Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 1.djvu/207

 the  holy  brothers,  John  and  Paul,  to  his  idolatry,

but when  he  could  not  entice  these  great  servants  of  God

to his  court,  nor  persuade  them  to  his  heathenism,

then he  sent  to  them  a  certain  heathen  man,

called Terentianus,  who  had  with  him

a golden  image,  and  said  to  the  servants  of  God,

Our lord  Julian  commandeth  you  to  pray

to this  image,  or  I  must  slay  you  both.'

Then said  the  saints,  'We  know  no  God

save the  Father  and  the  Son  and  the  Holy  Ghost;

from this  Holy  Trinity  thy  lord  hath  apostatized,

and desireth  to  entice  others  to  perdition  with  himself.'

Lo then! Terentianus commanded  men  to  behead  secretly

the two  brothers,  and  to  bury  them  in  their  house.

Then was  Julian,  for  his  cruelty,

soon after  this,  slain  at  Saint  Mary's  hest.

and Christianity  flourished,  and  those  saints  were  made  known,

so that  madmen  were  healed

in the  same  house  wherein  the  saints  lay,

and Terentianus'  son,  filled  with  a  black  devil,

ran to  their  burial-place,  awfully  raving,

and the  father  immediately  sought  the  sepulchres,

and confessed  his  sin,  in  .that  he  had  slain  the  saints,

and was  baptized,  and  his  son  became  in  his  right  mind,

to the  praise  of  the  Saviour  who  liveth  for  ever. AMEN.

There was  a  certain  noble  maiden  named  Agatha

in the  province  of  Sicily,  wise  and  faithful,

at the  time  when  Quintianus,  the  murderous  persecutor,