Page:King Alfred's West-Saxon Version of Gregory's Pastoral Care (2).djvu/201

192 GREGORY'S PASTORAL. [Cotton MSS. giem hu hie doð, & leorna ðær wisdom. Đa ðonne þe ofer oðre bion sculon sint swiðe egeslice gemanode mid ðy worde þe man cwæð: Sunu min, gif ðu hwæt gehætest for ðinne freond, ðonne hafast ðu oðrum (om.) men (om.) ðin wed geseald, & ðu bist ðonne gebunden mid ðæm wordum ðines agnes muðes, & gehæft mid ðinre agenre spræce. Hwelc magon bion maran gehat ðonne mon gehate for his freond ðæt he underfó his saule on his pleoh? Đæt is swelce he hæbbe befæst his hond oðrum menn, ðonne he gebint hiene selfne to him mid his wordum ðæt he sceal niede ða giemenne & ða geornfulnesse ymb ðone habban ðe he ær ne ðorfte, forðæm he hiene hæfð ðonne gehæftne mid his agnum wordum, swelce he sie mid grine gefangen, ðæt he hiene sceal niede tela læran. Þy him is micel ðearf, ðonne he tela lærð, ðæt he eac tela dó, & his lif on nan oðer ne wende, on oðer he lærð. Forðæm he eft sceal beforan ðæm ðearlwisan Deman mid gereclicre race gereccean ðæt he ðæt ilce self dyde þe he oðre men lærde. Ond eft swiðe hræde æfter ðæm se ilca Salomon cwæð: Do, min sunu, swæ ic ðe lære : alies ðe selfne; forðon ðu eart on borg gegan ðinum friend. Ac iern nu & onette, awece hiene. Ne geðafa ðu ðinum eagum ðæt hie slapige, ne ne hnappigen ðine bræwas. Swæ hwa ðonne swæ his lif to bisene bið oðrum monnum geset, ne sceal he no ðæt an don ðæt he ana wacige, ac he sceal eac his friend wreccean. Ne ðynce him no genoh ðæt he ana wel libbe, butan eac ða þe he fore beon sceal from ðære slæwðe his synna atio. Đæt is swiðe wel ðær gecweden : Ne slapige no ðin eagan, ne ne hnappigen ðine bræwas. Đæt is ðonne ðæt mon his eagan læte slapan [slapigen] ðæt mon for his

there wisdom.' Those who are to be above others are very terribly warned with the words which were said : “My son, if thou promisest aught for thy friend, thou hast given thy pledge, and thou art bound with the words of thine own mouth, and held by thine own speech." What greater promise can a man make for his friend than that of accepting his soul at his own risk? It is like committing his hand to another, when he binds himself to him with his words that he will necessarily be careful and zealous about him for whom it was not necessary before, because he holds him with his own words, as if he were caught in a trap, and he is obliged to teach him well. Therefore it is very necessary for him, when he teaches well, also to act well,