Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 1.djvu/547

 the emperor,  and  we  suffered  long  his  persecution,  and  now  last night I  saw   with    mine    eyes    that   the   same   Decius  went  into Ephesus, and  I  and  my  companions  were  resident  in  the  city  of Ephesus :  but  on  account  of  his  great  persecution  we   all  fled thence  to  the  hill  yonder,  and  all  lay   in   the  cave   this    night hidden from  Decius. But to-day  it  has  befallen  me  so  wonderfully  that  I  cannot  by  any  means  recognise  whether  this  be  the city of  the  Ephesians  or  else  any  other."     "When  Malchus  had spoken all  thus,  then  the  bishop  Marinus  thought,  wondering  in his  mind,  and  said  to  all  the  people,  "  This  is  of  a  surety  a  wonderful  vision  which  God  Almighty  hath  revealed  to  this  young man ;  but  let  us  now  all  very  quickly  arise,  and  go  with  him thither  yonder." And the  bishop  Marinus  straightway  arose,  and with  him  the  town-reeve  and   the   chief  townsmen,   and  [went] forth with  a  great  multitude  of  all  the  population;  and  all  went thitlier with    great    solemnity,   and  approached  the   cave. And then Malchus  went   on   before   to   his  holy  companions,  and  the bishop Marinus  went  in  after  him,  and  next  after  him  some  of  the chiefest  honourable   men   went   into   the  cave. And when    they entered  in,  they  found  on  the  right  hand  a  casket,   which  was sealed with  two  silver  seals,  and  which  the  two  faithful  men  had laid therein  when  Decius  the  emperor  bade  the  cave  to  be  built up, as  we  related  earlier  before  this ;    that  the   seals  might  be afterward  as  evidence  of  what  they  should  find  therein,  when  the time should  come  even  as  God  willed  that  it  was  to  come. And they then  bare  out  the  casket,  and  bade  summon  all  the  citizens, and showed  it  to  all  the   people,  and   no  man  unsealed  it  before they  were  all  come  thither. After  they  were  all  gathered there before   the  bishop,   then   the  town-reeve  took  hold  of  the casket,  and  unsealed   it    in   the   witness   of  all   the    people,  and quickly   uncovered    it,    and    found    therein    a    leaden    tablet    all written upon ;  and  then  he  openly  read  it. Then he  came  to  the row of  letters  where  he  found  the  word  written,  and  he  also  read it,  that    they  fled    from    Decius    the    emperor   and   suffered    his persecution : "  Maximianus,   who   was  the  son   of  the   city-reeve, Malchus,     Martinianus,    Dionysius,    Johannes,     Seraphion,    Con-