Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 2.djvu/115

 Thereupon the  priests  with  excessive  mourning

prayed the  Almighty  God  that  He  would  shield  His  own  house

against the  impious  one,  and  would  quickly  destroy  him.

Nicanor then  again  took  another  army  from  Syria;

he desired  to  execute  his  threat  with  works;

and Judas  came  to  him  with  three  thousand  warriors,

and prayed  to  God  with  bent  limbs  thus.

'Lord, thou  that  sentest  thy  shining  angel,

when the  king  of  Syria  sent  by  his  leaders

in written  messages  a  reproachful  word  to  Thee,

and the  angel  slew  then,  in  one  night,  of  them

a hundred  thousand  men  and  eighty  thousand,

destroy now,  I  pray  Thee,  this  furious  army

before our  faces,  that  men  may  see  Thy  might  over  them.'

They then  joined  battle  together  quickly  with  weapons,

and Nicanor  at  the  first  fell  there  slain,

and his  host  cast  away  their  weapons,  and  fled.

But Judas  followed  them  quickly  with  weapons,

and summoned  on  all  sides  with  blowing  [of  trumpets]  assistance to  him,

until that  they  drove  (?)  them  back  again  to  Judas,

and slew  them  all,  that  there  remained  not  one.

They took  then  their  weapons  and  their  garments  with  them,

and Nicanor's  head  and  his  right  hand,

and set  them  for  a  token,  for  his  injury  (to  them),

and thanked  God  then  exceedingly  with  worship.

They dwelt  then  in  peace  some  time  after  that,

and Judas  then  sent,  with  peace,  to  Eorae

chosen messengers;    he  would  have  friendship  with  them,

because the  Roman  senators  were  then  mighty,

and prudent  in  works,  and  overcame  their  enemies.