Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 2.djvu/363



Once, in  old  days,  there  was  a  noble  maiden

called Caecilia,  a  Christian  from  childhood,

when the  cruel  persecution  existed  in  the  Roman  Empire,

in the  days  of  the  emperors  who  cared  not  for  Christ.

This holy  woman  had  in  her  breast

so great  love  of  the  eternal  life

that she,  day  and  night,  meditated  concerning  the  Lord's  gospel

and concerning  God's  lore,  with  true  faith,

and busied  herself  in  continual  prayers.

She was  nevertheless  wedded,  as  her  friends  willed  it,

to a  noble  youth,  who  was  not  yet  a  Christian,

called Valerian,  who  is  now  a  holy  saint.

So then  Caecilia  clothed  herself

with hair-cloth  on  her  body  and  frequently  fasted,

praying with  weeping  that  she  might  be  shielded

from any  stain  or  the  company  of  man.

She cried  to  the  saints  and  to  the  high  angels,

praying their  assistance  with  the  Heavenly  God,

that she  might  serve  Christ  in  chastity.

It befell  nevertheless  that  the  honourable  youth  ao

provided the  marriage-gift  and  fetched  the  maiden

with worldly  dignity  even  as  became  their  rank.

Then betwixt  the  songs  and  the  continual  rejoicings

sang Caecilia  even  thus  to  God,

Fiat   cor   meum   et    corpus    meum    immaculatum    ut    non   confundar.

' Let  my  heart  and  my  body  be  through  God  unstained

that I  be  not  confounded.'     And  sang  ever  so.

They were  then  brought  into  bed  together,

and Caecilia  straitway,  that  prudent  maiden,