Page:The Elene of Cynewulf.djvu/37

 rule—and were He not thy Son, free from guile, never could He have wrought such a multitude of true miracles day after day in the world; nor wouldst thou, O Lord of the peoples, so gloriously have raised Him from the dead before the nations, were He not thy Son in glory by that holy maid—then do thou, O Father of angels, now show forth thy sign. Even as thou didst hearken unto the words of that holy seer, Moses, in prayer, when thou, O God of power, didst reveal unto the noble man in due time the bones of Joseph beneath the mountain-side, so would I, O God of hosts, if it be thy will, beseech thee in the name of that fair being that thou, Creator of souls, wilt disclose unto me this treasure-house that long has been hidden from men. Do thou now, O Prince of life, let rise up beneath the span of the heavens from this smiling field a misty smoke. Then shall I trust in thee better, and the more firmly establish my soul in undoubting joy upon the crucified Christ, that He is truly the Saviour of souls, eternal, omnipotent, and King of the Israelites, and that He shall rule for ever in glory without end the everlasting dwellings in the heavens.’

Then from that place a mist rose up beneath the skies, like unto smoke. Thereupon was the soul of the man exalted, and he clapped his hands unto the heavens, wise and blessed. And Judas spake, sage in thought:—‘Now have I truly perceived in the hardness of my heart that thou art the Saviour of the world. Thanksgiving without end be thine, O God of might, who sittest in majesty, that unto me in my misery and my sin thou dost uncover the secrets of the fates by thy glory. Now I would