Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 1.djvu/19

Rh Neither will we feign such things by means of falsehoods,

because devout fathers and holy doctors

wrote it in the Latin tongue, for a lasting memorial,

and to confirm the faith of future generations.

A certain prophet cried by the Holy Ghost, and said  'Mirabilis Deus in Sanctis suis,' et cetera: 'wonderful is God in His Saints; He shall give power and strength unto His people; blessed is God.' We shall describe many wonders in this book, because God is wonderful in His Saints, as we said before, and the miracles of His Saints glorify Him, because He wrought them by their means.

An earthly king hath many servants

and divers stewards; he cannot be an honoured king

unless he have the state which befitteth him,

and as it were serving-men, to offer him their obedience.

So likewise is it with Almighty God who created all things;

it befitteth Him that He should have holy servants

who may fulfil His will, and of these there are many

even amongst mankind whom He chose out of the world,

so that no scribe, though he know much,

may write their names, because no man knoweth them.

They are innumerable, as befitteth God;

but we desire to write this book concerning some of them,

for the encouragement of other men and for our own security,

that they may intercede for us with Almighty God,

even as we on earth make known their miracles.

I pray now in God's name, if any man desire to transcribe this book, that he correct it well according to the copy; and set down therein no more than we have translated.

Farewell in the Lord.