Page:King Alfred's West-Saxon Version of Gregory's Pastoral Care (2).djvu/147

138 GREGORY'S PASTORAL. [Cotton MSS. nesse. Đas ilcan geornfulnesse ðara hierda sanctus Paulus aweahte, ða he cwæð: Se þe ne gimð ðara þe his beoð, & huru Godes ðeowa, he wiðsæcð Godes geleafan, & he bið treowleas. And swæðeah betweox ðissum simle is to ondrædonne & geornlice to behealdanne, ðonne he ða uterran ðing dón sculon, ðæt hie ne sien ðæm incundum [innecundan] ingeðance afirrede; forðæm oft ða heortan ðara reccera, swæ swæ we ær cwædon, ðonne hie mid ðissum hwilendlicum ðingum hie selfe abisgiað, & ðæm unwærlice ðeowiað, hie ðonne lætað acolian ða incundan lufan, & ne ondrædað him na ðæt hie forgieten ðæt hie underfengon ðone reccendom [reccedom] manna saula. Ac hit is ðearf ðætte sio giemen, þe hie hiera hieremonnum utan dón sculon, sie wel gemetgod. Be ðæm swiðe wel wæs gecweden to Ezechiele ðæm witgan ðætte ða sacerdas ne sceoldon no hiera heafdu scieran mid scearseaxum, ne eft hie ne sceoldon hiera loccas lætan weaxan, ac hie sceoldon hie efsian mid scearum. Swiðe ryhte ða sacerdas sint gehatene sacerdas, ðæt is on Englisc clænseras, forðæm hie sculon ladteowdom geearwian ðæm geleaffullum & him sculon fore bion. Đæt feax ðonne on hiera heafde getacnað þa uterran geðohtas, ðæt grewð & scinð ofer ðæm brægene, & his man ðeah ne gefret; þa giemenne ðisses ondweardan lifes ðæt getacnað. Swæ giemeleaslice oft sceacað ure geðohtas from us, ðæt we his furðum ne gefredað, ðon ma þe man his feax mæg gefredan butan ðæm felle, forðæm we oft ymb ungedafenlice wisan smeageað. & swæðeah ealle ða þe fore oðrum bion sculon, sculon habban giemenne ðissa uterrena ðinga, ond ðeah ne sien hie to fæste to gebundene. Swiðe ryhtlice wæs ðæm sacerde forboden ðæt he his heafod sceare, & eac ðæt he his feax lete weaxan ; ðæt is ðæt he ealle ða geðolitas of his mode ne aceorfe þe he scyle

eousness. This same zeal of the shepherds St. Paul aroused, saying: “He who cares not for those that are his, and especially God's, servants, is an apostate and infidel.” Yet, with all this, it is always to be feared and due care taken, lest, while they are to perform outer duties, they be not estranged from inner contemplation ; because the minds of rulers, as we have remarked above, when occupied with these tran- sitory things and inconsiderately devoted to them, often let the inner love grow cold, and are not afraid of forgetting that they have received the control of men's souls. But it is necessary that their solicitude about the outer wants of their subjects be kept within due bounds. Concerning which it was well said to the prophet Ezekiel that the