Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 2.djvu/213

 oh master! whether thou  know  here  any  stranger  who  is  called Placidas, with  his  wife  and  his  two  sons;  truly,  if  thou  makest him known  to  us,  we  will  give  thee  good  meed.'  Then  said  he, 'For what  reasons  seek  ye  him? They said,  'He  was  to  us  a very  dear  friend;  now  would  we  see  him,  if  we  could  have  intelligence of  him  after  so  many  years.'  Then  said  he,  'I  know  not here any  such  man;  truly,  I  myself  am  a  stranger.'  Eustace  then led them  into  his  guest-house,  and  going  out  bought  wine  for them, and  gave  them  to  drink  on  account  of  their  great  fatigue.

Then said  he  to  the  master  of  the  house,  '  These  men  are  known to me,  and  therefore  they  came  to  me;   give  me  now  meats  and wine, and  I  will  pay  thee  afterward  out  of  my  hire.'     And  he thereupon  gladly  granted  it  to  him,  and  he  then,  Eustace,  served them;   and  remembered  how  they  had  before    served   him,  and could not  forbear  to  weep,  but  went  out  and  washed  his  eyes,  and came again  in,  and  served  them. They then  earnestly  regarded him and  partly  recognised  him  and  said,  '  This  man  is  like  the man whom  we  seek,  it  might  easily  be  he.'     Then  said  the  other, ' I  know  that  he  had  a  scar  on  his  neck  that  chanced  to  him  in fight;    let  us  observe    now  whether   he   hath  the  token  of  that wound.'    When  they  looked  at  him  carefully,  then  saw  they  the scar on  him,  and  they  immediately  embraced  and  kissed  him,  and wept for  bliss,  and  asked  him  whether  it  were  he  who  formerly was the  teacher  of  their  soldiers;    he  then  denied  that  it. was he. Then they  in  return  made  him  manifest  by  the  mark  on  his  neck, that it  was  he,  and  asked  him  concerning  his  wife  and  his  children, how they  had  fared. He then  said  that  it  was  he,  and  that  his wife and  his  children  were  dead. Then this  soon  became  known to all  in  the  land,  and  they  came  thither  with  great  wondering; and the  men  who  had  gone  after  him  related  to  all  men  concerning his former  glory. When they  heard  this,  they  all  wept,  saying, 'Alas! that so  great  excellence  of  such  a  man  should  have  served us.'    The  soldiers  then  made  known  to  him  the  emperors  command, and  clothed  him  with  the  best  garment,  and  led  him  forth with them;  and  the  people  of  the  country  brought  him  further, and   he    dismissed    them    in   peace. Eustace   then,  on   the   way,