vanished, ascended up on high, 95 and together with it the messenger, unto the throng of the pure ones. And the king, the leader of men, was the blither and the freer from grief in his heart by reason of that fair vision.

4. THE BATTLE.

Then Constantine, bulwark of heroes and giver of gifts, battle-prince of armies and glorious king, 100 bade fashion with greatest haste a token like unto that sign he had seen, which had been disclosed before him in the heavens, the cross of Christ. And at dawn, with the first gleam of day, he bade 105 rouse the warriors and make ready for the stress of fight, lift up the emblem of battle, take the holy tree before them, and bear the sign of God into the press of their foes.

The trumpets rang loud at the army's front. 110 The raven rejoiced at the move; the dewy-feathered eagle scanned the march, the strife of battle-heated men; and the wolf, fellow of the forest, raised his song. Rife was the dread terror of battle.

Then there was the clash of shields and the shock of men, the bitter hand-to-hand struggle and the 115 slaughter of hosts, when once they had passed within an arrow's flight. On the fated folk dire enemies hurled a shower of darts, and with might of arm sent their spears, biting battle-adders, over the yellow shields into the midst of their foes. But with 120 courage undaunted the other host advanced; from time to time they surged forward, broke the rampart of shields, thrust their swords between, and sternly kept their way.

Then was the standard, the token, raised before the armies, and they chanted the victors' song. Over the field of battle gleamed spears and helmets 125 of gold. The pagan host was conquered; in merciless strife they fell. As the king of the Romans, dauntless in battle, bade raise that holy tree, the peoples of the Huns straight fled away, and their warriors were scattered far and wide. Some 130 perished in the fight, some saved themselves hardly on the march, some, with life half-ebbed, fled to fastnesses and nursed their strength behind barren rocks, some seized the land near the Danube, and 135 some were finally drowned in the river's current. Then was the army of valiant heroes rejoiced, and from break of day until eve they followed hard upon the foreign foe, while the spears flew, biting 140 battle-adders. The horde of hated shield-bearers was lessened; but few of the army of Huns returned thence home again.

Then was manifest from that day's deed that the King Almighty gave unto Constantine victory, 145 glorious honor, and a realm beneath the heavens, through his holy rood. And he, renowned in battle, a bulwark of armies, returned thence home again when the war was decided, exulting in his spoil. Famed in the fight, a defense for heroes, the 150 king came with a throng of thanes to visit his cities and stud his shield with jewels.

5. THE ASSEMBLY.

Then the Lord of men straight summoned the wisest to council, those who had pondered the craft of wisdom in writings of old and held nobly to 155 the rede of scholars. And the prince of the people, victory-inspired king, asked through the vast assembly if there were any man there could tell and declare unto him truly who the god was, giver of good 160 gifts, 'whose sign this was which appeared unto me so bright, the most gleaming of tokens, saved my people, and gave unto me glory and war-speed against my foes through the holy tree.' 165

But no one of them could give him any answer in return, nor knew they full well what to say about the victor-tree. Then spake the wisest before the multitudes, and said that it was a sign from the King 170 of heaven, and of that there could be no doubt.

6. THE CONVERSION OF CONSTANTINE.

But they who had learned the truth, who were taught through baptism, were joyful in soul, and their hearts were light that they might declare before 175 the emperor the grace of the gospel: how the Saviour of souls, revered in threefold majesty, was born; how God's own Son was hung upon the cross in bitter agony before the multitudes; how He freed 180 the children of men and souls of the careworn from the snares of devils, and gave unto them grace through the very thing that had been disclosed to his own sight as a sign of victory against the onrush of foes; and how on the third day the Glory 185 of men and Lord of all mankind rose from the tomb and from death, and ascended into heaven. Men wise in the mystic things of the Spirit thus said unto the victory-inspired monarch as they had 190 learned from Silvester. And at their hands the prince of the people received baptism, and held to the faith according to the will of the Lord from that time forth throughout the length of his days.

Then was the giver of gifts content, the king stern in battle; a new joy was come into his heart. 195 The Lord of the kingdom of heaven was his greatest solace and his highest hope. Through the grace of the Spirit he began zealously to show forth the law of the Lord both day and night, and this ruler of men devoted himself, far-famed and weariless, 200 unto the service of God. Then the prince, bulwark of peoples, brave in battle and bold with the spear, found in the books of God with the aid of his teachers that country where, amid the shouts of multitudes, the Ruler of the heavens was crucified upon 205 the cross through sinful hate; even as the ancient enemy with lying craft led astray the people, deceived the race of the Jews, until they crucified God himself, the Lord of hosts; wherefore they shall 210 suffer a direful curse in misery through a long-enduring life.

7. THE JOURNEY OF ELENE.

Then was the laud of Christ in the heart of the emperor, and he was ever mindful of that glorious tree. And he bade his mother fare unto the Jews upon a journey with a throng of people, and zealously 215 with her band of heroes to seek where the holy tree of glory, the rood of the King, was hid beneath the earth.

Nor would Elene slight such a journey, nor be 220 heedless of the word of the prince her son; but the woman was soon ready for the welcome way, as the bulwark of heroes and mail-clad warriors had bidden her. And thereupon throngs of nobles 225 made ready for the voyage over the ocean. The ships stood ready by the shores of the sea, bound ocean-coursers resting on the deep.

And the journey of the queen was plainly manifest when she sought the swell of the ocean with 230 her company; many a noble stood there, near to the water's edge, and from time to time crowds of men pressed across the way.

Then they loaded the ships with battle-dress, shields and spears; mail-clad warriors and men and 235 women embarked thereon. And they let the steep ocean-speeders course over the foamy deep; often the hull bore the shock of the billows on the ocean-way, and the sea raised her song. Never heard 240 I before nor since of woman leading a fairer force upon the paths of the ocean, the streams of the deep. There one might see, if he beheld that voyage, ships cleave the watery way and haste beneath swelling 245 sails, sea-coursers leap, and wave-floaters speed ahead. The proud warriors were glad; the queen rejoiced in the journey.

When the ring-prowed ships had reached their harbor in the land of the Greeks