Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 2.djvu/81

 There were  also  taken  and  led  to  the  king  [2  Macc. vii. i.]

seven brethren,  very  believing;

and their  mother  together,  and  them  they  vexed  with  scourging,

that they  should  eat  bacon,  against  God's  law.

Then saith  the  eldest,  'what  askest  thou  of  us?

we are  ready  to  die  rather  than  to  transgress

our creator's  law  which  he  ordained  by  Moses.'

Then the  king  grew  angry  and  commanded  to  cut  out  his  tongue,

and to  scalp  him  and  to  cut  off  his  hands,

and also  to  cut  off  his  feet,  and  commanded  to  fetch  a  cauldron,

and to  boil  him  therein  until  he  gave  up  the  ghost

before his  brethren,  that  they  might  yield.

Moreover the  six  brethren  themselves  there  testified

and the  mother  together,  saying  amongst  themselves,

that they  would  die  for  God's  ordinances.

' God  himself  comforteth  us,  as  Moses  revealed  [Deut. xxxii. 43 ]

in the  fifth  book,  that  God  comforteth  his  servants.'

Then the  tormentors  bound  the  second  brother,

and they  scalped  him  hatefully  and  asked  him

whether he  eat  would  before  he  should  be  hamstrung.

He saith  'that  he  would  not,'  and  he  then  the  like  punishment

as his  elder  brother  immediately  received,

and saith  to  the  king  who  commanded  to  kill  them,

'Thou, most  guilty  king,  slayest  and  consumest  us,

but the  Almighty  King  will  raise  us  up  again

to the  eternal  life,  now  that  we  die  for  his  law.'

They bound  the  third  and  in  derision  they  commanded

him to  put  out  his  tongue,  and  he  quickly  did  so.

and reached  out  his  hands  to  them,  and  with  firmness  quoth,

' These  limbs  I  had  through  the  heavenly  king,