Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 1.djvu/261

 There was  also  set,  very  handy  to  the  mere,

warm water  in  a  vessel,  if  any  of  the  martyrs

desired to  forsake  his  faith  and  bathe  his  body

in the  warm  water,  for  the  winter's  tartness.

Then it  began  in  the  evening  to  freeze  awfully,

so that  the  ice  seized  upon  the  aforesaid  martyrs,

so that  their  flesh  cracked  by  reason  of  the  frost.

Then one  of  them  turned  coward  on  account  of  the  exceeding chill,

cast away  his  faith,  and  desired  to  bathe  himself

in the  luke  water,  and  turned  from  his  companions;

but he  died  as  soon  as  he  touched  the  water,

and the  warmness  was  turned  into  death  to  him,

because his  faith  did  not  last  until  the  end,

even as  the  Lord  Himself  said  in  the  prison.

Then the  others  saw  how  it  befell  that  one,

and sung  this  song,  as  if  with  one  mouth,

'Be not  angry  with  us. Lord, in  these  deep  floods,

neither let  Thy  hot  displeasure  be  in  this  water.

As for  him  who  for  this  sharpness  separated  himself  from  us,

his limbs  are  relaxed  and  he  has  quickly  perished;

we will  never  part  from  Thee,  O  Lord,

until Thou  quicken  us,  O  Lord,  to  Thy  praise.

"We will  show  forth  Thy  name,  Thee  whom  verily  praise

all creatures  and  all  deeps,

fire and  hail,  snow  and  cold  ice,

winds and  storms,  which  fulfil  Thy  word.

Thou goest  over  sea  even  as  over  green  earth,

and Thou  easily  stillest  her  strong  waves;

Thou heardest,  Lord,  the  patriarch  Jacob

when he  fled  away  from  the  wicked  threats

which his  own  brother  Esau  spake.

Thou wert  with  Joseph  in  the  land  of  Egypt,

and didst  raise  him  from  serfdom  to  lordship;

Thou leddest  Moses  from  that  same  land