Page:King Alfred's Old English version of St. Augustine's Soliloquies - Hargrove - 1902.djvu/53

ALFRED'S VERSION OF THE SOLILOQUIES XLVII The inquirer thus expresses himself satisfied as to the subject in hand, but his thirst is not entirely quenched, for just at the close of the book another question is propounded, namely: Shall our knowledge change in the future world as in this world, or shall it remain constant? Reason artfully replies:

'I hear now what thou wouldst know, but I cannot tell it to thee in a few words. If thou wilt know it openly, then thou must seek it in the book which we call De Videndo Deo. This book is called in English, About the Beholding of God. But be now of good cheer and think over that wich thou hast just learned, and let us both pray then that he help us, for he promised that he would help every one who called to him and rightly wished; and he promised without any doubt that he would teach us after we left this world, that we should fully know perfect wisdom and perfect truth; which thou mayest hear much more openly in the book which I before named to thee - De Videndo Deo.'

And the book closes with the words: 'Here end the blossoms of the second book which we call Soliloquies'.

The following parallel of the points made in the Augustinian and the Alfredian versions respectively will show at a glance the difference of treatment

Augustine Alfred

1. Invocation for divine aid to know self. 2. Proof that the soul is immortal based largely on the subtleties of dialectics; similitude the mother of truth, dissimilitude of falsity; no truth or falsity without a perceiving sense, no sense without a living soul; hence the soul is immortal. 3. Since truth must persist, the

Alfred

1. Invocation for divine aid to know self. 2. Proof that the soul is immortal based largely on authorities: the words of Christ, his Apostles, the Prophets, and the Church Fathers quoted, or referred to, as favoring the truth that the soul is immortal; hence it is immortal. 3. Since the soul craves know-

1 64. 22-35.