tain. Ne we may recover nothing for to slay them,
for if so were that I should thereby have health, that should be a cruel
health that should be bought with the death of so many innocents. Then
he commanded to render and deliver again to the mothers their children,
and gave to every each of them a good gift, and thus made them return to
their houses with great joy, from whence they departed with great
sorrow, and he himself returned again in his chariot unto his palace.
Now it happed that the night after St. Peter and St. Paul appeared to
this Emperor Constantine, saying to him: Because thou hast had horror to
shed and spill the blood of innocents, our Lord Jesu Christ hath had
pity on thee, and commandeth thee to send unto such a mountain where
Silvester is hid with his clerks, and say to him that thou comest for to
be baptized of him and thou shalt be healed of thy malady. And when he
was awaked he did do call his knights and commanded them to go to that
mountain and bring the Pope Silvester to him courteously and fair, for
to speak with him. When St. Silvester saw from far the knights come to
him, he supposed they sought him for to be martyred, and began to say
to his clerks that they should be firm and stable in the faith for to
suffer martyrdom. When the knights came to him they said to him much
courteously that Constantine sent for him, and prayed him that he would
come and speak with him. And forthwith he came, and when they had
intersaluted each other, Constantine told to him his vision. And when
Silvester demanded of him what men they were that so appeared to him,
the emperor wist not ne could not name them. St. Silvester opened a book
wherein the images of St. Peter and St. Paul were portrayed, and
demanded of him if they were like unto them. Then Constantine anon knew
them and said that he had seen them in his sleep. Then St. Silvester
preached to him the faith of Jesu Christ, and baptized him; and when he
was baptized, a great light descended upon him so that he said that he
had seen Jesu Christ, and was healed forthwith of his measelry. And then
he ordained seven laws unto holy church, the first was that all the city
should worship Jesu Christ as very God, the second thing was that
whosoever should say any villany of Jesu Christ he should be punished,
the third, whosomever should do villany to Christian men, he should lose
half his goods. The fourth, that the Bishop of Rome should be chief of
all holy church,