Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 1.djvu/441

 but another  thane  wisely  opposed  his  design,

and showed  Absalom  a  different  counsel,

worse to  his  [Ahitophel's]  liking,  because  God  thus  intended

that David  should  be  delivered  from  their  madness.

Then Ahitophel  was  angry,  and  became  filled  with  wickedness,

because his  counsel  might  not  please  the  cruel  man,

by reason  of  the  other's  rede,  and  straightway  rode  him  home,

bequeathed his  property,  and  killed  himself

in a  high  noose,  so  that  he  died  by  hanging.

So the  councillor  ended  his  cruel  design,

who sought  to  advise  wrongly  his  true  lord.

Absalom then  fared  forth  with  his  evil  counsel,

desiring to  deprive  his  own  father  of  life

and possess  his  dominion,  but  God  willed  it  not*

Then he  rode  on  his  mule  with  a  great  army

through a  high  wood,  with  hostile  intention;

then speedily  a  tree  caught  him  by  the  hair,

because be  was  long-haired,  and  he  hanged  so,

and the  mule  ran  forward  from  the  wicked  lord,

and David's  thanes  pierced  him  through.

So  the   traitor  to   his   father   ended   his   evil    counsel   with   his life.

So likewise  Judas,  who  cruelly  betrayed

our Saviour  Christ,  killed  himself

by hanging  in  a  noose,  an  apostate  from  God,

everlastingly damned  as  the  Lord's  betrayer.

Every man  shall  likewise  be  damned  who  killeth  himself,

and every  suicide  shall  suffer  everlastingly,

and traitors  shall  perish  in  the  end

with the  perfidious  devil  who  incited  them  to  treachery.