Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 1.djvu/449

 because in  my  youth  I  adorned  my  neck

with manifold  neck-chains,  and  now  me  thinketh

that God's  justice  may  cleanse  my  guilt,

since now  I  have  this  swelling,  which  shineth  instead  of  gold,

and this  scorching  heat  instead  of  sparkling  gems.'

Amongst that  faithful  band  there  was  a  certain  leech

named Cynefrith,  and  some  of  them  said

that the  leech  ought  to  lance  the  tumour;

he did  so  forthwith,  and  there  came  out  matter.

They thought  then  that  she  might  recover,

but she  gloriously  departed  out  of  this  world  to  God

on the  third  day  after  the  tumour  was  opened,

and was  buried,  as  she  herself  had  asked  and  bidden,

amongst her  sisters,  in  a  wooden  coffin.

Then, after  her  death,  her  sister  Sexburh

was consecrated  as  the  abbess,

who had  been  aforetime  queen  in  Canterbury.

After sixteen  years  Sexburh  desired

to take  up  her  sister's  bones  from  their  burial-place

and translate  them  into  the  church. Then she  sent  the  brethren

to seek  a  stone  suited  to  that  purpose,

because in  the  fen-country  there  are  few  hewn  stones.

They rowed  to  Grantchester,  and  God  forthwith  prospered  them

so that  they  found  there  a  great  coffin,

standing against  the  wall,  wrought  of  marble

all of  white  hue,  above  ground,

with a  lid  fitted  excellently  unto  it,

also of  white  marble,  even  as  if  God  had  made  it.

Then the  brethren  joyfully  took  the  coffin