with its heavenly light, then the heathen laid
their weapons down, and, with wondering, prostrated themselves
to the holy bishop, entreating forgiveness.
Or if any of them would not even then believe,
then was he terrified and fled away.
Wondrous (is) God's grace, that these savage men
could not withstand with weapons the weaponless man;
but the Franks and distant Northmen bowed themselves
to the winsome yoke of the King of glory.
Then were broken in pieces, widely throughout the land,
the houses and images of the gods of the heathen
by the hands of those men who had made and founded them;
and God's church waxed exceedingly in the faith.
The old devil who is filled with envy
took great wrath against the man of God
for the people's conversion from his foul worship,
and considered how he might in some manner extinguish
the wide-spread Christianity by his stratagems.
Then at last the savage idolaters
were stirred with anger, even as the devil incited them,
and sent to Domitian, the diabolic emperor,
who after Nero oppressed the Christians,
making known in letters about the holy man,
how through his lore the country folk were turned,
and all the citizens, to Christ's worship,
and prayed him privately that he would find some plan
on behalf of his venerable gods, that the rather their remembrance
might not be put out through Dionysius' teaching.
This writing came to the Caesar in Rome,
and he was verily soon stirred up,
so that he bade kill all the Christians
whom he could hear of, in all lands,
