Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 2.djvu/173

 whom now  we  praise,  though  we  be  not  martyrs.

We must  consider  how  patient  they  were,

those who  for  Christ's  name  were  killed;

men scourged  them  with  whips  and  drowned  them  in  the  sea,

or burned  them  in  the  fire,  or  with  tortured  (?)  limbs

tormented them  for  a  spectacle  with  every  punishment;

and in  every  woe  they  were  patient,

and bore  every  contumely  for  the  Saviour's  name.

Now are  we  so  slothful  that  we  will  not  labour

in hardly  anything,  nor  deny  our  lusts

in order  that  we  may  have  in  exchange  those  great  dignities

in heaven,  together  with  the  holy  martyrs;

neither will  we  bear  one  contemptuous  word

for our  Lord's  name,  as  we  ought  to  do,

but without  patience  and  constancy  we  grow  angry

as a  lion,  and  scarcely  consider  how  we,  miserable  men,

are to  obtain  any  mercy  from  Almighty  God,

now that  we  are  so  reckless  and  so  fierce  amongst  ourselves.

Patience is  a  great  virtue  and  necessary  to  men,

even as  our  Saviour  said  to  His  holy  Apostles,

In patientia  uestra  possidebitis  animas  uestras;

'In your  patience  ye  shall  possess  your  souls.'

If the  patient  man  by  his  long-suffering

keepeth his  soul,  even  as  Christ  said  to  us,

then the  irascible  man  will  lose  his  own  soul

through impatience,  and  it  will  certainly  perish.

If we  live  wisely,  even  as  books  instruct  us,

then may  we  come  amongst  Christ's  Saints

after our  ending,  and  ever  dwell  with  them;

because this  world  flieth  away  very  swiftly,

and our  days  depart  like  wayfaring  men;

and the  departed  day  cometh  never  again,

but every  hour  driveth  us  forth  to  death,  against  our  will.

The saints  whom  we  are  honouring  and  their  like

renounced this  world,  though  it  were  merry,