Ælfric

“ How can we blind ones heal the blind ?' Then said Julianus, who knew all that, to Martianus, with great joy, ‘Go in unto thy gods, they call thee to themselves !' Then went the persecutor into the temple, and saw the images all broken in pieces, both of gold and of silver, and some of amber, and some of crystal, wholly shattered. ”

“ Your Christ raised up the dead to life, let it now be proved if He be true God, and do thou raise up this man.' Then answered Julianus to the impious judge, 'What profiteth the bright sun-beam to the blind man? ”

“ And if by his witchcraft he can quench the fire, torment them all, behold, how thou wilt.' Then Martianus bade them fetch the men of God, and asked Julianus whether they had thought of anything for their own profit meanwhile, up to the present time.
Julianus said, 'our opinion is just as it was ; if thou hast thought of any torment, we are ready for it.
Then, with that word, men carried along the street a heathen man's body, and the hard-hearted judge bade them bear the dead man to his judgment-seat. ”

“ Though the emperor's persecution vexeth the Christians, yet for my healing I will give you half of all my possessions, if ye can by any means cure my deformed limbs of these hard knots. ' Then laughed Polycarp, and said to the sick man, ' Christ can enlighten thy ignorance through His mercy, and easily manifest that He is thy Restorer.
He that receiveth money, and selleth God's gift, he destroyeth his own soul, and the sick is not healed; but believe in Jesus, and let thyself be baptized, and thou shalt be as sound as this Tranquillinus. ”

“ Then was there an earthquake, and all the place trembled, and there shone a great light, and a great odour was diffused there, so that the woman wondered at the winsome fragrance, and said that she never before smelt anything like it.
Then soon believed she on the living God, and was baptized by the aforesaid priest, and was fully converted to the true faith. ”

“ There shall ye pray for mercy, but it shall be denied you.' Still Martianus, on account of his evil nature, would not believe on God, but was filled with anger, and said that he would avenge his gods.
Then he commanded men to wind round their hands and feet with greased flax, and to kindle fire thereunder.
Then burnt the fire and the bonds together, and the bodies of the saints remained unharmed. ”

“ Make thy mind pure, that thou mayest learn through true discernment who is thy Creator; else thou canst not have the healing that thou seekst. ' Then said Chromatius, 'Some Christians there are, men simple to that degree, that thou canst not find one in a thousand who is able fittingly to speak their speech or to learn.
How should these come to the faith of Christ ?' Sebastian said, Christ chose, from the beginning, shepherds and husbandmen, and simple fishers, and afterwards taught them, and set them for teachers. ”

“ He came thus summoned to the prefect, and moreover concealed not that he believed in the Lord.
160 Then said the prefect, who was yet a heathen, and quite as badly tormented as Tranquillinus was before, Methinketh that thou askedst the respite for thy children to the end that thou mightest believe their lying heresies. ' Then spake Tranquillinus to Chromatius thus, “The gods whom ye worship were wicked men, evilly born, and infamous in life, filled with crime, and died miserably. ”

“ Julianus then, and the young knight, Martianus' son, and his mother also, Antonius the priest, and the resuscitated man, were all slain together for Christ's sake, and went with glory to the kind Saviour, and to their companions who preceded them, that is, Basilissa, with her bright maidens, and the holy company that were burnt in the house, and the twenty warders, whom the cruel one beheaded, and the seven brethren, whom he commanded to be burnt; and all they now rejoice before God for ever. ”

“ Those that have faith, and have learned to fight fearlessly against the treacherous fiend by God's help, and have Christ's armour, they may break in pieces the gods. ' Then said Chromatius to the brave servant of God, God's will, and yours also, be done in this. ”

“ Those who here now weep, would rejoice with you, if they assuredly knew that which ye now know; of a truth they think that there is this life alone, and know not that other which will be everlasting; this life is so false that it ever deceiveth those that most love it, and have trust in it. ”

“ Let them now go to the predestined crown, and be ye not afraid ; they shall not be divided from you, but they shall go to heaven to Jesus Christ, and receive verily celestial dwellings, in which ye yourselves may ever abide with them, secure from every evil in eternal bliss.' After this exhortation, and other lengthy counsels, came a light from heaven to the holy man, and with that light appeared an angel opposite him. ”

“ If thou wilt not slay me, send me to the emperor, that I may there suffer death for my Lord Christ.' The saints were then cast into a blind prison, by Martianus' command, where men's bodies lay, that were long ere this killed in the prison, which swarmed all with worms, and stank horribly. ”

“ Therefore laws are fixed that men may live rightly, and that the righteous be praised and the unrighteous shamed. Then wondered Chromatius at their wise words, and said, 'He is the true God who has such discerning worshippers. Then he consented that they should destroy the instrument.
But his son Tiburtius immediately with a threat said that he would not in anywise suffer them ever to break up so costly a work, unless the saints were thrown into two hot ovens, if his father were not healed after the breaking. ”

“ Often in one fight fall very many men, who erst were not born under one planet.
Again at one time two maiden-children come, and the one will be modest and the other will be shameless; the pure is not laudable nor the wanton blameable if the stars assigned them so to live. ”

“ This instrument was designed to show with certainty by the stars what should happen to every man in the course of his life; but it was so formed according to heathen error.
Then came Sebastian and the priest Polycarp again to Chromatius, and found him sick, and said that he had something unbroken which hindered his healing through cruel spells. ”

“ Ða aƿóc Iulianus geƿyssod þurh his drihten ·⁠022
cƿæð to his freondum ·  he on-fon ƿolde ·
mæden him to gemacan · ⁊ hi mycclū þæs fægnodon ·
Þa fundon his magas sum æðel-boren mæden⁠025
basilissa gehaten · ⁊ him þa begeaten ·
Þa ƿurdon gegearcode þa gyftu æfter geƿunan ·⁠027
⁊ hí butu coman on anum bedde to-somne. ”

“ Hit gelamp þa sona · sƿa hí ofslagene ƿæron ·⁠422
 mycel líget cóm · ofer þa manfullan hæðenan ·
⁊ sƿiðlic eorð-styrung · ⁊ egeslic þunor ·
sƿa  þæra manfulra mycel dæl · for-ƿearð ·
⁊ nan stoƿ ne æt-stód · mid þam stænenū godum ·
ne nan hæðen-gyld se hagol ne belæfde ·
Þa fleah martian᷒ for nean adyd ·⁠428
⁊ he ƿearð fornumen · æfter feaƿum dagum ·
sƿa  ƿurmas crupon cuce of his lice ·
⁊ se arleasa ge-ƿát mid ƿite to helle ·
Þæra halgan líc · þurh geleaf-fulle menn ·⁠432
ƿurdon gebyrigde sona mid blisse · binnan godes cyrcan ·
Sy him á ƿuldor on ecere ƿorulde · ƿe cƿeþað. ”

“ Þa het se cƿellere hi to þam cƿearterne gelædan ·⁠249
⁊ sende his geƿrit to þam ƿælhreoƿan casere ·
Gehelp urū godum · ⁊ hát to þe gefeccan ·⁠251
þisne dry · Iulianum · þe ure góda anlicnysse ·
mid ealle to-brytte · ⁊ minne sunu gebygde ·
fram me to his criste · ⁊ þa seofan cnihtas ·
þe be þinre leafa lyfedan buton ehtnysse
on þyssere byrig for hyra mycclū | gebyrde ·
þa asende se casere þisne cƿide ongean ·
gif Iulianus þurh-ƿunað mid his geferum on þysum ·
nim fela tunnan ⁊ do hí þær on innan ·
on-æl hi siððan ealle oðrū mannum to bysne · ”

“ Ða mid þam þe iulianus his drihten gebæd ·⁠291
 he me eft arærde · þa unrotsodon helƿare
| ⁊ of godes trym-setle · ƿearð þus geclypod ·
Beo se man ongean gelæd · for minum leofan iuliane ·⁠294
nelle ic hine ge-unrotian on ænigū þincge ·
Þa coman tƿegen englas · ⁊ me of ðam deoflum genamon ·⁠296
⁊ me gebrohtan to life ·  ic nu on god gelyfe ·
æft̅ minum deaðe · þone þe ic ær ƿiðsóc ·
Þa ƿearð martianus mycclū gedrefed ·⁠299
⁊ het hi ealle gebringan binnan þam cƿearterne eft ·
⁊ het gearcian ða tunnan to heora bærnette ·
sƿa sƿa se kasere hét · þurh his ærend-geƿrit · ”

“ Þa fore-sceaƿode godes gifu ·  þær scean mycel leoht ·⁠213
⁊ se stenc ƿearð aƿend · to ƿynsumū bræðe ·
⁊ eall se unƿynsumnyss him ƿearð to blysse ·
Þa cƿædon þa cempan þe se cƿellere gesette ·⁠216
þam halgū to ƿeard-mannum · þæra ƿæron tƿentig ·
Unrihtlic us bið ·  ƿe æft gecyrron ·⁠218
frā þysū beorhtan leohte · to blindum þystrū ·
frā life to deaðe · fram soðe to leasunga ·
Hi feollon þa ealle to Iulianes fotum ·⁠221
mid ge-leafan herigende þæs hælendes naman · ”

“ Sƿa sƿa hí besuncon on ðone sƿeartan grund ·⁠383
sƿa sceole ge hæðene on helle grund besincan ·
þær bið æfre éce fýr · ⁊ undeadlic ƿyrm ·
þe eoƿre lichaman cyƿð · ⁊ ge þeah ne sƿeltað ·
ac bið æfre se lichama ge-edniƿod to ðam ƿitū · ”