Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 2.djvu/299

 to the  outer  gate,  and  behold,  he  found

Martin there  outside,  even  as  it  had  been  revealed  to  him.

He was  astonished  and   said  to  the  holy  man;

'How now,  O  dear  lord! why doest  thou  thus?

Thou needest  speak  no  word  nor  ask  anything,

I know  what  thou  desirest;    but  wend  thee  now  home,

lest God's  anger  destroy  me  for  the  insult  to  thee.'

Then the  holy  man  straightway  returned  home,

and the  count  commanded  in  the  same  night

to let  all  those  go  away  whom  he  had  intended  to  kill,

and he  himself  departed,  being  afraid,  from  the  city.

XLII. He showed  his  cruelty  in  every  city,

and ever  delighted  in  the  slaughter  of  unhappy  men,

but before  Martin  he  was  esteemed  mild,  no

and durst  do  no  cruelty  in  Tours.

The holy  Martin  once  came  to  him,

and, as  he  was  going  into  his  parlour,

he saw  then  a  huge  swart  devil

sitting on  his  back,  and  he  [Martin]  blew  on  him;

then Avitianus  thought  that  he  was  blowing  upon  him,

and   said    to    the   holy  man;    '  Why    dost  thou    look   at  me  so, holy  father?'

The bishop  answered  him;    '  I  look  not  at  thee,

but at  the  swart  devil  which  sitteth  on  thy  neck;

I blew  him  off  thee.'     And  so  the  devil  departed,

and straightway  abandoned  his  familiar  seat.

And Avitianus  was  more  merciful  ever  afterward

from the  day  on  which  the  devil  departed  from  him,

either because  he  was    aware  that  he  had   been  performing   his will,

or because  the  evil  spirit  was  expelled  from  him

through Martin's  might;    and  he  was  greatly  ashamed

of the  devil's  vassalage  in  which  he  had  been  until  then.

XLIII. Martin had  two  miles  to  go  from  his  monastery

to the  city  of  Tours  in  which  was  his  episcopal  see;

and as  often  as  he  went  thither  the  devils  in  possessed  men