Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 1.djvu/339

 Then in  the  early  morning  came  the  wicked  heathen,

and knitted  his  neck  a  second  time  with  a  rope,

and dragged  him  again,  even  as  they  did  before,

shamefully speaking  about  the  holy  man;

and the  blessed  Mark  greatly  thanked

the Saviour  Christ  for  this,  and  said  this  prayer :

In manus  tuas,  domine,  commendo  sinritum,  meum; 

Into Thine  hands,  Lord,  I  commend  my  spirit.'

And with  these  words  he  departed  from  the  world  to  God,

with Whom  he  ever  rejoiceth  without  weariness.

Then the  heathen  desired  to  burn  his  body,

and made  a  great  pyre,  but  it  was  extinguished;

for God  sent  a  very  great  rain

during the  whole  day,  with  awful  thunder,

so that  many  houses  fell  with  violence,

and also  many  men  died  by  the  thunder,

and the  rest  fled,  seized  with  terror.

Then soon  after  came  the  Christians,

pious men,  and  they  bare  away

the Evangelist's  body,  and  laid  it  in  a  coffin,

and buried  it  honourably,  with  prayers  giving  thanks,

(that they  might  have  with  them  such  a  saint

to be  their  protector),  to  the  Almighty  God,

to Whom  be  glory  and  praise  for  ever  and  ever. Amen.

We have  now  related  briefly  in  this  writing

how the  holy  Mark  was  martyred.

Now will  we  tell  you  how  the  holy  Jerome  wrote

concerning the  four  Evangelists  who  are  chosen  of  God,