Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 2.djvu/305

 XLIX. On Easter-days  he  would  eat  fish  if  he  had  it.

Then, on  a  certain  Easter-day,  he  asked  the  steward

whether he  had  fish  for  the  festival;

and he  said  in  answer  that  they  all  could  not,

neither the  fishermen  nor  himself,  catch  even  one  sprat.

Then said  the  holy  man;  'Cast  out  now  thy  net,

and a  take  of  fish  shall  come  to  thee.'  And  he  tried  it  immediately,

cast out  his  net,  and  there  was  within  it

an enormous  salmon;  and  he  drew  it  up,

bare it  home  to  the  monastery  and  prepared  it  for  the  saint.

L.    There  was  a  certain  believing  nobleman  called  Licontius;

then it  befell  his  servants  that  they  all  lay  sick

of an  indescribable  disease;  and  he  straightway  sent

a letter  to  Martin,  praying  for  some  help.

Then the  holy  man  perceived  that  they  were  afflicted

by divine  might,  and  that  he  could  easily

grant them  the  request;    but  he  ceased  not,  nevertheless,

to intercede  for  them  with  a  seven  nights'  fast,

until he  obtained  that  for  which  he  was  praying.

Then Licontius  came  and  made  known  to  the  saint,

with many  thanks,  that  his  household  was  delivered,

by means  of  Martin,  from  the  manifold  disease,

and brought  the  saint  a  hundred  pounds  (of  silver)  as  an  offering.

Then the  holy  man  would  not  have  the  gift;

yet he  did  not  despise  it,  but  gave  all  the  money

to afflicted  men  and  to  those  who  were  in  captivity,

and thus  redeemed  them  out  of  misery.

Then the  brothers  earnestly  besought  the  bishop

that he  would  put  some  part  of  the  money  into  the  monastery-coffer,