cynewulf. the legend of st. juliana, translated from the latin of the acta sanctorum and the...

8/6/2019 Cynewulf. The Legend of St. Juliana, translated from the Latin of the Acta sanctorum and the Anglo-Saxon of Cynewulf. 1906.

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THE LEGEND OF ST. JULIANA

TRANSLATED FROM THE LATINOF THE ACTA SANCTORUMAND THE ANGLO-SAXONOF CYNEWULF

BYCHARLES WILLIAM KENNEDY, M.A.

Scribner Fellow in English Literature in PrincetonUniversity.

PRINCETOThe University;igo6


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Copyright^ igo6by Charles William Kennedy


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PREFACEThe legend of St. Juliana exists in various

forms. Although these forms vary in details,all agree that a maiden named Juliana sufferedmartyrdom at the city of Nicomedia in thereign of Maximian, Roman Emperor from308-314. This material was used by Cynewulfin the eighth century in the Anglo-Saxonpoem called Juliana, which was based upon theLatin prose version included, with accounts ofnumerous other saints, in the Acta Sanctorum.While more than eleven manuscripts of theLatin Juliana exist, and while the versionprinted by Bolland, and reprinted by ProfessorWilliam Strunk in the Belles-Lettres Editionof Cynewulf's poem, varies in many particu-lars from the Anglo-Saxon poem, it is unlikelythat any Latin version will ever be found cor-responding exactly to the Anglo-Saxon. It ismore likely that Cynewulf, in writing his poem,culled from the Latin legend such portions ashe desired to use, than that he attempted tomake a complete and literal translation.

In rendering this legend into English I havefollowed the Anglo-Saxon and Latin texts


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printed by Professor Strunk in the Belles-Lettres edition. Owing to mutilation in theoriginal text, contained in the Exeter Book,there are two breaks in the Anglo-Saxon nar-rative.

In the Latin text I note three misprints. Onpage 36, line 3, read cogere for cogerem. Onpage 45, lines lo-ii, read carnem for carmen.On page 48, line 15, the repetition if in inDominum is a misprint.

I desire to express my thanks to ProfessorT. W. Hunt of Princeton University, at whosesuggestion this translation was undertaken, forkindly criticism and advice, and to DeanAndrew F. West of the Princeton GraduateSchool, in this as in many other instances, fora ready and generous interest.

C. W. K.Princeton^ N. J.,

February, 1906.


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THE LEGEND ACCORDING TOTHE ACTA SANCTORUM.


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Digitized by the Internet Archivein 2011 with funding from

University of Toronto

http://www.archive.org/details/legendofstjulianOOjuli


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How the holy Juliana, despising thewedlock of a heathen prefect, is sorelytortured by him and by her father,

nr HE mercy of our Saviour, rejoicing in the* steadfastness of the martyrs, hath come to

this, that it hath crowned the followers of faithand cast out their enemies even from the gatesof Hell. And so it came to pass that in thedays of the Emperor Maximian, a persecutorof the Christian religion, there was a certainsenator of the city of Nicomedia, Eleusius byname, a friend of the Emperor. He had es-poused a certain maiden sprung of noble fam-ily, Juliana by name. Her father was sur-named Africanus, and he was also a persecutorof the Christians. And although his wife, inthe intent of her heart abhorred the sacri-legious worship of Mars, yet she consortedneither with the Christians nor the pagans.Moreover Juliana, being of a wise mind and anunderstanding heart, of worthy conversationand great virtue, pondered this, whether therebe any true God who created Heaven and


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earth; and from day to day, being at leisurefor prayer, resorted unto the church of Godthat she might learn the divine writings. NowEleusius, her bethrothed, was fain to accom-plish the celebration of their marriage. Butshe said unto him, " Unless thou hold the dig-nity of a prefect, I am in no wise able to bejoined to thee." Hearing this Eleusius gavea gift unto the Emperor Maximian and suc-ceeded the other prefect, who was then ruling,and sat in the seat of authority, administeringthe duties of the prefecture.And after a few days had passed, he sent

unto her anew. But Juliana, prudently de-laying the matter, said unto them, " Go andsay unto Eleusius : * If thou wilt believe in myGod and wilt worship the Father and Son andHoly Ghost, I will receive thee as my husband.But if thou wilt not, seek unto thyself anotherwife.' "When the prefect heard these things, hecalled her father and told him all those wordswhich Juliana had spoken unto him. Andwhen her father heard, he said, " By the gods,who are kind and merciful unto men, if thesewords be true, I will deliver her to thee." And


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with these words he went in great anger untohis daughter and spake with her saying, " Mydearest daughter JuHana, light of mine eyes,why art thou not wilHng to receive this prefectwho is bethrothed to thee? Behold I desireto accomplish your marriage with him." Theblessed Juliana, putting her trust in Christ,made answer, " If he will worship the Fatherand Son and Holy Ghost, I will marry him;but if he will not, he cannot receive me iamarriage." Hearing this her father said,." By the merciful gods, Apollo and Diana, ifthou persist in this resolve, I will give theeover to the wild beasts." And Juliana replied,'Think not, my father, that I have fear of thee.By the Son of the living God, even if I mustneeds be burned alive, I will never yield tothee." Then again her father besought her thatshe submit unto him and not lose so great anhonor. But Juliana replied, *'Alas, father,thou dost not understand what I declare untothee. I say truth and lie not, that I will gladlyendure all torture and all judgments, nor willI turn aside from the teaching of my LordJesus Christ." And immediately her fatherbade that she be stripped and beaten, saying


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Emperor will hear of it, and appoint a suc-cessor to me and strike off my head with thesword." But the holy Juliana responded, " Ifthou fear this emperor who is mortal andseated upon his dung-hill, how canst thou com-pel me to deny that Immortal Emperor fromwhom, by great allurements, thou mayest notbeguile me? Work upon me those tortureswhich seem good to thee. For I believe inthat God, in whom believed Abraham andIsaac and Jacob, nor were they confounded,for he is able to free me from thy torments."Hearing this the prefect was moved to anger,

and bade that she be scourged. And when theholy Juliana had been stretched out upon theearth, he bade that she be scourged, in hernakedness, with four rods, so that three sol-diers should take their turn in scourging her.And after this the prefect bade them cease, andsaid unto her, '' Behold the beginning of thytrial ! Come hither and sacrifice unto greatDiana, and thou shalt be freed from torture.But if thou wilt not, by the great god Apollo,I will not spare thee." And the holy Julianareplied, " Do not believe that, with these per-suasions, thou canst turn me from my Lord

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Jesus Christ." Then the prefect ordered thatshe be hung by her hair. And when she hadhung for six hours, she cried out and said, " OChrist, the Son of God, come and aid me ! "Then the prefect commanded that she be takendown, saying unto her, " Come hither, JuUana,and sacrifice, lest thou fail in this torture. ForHe, whom thou dost worship as God, will notbe able to set thee free." Juliana answeredand said, " Thou shalt not be able, wretchedman, to overcome me with thy tortures. ButI, in the name of my Lord Jesus Christ, willovercome thy cruel heart and will make thyfather Satan to blush, and will find courage inthe sight of my Lord Jesus Christ." But theprefect, moved to wrath, ordered that a vesselof brass be heated, and that she be strippedfrom her head even unto her feet, and thrusttherein, and so burned. And when this wasdone it no wise harmed her. Then he badethat a thong be bound about her thighs, andthat thus she be taken back into the prison.And when this had been done, the holy

Juliana was cast into prison and began to say,"O Lord God Almighty ! My life is nigh untoits end. Strengthen me and hearken unto me

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and pity me and those who stand grievinground about me, and show unto me Thy mercy,even as to all those who have been well pleas-ing unto Thee. And I pray Thee, Lord, donot Thou desert me because my father and mymother have forsaken me, but Thou, O Lord,my God, raise me up. And do not cast meforth from Thy sight nor forsake me in thistime of sorrow, but preserve me in this torture,even as Thou didst save Daniel in the den oflions, and as Thou didst set free from the fur-nace of burning fire Hananiah, Azariah, andMishael. And do Thou guard me in the shorttime of this life, and guide me into the havenof Thine intent, even as Thou didst lead theChildren of Israel in their flight from Egypt,through the sea as though dry land; but thesea covered their enemies. So, O Lord ! deignto hear me and quench the wrath of this tyrant,who hath risen up against me, and destroy hispower and will; for Thou, O Lord, knowestthe nature of man, that it is not able to endurecaptivity. Be Thou, O God ! my present Aidand Helper in the tortures which this man,who regardeth not the precepts of Thy law, willbring upon me. And make that this prefect, a

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partaker with devils, be brought to derision byme, and that he be consumed by worms, andafflicted with great sorrow, so that Thy mightmay be shown upon Thine handmaiden; forThou alone art God and unto Thee do weascribe the glory forever and ever. Amen."

II.

How a demon, urging the holy Julianato wickedness, is scourged by her andhaled away in bonds.And when she had finished her prayer, there

appeared unto her a demon, Belial by name^in the form of an angel, and said unto her,*' My dearest Juliana, the prefect is preparing-for thee the most bitter torments. But onlyhearken unto me and thou shalt be saved.When he shall order thee to go forth from theprison, approach and sacrifice, and thou shaltescape the torture." And the holy Julianathought that he was an angel of God, and saidunto him, " Who art thou ? " The devil saidunto her, " I am an angel of God. He sent meto thee that thou mightest sacrifice and notdie." But Juliana with groans called most

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caused Cain to kill his brother Abel; whomade all the substance of Job to vanish away.It was I who made the people of Israel to wor-ship idols in the desert, and the prophet Isaiahto be cut as wood to the saw; who causedNebuchadnezzar, the king, to make an image,and the three youths to be cast into the furnaceof blazing fire. I am he who caused Jerusa-lem to be burned and the children to be slainby Herod ; who made Judas to betray the Sonof God, and I took possession of him, so thatwith a noose he made an end of his life. Iprodded a centurion to wound with his lancethe side of the Son of God. 1 caused John tobe beheaded by Herod. I declared by themouth of Simon that Peter and Paul weresorcerers. It was I who entered in unto theEmperor Nero, so that he crucified Peter andbeheaded Paul; and I caused Andrew to bebetrayed in the land of Patras. All these andmany things more grievous have I accom-plished with my brothers."The blessed Juliana said, " Who sent thee

unto me ? " And the demon replied, " Myfather Satan." The holy Juliana said, "Andhow is thy father called ? " The demon re-

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plied, " Beelzebub." The holy Juliana asked," What is his work ? " and the demon madeanswer, " He is the contriver of all wickedness.For straightway when we stand before him, hebids us make trial of the souls of the faithful."The holy Juliana said, "And if he shall beovercome by a follower of Christ, what doeshe suffer?" The demon made answer, "Hesuffers bitter and most terrible punishment.For if we are sent against a just man to per-vert him, and if we are not able, we are notreceived into his sight by whom we are sent.But when we are sought for by him and arenot found, he bids other demons that, whenthat messenger shall be found, he be evilly en-treated by them ; then he flees away and is inno wise able to be come upon. Therefore wemust needs do that which he bids, and hearkenunto him even as unto a loving parent." Theholy Juliana said, " To what just works do yeset forth, tell me this." And the demon re-plied, " Behold, my lady, I will tell unto theeall things, that thou mayest know truth fromme, how I came hither with evil intent untothee, and thought to induce thee to sacrificeand to deny thy God. So we enter in unto allmen, both I and my brothers.

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*'And when we find any man to remain wisein the work of the Lord, we cause him to seekafter many lusts, turning his mind unto thosethings which we set before him, and causingIbHndness in his thoughts; nor do we sufferhim to persevere either in prayer or in anygood thing. And again, if we behold somemen resorting unto the church and afflictingthemselves for their sins and desirous of hear-ing the Divine Scriptures, that they may re-tain some part of them, immediately we enterinto their homes and do not permit them toaccomplish any good thing. And we instilinto their hearts many opinions. But if anyone of them shall be able to overcome us, andshall turn aside from his vain thoughts and goto prayer, and to listen unto the Holy Scrip-tures, and to partake of the divine sacrament,we are cast headlong into flight by that man.For when Christians partake of the divinesacrament, from that hour we withdraw fromthem. For we have no care of any matterexcept only to corrupt men who live right-eously. And if we behold them accomplishingany good thing, we bring bitter thoughts uponthem, so that they may follow after our de-

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The holy JuHana said, " Unclean spirit, inwhat manner dost thou presume to thrust thy-self among Christians?" The demon replied," Do thou also tell me in what manner thouhast dared to lay hold on me, except becausethou dost put thy trust in Christ. So also Itrust in my father, who is the author of evildeeds, and those things which he desires I do.Many an evil have I attempted to accomplish,and sometimes the ways of my desire haveprospered. But now, with what misfortunehave I been sent hither unto thee! Would Ihad never seen thee ! Alas, what misery do Ibring upon myself ! Wherefore did my fathernot perceive what the event would be? Dothou loose me, that perchance it may be per-mitted me to go unto another place. For Iwill accuse thee unto my father, and it will notbe well with thee." Then the holy Julianabound his hands behind his back and placedhim upon the earth, and seizing one of thethongs wherewith she had been bound, shescourged that demon. Then the demon criedout beseeching her, and saying, '' My ladyJuliana, beloved by the apostles, consort ofmartyrs, companion of the patriarchs and

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friend of angels, I adjure thee by the passionof the Lord Jesus Christ to have pity upon mymisery."The holy Juliana said unto him, " Wilt thou

confess, unclean spirit, to what man thou hastworked an injury?" The demon made ans-wer, " I have blinded the eyes of many ; thefeet of others have I destroyed ; some I castinto the fire; some I hanged; some I made tobelch their blood ; others I plunged into the sea.Some I made to end their lives by violence, andothers to torture themselves in their madnessby their own hands; and in short, all evilswhich are in the world are accomplished bymy design, and I myself perform them; andothers, whom I found without the sign ofChrist, I slew. And when I did all thesewrongs, no one dared to torture me as thouhast done. No one of the apostles laid holdupon my hand ; but thou hast even bound me.No one of the martyrs beat me ; no one of theprophets wrought upon me those injuriefwhich I endure from thee. No one of thepatriarchs laid hand upon me. But I evenmade trial of the Son of God in the desert,and made Him to ascend into an high moun-

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tain; and unto me He did nothing, and dostthou thus rack me with torments ? O Virgin-ity, against us what armour dost thou bear!O holy John ! why hast thou revealed thy vir-ginity against us ? "And as the demon spake, the prefect bade

them bring Juliana from prison unto him.And the holy Juliana, as she was being ledthither, haled with her that demon. But thedemon besought her, saying, "My lady Juliana,loose me ; do not longer make me a scorn untomen, for never afterwards will I be able toovercome mankind. Thou hast conquered myfather, and vanquished me ; what further dostthou wish? The unbelievers say that theChristians are merciful, but thou unto me hastseemed most bitter." And as the demon de-clared these things, Juliana dragged himthrough the forum. And when he had be-sought her for a long time, she cast him forthinto a place filled with dung.

III.How the holy Juliana, having been tor-tured in divers ways, is beheaded; andhow one hundred and thirty are convertedby her : and how her body is translated.

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in such wise that the wheel might stand be-tween two pillars, with four soldiers upon theone side and other four upon the other side.And the soldiers dragged the wheel and there-on held Juliana. And as they dragged theymoved this engine, and the fair body of thevirgin of Christ was cleft in all its membersand the marrow gushed out from her bones;and all the wheel, was stained therewith, anda fire raged furiously with flame. But theblessed Juliana stood unmoved in the beliefof Christ with broken body, but unbrokenfaith. And an angel of the Lord descendedfrom Heaven and put out the fire; and herbonds were loosed by the flame.

But the holy Juliana, standing without sor-row, glorified God and, lifting her hands untoHeaven with tears and groaning, began topray thus : " Lord God Almighty, who alonehast immortality, the Giver of life. Creator ofall ages, who didst stretch out the heavenswith Thy hands, and didst lay the foundationsof the world, and with Thy hands didst mouldman; Planter of paradise and of the tree oflife and Ruler of the race of men; Thoufor kindness didst free Lot from Sodom and

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didst bless Jacob and loose Joseph from thehatred of his brothers ; he was sold into Egyptand Thou didst grant unto him especial honorThou didst send Thy servant Moses intoEgypt, and didst preserve him from the handof Pharaoh, and didst lead Thy people throughthe Red Sea after the likeness of dry land;Thou didst subdue the race of the heathenand lay low the giant Goliath by the hand ofThy holy youth David, and didst lift up Davidupon the throne; Thou by the Virgin didsttake upon Thee flesh and wast beheld by shep-herds ; Thou art magnified by angels and glori-fied by the Magi ; Thou hast raised up the deadand gathered together the Apostles and badethem proclaim Thy kingdom; Thou wast be-trayed by Judas and crucified in the flesh andburied in the earth, and after Thy resurrec-tion wast seen by Thy disciples and ascendedinto Heaven; Thou, when Thy apostles werescattered throughout the world, didst grantThy knowledge unto all believers; Thou artthe safety of those who perish, and the roadunto those who stray ; a refuge for the wearythe one mighty and only true God, whom noone but in righteousness can worship; I give

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Thee thanks, O God of all ! who hast deignedto raise me up, unworthy and sinful, into Thyhelp. And I pray, O Lord! that Thou deignto free me from the malice of this tyrant, sothat he, with his father Satan, may be utterlyashamed. And unto Thee will I ascribe theglory forever and ever."And as she said ''Amen," her torturers of the

people of Nicomedia cried out, " There is oneAlmighty God of the holy maiden Juliana, andsave Him there is no other God. We repent,O Prefect! that hitherto, even until now, wehave been led into error." And all with onevoice said, " Unto Thee, O Lord ! we flee forrefuge ; let it suflice us that hitherto, even untothis day, we have erred. Henceforth we willput our trust in that God whom Juliana wor-ships." And turning to their ruler they said," May all the gods of the heathen perish, andlet all who worship idols be overcome. Anddo thou, impious prefect, work torture uponus; let us be in punishment who even untilnow have worshipped idols. Kindle a fireand consider the works of thy father. Butwe now choose to have the Lord Jesus Christas our father, because many a season have we

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been afflicted by thy father, the Devil." Butthe prefect, overcome by wrath, reported allthese sayings to the Emperor Maximian. Andthe Emperor Maximian gave judgment againstthem that their heads be struck off. And hebade that all at one time be smitten with thesword. And there were beheaded, men andwomen, one hundred and thirty.Then the prefect bade that the holy Julianabe burned alive. And when Juliana heard this,

stretching her hands unto Heaven, she saidwith tears, " Lord God Almighty, do not de-sert me, neither depart from me, nor cast meforth from Thy sight. Be Thou my Helperand free me from this torment and blot outmy sins, whatsoever I have sinned, whether inword or in thought. O Lord my God, whoart merciful and just, have pity upon me, thatthis tyrant Eleusius, my enemy, may not say,* Where is now her God ? ' For Thou art aGod blessed forevermore." And as she prayedthus, behold suddenly there came an angel ofthe Lord, and parted the flame and scatteredthe fire. And the holy Juliana, standing un-harmed, glorified God in the flame.

But the prefect raged against her even as anevil beast, pondering what torture he might

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inflict upon her. Then bade he that an earthenvessel be brought and lead placed therein, andthat it be set upon a raging flame. And when ithad been placed there, it became as it were abath well tempered, and it leapt forth from thevessel and burned, of those men who stoodabout, seventy-five. And when the prefectbeheld this, he rent his garments and withgroanings blasphemed his gods, because theywere unable to hurt her, and because, thoughshe had wrought an injury unto them, they inno wise might do her harm. And immediatelyhe proclaimed against her this judgment, thatshe be slain with a sword.Now when she heard this, the holy Julianawas filled with great joy, because the end of

her strife was nigh at hand. And as she wasbeing haled unto that place where she was tobe beheaded, the demon, who had been tor-tured by her, suddenly came running unto theruler and said unto him, " Do thou not spareher. She has blasphemed the gods andwrought an injury unto men. Many evils alsohave I endured at her hands. Grant unto hertherefore that which she deserves." But theholy Juliana for a little space opened her eyes,

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that she might see who it was that said thesethings. Then the demon cried out in fear andsaid, "Alas, woe is me! perchance now asecond time she would seize me." And imme-diately he vanished and, fleeing, became dumb.And when she had been led unto the place

where she was to be beheaded, she began tosay unto those who had been converted to thefaith and to the other Christians who werepresent, " My fathers and mothers, hearkenunto me and repent that ye did sacrifice todevils ; and build your house upon a firm rock,lest strong winds come and ye be destroyed.But pray ever without ceasing in the holychurch and be mindful of the Holy Scriptures,and love one another, and God will grant untoyou to find mercy in the sight of His saints. Itis a good thing to be watchful before God ; itis a good thing ever to sing praises; it is agood thing to pray without ceasing, for yeknow not when ye may lay down your life.And I ask that ye pray for me that my LordJesus Christ may deem me worthy and accept-able, and deign to admit me. His humble hand-maiden, into His holy presence. And may Heprovide for the course of my strife that my

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enemy may not overcome me." And whenshe had given her peace unto all, again sheprayed to the Lord, saying, "Lord God,Father of all. Lover of faith, who dost not be-tray Thine image into the power of Thineenemies, have mercy upon me and aid me andreceive my spirit in peace, O Lord ! " And asshe said this in her prayer she was beheaded.And after a little space a certain Sephronia,the wife of a senator, passing through the cityof Nicomedia and coming to the city of Rome,bore the body of the blessed Juliana, wrappingit in spices and costly linen. But when theywere approaching the city a mighty stormarose, and the ship was driven even to theborders of Campania. And there the blessedJuliana was buried near the fields of Puteoli,where she has a tomb one mile from the sea.

But when the prefect set sail to his suburbanvilla, there came a mighty tempest and wreckedhis ship and twenty-four men died ; and whenthe waves had tossed their bodies upon a de-serted shore, they were devoured by the birdsand the wild beasts. Now the blessed Julianasuffered on the fourteenth day before the Kal-ends of March at the hands of the prefect

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Eleusius, in the reign of our Lord JesusChrist, to whom be glory forever and forever.Amen.

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THE LEGEND ACCORDING TO THEJULIANA OF CYNEWULF.


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Behold we have heard warriors tell and menof valor declare that which happened in thedays of Maximian, the profane king, the hea-then war-chief, who throughout the worldstirred up persecution, killed Christian men,destroyed churches, and poured out the holyblood of righteous worshipers of God upon thegrassy plain. His kingdom was broad, power-ful, and mighty over the nations, almost overall the spacious earth. Among the cities went,as he bade, his mighty thanes ; oft they com-mitted violence, misled in their deeds, they whodespised the law of the Lord in their sinfulmight. Deeds of hatred they performed, inthat they exalted idolatry, slew holy men, de-stroyed those learned in the Scriptures, burnedchosen men and persecuted the champions ofGod with spear and fire.There was a rich man of noble lineage, a

powerful prefect. And he did wield it overshield-cities and ever defended the land and, inthe camp of Nicomedia, kept his treasure. Oftwith zeal he prayed unto the heathen idols con-trary to the word of God. His name was

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cilors. Overmuch dost thou oppose thy bride-groom with thine opinion, who is higher thanthou, nobler in the land, richer in treasure.And as a friend he is kind. Therefore is itfitting that thou alone should never put asidethe affection of this man, his undying love."Then to him made answer the blessed Juli-

ana (for steadfastly had she established heraffection upon God) :

" Never will I consent to the alliance of thisprince until that he worship mighty God moreearnestly than he aforetime did, and love withsacrifices Him who created light. Heaven andearth, and the compass of the seas, and thecircle of dwellings. Nor in any other wisemay he bring me to his home. But with histreasure he shall seek out bridal love at thegift of another maid, nor here shall he everobtain it."Then in anger wrathfully her father made

answer, and by no means did he offer unto heradornments

** I shall bring it about, if my life endure,that if thou do not first leave off this folly, andif that thou worship strange gods and forsakethose who are dearer unto us, who stand for

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an help unto this people, that thou, quickly-paying with thy life, shalt die in the clutch ofbeasts, unless thou wilt yield to submissionand the union of this brave man. Great isthat undertaking and terrible for one likethee, that thou despise our lord."To him the blessed Juliana, wise and dear

to God, made answer, " Unto thee will I speaktruth ; as I live, I will not work a lie. In nowise do I fear me for thy judgments, nor aretortures grievous unto me, nor the terrors ofdeath which thou, with malice dost threatenunto me; nor ever shalt thou accomplish it.through thy snares that thou turn me from thelove of Christ."Then he was furious, maddened and wrath-ful, savage and merciless, the sire against themaid ; and he bade that they scourge her, con-strain her with torture, afflict her with tor-ments and thus spake he : " Turn thee in mindand change these words which thou spakest inthy folly aforetime when thou didst despise theworship of our gods."To him Juliana, unfearful in heart, with

spiritual understanding gave answer : " Nevershalt thou teach me that I give tribute unto de-ceptions, unto idols dumb and deaf, the foes of

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the spiritto these worst of the disciples oftorment. But I worship the Lord of Heaven,of the earth and of glory, and to Him alone doI entrust all things, that He may become myGuardian, my Helper and my Saviour againstthe foes of Hell."Then did Africanus, her father, in anger

give over the maid to Eleusius, into the powerof her enemies. He bade that at daybreak,after the coming of light, she be led to hisjudgment seat. And the warriors marveledat the beauty of the maid, all the people to-gether. Then did the prince, her bridegroom,first greet her in joyous words.

" My sweetest sunlight Juliana, what radi-ance thou hast, what generous grace andbloom of youth ! Even yet if thou wilt makepropitiation unto our gods and seek protectionat their merciful hands, favor at the hands ofthe holy ones, shall countless numbers of tor-ments, cruelly contrived, be warded off fromthee; of terrible injuries which are prepared ifthat thou wilt not sacrifice unto the true gods."But unto him the noble maid gave answer,

" Never shalt thou prevail with thy threats,nor prepare so many cruel torments, that I

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should love thy fellowship, except that thouforsake these lies, this worshipping of idols,and understand wisely the God of glory, theCreator of spirits, the Lord of mankind, inwhose might are all creatures forever withoutend."Then merciless in heart he spake boastful

words before that people, and waxed exceed-ing wrathful, he, the lord of the people. Thenbade he with hateful cruelty that they stretchout the maid in nakedness and scourge her,free of guilt, with scourges. Then did thewarrior laugh and spake insults."This is the dominion in our strife taken in its

beginning. Yet will I grant thee life, althoughthou didst speak many a rash word aforetime,and didst overmuch resist to love the truegods. Unto thee in thy perversity shall after-wards be the rewards of torture, except thatthou first be reconciled unto them and offerto them acceptable sacrifice after thy wickedwords, and establish thy peace. Let strifecease and hateful combat. But if thou longerafter this, through thy folly, pursued after de-lusions, then needs must I, compelled by en-mity, punish thy blasphemy in the crudest

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wise, thy bitter words of insult, when thoudidst begin with blasphemy to strive againstthe happiest and the most merciful of thosegods whom men know, and whom the peoplelong have worshipped."

But unafraid in heart the noble maid gaveanswer: " Neither do I fear me for thy judg-ments, accursed persecutor, nor for the evil ofthy torments. But I have for my hope theRuler of Heaven, a merciful Protector, theLord of might, who doth defend me againstthy delusions, from the clutch of monsterswhich thou dost hold as gods. They are profit-less of every good thing, empty, useless, andvain, nor in them may any man find comfort ortrue peace; although he do seek unto himselffriendship, never will he find virtue amongdevils. But I have established my heart uponmy Lord, who in all might ruleth eternally.He is the Possessor of glory and of all victoryHe is the true King."Then did it seem grievous unto the governorthat in no wise might he turn the heart^thepurpose of the maid. And he bade that theyseize her by the hair and hang her unto anhigh tree, where the sun-bright damsel en-

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dured stripes, cruel torture six hours of thatday ; and that cruel persecutor straightwaybade that they take her down again, and leadher unto prison. But the love of Christ wasfast bound in her mind, and in her gentleheart a strength not to be broken.

II.

Then was the door of the prison fastenedwith a bolt, the work of the hammer. Andwithin the holy maid endured faithful ; andever in the prison, covered with darkness, inher heart she praised the King of glory, theLord of Heaven, the Saviour of men. Andthe Holy Ghost was a constant companionunto her. Then suddenly came into the prisonthe Enemy of mankind, skilled in evil ; and hehad the form of an angel. Wise was he inafflictions, this enemy of the soul, this captainof Hell, and unto the holy maid he said, " Whysufferest thou who art most dear and preciousunto the King of glory, our God? This judgehath prepared for thee the worst tortures,torment without end, if thou wilt not pru-dently sacrifice and make propitiation unto his

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gods. Be thou in haste when he bids thee beled outward hence, that thou make a sacrifice,an offering of victory, before that death comeupon thee, death in the presence of the war-riors. In this wise shalt thou survive theanger of this judge, O blessed maid ! "But straightway did she, acceptable unto

Christ, who was in no wise afraid, ask whencehe was come. And the outcast made answerunto her, " I am an angel of God, come fromabove. His noble follower sent unto thee inholiness from the heavens. For thee crueltortures with woeful wounds are prepared inpunishment. The Lord bids thee, child ofGod, that thou avert them."Then was the maid stricken with terror forthe fearful message which the minister, theenemy of Heaven, declared unto her. Andsteadfastly in her youth and innocence she be-gan to strengthen her heart and call uponGod." Now, O Protector of man. Eternal andAlmighty! do I entreat Thee by that noblecreation which Thou, the Father of angels,didst establish in the beginning, that Thou letme not turn aside from the praise of Thy

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grace, as this messenger who stands before medeclareth unto mea dreadful message. Like-wise, O Innocent One ! I do entreat Thee thatThou make known unto me, O Thou Glory ofkings. Thou God of splendor, who this flyingminister may be, that he doth urge me awayfrom Thee upon the down-hill road ! "Then unto her spake a glorious voice from

the clouds and uttered this word: "Do thouseize this vile one and hold him fast, till that herightly declare unto thee his purpose, evenfrom the beginning what his kinship may be."And the heart of the glorious maid was glad;and she seized upon that devil.******** "^Q deliver up todeath the King of all kings. And I wroughtthat the warrior wounded the Lord of Hostswhile the army gazed upon it, until that bloodand water together fell to the ground. I stir-red up Herod in heart that he gave order tobehead John for that he reproved with wordshis love of wife, his unrighteous wedlock.Also with malice I taught Simon, so that hebegan to strive against the chosen followersof Christ and with shame assailed those

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holy men, saying that they were wizards.With sharp wiles I dared to delude Nero sothat he bade the followers of Christ, Peter andPaul, be given over unto death. By my teach-ings did Pilate formerly hang upon the crossthe Ruler of the Heavens, the mighty Lord.In like wise also did I incite Hegias, so that hein his folly bade the holy Andrew to be hangedto an high tree and sent forth his spirit fromthe gallows in a splendor of glory. Thusamong my brothers I wrought many a deed ofvil, of black sin, which I may not tell, norfully relate nor know the countless number ofmy cruel malicious thoughts "Then by the grace of the Holy Ghost the

l)lessed Juliana spake unto him : " More fullyyet. Enemy of man, shalt thou disclose thineerrand, who sent thee unto me."And unto her the monster gave answer,

fearful, discovered, without hope of peace:"Behold, my father, the king of the inhabit-ants of Hell, sent me hither from that narrowhome on this journey unto thee. And he inthat abode of misery is more eager in every^vil than I. When he sendeth us that we,through deceit, pervert the hearts of the right-

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Unto her the fiend replied, the faithless out-cast,

"I may easily make known unto thee thebeginning of every evil, even unto the end, of

those which I on many a journey have wroughtwith wounds of sin, that thou mayest thusmore clearly know that this is truth and in nowise false. For I hoped and counted it certainin my heart that without difficulty I might bymy strength alone turn thee from salvation, sothat thou shouldst withstand the King ofHeaven, the Lord of victories, and bow downunto lesser gods and sacrifice unto the Princeof evil. Thus in varied forms do I pervert themind of the righteous man. When I find himto establish his heart upon the will of God, thenam I at once ready so that against him I bringmanifold vices of the mind, cruel thoughts,and secret errors. Through a multitude ofsnares I make sweet unto him the pleasures ofsin, wicked desires of the heart, so that he,quickly given over unto unrighteousness,hearkeneth unto my teachings. And I griev-ously inflame him with sin, so that he, burning,doth cease from prayer and walketh insolently,nor may he steadfastly remain longer in theplace of prayer, for the love of his sin. So I

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bring hateful terror unto that man to whom Ibegrudge life and a clear belief. And he wil-fully doth hearken unto my teachings andcommit sin and afterward, deprived of virtue,he slippeth away. But if I meet any cour-ageous man, a valiant champion of the Lordagainst the sting of my arrows, who will notflee far thence from the battle, but bold inheart lifteth his shield against me, his holybuckler, a spiritual armour; who will not de-sert his God, but, bold in prayer, standeth atbay in his course, then shall I flee away fromthat place, humiliated, cut off from joy, and inthe embrace of fire lament my sorrows, that Imight not in battle, by cunning of strength,overcome. But I shall wretchedly seek outanother less powerful man, under the bannersof a slower champion, whom I may arouse bymy incitements and impede in the warfare.And though spiritually he purpose some goodthing, I am at once ready to read his everysecret thought, to observe how his heart is in-wardly strengthened, and how his resistanceis wrought. And I, through sins, open the gateof this wall. When the tower is pierced, theentrance laid open, then I send into his breast

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by my arrows bitter thoughts, through variousdesires of the heart, so that it seemeth betterto him to accomplish sins and lusts of the body,contrary to the worship of God. I am aneager teacher that he may live after my evilfashions, turned openly from the law of Christ,corrupted in heart, for me to rule in the pit ofsins. In this man I care more eagerly for thedestruction of the spirit than of the fleshywhich in a grave, hidden in the earth, shall be-come in the world a pleasure to the worm."Then again the maid spake : " Tell me>

misshapen, unclean spirit, inciter of evils, howthou didst force thyself into the company ofthe more pure. Thou of old unfaithful didststrive and contend against Christ, and didstplot against the holy. The pit of Hell wasdigged below thee and there, driven by misery,for thy pride, thou didst seek out an abode. Ideemed that thou wouldst be more wary andless bold in such an encounter against therighteous man, who through the King of gloryhath oft withstood thy will." And the miser-able, cursed monster replied unto her and said,'' Do thou first tell me how thou bravely, bydeep thought, became thus bold in combat be-

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yond all womankind, so that thou hast thusfirmly bound me with fetters, wholly power-less to resist. Thou didst put thy trust in theeternal God sitting in glory, the Lord of man-kind, as I establish my hope upon my father,the ruler of the dwellers in Hell ; and when Iam sent forth against the righteous man, thatin evil deed I may pervert his heart and turnhis soul from salvation, at times through re-sistance my will is denied to me, my hope atthe hands of the holy, just as sorrow herecame upon me in my journey. This I myselfperceive, but far too late. Now shall I long,because of this evil-doing, suffer shame. There-fore I entreat thee by the might of the MostHigh, by the grace of the King of Heaven,who suffered upon the cross, the Prince ofglory, that thou pity me in my distress, that Imay not wholly perish miserably, though Iboldly and thus foolhardily sought thee onthis journey, when I aforetime expected nosuch plight as this."Then the fair candle of splendor said unto

that traitor, " Thou shalt confess more deedsof evil, thou base spirit of Hell, ere thoumayest go hence; what many deeds of wick-

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edness thou hast accomplished with thy darkdelusions for an injury to the children of men."And to her the Devil made answer : " Nowdo I hear by thy utterance that I, com-pelled by hatred, must needs lay bare myheart as thou biddest me and endure compul-sion. This plight is full hard, this calamitymeasureless. I shall suffer and endure every-thing in thy judgment, disclose the dark deedsof evil which I long have accomplished. OftI took away sight and blinded countless num-bers of the children of men with evil thoughtsand covered with a veil of mist, through apoisonous breath, and with dark showers thelight of the eye; and I destroyed the feet ofsome with snares. Some I sent into the fire,into the embrace of the flames, which was thelast visible sign of their footsteps. Also forsome I wrought it that their bodies spurtedblood, and they suddenly gave forth their lifethrough an outpouring of the veins. Some bymy might, upon the sea were drowned in thewaters, upon their course on the ocean stream,under the raging flood. Some I gave over tothe cross, so that they miserably laid downtheir lives upon the high gallows. Some I


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induced by my evil devices to commit strife, sothat they suddenly renewed old quarrels, drunkwith beer. I poured out to them discord fromthe cup, so that they in the wine-hall, throughthe clash of swords, gave forth their lives fromthe body and, doomed to death, hastened away,visited with pains. Some whom I found with-out God's token, neglected and unblessed,these I boldly slew with various deaths at myhands with malice. I may not tell, although Isit a long summer day, all the sorrows which Ibefore and since through treachery have ac-complished, since first the heavens were liftedup, and the path of the stars and the earth es-tablished, and the first men, Adam and Eve,whom I deprived of life and taught them, sothat they forsook the love of the Lord ofHosts, eternal grace and the bright prosperityof the home ; and misery came upon them bothforever, and upon their childrendarkest ofevil deeds. Why should I recount more ofendless evil? I have brought forth all fiercecrimes throughout the nations, which came topass in the long ages from the beginning ofthe world, for mankind, for men upon earth.No one of these there was, who dared thus

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boldly, as thou hast now dared in thy holinessto touch me with thy hands ; no man thus cour-ageous upon earth in holy might, no one of thepatriarchs, nor of the prophets; although theLord of Hosts, the King of glory, revealedunto them a spirit of wisdom and measurelessgrace, yet might I have approach unto them.No one of them so boldly covered me withbonds, or afflicted me with woes, before thou-didst overcome and lay firm hold upon thatgreat power which my father, the Enemy ofmankind, gave unto me when he, my prince,bade me go from out the darkness, that Imight make sweet unto thee sin. Then sor-row came upon me and heavy strife. Afterthis sore distress I may not rejoice over thisjourney in the company of my fellows, when Imiserably in my mournful home shall renderup the penalty."Then the prefect, that cruel man, bade that

Juliana, pure in heart, be led out from thatnarrow abode to speech with the heathen, tohis judgment seat. And she in her holiness,inspired in heart, haled in the devil, theheathen one, in bonds. And in his grievousplight he began to lament his journey, bewail

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his torment, grieve for his fate, and he saidunto her:" I entreat thee, gracious JuHana, by thegrace of God, that thou work upon me no fur-ther insult or reproach before men than thouhast already done, when thou overcamest thewisest in the prison shades, the king of thedwellers in Hell, in the city of fiends, who isour father, the lord of death. Behold thouhast afflicted me with painful blows, and intruth I know that, before or since, never did Imeet in the kingdoms of the world a womanlike unto thee, of more courageous heart, ormore perverse, of all the race of women. Clearis it to me that thou wouldst be in all thingsunashamed in thy wise heart."Then the maid loosed the enemy of souls,

after his time of punishment, to seek out dark-ness in the black abyss, in tormenting distress.And he, the announcer of evil, was wiser thanto tell unto his fellows, the ministers of tor-ment, how it befell him upon his journey.

III.* * * H= * * gladly praised Him in theheavens and His holy work, and said truly

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that He alone had power of all victoriesthroughout all creation and of eternal blessed-ness. Then came an angel of God, gleamingwith adornments, and pushed aside the fire andfreed and protected her who was pure ofwrong and guiltless, and cast aside the devour-ing flame where the holy maid, princess ofwomen, stood unharmed in the midst. Thisfor the rich man was a sorrow to endure (ifhe might change it before the world), and,stained with sin, he sought how he mostsorely, through the most grievous torture,might contrive her death. Nor was the fiendtoo slow who taught him that he should com-mand to be made, with wondrous art and thenoise of battle, an earthen vessel set roundabout with forest trees and wood, and he cruel-ly commanded that they fill the earthen jarwith lead and bid a great fire to be kindled andthis funeral pile to be inflamed. On all sidesit was surrounded with brands ; the bath boiledwith the heat. Then, stirred with anger, hebade that she, guiltless and without sin, bethrust into the surging of the lead. Then wasthe fire separated and set free ; the lead poured

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heard men declare their hateful counsel that atlast the end of her days of strife should comeand her life be set free. Full of evil he badethat the pure and chosen maid, the sinless one,be led away to death. Then straightway camethe vile spirit of Hell, base and wretched, andsang a song of misery; that accursed onewhom she aforetime bound and scourged withtorments, and full of horrible enchantments hecried out before the host

" Reward it now with pain that she despised!the power of our gods and humbled me ex-ceedingly, so that I became a traitor. Let herobtain generous rewards through the print ofthe sword. Avenge now your ancient hatred,ye who are visited with sin. That sorrow Iremember how I, fast in bonds, in one nightendured numberless miseries and distress,,measureless evil."Then gazed toward the monster the blessed

maid Juliana; she heard the devil of Hellsinging his misery, and the enemy of mankindbegan to steal away in flight, to seek out tor-ments, and thus he spake : " Woe is me, un-done! Now comes a mighty expectation thatonce more she will humiliate me in my wretch-

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edness with evil miseries, even as she didaforetime."Then she was led nigh unto the border of

the land, unto the place where they in theircruelty purposed through hatred to kill her.And she began to teach and to encouragethe people from their sins unto worship, andpromised unto them comfort and a path toglory and said" Take thought upon the Joy of warriors,and the Splendor of glory, the Hope of theholy, the God of the angels of Heaven. Heis so worthy that the nations and all the raceof angels worship Him in the skies ; the Su-preme Power. Help is to be had forever bythose who will have it ; therefore, dear nation,I will righteously teach you that ye make firmyour house, lest the winds with their breathoverthrow it. The strong wall shall morefirmly withstand the blasts of the storm, thesuggestions of sin. Do ye with love of peaceand clear belief, stout of heart, set your foun-dation upon the Living Stone. Hold in yourhearts, in desire of mind, true faith and peaceamong yourselves and holy counsels. Then willthe Almighty Father grant unto you mercy,

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and ye shall have comfort from the God ofmight at your greatest need after your sor-rows. And because ye know not your goinghence, nor the ending of life, unto me it seemswise that ye wakefully keep watch against thebloody terrors of your foes, lest fightingagainst you they bar your way unto the cityof God. And do ye entreat the Son of Godthat the Lord of angels, the God of mankind,the Giver of victories, be merciful unto me.Peace be unto you and true love forever."Then by a blow of the sword her soul was

separated from the body unto its eternal joy.And the sinful outrager Eleusius, affrightedin heart, put to sea with his band of warriorsin a ship; for a long time danced across theocean stream on the swan-road. Throughterrible distresses Death seized upon all thiscompany, before they had come to land.Thirty-four of the race of men were deprivedof life in the boiling sea, the servants with theirlord ; deprived of joy and hopeless, they soughtout Hell. Nor might the thanes in that darkhome, the band of retainers in the deep pit,look for their appointed treasure at the handsof their lord, so that they in the wine-hall,

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upon the beer-bench, should receive rings andgold embossed.

Far otherwise was the body of the holymaid borne with songs of praise and a greatmultitude unto its grave in the earth, so thata mighty throng brought it within the town.There since then, as the years passed by, hasthe praise of God been lifted up among thatpeople even unto this day.There is to megreat need that this holy one grant me help,when the dearest of all things shall departfrom me ; when the two brothers shall dissolvetheir kinship, their great love. My soul shalldepart from my body upon a journey, I myselfknow not whither, unto an unknown land.From this I shall seek out another land, ac-cording to the things which formerly Iwrought and my deeds which are past.

Sorrowfully shall depart C. and Y. and N.The King will be wroth, the Giver of victories,when, stained with sin, E. and W. and U.shall await in terror what the Judge shall willunto him according to his deeds, as a rewardfor life. L. and F. shall tremble and sorrow-fully wait. I shall be mindful of all the pain,the wounds of sin, which recently or long ago

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I wrought in the world; so that I weepingshall lament with tears. It was too late anhour when I first repented of my deeds of evil,while spirit and flesh journeyed on togetherunharmed upon the earth. Therefore have Ineed that the holy one plead for me with theKing of kings. Great sorrow of heart dothadmonish me of this need. And I pray everyman of the race of men, who may recite thislay, that he eagerly with earnestness of heartbe mindful of me, according to my name, andpray unto God that He, the Ruler of Heaven,the Lord of might, grant me help in that daythe Father, the Spirit of comfort, the Judge ofdeeds, and the dear Son, in that dread hour,when the Trinity, sitting in glorious unity, forthe race of mankind throughout the brightuniverse, shall decree to every man a rewardaccording to his works. And grant unto us,great God, Joy of mankind, that in that greathour we find Thy face merciful unto us.Amen.

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THE PRINCETON PRESS


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cynewulf. the legend of st. juliana, translated from the latin of the acta sanctorum and the...

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