Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 2.djvu/441

 He cried  out  then  the  louder,  and  with  fierceness  raged,

and yet  more  he  raved,  striking  his  torturers

with rods  and  sticks,  (and)  commanded  them  torment  the  more

the holy  man  in  the  rack.

He thought  that  he  might  soften  his  mood

by the  immeasurable  torments;  but  he  strove  in  vain,

because that  they  became  tired  in  the  tormenting,

so that  they  could  no  longer  torment  the  martyr;

and he  constantly  endured  the  torments  nevertheless.

Datianus then  asked,  with  pale  face,

his fierce  torturers,  thus  speaking  to  them: —

' Where  is  now  your  might  and  your  strength  gone?

I perceive  not  your  hands,  that  were  ever  severe

as often  as  ye  tormented  those  that  were  condemned

either for  homicide  or  for  murders,

either for  sorcery  or  for  secret  adultery.

Ever ye  subdued  them  all  with  torments,

and they  could  not  hide  from  you  their  secret  deeds.

But now  ye  cannot  overcome  this  man

so that  he  may  at  least  be  silent  in  these  sharp  torments.'

Then smiled  the  holy  man  and  to  the  savage  one  spake: —

'This is  verily  that  which  is  written  in  God's  law,

that the  seeing  ones  see  not,  nor  the  hearing  ones  hear.

Lord Christ  I  confess,  the  Almighty  Father's  Son,

with the  Holy  Ghost,  one  true  God.

But torment  me  yet  more  for  this  true  confession

that thou  in  all  respects  mayst  confess  thyself  overcome.'

Datianus then  saith  to  the  Lord's  witness,

'Pity thyself,  and  mar  not  thy  youth,

and shorten  not  thy  life  thus  in  these  torments,

that thou  mayest  at  least  escape  these  hard  tortures,

at least  now  at  last,  though  before  thou  wouldst  not.'

Vincentius saith  to  him  thus  with  keen  faith: —

' I  dread  not  thy  torments  nor  thy  cruel  tortures;