Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 1.djvu/461

 his bodily  health,  and  [recovery  from]  his  crippledness.

He arose  then  in  the  morning,  greatly  rejoicing,  loo

and with  two  crutches  crept  to  Winchester,

and sought  the  saint  even  as  it  was  told  him,

praying for  his  health  on  bended  knees.

Whereupon he  was  healed  by  the  holy  bishop,

so that  thereafter  it  could  not  be  seen  on  his  back

where the  hump  had  stood  that  had  oppressed  him  till  then.

At that  time  the  monks  knew  not  about  the  great  saint,

and they  weened  that  some  other  saint  had  healed  the  man,

but the  churl  said  that  Swithhun  had  healed  him,

because he  himself  knew  the  most  certainly  about  the  matter.

A certain  man  was  afflicted  with  a  very  bad  disease,

so that  he  could  with  difficulty  open  his  eyes,

and could  hardly  utter  a  single  word,

but lay  thus  tormented,  despairing  of  his  life.

Then all  his  friends  wished  to  carry  him  to  the  new  minster,

to Saint  Judoc,  that  he  might  give  him  health;

but some  one  told  them  that  it  would  be  better  for  them

to take  the  sick  man  to  the  old  minster

to Swithhun's  grave,  and  thereupon  they  did  so.

Then that  night  they  kept  vigil  at  the  grave  with  him,

praying Almighty  God  that  He  would  grant

to the  sick  man  his  health,  through  Saint  Swithhun.

The infirm  man  also  watched  until  it  was  becoming  day,

then he  fell  asleep,  and  the  worshipful  tomb,

as it  seemed  to  them  all,  was  all  rocking,

and to  the  sick  man  it  seemed  as  if  some  one  was  dragging

one of  his  shoes  off  his  foot;    and  he  suddenly  awoke.

He was  then  healed  by  the  holy  Swithhun.