Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 2.djvu/187

 with its  heavenly  light,  then  the  heathen  laid

their weapons  down,  and,  with  wondering,  prostrated  themselves

to the  holy  bishop,  entreating  forgiveness.

Or if  any  of  them  would  not  even  then  believe,

then was  he  terrified  and  fled  away.

Wondrous (is)  God's  grace,  that  these  savage  men

could not  withstand  with  weapons  the  weaponless  man;

but the  Franks  and  distant  Northmen  bowed  themselves

to the  winsome  yoke  of  the  King  of  glory.

Then were  broken  in  pieces,  widely  throughout  the  land,

the houses  and  images  of  the  gods  of  the  heathen

by the  hands  of  those  men  who  had  made  and  founded  them;

and God's  church  waxed  exceedingly  in  the  faith.

The old  devil  who  is  filled  with  envy

took great  wrath  against  the  man  of  God

for the  people's  conversion  from  his  foul  worship,

and considered  how  he  might  in  some  manner  extinguish

the wide-spread  Christianity  by  his  stratagems.

Then at  last  the  savage  idolaters

were stirred  with  anger,  even  as  the  devil  incited  them,

and sent  to  Domitian,  the  diabolic  emperor,

who after  Nero  oppressed  the  Christians,

making known  in  letters  about  the  holy  man,

how through  his  lore  the  country  folk  were  turned,

and all  the  citizens,  to  Christ's  worship,

and prayed  him  privately  that  he  would  find  some  plan

on behalf  of  his  venerable  gods,  that  the  rather  their  remembrance

might not  be  put  out  through  Dionysius'  teaching.

This writing  came  to  the  Caesar  in  Rome,

and he  was  verily  soon  stirred  up,

so that  he  bade  kill  all  the  Christians

whom he  could  hear  of,  in  all  lands,