Ælfric

“ Agatha answered simply, and said,
' Renounce thou thy gods which are of stone and wood,
and pray to thy Creator who truly liveth;
if thou despisest Him, thou shalt suffer in eternal torments.'
Then the impious man became incensed, and bade stretch her on the rack,
and cruelly twist her like a withy-rope, and said,
' Forsake thy self-will, that thy life may be saved.'
Agatha answered on the rack thus,
'So greatly I rejoice in these painful torments
even as he that seeth him whom he hath desired,
or as he that findeth many hoards of gold. ”

“ Then bade Quintianus to strike her with the hands
repeatedly on the face, that she might not declaim.
Then again Agatha said the same words.
Quintianus said, ' Thou sayest that thou hast chosen
to suffer the tortures, since thou repeatest insults against me.'
The maiden answered him, 'Greatly I wonder
that thou, a wise man, hast stooped to such folly,
that thou esteemest as gods such as it shameth thee to resemble.
If they be true gods, I wish thee to be as a god,
if thou dost abhor them, then we two speak alike. ”

“ Call them so evil and so unclean,
that if thou wouldest curse any one, thou shouldest wish him thus,
that his life be like to thy loathly gods.'
Quintianus said to her, ' Why speakest thou so much idle talk
Sacrifice to the gods, that I may not cruelly destroy thee.'
Then Agatha answered the judge fearlessly,
'If thou wilt now bait me with wild beasts,
they shall straightway be tamed to my hand through the name of Jesus.
If thou preparest fire for me, there shall suddenly come to me from heaven
a healing dew by the Lord's angels. ”