Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 1.djvu/407

 out into  a  wilderness,  and  there  fell  asleep;

but a  shining  angel  of  God  quickly  aroused  him,

and bade  him  arise  and  refresh  himself;

he saw  there  lying  a  snow-white  cake  (baked  on  the  hearth),

and a  little  vessel  full  of  water,  when  he  awakened.

Then he  ate  and  drank,  and  again  fell  asleep,

but the  angel  aroused  him  a  second  time,  and  said,

'Arise quickly  and  eat,  thou  hast  a  very  long  journey.'

He again  ate  and  drank,  and  went  by  help  of  that  meat

forty days  together  without  any  food.

There was  a  certain  thane  called  Naboth,  who  had  a  vineyard

hard by  the  king's  palace;   then  said  the  king  to  him,

'Give me  thy  vineyard  for  a  herb-garden,

and I  will  at  least  find  thee  another  farther  off,

or I  will  acquire  it  for  money,  because  it  is  handy  to  me.'

Then said  Naboth  to  him  that  he  could  not  let  go

his ancestors'  inheritance  so  lightly  into  his  hands.

Then the  king  became  angry,  "and  went  to  his  bed

and turned  him  to  the  wall,  madly  enraged.

Then Jezebel  went  to  him,  and  said,

'Why art  thou  sad  and  wilt  not  eat?'

Then said  the  wicked  [one]  to  his  evil  wife,

how he  longed  for  the  vineyard,  and  Naboth  refused  him.

Then Jezebel  soothed  the  unrighteous  man,  and  said,

'Arise and  refresh  thyself  with  confident  mind,

I will  give  thee  the  vineyard  which  thou  desiredst.'

Then Jezebel  straightway  sent  a  letter

to Naboth's  neighbours,  with  this  proclamation,

'Hold ye  a  meeting  and  set  Naboth  in  the  midat,

even your  neighbour,  and  bid  false  witnesses

accuse him  in  your  assembly  thus:

Naboth, to  our  knowledge,  hath  cursed  God