Page:King Alfred's Old English version of St. Augustine's Soliloquies - Hargrove - 1902.djvu/135



1.1 Apparently the first letter of Gaderode is, in the MS., an ornamental capital, thus denoting the beginning of a chapter, if not a book. Cf. the first facsimile. The omission of the subject is not a sufficient reason for indicating a lost beginning. But possibly the first letter is I.

kigclas. Only C.P. 297.1. Cf. New English Dict. under cudgel. Junius and Wanley read rigelas. Cf. for in the Jubilee Edition.

1.2 tōla. Cf. Bo. 30.7; and esp. 40.5 ff.

1.4 be þām dēle. So 58.14; Bo. 93.23; 109.21; C. P. 58.14.

1.12 windan. Probably an allusion to the wicker-work buildings of Alfred's time.

1.17 while. Wh only here.

1.19, 20 Cf. Introd.

2.2 tō þām. To the extent; so 5.14.

2.4 āre. Ār being fem., we should expect tō þāre ēcan. For other confusions of gender cf. ǣnigne hēle, 32.14; ǣnigne wemnesse, 36.14; 49.4; etc.

2.13-17 A prayer sublime in its pathos. gifola. Suggested by Wülker for MS. gidfola. Cf. Beitr. IV, p. 108 and see Bo. 119.31.

3.1-11 Note this skilful transition from his own preface to Augustine's thoughts.

3.7 tō forletende. Present participial form for gerund. So 12.12; 14.17; etc.

3.12 ff. Wülker, Beitr. IV, p. 105, uses this as a proof of Alfred's authorship.

4.8-13 and ... onhagie. Added by Alfred to the original.

4.20 Ic ... ða. Added by Alfred.

4.21-14.9 This elaborate prayer recalls the similar one at the beginning of Augustine's Confessions.