worldly fighting; but, at his entreaty, continued in it
fully two years, after he was baptised.
III. "Well then, there suddenly took place an invasion of Gaul
by a foreign nation. And Julian the emperor
gathered his army, and began to give
to each of his soldiers a royal donation,
even as was usual. Then Martin thought
that he might well request from the emperor
leave to depart from military service.
It seemed not profitable to him to receive the donation,
and afterwards not to go forth with the emperor to battle.
He said to the impious one: ' till now I have fought for thee;
suffer me henceforth to fight for God,
and let him who fights for thee receive thy gift.
I am God's champion; I must not fight.'
Then the emperor grew angry, and said that for cowardice,
because of the imminent battle, and not for piety, '
he would thus withdraw himself from fighting.
But Martin said fearlessly to the evil man:
' If thou countest this as cowardice, and not true faith,
now, tomorrow, I will Stand, in my Lord's name,
before the cohort, and I will march, without heed,
protected by the sign of the cross, and by no red shield,
nor with any helmet, through the host of this army.'
Then the impious man bade them seize the saint,
that he might be thrown, all weaponless, among the heathen.
On the next day the heathen so did
that they proffered peace, and themselves too, to the emperor
and put all their property at his disposal.
