Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 2.djvu/141

 and all  his  people  to  the  faith  with  him.

Then it  happened  that  the  faithful  Oswald,

the king  of  the  Northumbrians,  had  come  to  Cynegils,

and took  him  to  baptism,  fain  of  his  conversion.

Then the  kings,  Cynegils  and  Oswald,

gave to  the  holy  Birinus  the  city  of  Dorchester

for a  bishop's  see,  and  he  dwelt  therein,

exalting the  praise  of  God,  and  guiding

the people  in  the  faith  by  his  teaching  for  a  long  time,

until he  happily  departed  to  Christ;

and his  body  was  buried  in  the  same  city,

until Bishop  Hedda  afterwards  carried  his  bones

to Winchester,  and  with  honour  deposited  them

in the  old  Minster,  where  men  honour  them  yet

Now Oswald  the  king  held  his  kingdom

gloriously as  for  the  world,  and  with  great  faith,

and in  all  his  deeds  honoured  his  Lord,

until he  was  slain  in  the  defence  of  his  people

in the  ninth  year  that  he  had  obtained  the  rule,

when he  himself  was  thirty-eight  years  old.

It happened  because  Penda,  king  of  the  Mercians,

made war  upon  him,  he  who  formerly  had  assisted

Cadwalla at  the  slaying  of  his  kinsman  king  Edwin;

and this  Penda  knew  nothing  of  Christ,

and all  the  Mercian  people  were  unbaptised  as  yet.

They came  both  to  battle  at  Maserfield,

and engaged  together  until  the  Christians  fell,

and the  heathen  approached  the  holy  Oswald.

Then he  saw  approach  his  life's  ending,

and he  prayed  for  his  people  who  died  falling,

and commended  their  souls  and  himself  to  God,