id="id00090">                  Then upon the bark
  They went, bold, valiant men; the heart of each 350
  Was filled with joy upon the tossing main.
  Then Andrew, on the rolling of the waves,
  Begged for that seaman mercy from the King
  Who rules in glory; thus he spake in words:—
  "May God, the Lord of men, give unto thee
  Exceeding honor—happiness on earth,
  Riches in glory—since thou hast made known
  Thy goodness to me on my journeying!"
  He sat him by the Guardian of the sea,
  That noble saint beside his noble Lord.
  I never heard men tell of comelier ship 360
  Laden with sumptuous treasures. In it sat
  Great heroes, glorious lords, and beauteous thanes.
  Then spake the ever-living noble Lord,
  Almighty King; he bade his angel go,
  His glorious retainer, go and give
  Meat to the desolate to comfort him
  Upon the seething flood, that he might bear
  The life upon the rushing of the waves
  With greater ease. Then was the ocean[1] stirred
  And deeply troubled, then the horn-fish played, 370
  Shot through the raging deep; the sea-gull gray,
  Greedy for slaughter, flew in circling flight.
  The candle of the sky grew straightway dark,
  The winds waxed strong, the waves whirled, and the surge
  Leapt high, the ropes creaked, dripping with the waves;
  The Terror of the waters rose, and stood
  Above them with the might of multitudes.
  The thanes were sore afraid, not one of them
  Dared hope that he would ever reach the land,
  Of those who by the sea had sought a ship
  With Andrew, for as yet they did not know 380
  Who pointed out the course for that sea-bark.

[Footnote 1: Lit. "whale-sea."]

    When he had eaten, then the faithful thane,
  Saint Andrew, thanked the noble Counselor,
  Upon the ocean, on the oar-swept sea:—
  "For this repast may God, the righteous Lord,
  Ruler of hosts, who sheds the light of life,
  Grant thee reward, and give thee for thy food
  The bread of heaven, e'en as thou hast shown
  Good will and kindness to me on the deep. 390
  My thanes, these warriors young, are sore afraid;
  Loud roars the raging, overwhelming sea;
  The ocean is all troubled, deeply moved;
  And weary is my band, my company
  Of valiant-hearted men, afflicted sore."
  The Lord of men gave answer from the helm:—
  "Our ship shall bear us back across the flood
  Unto the land, and there thy men can wait
  Upon the shore until thou come again." 400
  Straightway those men gave answer unto him,
  Thanes much-enduring; they would not consent
  To leave alone upon the vessel's prow
  Their master dear, and choose themselves the land.
  "O whither shall we turn us, lordless men,
  Mourning in heart, forsaken quite by God,
  Wounded with sin, if we abandon thee?
  We shall be odious in every land,
  Hated of every folk, when sons of men,
  Courageous warriors, in council sit 410
  And question which of them did best stand by
  His lord in battle, when the hand and shield,
  Worn out by broadswords on the battle-plain,
  Suffered sore danger in the sport of war."

    Then spake the noble Lord, the faithful King;
  Straightway He lifted up His voice and said:—
  "If, as thou sayst, thou art indeed a thane
  Of Him who sits enthroned in majesty,
  All-glorious King, expound His mysteries,
  How 'neath the sky He taught speech-uttering men. 420
  Long is this journey o'er the fallow flood;
  Comfort the hearts of thy disciples; great
  Is yet our way across the ocean-stream,
  And land is far to seek; the sea is stirred,
  The waves beat on the shore. Yet easily
  Can God give aid to men who sail the deep."

    Then Andrew wisely stablished by his words
  His followers, those heroes glorious:—
  "Ye did consider when ye put to sea
  That ye would bear your life unto a folk 430
  Of foemen; ye would suffer death for love
  Of God, would give your life within the realm
  Of dark-skinned Ethiopians. I know
  Myself that there is One who shieldeth us,
  The Maker of the angels, Lord of hosts.
  Rebuked and bridled by the King of might,
  The Terror of the waters shall grow calm,
  The leaping sea. So once in days of yore
  Within a bark upon the struggling waves
  We tried the waters, riding on the surge,
  And very fearful seemed the sad sea-roads. 440
  The ocean-floods beat fierce against the shores;
  Oft wave would answer wave; and whiles upstood
  From out the ocean's bosom, o'er our ship,
  A Terror on the breast of our sea-boat.
  There on that ocean-courser bode His time
  The glorious God, Creator of mankind,
  Almighty One. The men were filled with fear,
  They sought protection, mercy from the Lord.
  And when that company began to call,
  The King straightway arose, and stilled the waves, 450
  The seething of the waters—He who gives
  Bliss to the angels; He rebuked the winds;
  The sea subsided, and the boundaries
  Of ocean-stream grew calm. Then laughed our soul,
  When under heaven's course our eyes beheld
  The winds and waves and Terror of the deep
  Affrighted by the Terror of the Lord.
  Therefore I say to you in very sooth,
  The ever-living God does not forsake
  A man on earth, if courage fail him not." 460

    Thus spake the holy champion, wise of heart,
  He taught his thanes, that blessed warrior;
  He stablishèd his men, till suddenly
  Sleep came upon them weary by the mast.
  The sea grew still, the onset of the waves
  Turned back again, rough tumult of the flood.
  Then was the soul of that brave saint rejoiced,
  After that time of terror; wise in wit,
  In counsel prudent, he began to speak
  And thus unlocked the treasure of his words:— 470
  "I never found a better mariner,
  More skilled than thou in sea-craft, as I think,
  A stouter oarsman, one more wise in words,
  Sager in counsel. I will beg of thee
  Yet one more boon, hero most excellent;
  Though little treasure I can give to thee,
  Jewels or beaten gold, I fain would win
  Thy friendship, if I might, most glorious lord.
  So shalt thou gain good gifts, and blessed joy 480
  In heavenly glory, if of thy great lore
  Thou'rt bountiful to weary voyagers.
  One art I fain would learn of thee, brave sir;
  That since the Lord, the Maker of mankind,
  Hath given might and honor unto thee,
  Thou shouldst instruct me how thou pointest out
  The course of this thy billow-riding ship,
  Thy sea-horse wet with spray. Though sixteen times,
  In former days and late, I've been to sea, 490
  And rowed with freezing hands upon the deep,
  The ocean-streams—this makes one voyage more—
  Yet even so mine eyes have ne'er beheld
  A mighty captain steering at the stern
  Like unto thee. Loud roars the surging flood,
  Beats on the shore; this sea-boat is full fleet;
  It fareth foamy-necked