lichama næfre swa swide fornumen on fyre, oððe on sæ, oþþe ðurh deora geslit, þæt he ne sceole eft arísan ansund þurh Sæs Scyppendes mihte, de ealle ding of nahte gesceop. Hé cwæð, "On eowerum geðylde ge geahniað eow eowere sawla." Soðlice geðyld is wyrtruma and hyrdræden ealra haligra mægna, and ungepyld is ealra mægna tostencednys. Hit is awriten, "pæs mannes wisdom bið oncnawen þurh geðyld." Eft cwæð Salomon, "Selre is se geðyldiga wer þonne se strânga, and se de his mod gewylt is betera donne se de burh oferwind." Mare sige bið, þæt se man hine sylfne ðurh geðyld gewylde, donne he wiðutan him burga oferfeohte. Witodlice ðurh geðyld we magon beōn martiras, þeah de we on sibbe Godes gelaðunge ure lif geendion.

Twa cynn sind martirdomes: an dearnunge, oder eawunge. Se de on ehtnysse for Cristes geleafan his lif alæt, se bið openlice martir. Eft se de forberð ðurh geðyld hosp and teonan, and done lufað þe hine hatað, and his ágene unlustas and pas ungesewenlican deofles tihtinge forsih, se bið untwylice martyr on digelre dæde. pissere segene we nimað ús Crist to gewitnysse, sede cwæð to his twám apostolum, Iacobum et Iohannem, "Mage ge drincan pone calic pe ic drincan sceall?" Hí sædon þæt hí mihton. Drihten sæde, "Witodlice ge drincað minne calic." Hwæt is se calic pe Crist dranc buton seo rowung pe he for mancynne drowade? Be dære he cwæd to his Heofenlican Fæder, " Fæder mín, gif hit gewurðan mæg, afyrsa pisne calic fram me." pas twegen apostolas, Iacobus and Iohannes, gehyrdon æt Cristes mude pæt hí sceoldon his calic drincan, ac swa-deah hî begen næron geendode ðurh openne martirdom. We witon þæt Iacobus was beheafdod for pæs Hælendes geleafan, and Iohannes his broðor geendode his líf on sibbe únofslegen; ac he was deah martir, fordan de he heold da digelan prowunge on his mode, peah de he on lichaman gemartirod nære. And we magon beon martiras, deah de we mid ísene acwealde ne

Man's body will never be so wholly destroyed by fire, or in the sea, or by the tearing of beasts, that it shall not arise again sound through the Creator's might, who created all things from naught. He said, "In your patience ye shall possess your souls." Verily patience is the root and safeguard of all holy virtues, and impatience is of all virtues the dispersion. It is written, "The wisdom of man is known through patience." Again Solomon said, "A patient man is more excellent than a strong one, and he who governeth his mind is better than he who conquereth a city." A greater victory it is, that a man govern himself by patience, than that he abroad capture cities. For through patience we may be martyrs, though we end our lives in the peace of God's church.

Of martyrdom there are two kinds one secret, the other manifest. He who in persecution lays down his life for Christ's belief, is openly a martyr. But he who through patience endures scorn and injury, and loves him who hates him, and despises his own vices and the prompting of the invisible devil, he is undoubtedly a martyr by secret deed. To this saying we will take us Christ as witness, who said to his two apostles, James and John, "Can ye drink the cup that I shall drink?" They said that they could. The Lord said, "Verily ye shall drink my cup." What is the cup that Christ drank but the passion that he suffered for mankind? Of that he said to his Heavenly Father, "My Father, if it may be, remove this cup from me." These two apostles, James and John, heard from Christ's mouth that they should drink his cup, and yet they were not both ended by open martyrdom. We know that James was beheaded for the faith of Jesus, and John his brother ended his life in peace unslain; but he was, nevertheless, a martyr, for he held the secret suffering in his mind, though he was not martyred bodily. And we may be martyrs, though we be not killed with iron, if we

HOM. VOL. II.

2 N

beon, gif we þæt geöyld on urum mode unleaslice healdað. Godes gelaðung hæfð on sibbe lilian, þæt is, clæne drohtnung; on dam gewinne, rosan, þæt is, martyrdom. Us is to witenne, þæt on Oreo wisan bið geðyld æteowod: oðre ding sind þe we fram Gode doliad, opre fram dam ealdan widerwinnan, oðre fram urum nextum. Fram Gode we poliað swingla, fram dam deofle costnunga, fram urum nextum ehtnyssa and teonan. Ac ús gedafenað þæt we mid wacelum eagum þas dreo gemetu behealdon, swa þæt we nateshwōn ne ceorion ongean Godes swinglum, ne we eac ne geðafion ðæs deofles tihtinga to urum forwyrde, ne we ures nextan yfel mid yfele forgyldon. pes is se digela martirdom, healde se de wille.

Gregorius awrát be sumum geðyldigan were, Stephanus gehâten, se forlet ealle woruld-ding, and forfleah manna gehlýd, beeode his gebedu, on sumum mynstre drohtniende. Hé hæfde swa micel geðyld, þæt he dancian wolde þam de him teonan dyde, and pone he tealde him to frynd þe him sume hefigtymnysse on-belædde, and ælc ungelimp he tealde him to gestreone, and ealle his wiðerwinnan swa swa his gefylstan hæfde. Eft on fyrste, ðaða him forðsið getimode, þa comon þær fela manna for his mæran drohtnunge, and hí sume gesawon englas instæppende, and wurdon swa ealle afyrhte, ge da pe da englas gesawon, ge da pe nane ne gesawon, þæt dær nan æt his fordside standan ne mihte.

Eft rehte Gregorius oðre bysne be sumere mynecyne, Romula gehâten, seo was swide gedyldig and pearle gehyrsum, singal on gebedum, and swigan lufode. Hire becom æt nextan seo codu pe lacas hatað paralisin, and heo læg manega gear alefed on micclum geðylde. Witodlice hire lima lyre becom to eacnunge haligra mægna, forðan de heo hí gebysgode mid gebedum pæs Xe swiðor pe heo nán Sing elles don ne mihte. Da on sumere nihte com færlice micel leoht of heofenum, and gefylde da cytan ealle pe heo onlæg. Hire gastlice modor, Redempta gehâten, mid anre sweoster,

sincerely hold that patience in our minds. God's church in peace has lilies, that is, a pure life-course; in strife, roses, that is, martyrdom. We are to know, that in three ways patience is manifested: there are some things that we suffer from God, others from the old adversary, others from our neighbours. From God we suffer stripes, from the devil temptations, from our neighbours persecutions and injuries. But it befits us that with watchful eyes we observe these three ways, so that we murmur not against God's stripes, also that we yield not to the incitements of the devil to our perdition, nor requite the evil of our neighbour with evil. This is secret martyrdom, undergo it who will.

Gregory has written of a patient man, named Stephen, who forsook all worldly things, and fled from the tumult of men, devoted himself to his prayers, dwelling in some mynster. He had so great patience that he would thank him who did him an injury, and accounted him as his friend who inflicted on him some vexation, and every mischance he accounted as a gain to him, and held all his adversaries as his supporters. After a time, when his decease took place, many men came to him, on account of his glorious life, and some of them saw angels entering, and were all so affrighted, both those who saw the angels, and those who saw none, that no man could stand by at his decease.

Again, Gregory related another example of a mynchen, named Romula, who was very patient and exceedingly obedient, constant in prayers, and loved silence. There befell her at last the disease that leeches call palsy, and she lay crippled many years with great patience. But the loss of her limbs turned to the increase of holy virtues, for she busied herself with prayers the more as she could do nothing else. Then one night there came suddenly a great light from heaven, and filled all the cell in which she lay. Her ghostly mother, named Redempta, with one sister, stood over her,

stod hire ofer, micclum afyrht for dam heofenlican leohte; and hí gehyrdon sweg cnucigende pa duru, swilce dær micel menigu inn-eode, and wynsum bræð hí ealle gefylde mid micelre swetnysse. pa cwæð seo Romula to hire gastlican meder, þe dær afyrht stod, "Mín modor, ne ondræd þu de, ne swelte ic gýt." Efter disum gewát þæt leoht aweg, ac se wynsuma bræð þær belaf. Eft sidðan, on dære feordan nihte, clypode heo hire to þa ylcan lærestran Redempta, and bæd husles. Efne ða, æfter þære huslunge, stodon twá heofenlice werod ætforan dære cytan dura, singende heofenlicne sang, and hí tocneowon pæet werhades men ongunnon symle pone dream, and wifhades men him sungon ongean, andswariende; and seo geðyldige Romula ageaf hire gast mid þam heofenlicum sange. Da gewende eal se sang upweard to heofenum mid þære sawle, and swa bí ufor ferdon, swa mihton ða lícmen læs þæs sanges gehyran, oðþæt he mid ealle heora earum ætbroden weard.

Se Ælmihtiga God beswing and preað þa de hé lufað, þæt hí, ðurh da hwilwendlican geswencednysse, wuldorfulle becumon to dam ecan lífe, pe hé ær middaneardes frymde his geleaffullum gearcode. Sy him wuldor and wurðmynt on ealra worulda woruld. Amen.

IN NATALE UNIUS CONFESSORIS.

HOMO quidam peregre proficiscens : et reliqua.

Ure Drihten sæde pis bigspel his leorning-cnihtum. He cwæð, þæt "sum ríce man wolde faran on ældeodigne eard, þa clypode he his deowan him to, and betæhte him his god. Sumon he betæhte f f pund, sumum twa pund, sumum án, ælcum be his âgenre mihte, and het hí mid þam feo him mare gestrynan; and ferde siððan on ælðeodignysse, swa swa hé gemynt hæfde:" et reliqua.