Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 2.djvu/73

 but  he  would  take  nothing  as  meed

for his  wonderful  power,  or  his  mighty  preaching;

and said  to  the  king;    'We  have  forsaken  our  possessions

and  have  abandoned   our   own,    why   should   we   take    those    of  another  man?'

This was  thus  accomplished,  and  thereafter  the  true  faith

ever continued  in  that  nation,

to the  praise  of  the  Saviour  who  liveth  ever  in  eternity. Amen.

After that  Alexander  the  terrible  king

divided his  kingdom  amongst  his  several  favorites

on his  decease,  and  they  took  to  the  kingdom,

each in  his  portion,  then  grew  up  many  evils

wide-spread on  the  earth,  because  of  these  kings'  battles.

One of  these  kings  there  was  of  them  all  the  wickedest,

irreverent and  proud,  named  Antiochus,

who fought  in  Egypt  and  put  to  flight  the  king;

and marched  afterwards  to  Jerusalem  with  a  great  army,

and despoiled  God's  temple  of  gold  and  silver,

and took  many  gold-hoards  away  with  him,

and the  holy  treasure-vessels,  and  the  great  altar,

and slew  many  of  the  people  in  the  town,

and spake  haughtily,  trusting  in  his  might.

Again after  some  time,  the  king  sent,

by a  written  message,  that  all  men  should  bow  down

to his  heathendom  and  to  his  ordinances;