Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 2.djvu/203

 and believe  on  Him. Let us  now  go  this  night  and  obtain  for ourselves the  holy  baptism  of  Christian  men,  through  which  verily those who  believe  on  Him  are  His  own.'  Then  said  Placidas  to  her,  'He  Whom  I  saw  said  the  same  to  me.'  Then  verily  at midnight  they  went,  so  that  their  servants  should  not  know it, to  the  Christian  men's  priest,  and  related  to  him  all  the  things which had  been  shown  them,  and  (said)  that  they  believed  on  God, and entreated  him  to  baptize  them.

Then the  bishop  was  filled  with  much  bliss,  and  glorified  God, Who willeth  that  all  men  should  be  whole  and  come  to  the  way  of truth;    and   he   thereupon    christened   them    all,   and   instructed them in  the  mysteries  of  the  holy  faith,  and  baptized  them  in  the name of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  and named Placidas  Eustachius,  and  his  wife  Theophistis,  and  his  first son  Agapetus,  and  the    second   Theophistus,  and  gave  them  the holy sacrament  of  Christ's  body  and  blood;  and  let  them  go,  thus saying, '  The  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God,  be with  you  and  give  you  the  eternal  kingdom;  truly  I  perceive  that God's blessing  is  with  you;  enjoy  ye  God's  paradise,  and  remember   me,   John,    I    pray   you.'     Then    verily   again   in   the   early morning Eustace  took  a  few  companions   and  went  to  the  place where he  had  before  seen  the  vision,  and  dispersed  his  companions as if  for  the  sake  of  hunting;    and  he  alone  remained,  and  approached  the  place,  and  saw  the  same  vision  which  he  had  seen before, and  fell  down   on  his  face,  and  said;    'I  beseech   Thee, Lord, and  I  acknowledge  that  Thou  art  the  Saviour  Christ,  the Son of  the  living  God;  and  now  I  have  come  hither,  and  pray  Thy indivisible divinity  that  Thou  wilt  reveal  to  me  that  which  Thou didst before  promise  me.'     Then  said  the  Saviour  to  him,  '  Blessed art thou  who  hast  received  the  washing  of  My  grace,  and  hast clothed thyself  with  immortality;  and  now  thou  hast  overcome  the devil, and  hast  trodden  under  foot  him  that  deceived  thee;    and now thou  hast  divested  thyself  of  the  corruptible  man,  and  hast vested thyself  with  the  incorruptible,  who  continueth  ever  world without end;    now  shall  be   manifested   the   works  of  thy  faith, and the  devil's  envy  will  be  stirred  up  against  thee,  because  thou