Page:King Alfred's Old English version of St. Augustine's Soliloquies - Hargrove - 1902.djvu/48

XLII ALFRED'S VERSION OF THE SOLILOQUIES þe wē ne magon līchamlice ongytan nāþer nē mid ēagum, nē mid swece, nē mid ēarum, nē mid smecce, nē mid hrine.

These few examples are sufficient to reveal the general method of the translator. The fact that this identical method is employed by Alfred in the Pastoral Care and Boeihius constitutes one proof that Alfred was the trans lator of the Soliloquies.

It must be said that in this, as in all translations, it is often extremely difficult to determine the degree of literalness in a given case, since there may be a kind of adumbration of the meaning of a word in the words preceding or following.

There are four considerable additions made by Alfred in Book I, and these divide the Book into five very nearly equal parts. They are:

1. Vicissitude in Nature.....9.23-10.17. 2. Figure of Ship and Anchor..22.2-26.5. 3. Seeing God and working with Him..31.8-27. 4. Parable of King and subject..43.23-44.27.

These longer excursions are interesting from several points of view. They are original, and yet grow naturally out of the subject in hand. They are written to make clear certain fundamental truths. There may be seen in them a vigor of expression not found in the parts translated.

Having seen his method as a translator, we may now study him in the other function which he exercised so often, but nowhere better, perhaps, than in Book II. It is here that we see him at work with a freer hand. He is in that intermediate stage, between the faithful translator and the, unshackled, creative artist; and thus his personality

? * For minor additions with references see Notes.