Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 2.djvu/437

 He would  torment  them  with  greater  torments

that they  should  not  so  easily  end  (their  life).

Then came  they  both  with  blithe  faces

and wholly-sound  bodies,  to  the  unbelieving  judge;

and he  was  astonished  that  they  were  wholly-sound,

and of  fair  hue,  in  full  strength;

and he  asked  the  warders  however  they  dared

so well  feed  them,  with  victuals  and  drinks.

He could  not  perceive  that  Christ  himself  fed  them;

and he  asked  then  with  anger  the  aforesaid  bishop,

' Ha! thou Valerius,  I  ask  thee  now,

what dost  thou,  inasmuch  as  thou  darest  contend

against the  emperor,  as  if  for  religion?'

But the  bishop  answered  not  the  cruel  one  so  readily,

because that  God  would  that  he  should  be  overcome

by the  deacon  in  the  martyrdom,

who was  then  ready  for  the  glorious  victory.

And that  the  wicked  one  might  also  perceive

that the  bishop  could  with  bold  faith

despise his  torments,  since  he  was  (even)  overcome

by the  deacon,  through  his  belief  in  the  Lord.

Then quoth  Vincentius  to  the  venerable  bishop —

'Answer the  profane  one  with  prompt  faith,

that his  madness  may  thus  be  brought  to  naught,

by the  authority  of  our  Lord's  might.

The very  serpent  speaketh  now  by  the  mouth  of  this  profane  one,

he who  formerly  seduced  the  first-created  men,

and with  envious  malice  robbed  them  of  the  glory

which God  would  have  given  them,  if  they  had  obeyed  him.

He deserved  no  glory,

neither did  he  remain  in  truthfulness;

but that  death  which  he  proffered  to  the  first-created  men,