Page:King Alfred's West-Saxon Version of Gregory's Pastoral Care (2).djvu/169

100 GREGORY'S PASTORAL. [Cotton MSS. andan & reðnesse him stiere, ðylæs he sie scyldig ealra hiera scylda, ðonne him hiera na ne ofðyncð. Be ðæm wæs swiðe wel gecweden to Ezechiele: Nim sume tiglan, & lege beforan ðe, & writ on hiere ða burg Hierusalem. And sona æfter ðon he cwæð: Besittað hie utan, & wyrceað oðer fæsten wið hie, & berað hiere hlæd to, & send ðærto gefylceo, & ðerscað done weall mid rammum. And eft he him tæhte to fultome ðæt he him gename ane irene hierstepannan, & sette betweoh hiene & ða burg for iserne weall. Hwæt tacnað ðonne Ezechiel se witga buton ða lareowas, to ðæm is gecweden: Genim ðe ane tiglan, & lege beforan ðe, & writ on hiere ða burg Hierusalem? Đa halgan lareowas ðonne him nimað tiglan, ðonne he ðara eorðlicra monna heortan underfoð to læronne. Ðonne hie lecgeað ða tiglan beforan hie, þe him beboden wæs ðæt hie sceoldon ða ceastre Hierusalem on awritan, ðonne hie behealdað ealle ða inngeðoncas hiera modes, & swiðe geornlice giemað ðæt hie ða eorðlican heortan gelæren, & him ætiewen hwelc sie ðære uplican sibbe gesihð, & hu on idelnesse mon ongit Godes ðæt hefоnlice wuldor, gif he ne ongit hu maniga costunga ðæs lytegan feondes him onfeallað. Swiðe wel he hit geiecte mid ðissum, þa he cwæð: Ymbsittað ða burg swiðe gebyrdelice, & getrymiað eow wið hie. Đa halgan lareowas ymbsittað þa tiglan, þe sio burh Hierusalem on atifred bið, ðonne hie ðæm menniscan mode, ðe ðeah ðæt uplice lif secð, ætiwað hu manega him on ðys andweardum life frecenlice wiðerwearde unðeawas him wiðfeohtað, & hu æghwelc syn bið sætigende ðæs ðeondan monnes. & swæ swa se here sceolde beon getrymed onbutan Hierusalem, swæ sculon beon

for all their sins, when he is not at all incensed at them. There- fore it was very well said to Ezekiel : “ Take a tile, and lay it before thee, and draw on it the city of Jerusalem.” And soon after he said : “Besiege it, and build another fortress against it, and bring up a mound against it, and send armies against it, and batter the wall with rams.” And, again, he directed him to protect himself by taking an iron frying-pan, and placing it between himself and the city for an iron wall. What does Ezekiel the prophet signify but teachers, to whom is said : “Take a tile, and lay it before thee, and draw on it the city of Jerusalem ?” Holy teachers take a tile, when they undertake the charge of teaching earthly men's hearts. They lay the tile, on which they were