Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 2.djvu/107

 until they  overcame  them,  and  took  the  city,

and killed  Timotheus,  there  where  he  had  crept  in,

and his  brother  together,  with  the  sword's  edge.

After these  deeds,  they  thanked  the  Lord

with songs  of  praise  and  confessions  of  all  the  wonders

that He  for  the  Jews  did  very  often,

and gave  them  the  victory;  and  then  journeyed  home.

If any  one  now  should  wonder  how  it  might  happen

that angels  should  ride  on  apparelled  horses,

then let  him  know  soothly  that  everywhere  say  to  us

the holy  books  of  God,  that  may  not  be  false,

that angels  oft  came  certainly  to  men

as riding  upon  horses,  even  as  we  have  here  related.

The Jews  were  the  dearest  to  God

in the  old  law,  because  they  alone  honoured

the Almighty  God  with  worship  continually;

until Christ,  God's  son,  was  Himself  conceived

of human  nature,  of  the  Jewish  kin,

of Mary  the  maiden,  without  human  father.

Then would  not  some  (of  them)  believe  that  He  was  Very  God,

but laid  snares  for  His  life,  even  as  He  Himself  permitted.

There were  however  many  good  men  of  that  nation,

both in  the  old  law,  and  eke  in  the  new.

patriarchs and  prophets,  and  holy  apostles,

and many  thousands  that  follow  Christ,

although some  remain  froward  until  now.

They shall,  however,  all  finally  believe,

but there  shall  perish  too  many,  in  the  period  between,

for their  hardheartedness  against  the  heavenly  Saviour.