Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 2.djvu/413

 ' Thou  art  a  noble  artificer,  and  shouldest  work  for  kings.'

Then the  king  entrusted  to  Christ's  workman  '

an unnumbered  sum  to  further  the  work,

and rode  throughout  his  towns  as  far  as  his  kingdom  extended.

Then went  Thomas  about,  freely  preaching

God's faith  everywhere  throughout  the  land,

and baptized  the  believing;  and  dealt  the  money

munificently to  the  poor,  and  reared  Churches.

Then it  so  befell  that  he  inclined  unnumbered

folk to  the  faith,  and  established  Churches,

and ordained  priests  for  the  Saviour's  service

within two  years,  before  the  renowned  king

Gondophorus returned  to  the  province  again.

Then it  was  thus  made  known  to  the  king,

and he  bade  bind  both  the  men  with  fetters,

Abbanes and  Thomas,  and  thrust  them  roughly

into a  dark  prison,  until  they  should  be  slain.

Then the  king's  brother  was  lying,  despairing  of  his  life,

who was  called  Gad,  very  dear  to  Gondophorus,

and he  therefore  delayed  what  he  should  do  with  them.

While he  desired  to  torture  them  for  a  spectacle,

then Gad  departed  from  the  world  to  hell.

Then they  kept  the  body  in  the  heathen  manner,

and the  brother  desired  to  'wake'  him  worthily,

and to  conduct  his  funeral  with  royal  honours.

Then on  the  fourth  day,  suddenly  in  the  morning,

arose that  same  Gad,  raised  up  by  God;

and the  corpse-bearers  were  wondrously  affrighted

by reason  of  the  new  wonder,  that  he  Avas  brought  to  life.

Then cried  the  requickened  one,  and  said  to  his  brother:

'Hearken now,  my  brother,  concerning  the  holy  man,

him whom  thou  desiredst  to  torture  for  a  spectacle;