Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 2.djvu/231

 but they  rode  on,  nor  regarded  his  cry.

Then Martin  perceived  that  he  must  help  him,

since the  others  would  not;    nevertheless,  he  knew  not

what to  give  to  the  naked  man,  because  he  himself

had naught  but  his  clothes  and  his  military  garb,

since he  had  formerly  spent  his  money  in  a  similar  work.

Then he  drew  his  knife,  and  cut  in  two  his  cloak,

and gave  the  half  part  of  it  to  the  happy  poor  man,

and put  the  other  half  on  his  own  back.

Then his  comrades  laughed  at  the  cut  cloak;

and some  were  sorry  that  they  had  not  done  something  like  it,

since they,  without  nakedness,  might  have  helped  him  better.

In the  same  night  he  saw  in  a  dream

Jesus clothed  with  the  half-cloak

which he  had  given  to  the  poor  man,  and  bade  him  look

towards his  Lord,  and  recognise  the  robe.

Therewith the  holy  Martin  heard

Jesus call  to  His  holy  angels

with clear  voice,  who  said  to  those  who  stood  round  Him:

' Martin,  who  is  not  yet  baptised,  clothed  Me  with  this  robe.'

Then he  remembered  His  saying,  which  He  said  in  His  gospel;

' that  which  ye  do  in  my  name  to  one  of  these  least,

that do  ye  to  Myself ';    and  therefore  He  made  known

Himself to  Martin  in  a  dream  with  the  robe

which the  poor  man  formerly  received  for  His  name.

The holy  man,  nevertheless,  was  not  lifted  up  by  the  vision,

but recognised  the  goodness  of  God  in  his  work.

And when  he  was  eighteen  years  old,  he  was  baptised  in  God,

but would  not  yet  give  up,  for  his  dear  captain's  sake,