Page:King Alfred's West-Saxon Version of Gregory's Pastoral Care (2).djvu/295

286 yfelra monna ehtnesse, & forðy forlæt ðæt he hwæthwugu godes ne dó, ðonne nauðer ne he her ða corn godra weorca ne sæwð, ne he eft nænne sceaf ne ripð ecean edleanes. Ongean ðæt is to cyðonne ðæm þe bioð to hrade, ðonne hie forhradiað ðone timan godes weorces, ðæt hie forpærað ðæm edleane, & oft befeallað on micel yfel, ðonne hie nabbað ða gesceadwisnesse ðæt hie cunnen ðæs ðinges timan aredian, ne furðum no giemað hwæt hie dón, oððe hwonne hie hwæt dón, ac hwilum hit gebyreð ðæt hie hit eft ongietað, æfterðæmþe hit gedón bit, ðæt hie ær swæ dón ne sceoldon. To swelcum monnum Salomon wæs sprecende, ða he his cniht lærde, he cwæð: Sunu min, ne do ðu nan wuht butan geðeahte, ðonne ne hriwð hit ðe, ðonne hit gedón bið; ac læt simle gan ðin eagan beforan ðinum fotum. Đonne stæppað ða eagan beforan ðæm fotum, ðonne ðæt ryhte & ðæt gesceadwislice geðeaht gæð beforan ðæm weorcum. Ac se þe agiemeleasað ðæt he ðence, ærðæmþe he dó, se stæpð forð mid ðæm fotum, & wincað mid ðæm eagum. He gæð on ðone weg, ac he nat on hwæt he gæð, ac he wierd swiðe hræde on fielle. Swæ wierð se þe beforan ðæm stæpum his weorca ne locað mid ðæm eagum gesceadwisra geþeahtes.

XL. Đætte on oðre wigan sint to manianne ða manðwæran, on oðre ða grambæran.

On oðre wisan sint to manianne ða monðwæran, on oðre ða grambæran. Forðæm oft gebyreð ðæm manðwæran, ðonne he wierð rice ofer oðre men, ðæt he for his manðwærnesse aslawað, & wierð to

abstains from doing any good, neither sows the grains of good works, nor afterwards reaps any sheaf of eternal reward. On the other hand, those who are too hasty are to be told, that when they anticipate the time of a good work, they lose their reward, and often fall into great evil, when they have not sense to be able to arrange the time for the thing, nor even care what they shall do, or when they shall do any- thing, though sometimes it happens that they know afterwards, after it has been done, that they ought not to have done so before. To such men Solomon spoke when he advised his servant, saying : “My son, do nothing without deliberation, then thou wilt not repent when it is done. But always make thine eyes go before thy feet.” The eyes go before the feet, when good and wise deliberation precedes action.