Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 1.djvu/169

 This noble  was  living  without  a  wife's  companionship,

because his  consort  had  departed  from  life,

and left  him  one  son,  who  afterwards  was  a  monk

and abbot  after  Maurus,  living  gloriously,

even as  this  book  telleth  clearly  hereafter.

Then Floras  went  joyfully  to  meet  them,

and with  great  honour  received  to  himself

the noble  men  of  God,  and  provided  for  them  a  dwelling,

praising his  Lord,  and  the  holy  Benedict.

This Florus  was  then  the  first  of  the  Frankish  nobles,

and dearest  to  the  king  who  reigned  over  that  people,

because he  had  ever  been  pious  from  his  youth,

and all  the  king's  counsel  went  by  his  advice.

Then Florus  made  known  his  desire  to  the  king,

and, with  his  leave,  established,  in  his  own  land,

a monastery  and  monastic  discipline,  as  Maurus  directed  him,

and with  great  favour  he  benefited  the  monastery,

and assigned  privileges  to  it  in  clear  testimony  [thereof],

and altogether  made  over  the  monastery  to  Maurus

with full  liberty,  for  his  soul's  profit.

He offered  also  then  on  the  same  day,

his only  son  to  Almighty  God

for the  monastic  life  under  the  care  of  Maurus,

saying that  he  himself  desired,  if  God  so  ordained,

to forsake  all  worldly  things,  and  dwell  in  the  monastery,

in God's  service,  and  he  even  so  fulfilled  it.

Then he  gathered  very  good  workmen  from  all  quarters,

and built  the  monastery  entirely  by  Maurus'  direction,

near the  great  river  that  men  call  the  Liger  [Loire],

Then on  a  certain  day  were  sitting  together

Florus and  Maurus  in  the  midst  of  the  workmen,

and Maurus  was  reading,  and  relating  it  to  Florus.

Then suddenly  a  priest  fell  off  the  work,

so that  he  lay  half  alive,  as  if  dying,

and all  flowing  with  blood,  but  Maurus  bade  them  bear  him