Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 2.djvu/265

 ' Go,    and     sell    all    thy    goods,    and     give    the    worth    to    the poor,

and then  shalt  thou  have  treasure  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.'

XX. On one  occasion  Martin  was  mounting  to  an  upper  floor,

but the  steps  of  the  ladder  had  been  previously  injured,

and snapped  suddenly  so  that  he  fell  down,

and was  much  weakened  with  many  wounds,

so that  he  lay  sick  in  his  private  dwelling.

That night  there  came  to  him  an  angel,

whilst he  himself  was  beholding,  and  smeared  his  limbs

with healing  salve,  and  he  soon  after  this,   in  the  morning,

went forth  whole,  as  if  he  had  never  been  ill.

XXI. Maximus, the  emperor  who  was  in  Martin's  days,

very often  invited  the  venerable  man,

whenever he  spoke  with  him,  to  be  his  guest;

but he  always  withheld  himself  from  his  banquet,

saying that  he  could  not  be  his  guest

who had  slain  one  emperor  and  banished  another.

Then Maximus  answered  Martin,  and  said

that he  had  never  received  the  government  of  his  own  will,

but was  chosen  by  his  soldiers  against  his  will

to the  kingdom,  and  could  not  resist;

and that  he  could  not  strive  against  God's  will,

and therefore  had  to  defend  himself  with  weapons;

saying also  that  no  man  had  been  slain  by  him

save those  only  who  were  fighting  against  him.

So Martin  was  inclined  by  the  emperor's  defence

and also  by  his  entreaty  to  go  to  his  banquet.

He would  never  be  obsequious  nor  speak  with  flattery,

not even  to  the  emperor,  as  his  companions  did;

even as  he  in  the  same  feast  manifested  by  an  act  of  his.

He sat  by  the  emperor,  and  they  were  very  blithe

on   account    of  Martin's  feasting   with    them,  and   they    bare    to the  emperor

even as  it  was  customary,  wine  in  a  goblet.

Then bade  he  the  cupbearer  offer  it  first  to  Martin,