A Mirror of Faith Lays and Legends of the Church in England. By the Rev. J. M. Neale |
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| I. |
| II. |
| III. |
| IV. |
| V. |
| VI. |
| VII. |
| VIII. |
| IX. |
| X. |
| XI. |
| XII. |
| XIII. | XIII.
The Martyrdom of Waltheoff.
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| XIV. |
| XV. |
| XVI. |
| XVII. |
| XVIII. |
| XIX. |
| XX. |
| XXI. |
| XXII. |
| XXIII. |
| XXIV. |
| XXV. |
| XXVI. |
| XXVII. |
| XXVIII. |
| XXX. |
| XXXI. |
| XXXII. |
| XXXIII. |
| XXXIV. |
| XXXV. |
| XXXVI. |
| XXXVII. |
| XXXVIII. |
| XXXIX. |
| XL. |
 | A Mirror of Faith |  |
XIII. The Martyrdom of Waltheoff.
A.D. 1076.
Aye! summon, proud Bastard, thy Normandy's crew,
Or call the battalions of distant Anjou;
But deem not the Saxon, tho' crushed he may be,
So lost as to play the assassin for thee!
Or call the battalions of distant Anjou;
But deem not the Saxon, tho' crushed he may be,
So lost as to play the assassin for thee!
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The Saints of old times, in unearthly array,
Look down from the Homes of the Blessed to-day:
How shall not the Martyr encourage his soul,
With these for spectators, and Heav'n for his goal?
Look down from the Homes of the Blessed to-day:
How shall not the Martyr encourage his soul,
With these for spectators, and Heav'n for his goal?
The passage is rough to the Kingdom of Bliss;
But others have tried it when rougher than this;
There are Angels to cheer thee, though tyrants may mock;
And God crowns the head that hath stooped to the block.
But others have tried it when rougher than this;
There are Angels to cheer thee, though tyrants may mock;
And God crowns the head that hath stooped to the block.
Play the man! that thy country may joy to behold!
Play the man for her Church, and the poor of its fold!
That the deed of the moment that endeth thy strife,
May be greater than those thou hast done in thy life!
Play the man for her Church, and the poor of its fold!
That the deed of the moment that endeth thy strife,
May be greater than those thou hast done in thy life!
With thee—for they hasten thee on to thy crown—
The sun that now riseth shall never go down:
The tyrant lies yet on the couch of his state;
They call thee the wretched—they deem him the great:
The sun that now riseth shall never go down:
The tyrant lies yet on the couch of his state;
They call thee the wretched—they deem him the great:
And let it be so! for the day is at hand
When ye both at a mightier tribunal must stand;
And Heaven the judgment of earth shall reverse,
And thou have the blessing, and he have the curse!
When ye both at a mightier tribunal must stand;
And Heaven the judgment of earth shall reverse,
And thou have the blessing, and he have the curse!
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