Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 1.djvu/251

 Then  commanded  the  wicked  Flaccus  to  bring  the  maiden

into a  very  dark  prison,  and  said,  that  no  man  was  to

give her  any  sustenance  for  seven  nights.

Thus she  remained  seven  nights  meatless,

and was  afterwards  tortured  for  the  sake  of  the  true  faith,

and for  the  sake  of  her  virginity,  until  she  was  martyred,

and her  free  soul  departed  to  Heaven.

Then came  Nicomedes  the  aforesaid  mass-priest,

and buried  her  body,  to  the  praise  of  the  Almighty.

Then Flaccus  seized  the  faithful  priest,

and, because  he  would  not  sacrifice  to  the  foul  gods,

commanded him  to  be  scourged  until  he  gave  up  the  ghost.

Thus he  departed  to  Heaven  to  Jesus  Christ,

To Whom  is  glory  and  worship  world  without  end. Amen.

We will  relate  to  you  the  passion  of  the  Forty  Soldiers,

that your  faith  may  be  the  firmer  when  ye  hear

how devotedly  (lit.  thane-like)  they  suffered  for  Christ.

In the  emperor's  days  who  was  called  Licinius

a great  persecution  was  stirred  up  against  the  Christians,

so that  every  Christian  man  had,  for  the  sake  of  his  own  life,

to deny  the  Saviour  and  conform  to  heathenism,

and to  sacrifice  the  Lord's  honour  to  idols.

There was  set  a  certain  bloodthirsty  judge,

called Agricola,  in  a  city

hight Sebaste,  in  the  land  of  Armenia.

The aforesaid  judge  was  very  wicked,