Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 2.djvu/47

 evils she  had  preserved   me. Verily I  am  fed  to  the  full  with sufficient sustenance,   that    is   to  say,   with   the    promise    of  my salvation;    and  I  am  clothed  upon  with  the  protecting  garment of the   word   of    God,   who   encloses    and   embraces   everything. Verily man  liveth  not  by  bread   alone,  but  by  every  word  that proceedeth out  of  God's  mouth.'     Then  indeed  Zosimus,  hearing her utter  the  words  of  the  holy  scriptures,  both  of  the  Gospels  and  of  many  other  books,  said  unto  her:    '  Ah,  mother! didst thou ever learn  the  psalms  or  other  holy  writings  1 '     When  she  heard this, she  glanced  smilingly  towards  him  and  said:   '  Believe  me, I have  never  seen  anyone  but  thee  or  wild  beasts,  nor  creature  of  any  kind  since  I  passed  over  the  water  of  Jordan    and    arrived hither in  this  wilderness;  nor  did  I  ever  learn  to  read,  nor  ever listened to  any  of  those  people  who  pondered  and  read. But the word of  God  is  quick  and  sharp,  teaching  this  human  intelligence within me. And this  is  now  the  end  of  those  things  that  are accomplished  concerning    me. Now  I  beseech   thee,    entreating thee by  the  incarnate  Word  of  God,  to  pray  for  me,  a  miserable sinner.'    When  she  had  said  this,  the  old  man  ran  towards  her with bent  knees,  to  prostrate  himself  upon  the  earth,  crying  aloud with sorrowful  tears:  '  Blessed  be  God,  who  alone  worketh  manifold wonders;  and  blessed  be  thou,  O  Lord  God,  who  hast  shewn me the  gloriousness  that  thou  givest  to  them  that  dread  Thee. Now I  wot  verily  that  Thou  forsakest  none   of  them  that    seek Thee.'    Then  she,  however,  anticipated  the  old  man,  and  suffered him not  to  prostrate  himself  fully  upon  the  earth;    but  said  to him,    '  O  man,    thou    hast   heard   these    things. Behold I   also beseech  thee,  by  the  Lord   Jesus  Christ   our  Redeemer,   not   to recount  them  to  any  man  before  God  shall  release  me  from  the bonds of  the  flesh. But now  that  these  things  are  disclosed,  go home  in  peace. And I  will  again  appear  to  thee,  within  the  space of a  year,  at  this  same  season,  and  thou  shalt  see  me. And do thou  at  least  truly  as  I  now  bid  thee:  when  the  holy  Lenten  fast recurs in  the  coming  year,  do  not  pass  over  Jordan  as  men  are wont to  go  from  your  minster.'    Then  began  Zosimus  to  wonder  yet again, how  she  knew  with  such  exactness  the  rule  of  the  minster;