Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 1.djvu/451

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and brought it to the monastery, greatly thanking God;

and Sexburh the abbess bade pitch a tent

above the burial-place, wishing to collect the bones.

Then all the community sang psalms and hymns for the dead

while the grave was being opened at the top.

There she lay in the coffin as if she lay asleep,

sound in all her limbs, and the leech was present

who had opened the tumour, and examined her carefully.

The wound which the leech had once made was healed;

likewise the linen clothes in which she had been wound

were as fresh as if they had been all new.

Thereat her sister Sexburh was very glad,

and afterwards they washed the soulless body,

and wound it reverently in new garments,

and bare it into the church, rejoicing with hymns,

and laid her in the coffin wherein she lieth until now

in great honour, for men to marvel at.

Wonderful was it also that by God's providence

the coffin was wrought so exactly fitting her,

even as she was herself shapen;

and at the head the stone was hollowed out

as if fitted to the head of the holy maiden.

It is evident that she was an unspotted virgin,

since her body was not suffered to moulder in the earth,

and in her, God's power is verily manifested,

namely, to raise up corruptible bodies,

in that He hath kept her body uncorrupt in her grave

even unto this day; wherefore to Him be everlasting glory.

By means of this holy woman were healed

many sick men, as we have heard of old ;