Page:King Alfred's West-Saxon Version of Gregory's Pastoral Care (2).djvu/229

220 GREGORY'S PASTORAL. [Cotton MSS. lichoman, & sio gesceadwisnes hæfð anwald ðæs modes. Forðæm, gif sio gesceadwisnes næfð nanne anwald ðære saule & ðæs modes, ðonne næfð sio saul & ðæt gewit nanne anwald ðæs lichoman. Ac sio geðyld is gesett to hierde urre gesceafte. Đæt us ætiewde Dryhten, þa he us lærde ðæt we sceoldon urra selfra waldan mid ðære geðylde. We magon eac ongietan hu micel sio scyld bið ðære ungeðylde, ðurh þa we forlætað ðone anwald ure selfra, ðone we sceoldon ðurh ða geþylde gehealdan. Gehieren ða ungeðyldegan ðone cwide þe eft be him gecweden is on Salomones bocum : Se dysega ungeðyldega all his ingeðonc he geypt, ac se wisa hit ieldcað, & bitt timan. Sio ungeðyld geniet ðone monnan ðæt he geopenað all his ingeðonc, & ealne ðone gast utadrifð. Forðæm hiene swæ hrædlice sio gedrefednes utadrifð hy hiene ðærinne ne belycð nan ege ðære lare wisdomes. Ac se wisa hilt his spræce & bitt timan, & ne wilnað na to hrædlice ðære wræce, ðeah he gegremed sie, ac wyscð ðæt hit him gehreowe, ðæt he hit mæge siððan forgifan ; & ðeah wite he ðætte ealle scylda þe wið God beoð ungebetta beoð unforgifne on domes dæge & ryhtlice gewrecene. Ac eft sint to manigenne ða geðyldegan ðætte ðæt hie mid hiera wordum & mid hiera dædum forgiefað ðæt hie ðæt eac on hiera ingeðonce forgifen, ðylæs he mid ðy niðe yfles ingeðonces toweorpe ða mægenu ðæs godan weorces þe he Gode utan anwealglice forgeaf, forðæm, ðonne hit nan man wietan ne mæg hwæder hit eallinga forgiefen sie, ðætte hit ðonne se ne wrece þe hit wat þe swiður þe he licet mildheortnesse & forgifnesse ðær ðær nan ne bið. Ac ðæm geðyldegan & ðæm forgiefendan is to secganne ðæt he georne wilnige ðæt he ðone mon eft lufian mæge þe him ær abealg,

soul and mind, the soul and intellect have no control over the body. But patience has been appointed guardian of our nature. This the Lord showed us, when he taught us how to control ourselves with patience. We can also understand how great is the sin of impatience, through which we forsake the control of ourselves, which we ought to preserve through patience. Let the impatient hear another passage about them spoken in the books of Solomon : “The impatient fool reveals all his thoughts, but the wise man delays it, and waits his time." Impatience compels a man to reveal all his thoughts, and drives out all the spirit. The agitation drives it out so quickly, because no reverence for the advice of wisdom confines it in there. But the wise man restrains his speech, and waits his time, and does