Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 1.djvu/267

 'Our soul  is  escaped  out  of  the  snare  as  a  sparrow,

the snare  is  broken,  and  we  are  delivered.

The help  of  us  all  is  in  the  Name  of  the  Lord,

of Him  who  made  the  heavens  and  the  earth.'

Then said  they  'Amen,'  and  gave  up  their  ghosts,

and went  thus  martyred  to  the  Almighty  Lord,

who had  before  succoured  them  in  perils,

and had  ever  strengthened-  them  until  they  came  to  Him.

Then did  the  judge  as  the  devil  had  commanded,

and bade  burn  them  all  in  a  very  large  fire,

but the  bones  remained  after  the  burning;

which the  heathen  then  threw  into  a  wide  stream.

This was    straightway  revealed  after  three  days

to a  certain  holy  bishop  in  the  same  city.

To him  came  in  a  dream  the  true  saints  of  God,

and said  whither  their  bones  had  been  carried.

Then the  bishop  arose  from  his  bed,

and went  with  his  priests  to  the  river  by  night.

Then shone  the  bones  as  brightly  as  stars

in the  water,  and  they  wondered  thereat;

they had  all  come  to  [i. e. fallen  into]  a  deep  place,

and not  one  [bone]  was  lost  in  the  flood;

and the  light  revealed  wheresoever  they  lay.

Then the  bishop  brought  all  the  holy  bones

into a  seemly  shrine,  and  laid  them  up

in the  orthodox  Church  to  the  praise  of  the  Almighty,

to Whom  be  glory  and  worship  to  all  ages  of  ages. Amen.

What is  ever  lost  to  Almighty  God?

If any  unhappy  man  be  disobedient  to  his  Creator,

and will  not  continue  in  well-doing  unto  the  end,

but forsaketh  his  faith  and  the  dear  Lord,

then shall  another  be  chosen  for  the  crown

which the  other  would  not  earn  by  labour,

even as  ye  have  heard  in  this  lection

that one  of  the  warders  became  associated  with  the  saints,