Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 2.djvu/447

 who before  had  tormented  him  in  cruel  torments,

And they  kissed  his  feet,  and  his  flowing  blood

carefully they  collected,  for  their  own  healing,

and laid  him  thus  on  the  soft  bed,

as the  impious  one  commanded,  and  so  left  him.

It happened  then  soon,  after  a  little  while,

that the  saint  departed  from  the  world  to  God,

with victorious  martyrdom,  the  devil  being  conquered,

to the  eternal  glory  with  the  gracious  God,

which He  has  promised  to  all  them  that  love  Him.

and that  keep  their  faith  in  Him  to  the  end.

Datianus then  saith,  the  devilish  persecutor,

ashamed nevertheless,  '  If  I  might  not  overcome  him

formerly when  living,  I  will  punish  him  when  dead.

Cast now  his  body  into  a  wide  field,

as food  for  birds,  and  as  meat  for  unclean  hounds,

and for  the  wild  beasts.'     And  his  cruel  servants  did  so.

Soon they  bore  that  body  to  the  midst  of  the  field,

and there  cast  it  away,  as  meat  for  the  wild  beasts.

It happened  then  soon,  through  God's  providence,

that a  black  raven  soon  flew  thither,

and guarded  the  body  against  the  wild  fowls,

and drove  them  all  away  with  his  wings,

and also  the  fierce  beasts  by  his  attacks.

The Almighty  God,  who  to  Elias  His  prophet

by the  black  raven  once  sent  meat,

and fed  him  then  by  the  fowl's  ministration,

as in  the  Book  of  Kings  is  well  known  concerning  it;

the same  God  kept  now  the  holy  man's  body,

by the  keeping  of  the  raven,  against  the  other  fowls.

This was  afterwards  told  to  the  impious  Datianus;

and he  then,  irritated,  saith  thus:

'May I  not  overcome  him  even  when  dead?