to tell it to him, but he said nevertheless,
'I adjure you now that ye tell it to no one;
Mary, Christ's mother, came to me hither
with two other virgins, Thecla and Agnes,
not on this one day but often readily before
have they come to me.' And he told them also
what their appearance had been and how they were clothed.
XXIV. So likewise the devils with their treacherous arts
came to him frequently; and he always knew them;
because no devil could hide himself from him,
neither in his own substance nor in any other form.
With a thousand wily arts did the treacherous devil
strive in some way to deceive the holy man,
and he showed himself visible in divers phantasms
to the saint, in the appearance of the gods of the heathen;
sometimes in Jove's form, who is called Thor,
sometimes in Mercury's who is called Odin,
sometimes in that of Venus, the foul goddess,
whom men call Fricg; and into many other shapes
the devil transformed himself in the bishop's sight.
Against this Martin always marked himself
with the sign of the cross, and sang his office,
remaining undismayed, and ever trusting in God.
When the devil saw that he could not bewitch him
with his snares, then he spake to him words of contumely,
and often vexed him with many reproaches;
but he was not stirred on account of his lying reproaches.
Some monks also who dwelt in the minster
said of a truth that they had plainly heard
how the devil threatened with presumptuous words
the holy Martin, because he had with him
some neophytes who were sinful,
and after their baptism did many evil things,
