Page:King Alfred's West-Saxon Version of Gregory's Pastoral Care (2).djvu/12

 GREGORY'S PASTORAL.

[Hatton MS.]

ĐEOS BOC SCEAL TO WIOGORA CEASTRE.

Ælfred kyning hateð gretan Wærferð biscep his wordum luflice & freondlice; & ðe cyðan hate ðæt me com swiðe oft ón gemynd, hwelce wiotan iu wæron giond Angelcynn, ægðer ge godcundra hada ge worul[d]cundra ; & hu gesæliglica tida ða wæron giond Angelcynn ; & hu da kyningas de ðone ónwald hæfdon ðæs folces [on ðam dagum] Gode & his ærendwrecum hersumedon ; & hie ægðer ge hiora sibbe ge hiora siodo ge hiora ónweald innanbordes gehioldon, & eac út hiora eðel gerymdon ; & hu him ða speow ægðer ge mid wige ge mid wisdome ; & eac ða godcundan hadas hu giorne hie wæron ægðer ge ymb lare ge ymb liornunga, ge ymb ealle ða ðiowotdomas ðe hie Gode [don] scoldon ; & hu man utanbordes wisdom & lare hieder ón lond sohte, & hu we hie nu sceoldon ute begietan gif we hie habban sceoldon. Swæ clæne hio wæs oðfeallenu ón Angelcynne ðæt swiðe feawa wæron behionan Humbre ðe hiora ðeninga cuðen understondan ón Englisc, oððe furðum án ærendgewrit óf Lædene ón Englisc areccean ; & ic wene ðæt[te] noht monige begiondan Humbre næren. Swæ feawa hiora wæron ðæt ic furdum anne ánlepne ne mæg geðencean besuðan Temese ða ða ic to rice feng. Gode ælmihtegum

both with war and with wisdom ; and also the sacred orders how zealous they were both in teaching and learning, and in all the services they owed to God; and how foreigners came to this land in search of wisdom and instruction, and how we should now have to get them from abroad if we were to have them. So general was its decay in England that there were very few on this side of the Humber who could understand their rituals in English, or translate a letter from Latin into English; and I believe that there were not many beyond the Humber. There were so few of them that I cannot remember a single one south of the Thames when I came to the throne. Thanks be to God Almighty 1--2 I!ja Az 4.45