Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 1.djvu/473

 who worketh  these  miracles,  and  I  will  that  ye  bring

your tapers  to  me,  and  prostrate  yourselves,

and I  will  grant  you  what  you  are  desiring/

He thus  blasphemed  a  long  time  with  foolish  words,

until he  fell  silenced,  as  if  he  were  lifeless,

and they  hare  him  straightway  home  to  his  bed.

He lay  thus  a  long  time,  despairing  of  his  life;

then at  last  his  kinsmen  carried  the  man

to Saint  Swithhun,  and  he  himself  confessed

his foolish  words,  that  he  had  presumptously  spoken,

and   entreated   pardon    from    him,    and   thereon    he   was    made whole,

so that  he  went  home  in  health  with  his  kinsmen.

It is  likewise  to  wit,  that  men  do  unwisely

when they  doltishly  jest  at  dead  men's  corpses,

and introduce  by  their  sport  any  licentiousness,

when they  should  rather  sorrow  for  the  dead,

and dread  the  coming  of  death  for  themselves,

and earnestly  pray  for  his  soul  without  [any]  madness.

Some men  also  most  unrighteously

drink the  whole  night  at  a  lyke-wake,

and blaspheme  God  with  their  wanton  speech,

whereas no  beer-drinking  is  seemly  at  a  wake,

but rather  holy  prayers  are  fitting  there.

Once there  came  to  the  saint  a  hundred  and  twenty  men,

diversely afflicted  with  many  diseases,

and they  were  all  wondrously  healed

within three  weeks,  and  returned  home,

thanking Almighty  God  and  the  venerable  Swithhun.

A certain  thane's  servant  fell  suddenly  from  his  horse

so that  his  arm  and  left  leg  broke,

and he  was  so  much  crushed  that  they  straightway  thought

he would  at  once  die  right  before  them ;

he had  previously  been  very  dear  to  his  lord,

and the  lord  greatly  lamented  for  the  servant,

and besought  the  Almighty  from  his  inmost  heart