Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 2.djvu/75

 and sent  to  Jerusalem  the  Jewish  town,

in which  was  then  worshipped  the  all-ruling  God

after the  old  law,  which  they  alone  then  kept,

and commanded  them  to  turn  from  God,  and  from  his  services,

and raised  up  the  devil's  form  upon  the  Lord's  altar,

and commanded  them  all  to  offer  sacrifice  to  that  idol,

and to  kill  each  one,  who  spake  against  his  commands.

There was  then  great  sorrow  amongst  all  the  people,

who believed  on  God,  because  of  the  cruel  deeds;

And many  bowed  down  to  the  wicked  idol;

and also  many  spake  against  the  king's  commands,

and would  lose  their  lives  rather  than  their  belief,

and would  not  defile  themselves  with  the  foul  heathendom.

nor break  God's  law  which  they  read  in  books.

Now there  was  taken  a  certain  faithful  scribe[2  Macc.vi. 18 ],

hoary and  old,  who  was  called  Eleazar;

and they  stuck  in  his  mouth,  with  many  threatenings,

the foul  meat  which  Moses  forbade

God's people  to  taste  because  of  its  spiritual  signification.

"We must  now  speak  more  plainly  concerning  these,

as to  what  meats  were  forbidden  to  men

in the  old  law,  which  one  eats  now  nevertheless.

Moses forbad,  because  of  its  great  significance  [Levit. xi. 2 ]

in the  old  law,  according  to  God's  ordinance,

the old  people — to  eat  those  beasts

which chew  not  their  cud,  and  commanded  them  [to  be]  unclean;

and those  that  are  hoofed  in  a  horse's  likeness,

those with  uncloven  claws,  were  unclean  also.

The clean  beasts  who  chew  their  cud

betoken those  men  who  meditate  in  their  mind

about God's  will,  after  that  they  hear  his  word