Page:King Alfred's West-Saxon Version of Gregory's Pastoral Care (2).djvu/14

Hatton MS.] GREGORY'S PASTORAL. 5 sie ðonc ðæt[te] we nu ænigne ón stal habbað lareowa. & forðon ic ðe bebiode ðæt ðu dó swæ ic geliefe ðæt ðu wille, ðæt ðu ðe ðissa woruldðinga to ðæm geæmetige swæ ðu oftost mæge, ðæt ðu ðone wisdom ðe ðe God sealde ðær ðær ðu hiene befæstan mæge, befæste. Geðenc hwelc witu ús ða becomon for ðisse worulde, ða ða we hit nohwæðer ne selfe ne lufodon ne eac oðrum monnum ne lefdon : ðone naman anne we lufodon ðæt[te] we Cristne wæren, & swiðe feawe ða ðeawas. Đa ic ða ðis eall gemunde ða gemunde ic eac hu ic geseah, ærðæmðe hit eall forhergod wære & forbærned, hu ða ciricean giond eall Angelcynn stodon maðma & boca gefyldæ ond eac micel men[i]geo Godes ðiowa & ða swide lytle fiorme ðara boca wiston, forðæmðe hie hiora nan wuht óngiotan ne meahton forðæmðe hie næron ón hiora agen geðiode awritene. Swelce hie cwæden: Ure ieldran, ða ðe ðas stowa ǣr hioldon, hie lufodon wisdom & ðurh ðone hie begeaton welan & ús læfdon. Her món mæg giet gesion hiora swæð, ac we him ne cunnon æfterspyrigean, & forðæm we habbað nú ægðer forlæten ge ðone welan ge ðone wisdom, forðæmðe we noldon to ðæm spore mid ure mode ónlutan. Đa ic ða ðis eall gemunde, ða wundrade ic swiðe swiðe ðara godena wiotona ðe giu wæron giond Angelcynn, & ða bec eallæ befullan geliornod hæfdon, ðæt hie hiora ðe nænne dæl noldon ón hiora agen geðiode wendan. Ac ic ða sona eft me selfum andwyrde & cwæð: Hie ne wendon ðætt[e] æfre menn sceolden swæ re[c]celease weorðan & sio lar swæ oðfeallan ; for ðære wilnunga hie hit forleton, & woldon ðæt her ðy mara wisdom ón londe wære ðy we má geðeoda cuðon. Đa gemunde ic nu sio æ was ærest

As if they had said: “Our forefathers, who formerly held these places, loved wisdom, and through it they obtained wealth and bequeathed it to us. In this we can still see their tracks, but we cannot follow them, and therefore we have lost both the wealth and the wisdom, because we would not incline our hearts after their example.” When I remembered all this, I wondered extremely that the good and wise men who were formerly all over England, and had perfectly learnt all the books, did not wish to translate them into their own language. But again I soon answered myself and said: “They did not think that men would ever be so careless, and that learning would so decay; through that desire they abstained from it, and they wished that the wisdom in this land might increase with our knowledge of languages. Then I remembered how the law was first