Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 2.djvu/435

 In those  days  was  then  a  cruel  captain,

named Datianus,  a  very  fierce  persecutor

in a  head-borough  in  the  aforesaid  land;

who obtained  of  the  emperor,  that  he  might  kill

the holy  Christian  men  with  various  torments.

To him  the  emperor  granted,  as  books  inform  us,

that the  cruel  persecutor  might  have  the  power

that he  might  kill  the  Christians  with  torments,

because that  they  both  were  filled  with  mischief,

to strive  against  Christ  with  mad  severity.

So Datianus,  the  devilish  murderer,

by the  power  that  he  had  received,

manifested his  madness  against  Christian  men,

and began  to  oppress  with  a  daring  attempt

the holy  bishops  and  the  ordained  priests.

He wished,  first  of  all,  to  prevail  over  with  torments

the chief-men  of  the  holy  belief,  that  he  afterwards  might

overcome the  lesser  ones,  and  turn  them  from  their  belief.

Then hastened  the  bishop  and  the  holy

Vincentius to  the   noble  martyrdom;

they thought  that  they  would  be  verily  blessed,

if they  with  devotion  eagerly  received

the glorious  diadem  of  their  martyrdom,

through the  confession  of  belief  in  the  Saviour.

Datianus then,  the  devilish  persecutor,

commanded (men)  to  bring  the  saints,  bound  with  chains,

into a  city,  and  to  lock  them  both

in a  light-less  prison. He let  them  lie  so

in extreme  famine,  heavily  loaded

with the  hard  iron;  he  hoped  that  he  should

through these  torments  turn  them  away  from  faith  in  God.

After a  long  period  he  commanded  (men)  to  bring  them  to  him;

he thought  that  they  were  wasted  with  the  torments,

and through  the  famine  made  strengthless.