Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 1.djvu/499

 The centurion  was  unknown  to  the  heathen  man,

and was  secretly  a  Christian,  and  said  to  the  bishop,

'My father,  I  pray  thee,  be  not  thou  so  hasty  for  death,

because thy  life  is  yet  needful  to  us;

but go  thou  now  secretly  where  thou  mayst  have  peace,

until this  people's  rage  be  somewhat  stilled.'

Then went  he  by  night  that  he  might  save  his  life;

but the  heathen  men  were  ware  of  his  journey,

and caught  him,  and  beat  him  for  so  long  a  time

until they  thought  that  he  was  dead.

He was  nevertheless  brought,  by  the  ministration  of  his  brethren,

again to  the  Christians,  and  he  continued  in  this  life

fully seven  nights,  and  he  sweetly  and  fervently

allured them  to  the  eternal  life,  and  to  the  faith.

He said,  'I  tell  you  that  grievous  persecution  shall  come

upon the  Christians  for  Christ's  name;

but after  the  persecution  shall  peace  again  be  given,

and the  emperors  shall  bow  themselves  to  the  faith  of  Christ,

and all  heathen  worship  shall  be  utterly  destroyed,

so that  men  may  freely  worship  the  Almighty  God

throughout all  the  earth,  and  offer  sacrifice  to  Him ;

and he  who  abideth  in  the  faith,  shall  live  for  ever.'

After this  exhortation,  and  many  other  words,

the holy  man  departed  from  the  world  to  God,

with Whom  he  ever  dwelleth  in  the  everlasting  blessedness ;

and his  disciples  laid  his  corpse  honorably

in a  stone  coffin ;   and  it  stood  against  the  wall.

For two  years  less  than  thirty  he  was  their  bishop,

serving the  Almighty  in  many  persecutions,

and therefore  is  his  reward  now  endless

with the  Almighty  God,  who  reigneth  for  ever. Amen.