Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 1.djvu/275

 fulfilled in  our  Lenten  fast,

unless we  fast  before  that  for  these  four  days,

Wednesday, Thursday,  Friday  and  Saturday,

even as  it  was  appointed  of  old,  though  we  tell  it  you  but  now.

On the  Wednesday,  throughout  the  whole  world,

the priests  bless,  even  as  it  is  appointed,

clean ashes  in  church,  and  afterward  lay  them

upon men's  heads,  that  they  may  have  in  mind

that they  came  from  earth,  and  shall  again  return  to  dust,

even as  the  Almighty  God  spake  to  Adam,

after he  had  sinned  against  God's  command;

In toil  thou  shalt  live,  and  in  sweat  thou  shalt  eat

thy loaf  on  earth,  until  thou  return  again

to the  same  earth  from  which  thou  camest,

because thou  art  dust,  and  shalt  to  dust  return.'

This is  not  said  of  men's  souls,

but of  men's  bodies  that  moulder  to  dust,

and afterwards  shall  at  doomsday,  through  our  Lord's  might,

all arise  from  the  earth,  that  were  ever  alive,

like as  all  trees  are  always  quickened  in  the  Lenten  time,

which before  had  been  deadened  by  the  winter's  chill.

We read  in  the  books,  both  in  the  old  Law  and  in  the  new,

that the  men  who  repented  of  their  sins

bestrewed themselves  with  ashes,

and clothed  their  bodies  with  sackcloth.

Now let  us  do  this  little  in  the  beginning  of  our  Lent,

that we  strew  ashes  upon  our  heads,