Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 1.djvu/265

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Then saw the devil that the Lord's saints

were comforted in their peril,

and continued in faith as he would not before have believed

that they could ever so happily have endured the chill.

Then the devil turned himself into a man,

writhed his shanks and bewailed himself,

'Woe is me miserable, that I am overcome

by these holy men, and I am put to shame;

had I faithful servants, I should not be thus easily overcome ;

now I will turn the heart of this persecutor

to the thought, that he shall burn up all the bodies

of these saints and cast them into the river,

that even their bones may never be found.'

Then sang the saints in the soft bath,

'Thou only art God, Almighty Creator, '

Thou that workest wonders and overcomest our adversaries;

Thou puttest to shame the devil who laid snares for us.'

Then in the early morning came the wicked torturers,

and asked the warders how the one

had become associated with the saints, and what he had seen.

Then said the warders to the bloodthirsty judges,

'We all fell heavily asleep ;

as if we lay in death, but he lay watching,

saw the wonders, and roused us afterwards ;

then he saw the light, and immediately believed,

stripped himself entirely and went unto them,

and said, with a loud voice, that he believed in Christ.

Then commanded the impious judge to lead them all

out of the broad mere, and to break their legs.

Then began the heathen forthwith to drag them

and brake their, legs, even as was commanded them.

Then sung they this psalm during the breaking,

Anima nostra sicut passer crept a eat de laciueo venantium, et cetera. That is in English,