Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 1.djvu/471

 and he  that  neglected  it  should  heavily  atone  for  it

by fasting  for  seven  days  continuously.

Thenceforth they  ever  observed  this  custom,

as we  ourselves  have  very  often  seen,

and have  not  seldom  sung  this  hymn  with  them.

A certain  man  was  accused  of  stealing,

who however  was  innocent,  and  they  at  once  seized  him,

and according  to  the  sentence,  put  out  his  eyes,

and cut  off  his  ears;    then  the  blood  ran

into his  head,  so  that  he  could  not  hear;

then for  seven  months  he  thus  continued  blind,

and without  his  hearing,  until  he  went  in  faith

to the  holy  Swithhun,  and  sought  his  bones,

praying the  saint  that  he  would  hear  his  petition,

and at  least  grant  that  he  might  hear,

because he  did  not  believe  that  he  could  ever  again  see;

and said  that  he  had  been  unjustly  so  punished.

Then God's  wonder  was  wrought  in  that  man

through Swithhun's  intercession,  that  he  saw  clearly

with perfect  eyes,  though  they  had  before  been  thrust  out

of the  eye-rings  [sockets]  and  one  apple  [ball]  was  removed,

and the  other  hung  down  whole,  at  his  cheek.

It was  also  granted  him  that  he  could  hear  well,

he who  formerly  had  neither  eyes  nor  hearing.

Nevertheless it  is  to  wit,  that  we  must  not  pray

to God's  Saints  as  to  God  Himself,

because He  alone  is  God,  and  above  all  things;

but we  should  truly  pray  the  saints

to intercede  for  us  with  the  All-ruling  God,

Who is  their  Lord,  that  He  may  help  us.

Once men  were  keeping  vigil  by  a  corpse,

as is  customary,  and  there  was  a  foolish  man,

jesting unmeetly,  who  said  to  the  men,

as if  in  sport,  that  he  was  Swithhun.

'Ye may  know  in  sooth  that  I  am  Swithhun