Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 1.djvu/299

 that we  have  before  angered  Him  by  evil  deeds;

but nevertheless  we  should  not  desist  from  that  prayer,

until the  compassionate  God  mercifully  deliver  us.

Moses had  victory,  and  great  succour,

the while  he  held  up  his  hands  in  prayer;

and his  will  fainted  not,  but  the  weary  body.

Now have  we  warfare  against  the  fierce  devil,

and he  fighteth  against  us,  because  he  is  cruel;

how will  it  be  then  if  we  will  not  cry  to  the  Saviour,

since the  weariness  of  Moses  might  not  be  excused?

Verily he  shall  be  overcome  by  the  deceitful  devil,

who will  not  call  Christ  to  help  him.

Every righteous  man  has  had,  even  as  we  read  in  books,

succour and  deliverance,  when  he,  with  full  faith,

in his  difficulties  has  cried  to  the  Almighty.

There is  nothing  so  hateful  to  the  faithless  devil

as that  a  man  pray  boldly  to  God;

because the  deceiver  knoweth  that  his  weapons  must

by holy  prayers  be  soonest  broken  in  pieces,

and he  will  be  alway  overcome  by  prayers.

Therefore he  seeketh  diligently,  when  we  cry  to  God,

how he  may  destroy  those  prayers  by  temptations,

and turn  our  minds  thereby  from  that  work.

Either he  will,  at  least,  occupy  us  with  negligence,

or subtly  disquiet  us  with  curious  enquiries.

When we  pray  with  simple-mindedness,

then speak  we  verily  to  God  Himself  thus ;

and when  we  read  books,  or  hear  them  read,