rant thee pardon for thy
fall; for they be able and strong to bless and to punish. And wouldst
thou have an example of that which I say? Behold us, who by them have
been advanced to this honour, repaying them for their kindness by
honouring their worshippers and chastising the runagates."

Now when the king had ended all this idle parleying, gainsaying and
slandering of our religion, and belauding and praising of his idolatry,
the saintly young prince saw that the matter needed no further to be
hid in a corner, but to be lighted and made plain to the eyes of all;
and, full of boldness and courage, he said:

"That which I have done, sir, I will not deny. I have fled from
darkness and run to the light: I have left error and joined the
household of truth: I have deserted the service of devils, and joined
the service of Christ, the Son and Word of God the Father, at whose
decree the world was brought out of nothing; who, after forming man out
of clay, breathed into him the breath of life, and set him to live in a
paradise of delight, and, when he had broken his commandment and was
become subject unto death, and had fallen into the power of the dread
ruler of this world, did not fail him, but wrought diligently to bring
him back to his former honour. Wherefore he, the framer of all
Creation and maker of our race, became man for our sake, and, coming
from a holy Virgin's womb; on earth conversed with men: for us
ungrateful servants did the master endure death, even the death of the
Cross, that the tyranny of sin might be destroyed, that the former
condemnation might be abolished, that the gates of heaven might be open
to us again. Thither he hath exalted our nature, and set it on the
throne of glory, and granted to them that love him an everlasting
kingdom and joys beyond all that tongue can tell, or ear can hear. He
is the mighty and only potentate, King of kings and Lord of lords,
whose might is invincible, and whose lordship is beyond compare, who
only is holy and dwelleth in holiness, who with the Father and with the
Holy Ghost is glorified; into this faith I have been baptized. And I
acknowledge and glorify and worship One God in Three persons, of one
substance, and not to be confounded, increate and immortal, eternal,
infinite, boundless, without body, without passions, immutable,
unchangeable, undefinable, the fountain of goodness, righteousness and
everlasting light, maker of all things visible and invisible,