Page:Aelfric's Lives of Saints Vol 1.djvu/303

 Many foolish  deeds  injure  mankind,

either from  selfwill,  or  from  want  of  thought.

Even as  some  men  do  who  foolishly  fast

beyond their  strength  in  the  catholic  Lent,

even as  we  ourselves  have  seen,  until  they  have  fallen  sick.

Some also  fast,  so  that  they  have  refused  to  eat,

save on  the  alternate  day,  and  then  ate  greedily ;

but books  tell  us  that  some  so  fasted,

that they  afflicted  themselves  very  grievously,

and had  no  reward  for  this  great  hardship,

but were  the  farther  on  this  account  from  God's  pity.

Now the  holy  Fathers  have  appointed  that  we  fast  with  prudence

and eat  befittingly  every  day,

so that  our  body  become  not  enfeebled,

nor again  over  fat  unto  vain  lusts.

Moreover, this  country  is  not  so  abundant  in  strength,

here, on  the  outer  edge  of  the  earth's  extent,

as is  that  in  the  midst,  in  the  strength-abundant  region,

where men  can  fast  more  easily  than  here.

Nor is  mankind  so  strong  now  as  men  were  at  the  beginning.

There is  no  fasting  so  good,  nor  so  pleasing  to  God,

as is  this  fasting,  that  a  man  shun  foulness,

and avoid  sins,  and  leave  off  contentions,

and please  God  with  good  services,

and live  discreetly,  even  as  we  said  before.

The wise  man  must  not  be  without  good  works,

nor the  old  be  without  piety,

nor the  young  be  without  obedience,

nor the  wealthy  be  without  almsdeeds,