ones hear.
Lord Christ I confess, the Almighty Father's Son,
with the Holy Ghost, one true God.
But torment me yet more for this true confession
that thou in all respects mayst confess thyself overcome.'
Datianus then saith to the Lord's witness,
'Pity thyself, and mar not thy youth,
and shorten not thy life thus in these torments,
that thou mayest at least escape these hard tortures,
at least now at last, though before thou wouldst not.'
Vincentius saith to him thus with keen faith: —
' I dread not thy torments nor thy cruel tortures;
but I rather fear that thou wilt desist
from thy fierceness, and so pity me.'
Datianus then bade him to be taken from the rack,
and afterward to exalt him soon, on the hard gallows;
and then they scourged him, and beat him with rods;
and with torches singed all his bare body,
his limbs being stretched out, but nevertheless his faith to
in confession of his Lord continued ever.
They laid on his breast [lit. breasts] broad iron clouts
very (hotly) glowing, so that it sang again,
and they augmented the sharp torments with (new) tortures,
and afflicted with (new) wounds his former wounds,
and wounded him (even) into his inward parts,
so that in his body no part remained
that was not wounded by the tormenting.
Then his blood flowed over all the body,
and his inward parts also opened again,
and his joints slipped asunder in the cruel torments.
But he bore all this with blithe countenance,
and with strong spirit, in his confession of God,
calling to the Saviour on whom he believed.
'Alas! ' said Datianus, ' we are overcome
But seek now, I bid you, a dark prison
wherein no light may come, and in the great darkness
strew all over (it) tiles broken-in-pieces,
edged sharply, and thereon stretch
this rebel, that he may turn him
from torment to torment, and have (one) always ready.
Lock him then fast, that he may lie there alone,
deprived of light, on the loathsome bed.
Tell me as soon as ye perceive it,
that he is not alive.' And the tormentors did so.
They brought the holy man into the dark prison,
and surrounded him afterwards, watching.
Whilst that the warders were asleep,
then came there heavenly light to the holy man,
into the blind prison, as it were a bright sunbeam.
And a bed was prepared for him with soft bedding,
and he himself then sang his blithe psalms,
praising his Lord with his inward heart.
Then wondered the warders at the winsome light,
being very affrighted at the sudden miracle.
Then saith the holy man, ' Of the heavenly light
be ye not affrighted. I am now comforted
with angelic ministration. Come in and behold.
Ye brought me into darkness, and I rejoice now in light;
my bands are loosened, and I rejoice with a song.
I am now strengthened, and softly underlaid.
Wonder at this — that he who worshippeth God
with a true confession, that he shall be victorious ever.
Tell now quickly your profane lord,
what light I enjoy, and what (soft) bedding;
that he may yet bethink him of some worthy torture;
may he diminish nothing from my glory,
that may turn to the glory of my martyrdom.
His mercy alone I dread the most,
lest he be turned away so as to take pity.'
They told this then to the fierce tormentor,
and he became vexed, [the profane Datianus],
and, pallid in face, spake in answer to them: —
' What may we do more to him, we are now overcome!
Bear him now, I bid you, from that blind prison
to some soft bed, that so he may rest him.
I desire not to make him more glorious still,
(as he will be) if, tormented in the torments, he fails (dies).'
They then bare him blithely in their arms
who before had tormented him in cruel torments,
And they kissed his feet, and his flowing blood
carefully they collected, for their own healing,
and laid him thus on the soft bed,
as the impious one commanded, and so left him.
It happened then soon, after a little while,
that the saint departed from the world to God,
with victorious martyrdom, the devil being conquered,
to the eternal glory with the gracious God,
which He has promised to all them that love Him.
and that keep their faith in Him to the end.
Datianus then saith, the devilish persecutor,
ashamed nevertheless, ' If I might not overcome him
formerly when living, I will punish him when dead.
Cast now his body into a wide field,
as food for birds, and as meat for unclean hounds,
and for the wild beasts.' And his cruel servants did so.
Soon they bore that body to the midst of the field,
and there cast it away, as meat for the wild beasts.
It happened then soon, through God's providence,
that a black raven soon flew thither,
and guarded the body against the wild fowls,
and drove them all away with his wings,
and also the fierce beasts by his attacks.
The Almighty God, who to Elias His prophet
by the black raven once sent meat,
and fed him then by the fowl's ministration,
as in the Book of Kings is well known concerning it;
the same God kept now the holy man's body,
by the keeping of the raven, against the other fowls.
This was afterwards told to the impious Datianus;
and he then, irritated, saith thus:
'May I not overcome him even when dead?
As I persecute him more with greater persecution,
so I make him always the more glorious.
But if the earth may not destroy the man,
let him be sunk in the waves of the sea,
that I may not so oft be ashamed at the victory of him alone
in the sight of men, who behold it all;
let him at least be hidden in the deep sea.
Let him be sewn in a sack, with heavy stones,
and cast him away into the spacious sea,
as meat for the fishes, though the fowls would not have him.'
The fierce persecutors then quickly did so.
They cast the saint's body into the spacious sea,
with heavy stones, as the judge commanded them,
that at least he should not escape from the sea,
though he formerly escaped from the earth;
and they rowed homeward in high glee.
But the holy man's body, by the Saviours might,
arrived at the strand before they stepped ashore,
and lay on the shingle, till a believing widow
received a clear indication concerning it,
where the holy body lay on the strand,
cast amid the shingle by the sea-waves,
as if he should be buried by God's command.
His body was then borne to a holy church
with much veneration, and therein buried;
and his holy bones were widely distributed,
and with much love men revere them everywhere,
as the books tell us, for his true faith,
to the praise of the Saviour, who liveth aye in eternity. Amen.