Saint Alban the First Martyr of Britain

There was a heathen emperor named Diocletian,
who was chosen to be emperor over all the earth,
though he was a destroyer of men, two hundred
and eighty-six years after Christ's incarnation;
and he reigned twenty years, a cruel murderer,
so that he killed, and bade kill,
all the Christians whom he could find out,
and burned churches, and robbed the innocent;
and this impious persecution spread unceasingly
over all the earth fully ten years,
until it came also even to England,
and there killed many who believed in Christ.

One of these was Alban, the noble martyr,
who was likewise killed in that persecution
for Christ's faith, even as we shall tell you here.

In those days came the murderous persecution
to England from the wicked emperor,
and the murderers seized the Christians everywhere
with exceeding fury; then a priest escaped from them
who ran secretly to Alban's house,
and there lay hid from his fierce persecutors,
and Alban received him, though he was not baptised.
Then began the priest, forasmuch as he loved God,
to sing his offices, and fast strictly,
and day and night to praise his Lord,
and meanwhile to teach the true faith
to the honourable Alban, until he believed
in the true God, and renounced heathenism,
and became verily a Christian, and exceeding full of faith.
Then the priest dwelt with the honourable man
until the magistrate who persecuted the Christians
discovered him there, and with great wrath
commanded him to be fetched before him speedily.

Then came the messengers to Alban's house,
but Alban went out unto the persecutors
with the priest's cloak, as if he were he,
and would not betray him to the wicked persecutors.
He was therefore bound, and brought straightway
to the impious judge, where he was offering to his gods
the devilish sacrifices, with all his associates.
Then became the judge fiendishly angry,
as soon as he beheld the steadfast martyr,
because he had received the fugitive priest,
and given himself up to be slain for him.
Then he bade men lead him to the heathen sacrifice, and said
that he himself should receive the heavy punishment
which he had meant for the priest if he could have taken him,
unless he quickly submitted to his shameful gods;
but Alban was not affrighted by his fiendly threats,
because he was girded about with God's weapons
unto the ghostly fight, and said that he would not
obey his hest, nor bow down to his idolatry.

Then asked the judge immediately, and said,
'Of what family art thou, or of what rank among men?'
Then Alban answered the wicked man thus:
'What concerneth it thee, of what family I may be?
but if thou desire to hear the truth, I tell thee quickly
that I am a Christian, and will ever worship Christ.'

The judge said to him: 'Tell me thy name,
without any delay, now that I thus ask.'
The champion of God said to the murderer thus,
'I am called Albanus, and I believe in the Saviour,
who is the true God, and made all creatures;
to Him I pray, and Him I will ever worship.'

The murderer answered the glorious man,
'If thou wilt have the felicity of the everlasting life,
then thou must not delay to sacrifice
to the great gods, with full submission.'
Alban answered him: 'Your sacrifices to the gods,
which ye offer to devils, cannot help you,
nor profit your cause, but ye shall receive as your meed
everlasting punishments in the wide-reaching hell.'

Lo! Then the judge became fiendishly irate,
and commanded men to scourge the holy martyr,
weening that he might bend the steadfastness of his mind
to his own forms of worship by means of the stripes;
but the blessed man was strengthened by God,
and bore the scourging exceeding patiently,
and with glad mind thanked God for it.

Then the judge perceived that he could not overcome
the holy man by the severe tortures,
nor turn him from Christ, and commanded them to kill him
by decapitation, for the Saviour's name.
Then the heathen did as the judge commanded them,
and led the Saint unto his beheading;
but they were delayed a long while at a bridge,
and stood until evening by reason of the exceeding crowd
of men and women who were stirred up,
and came to the martyr, and went with him.
So then it fell out that the unbelieving judge
sat unfed in the town until evening,
without any attendance, fasting against his will.

Lo! Then Alban would hasten to death,
and went to the stream where he could not go over the bridge,
and looked up to heaven, praying to the Saviour,
and the stream thereupon dried up before him,
and made a broad way for him, even as he had desired of God.
Then the executioner, who was to kill him,
was touched by that miracle, and threw away his sword,
and ran quickly, as soon as they had come over the stream,
and fell at his feet with full faith,
desiring to die with him rather than slay him.
He was then united, with resolute faith,
to the holy man whom he was to have beheaded;
and the sword lay there shining before them,
and not one of them would readily slay him.

There was nigh at hand to the holy man
a pleasant hill, adorned with plants,
with all fairness, and with steep slope.
Then went Alban quickly thither,
and straightway prayed to God that He would give him water
upon the hill, and He did so.
Then ran the well-spring at Alban's feet,
that men might understand his power with God,
when the stream ran from the steep hill.

He was then beheaded for the Saviour's name,
upon the hill, and departed to his Lord
by victorious martyrdom, and with true faith;
but his slayer might not live in full health,
because that both his eyes burst out of him,
and fell to the earth with Alban's head,
that he might understand whom he had killed.

They beheaded afterward the faithful soldier
who would not behead the holy man,
and he lay beside Alban, believing in God,
baptised with his blood, and departed to Heaven.

Afterward, when the executioners came to their lord,
and related the wonderful signs which Alban had wrought,
and how he was blinded who had beheaded him,
then he bade them stay the persecution, and spake reverently
of the holy martyrs, hom he could not turn
from God's faith by the terrible torments.

In that same persecution were also slain
Aaron and Julius, and many others,
both of men and women, widely throughout England,
killed by tortures for Christ's faith,
and they departed victoriously to the true life.
Then the persecution ceased, and the Christians came
out of the woods, and out of the wastes, where they had been hidden,
and went amongst men, and restored Christianity,
and repaired churches that were wholly ruined,
and dwelt there in peace with true faith.
Then they built likewise a worthy church
to the holy Alban, where he was buried,
and there frequently were miracles performed
to the praise of the Saviour who liveth ever in eternity.

The Homily for the Feast of St. Alban from Aelfic's Lives of the Saints

Source: "The Passion of Saint Alban"

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