Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 2.djvu/367

 and one  Baptism.'     And  he  took  and  read.

Then  said  the  angel:     '  Believest   thou  this,  or  doth    something else  please  thee?'

Valerian answered;    '  What  can  ever  be  truer

or more  to  be  believed  in  by  any  living  man?'

And with  that  word  the  angel  departed  from  him.

Then straitway  afterward  the  pope  baptized  him,

and taught  him  his  faith,  and  let  him  go  home  again

to Caecilia,  the  holy  maiden.

Then the  youth  found  the  woman  standing

at her  prayers  in  her  bower  alone,

and God's  angel  standing  with  golden  wings

with two  crowns  nigh  to  the  maiden.

The crowns  were  shining  in  a  wondrous  way,

with the  rose's  redness  and  the  lily's  whiteness.

And thereupon  he  gave  one  to  the  noble  maiden,

and the  other  to  the  youth,  and  said  to  them  thus;

'Keep these  crowns  with  a  pure  heart,

because I  received  them  in  the  plains  of  paradise;

they shall  never  grow  sere  nor  lose  their  sweetness,

nor shall  their  beauty  turn  to  a  worse  hue,

nor shall  any  man  see  them  save  he  who  loveth  chastity;

and thou,  Valerian,  because  thou  lovest  chastity,

the Saviour  biddeth  thee  ask  whatsoever  boon  thou  wilt.'

Then the  youth  kneeled  and  said  to  the  angel:


 * There is  nothing  so  dear  to  me  living  in  this  life

as was  my  brother;    and  it  is  a  grief  to  me

that I  should  be  saved  and  he  perish  in  torments.

This boon  I  ask,  that  my  brother  Tiburtius

be saved  through  God  and  turned  to  the  faith,

and that  He  make  us  both  His  worshippers.'

Then said  the  angel  to  him  again  with  gladness:  'because  thou hast  prayed  for  this,

God is  the  better  pleased  that  thy  brother  Tiburtius

shall be  begotten  through  thee  to  eternal  life,

even as  thou  didst  believe  in  God  through  Caecilia's  lore,