Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 1.djvu/315

 'Enough, it  is  now  enough ;  hold  thine  hand.'

Then David  himself  saw  how  the  angel  slew  the  people,

and cried  to  God,  and  said  with  anguish,

'I am  he  that  sinned,  and  I  myself  did  unrightly

against Thee;  what  have  these  sheep  done?

I pray  thee  that  Thou  wilt  turn  Thine  hand  against  me,

and Thine  indignation  against  my  house.'

Then came  Gad  the  prophet  walking,  and  said  to  him,

'Go now,  and  rear  quickly  an  altar  to  God,

and offer  thy  sacrifice,  that  this  terror  may  cease.'

Then did  David  so,  and  the  Lord  had  pity  on  him,

and the  angel  might  no  longer  slay  the  men.

God would  not  slay  the  guilty  David,

though he  had  sinned,  because  very  often  he  had  done,

both before  and  afterward,  very  excellent  things

to the  satisfaction  of  God,  and  God  therefore  spared  him;

and those  who  there  were  slain,  their  souls  were  preserved.

Again, there  was 'a  people  whom  the  living  God

would punish  for  their  witless  deeds;

those were  the  Ninevites,  who  acted  madly.

Then God  sent  to  them  a  certain  prophet,

hight Jonah,  and  bade  them  desist,

or they  should  all  be  destroyed  together.

The king  then  turned  directly  with  his  people,

and they  all  fasted  three  consecutive  days,  and  the  Lord  had  pity on  them.

A man  can  neither  write,  nor  reckon  in  words,