Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 2.djvu/171

 and began  their  feast  with  foul  hands.

Then,   anon,    there    came    riding    thereto    a    certain    Christian man,

hoary and  old,  who  was  named  Victor.

Then began  the  murderers  to  call  the  old  man

to their  feast;    but  he  quickly  asked

for what  cause  they  were  so  wonderfully  blithe,

or how  they  could  taste  any  meat

in the  midst  of  the  slain? Then said  one  of  them

that those  were  Christians,  and  the  Emperor  had  commanded

to slay  them  all  for  an  example  to  others.

Then the  old  Victor  inwardly  groaned,

and cried  aloud;   'Oh  I    that  I  had  come  earlier,

that I  might  end  my  life  with  such  men,

and shed  my  old  blood  with  this  Legion,

that I  might  not  be  deprived  of  their  honour! '

Then the  heathen  beset  him  around,

and with  fierce  threatening  bade  him  say

if he  were  a  Christian,  since  he  desired  such  a  thing.

Then he  looked  up  to  Heaven,  and  said  with  grief,

' All  the  earth  is  encompassed  with  the  mist

of deep  brutishness,  except  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ

either give  us  His  light  or  lead  us  away;

and may  Christ  now  grant  me,  after  this  confession,

that ye  may  not  let  me  go  from  these  slain  Saints!'

After these  words  the  infuriated  multitude

slew this  Victor,  so  that  he  fell  and  died;

and thus  he  earned  the  bliss  eternal,

with the  holy  men,  even  as  he  himself  had  wished.

Wherefore should  we  further  relate  how  the  unblessed  Emperor

ended his  expedition,  seeing  that  he  perished  in  the  end

But let  us  think  earnestly,  when  we  hear  the  like,

that we  may  be  the  better  by  means  of  bookish  lore.

We have  to  toil,  and  overcome  evil  habits

by a  good  service,  to  earn  God's  kingdom;

that we  may  rejoice  with  the  saints