Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 2.djvu/349

 to a  husband;  but  I  would  not  (ever)  defile  myself  thereby. And I dare  not  be  disobedient  to  my  father,  and  I  know  not  what  to  do as  to  this;  verily  all  this  night  I  continued  alone,  praying  God  that He would  show  His  mercy  to  my  miserable  soul;  and  so,  this  dawning day, it  liked  me  to  get  one  of  you  to  come  to  me,  that  I  might  hear God's word  from  him. Now pray  I  thee,  for  the  sake  of  the  reward of thy  soul,  that  thou  instruct  me  in  those  things  which  pertain  to God.'  Then  said  the  brother,  '  the  Lord  said  in  His  gospel,  "  Whosoever will  not  forsake  father  and  mother  and  all  his  kindred,  and moreover  his  own  soul,  he  cannot  be  My  disciple." I know  not what I  can  say  to  thee  more;  nevertheless,  if  thou  canst  withstand the  temptations  of  thy  flesh,  then  abandon  thou  all  that thou ownest  and  depart  hence;  thy  father's  riches  will  find  heirs enough.' The  maiden  said  to  him:  '  I  trust  in  God's  assistance and  in  thine,  that  I  shall  attain  to  my  soul's  salvation.'  Then said the  brother,  '  thou  must  not  let  such  desires  grow  slack, verily thou  knowest  that  it  is  now  the  time  of  repentance.'  Then said she,  '  therefore  I  summoned  thee  hither  for  that  I  desired that thou  shouldest  bless  me,  and  afterward  cut  off  my  hair.' Then the  brother  invested  her  with  the  monastic  habit,  and  blessed her and  thus  said:  'the  Lord,  who  hath  delivered  His  saints, preserve thee  from  all  evil.'  He  then  after  this  joyfully  went home, glorifying  God. Then Euphrosyne  thought  thus,  saying; ' if  I  go  now  to  a  women's  convent,  then  my  father  will  seek  me there,  and  will  find  me  there;  and  then  he  will  take  me  thence by force  for  my  bridegroom's  sake;  but  I  will  go  to  a  man's minster  where  no  man  will  suspect  me.'  Then  she  put  off  her womanly garb  from  her,  and  clothed  herself  with  a  man's;  and  in the  eventide  departed  from  her  ha^ll,  and  took,  with  her  fifty mancuses, and  that  night  she  hid  herself  in  a  secret  place. Then afterward in  the  morning  came  Paplmutius  to  the  city,  and  then, according to  God's  will,  he  went  into  the  church. Meanwhile Euphrosyne arrived  at  the  minster  which  her  father  visited;  then the porter  went  to  the  abbot  and  said  to  him:    '  father,  here  is