Page:King Alfred's West-Saxon Version of Gregory's Pastoral Care (2).djvu/110

Hatton MS.] He was on himselfum mid ðæs halgan gæstes mægene suiðe healice úpabrogden, & ðeah eorðlicum monnum emnlice for arfæsðnesse & for niedðearfe was geuntrumod. Forðæm he cuæð: Hwa bið geuntrumod ðæt ic ne sie eac geuntrumod; oððe hwa bið gesciended ðæt ic eac ðæs ne scamige? Eft he cuæð be ðæm ilcan: Ðonne ic was mid Iudeum ic was suelc hie. Ne cuæð he ðæt forðyðe he wolde his treowa & his geleafan forlætan suæ suæ hie, ac he wolde ætiewan his arfæsðnesse, ða he licette hine selfne ðæt he wære ungeleaffull, ac on ðæm he geleornode hu he scolde oðrum monnum miltsian ðe he geðohte hu he wolde ðæt mon him miltsode gif he suelc wære. & eft he cuæð: Ðeah we nu ofer ure mæð ðencen & smeagean, ðæt we dooð for Gode; ðonne we hit eft gemetlæcað, ðonne do we ðæt for eow. He ongeat ðæt he oferstag hine selfne on ðære sceawunge ðære godcundnesse, & eft hine selfne ofdune astiggende he cuðe gemetgian his hieremo[n]num. Be ðæm [eac] Iacobus se heahfæder, ða he smirede ðone stan ðe æt his heafdum læg to tacne ðæt he eft wolde his irfe ðær geteoðian, for ðære gesihðe ðe he on ðæm swefne geseah, ða he ðæt ðæm stane slæpte. He geseah ane hlædre standan æt him on eorðan. Oðer ende was uppe on hefenum, & æt ðæm uferran ende Dryhten hlinode, & englas stigon úp & ofdune on ða hlædre. Forðæm ða godan lareowas upsceawiende no ðæt an wilniað secean & sceawian ðæt halige heafoð ðære halgan gesomnunge, ðæt is Dry[h]ten, ac wilnað for mildheortnesse ðæt hie ofdune astigen to his limum. Forðæm Moyses oft bode inn & ut on ðæt templ, forðæm he wæs ðærinne getogen to ðære godcundan sceawunga, & ðærút he wæs

He perceived that he surpassed himself in the contemplation of godliness, and he knew how to let himself down again to the level of his disciples. Therefore Jacob the patriarch anointed the stone which lay at his head, to show that he would afterwards tithe his inheritance there, because of the vision he saw in sleep when he slept at the stone. He saw a ladder standing near him on the earth. The other end was up in heaven, and at the upper end the Lord reclined, and angels climbed up and down the ladder. For good teachers gazing upwards desire not only to seek and contemplate the holy Head of the holy Church, which is God, but also from humanity to descend to his members. Therefore Moses often went in and out of the temple, because