Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 1.djvu/257

 nor any  bonds  shall  be  for  our  bale.

Ever have  we  been  helped  in  each  fight,

as often  as  we  have  sung  this  one  psalm,

Deus in  nomine  tuo  saluurn  me  fac,  et  in  virtute  tua  libera  me: et cetera.     That  is  in  English,

'Thou, Almighty  God,  save  me  in  Thy  Name,

and in  Thy  might  deliver  me,  Ruler  of  all.'

Thereupon they  were    brought  with  this    song   of  praise   to  the cruel  one,

and every  one  came  to  the  spectacle.

Then the  Prefect  looked  on  the  saints,  and  said,

'Ye shall  have  from  me  honours  and  riches,

if ye  will  sacrifice  to  our  gods;

but if  ye  then  shall  be  perverse  against  this,

ye shall  be  dishonoured  and  likev/ise  tortured.'

Then said  the  saints,  that  they  worshipped  the  Saviour,

and accounted  none  other  so  high.

Then commanded  the  chief  magistrate,  with  exceeding  anger,

to beat  their  faces  with  black  flints,

but the  stones  turned  against  the  persecutors,

so that  the  murderers  knocked  themselves.

Then the  chief  magistrate  seized  an  exceeding  great  flint,

and threw  it  at  the  saints,  but  it  turned  backward

towards the  Prefect  and  brake  open  his  head.

Then were  the  saints  greatly  heartened,

and straightway  sung  this  song  with  faith,

Qui tribulant  me  inimici  mei  ipsi  infirmati  sunt  et  ceciderunt.

'My   foes    who    afflicted    me    are    weakened    and    have    fallen down.'

Then swore  the  judge  that  they  through  sorcery

had turned  the  stones  against  their  tormentors.

Then commanded  the  chief  magistrate  to  bring  them  quickly

again into  the  prison,  and  with  anxious  mind

sought out  with  his  counsellors  what  seemed  to  them  advisable,

how he  might  wreak  his  contumely  on  the  saints.

So they  were  brought  into  the  prison,