Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 2.djvu/233

 worldly fighting;    but,  at  his  entreaty,  continued  in  it

fully two  years,  after  he  was  baptised.

III. "Well then,  there  suddenly  took  place  an  invasion  of  Gaul

by a  foreign  nation. And Julian  the  emperor

gathered his  army,  and  began  to  give

to each  of  his  soldiers  a  royal  donation,

even as  was  usual. Then Martin  thought

that he  might  well  request  from  the  emperor

leave to  depart  from  military  service.

It seemed  not  profitable  to  him  to  receive  the  donation,

and afterwards  not  to  go  forth  with  the  emperor  to  battle.

He said  to  the  impious  one:  '  till  now  I  have  fought  for  thee;

suffer me  henceforth  to  fight  for  God,

and let  him  who  fights  for  thee  receive  thy  gift.

I am  God's  champion;    I  must  not  fight.'

Then the  emperor  grew  angry,  and  said  that  for  cowardice,

because of  the  imminent  battle,  and  not  for  piety,  '

he would  thus  withdraw  himself  from  fighting.

But Martin  said  fearlessly  to  the  evil  man:

' If  thou  countest  this  as  cowardice,  and  not  true  faith,

now, tomorrow,  I  will  Stand,  in  my  Lord's  name,

before the  cohort,  and  I  will  march,  without  heed,

protected by  the  sign  of  the  cross,  and  by  no  red  shield,

nor with  any  helmet,  through  the  host  of  this  army.'

Then the  impious  man  bade  them  seize  the  saint,

that he  might  be  thrown,  all  weaponless,  among  the  heathen.

On the  next  day  the  heathen  so  did

that they  proffered  peace,  and  themselves  too,  to  the  emperor

and put  all  their  property  at  his  disposal.