Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 2.djvu/19

who might edify him in some thing which he himself knew not before. And thus for six and twenty days he continued his journey, as if he were certainly going towards some man. When the hour of noon approached, he stopped for some time, abstaining from the journey, and turning eastwards; and prayed in the usual way, because he was accustomed at a fixed hour of the day to determine the course of his journey, and to sing standing, and to pray with bended knees. Whilst then he sang, and with fervent regard looked up and beheld the sky, then he saw on his right side, as he stood in prayer, as if some one was appearing to him in the likeness of a human form bodily, and thereupon he was at first much affrighted, because he thought it was a delusion of an [evil] spirit which he there saw. But nevertheless he instantly fortified himself with the sign of Christ's rood, and cast away his fear from him. Then also the end of his prayer was indeed fulfilled; he turned his eyes, and there actually saw a person hastening westwards in the desert, and in truth it was a woman that was visible there; she was very swart of body by reason of the sun's heat, and the locks of her head were as white as wool, and they [reached] no farther than to the neck. Zosimus was on this wise earnestly beholding, and on account of the [long] desired sweetness of the glorious vision he ran very quickly, being rendered glad, in the direction whither he had seen that hastening which had there appeared to him. Truly before, in all those days, he had seen no human appearance, neither the form of any beasts or of birds or of wild animals; and he therefore ran eagerly, desiring to know what manner of wild creature that might be which appeared to him. Verily as soon as Zosimus saw her, then, overcoming his old age, and making nothing of the labour of his journey, he ran on advancing with a very swift course, because he desired to associate with that which there fled away; for he was pursuing her, and she was fleeing. Then was Zosimus, by his running, in some measure made nearer. When he was so near that she could hear his voice, then began he to send forth such a voice as this, with loud calling, and thus said, weeping, ' Why fleest thou me, an aged sinner, thou servant of God? Wait for me,