Page:King Alfred's West-Saxon Version of Gregory's Pastoral Care (2).djvu/104

Hatton MS.] ðæt ðæt iow gemetlic sie & iower ondefenu sien to witenne. Be ðæm wæs gecueden mid ðære godcundan stefne ðæt on ðæs sacerdes hrægle scoldon hangigan bellan & ongemang ðæm bellum reade apla. Hwæt elles is getacnod ðurh ða readan apla buton sio anmodnes ryhtes geleafan? Sua se appel bið betogen mid anfealdre rinde, & ðeah monig corn oninnan him hæfð, sua sio halige cirice unrim folces befehð mid anfealde geleafan, & ða habbað suaðeah suiðe misleca geearnunga ðe ðærinne wunigeað. Forðæm geðence se lariow ðæt he unwærlice forð ne ræse on ða spræce. Ymbe ðæt ðe we ær spræcon sio Soðfæsðnes ðurh hie selfe cleopade to ðæm apostolum, & cuæð: Habbað ge sealt on iow & sibbe betweoh iow. Sio anlicnes wæs gecueden ðæt sceolde bion on ðæs sacerdes hrægle ða readan appla ongemang ðam bellum. Ðæt is ðætte ðurh eall ðæt ðæt we ær spræcon sie underfangen & wærlice gehealden sio anmodnes ðæs godcundan geleafan. Se lareow sceal mid geornful[l]ice ingehygde foreðencean na ðæt an ðætte [he] ðurh hine nan woh ne bodige, ac eac ðæt he nane ðinga ðæt ryht to suiðe & to ungemetlice & to unaberendlice ne bodige, forðæm oft ðæt mægen ðære lare wierð forloren, ðonne mon mid ungedafenlicre & unwærlicre oferspræce ða heortan & ðæt andgiet gedweleð ðara ðe ðærto hlystað, ond eac se lariow bið gescinded mid ðære oferspræce, ðonne he ne conn geðencean hu he nyttwyrðlicost læran mæge ða ðe ðærto hlystan willað. Be ðæm was suiðe wel gecueden ðurh Moyses ðætte se wer se ðe ðrowude oferflownesse [h]is sædes, & ðæt unnytlice agute, ðæt he ðonne wære unclæne. Sua eac ða word ðære lare beoð sæd,

above the constancy of divine belief is to be received and carefully held. The teacher must consider beforehand with careful meditation not only how he is to avoid himself preaching bad doctrine, but also how he is not to preach what is right too excessively or too immoderately or too severely; for often the virtue of doctrine is lost when the heart and understanding of the hearers are led into error with unseemly and imprudent loquacity, and the teacher also is disgraced by his loquacity, when he cannot think how he may most usefully teach those who wish to hear it. Of which was very well said through Moses, that the man who suffered overflow of his seed and discharged it to no purpose, was to be unclean. Thus also the words of instruction are seed, and they fall on the heart of the hearer,