Page:King Alfred's West-Saxon Version of Gregory's Pastoral Care (2).djvu/195

186 GREGORY'S PASTORAL. [Cotton MSS. grapað swiðe fægre ymbutan ðæt ðæt he sniðan wile, & snið swiðe hrædlice. Swæ se witga dyde ðone kyning mid his wordum : ic wene ðæt he hiene snide slawlicor, gif he him ær sæde ðæt he hiene sniðan wolde ; ðy hit wæs betre ðæt he grapude mid ðæm bispelle ær, ærðonpe he cidde, swæ se læce grapað, & stracað, & hyt his seax & hwett, ærðonþe he stingan wille. Se læce, ðonne he cymð ðone untruman to sniðanne, ærest he sceawað ðæt cumbl, & siððan hiene tweonað yml ðæs untruman geðyld, hwæðer he geðafian mæge ðæt hiene mon sniðe. Hyt ðonne his læceseax under his claðum oððæt he hiene wundað: wile ðæt he hit gefrede, ær he hit gesio ; forðæm he wenð, gif he hit ær gesio, ðæt he hit wille forsacan.

XXVII. Đætte on oðre wisan sint to manianne ða gladan, on oðre ða unrotan.

On oðre wisan sint to manianne ða bliðan, on oðre ða unrotan. Đæm oferbliðum is to cyðonne ða unrotnessa ða ðæræfter cumað, & ðæm unbliðum sint to cyðonne ða gefean þe him gehatene sint. Geliornigen ta bliðan on ðære ðreaunga ðæt hie him ondræden, & gehieren ða unbliðan ða lean ðæs gefean þe hie tohopiað. To ðæm bliðan is gecweden : Wa eow þe nu hlehhað, forðæm ge sculon eft wepan. Gehieren eac ða unrotan ðone cwide þe him is to gecweden ðurh ðone ilcan lareow, ðæt is Crist, he cwæð: Eft ic eow gesio, & ðonne blissiаð eowre heortan, & eowerne gefean eow nan mon æt ne genimð. Monige beoð ðeah & eac unbliðe ðara þe for nanum worl(d)ðingum nahwæðer doð, buton for ðæs blodes styringe & for lichoman

it him he will not allow him to cut him. But he feels very gently about the part he is going to cut, and cuts very quickly. So the prophet did the king with his words : I think he would not have cut him so soon, if he had told him beforehand that he was going to cut him ; therefore it was better for him to feel with the parable before he rebuked, as the physician feels, and strokes, and hides and whets his knife, before he pierces. When the physician comes to cut the patient, he first examines the swelling, and doubts his patience, whether he will submit to be cut. He hides his lancet under his clothes until he wounds him, wishing him to feel it before he sees it; for he thinks that if he see it beforehand he will refuse.