Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 2.djvu/9



The most  praiseworthy  conversion,  both  in  deeds  and  in  morals, and the  great  repentance,  and  the  very  valiant  conflict  of  the  venerable  Mary  of  Egypt,  and  how  she  fulfilled  her  life-time  in  the desert, all  this  did  Paul,  the  venerable  deacon  of  the  church  of  holy Neapolis, translate  from  the  Greek  language  into  Latin.

Verily it  is  read,  that  Raphael  the  archangel  was  speaking  to  Tobit,  after  the  loss  of  his  eyes,  and  again  after  their  glorious  enlightenment, and  after  the  past  dangers  from  which  he  was  delivered,  thus  saying:  'Truly  it  is  very  harmful  that  the  secrets  of  mankind  be  revealed;  and  again  it  is  a  great  disgrace  for  the  soul that one  should  conceal  the  glorious  works  of  God.

For these  reasons  I  will  in  no  wise  be  silent  concerning  the  holy  records. He hath  made  known  to  me  that  I  may  fall  into  the  disgraceful sentence  of  the  slothful  servant,  who  hid  the  talent  received from his  Lord,  without  increase,  in  the  earth;  but  let  no  man  be  too unbelieving in  me,  when  writing  about  those  things,  which  I  have heard and  learnt  by  enquiry  in  this  wise  ;  may  it  never  be  that  I should  falsify  the  holy  narratives  or  keep  silence  from  speech.

There was  a  certain  man  in  a  minster  in  the  country  of  Palestine; he was  greatly  graced  by  his  conduct  in  life,  and  was  from  childhood  highly  instructed  and  learned  in  monastic  customs,  and  was