Page:King Alfred's West-Saxon Version of Gregory's Pastoral Care (2).djvu/329

320 hiora ðearf sie, & ðæm ðegnum is beboden ðæt hie leten him ðæt to genyhte ðæt hie him sellen. And ðeah oft agyltað ða hlafordas, & ða men ðurhwuniað on Godes hyldo ða þe ryhtwise bioð, & ða habbað his unhyldo þe hit him bryttian sceoldon, & ða bioð butan ierre be be hiora gifum libban sculon. Eac sint to manianne ða þe ðonne mildheortlice sellað ðæt hie ðonne babbat, ðæt hie ðonne ongieten ðæt hie sint gesette ðæm hefencundan Gode to ðeningmonnum, to dælonne ðas lænan god. Forðæm hie hie sculon swa micle estelicor dælan swæ hie ongietað ðæt him lænre & unagenre bið ðæt hie ðær dælað, forðæm hie magon ongietan ðæt hie bioð to hiora ðenunga gesette Godes gife him to dælonne. Hwy sculon hi ðonne bion forðæm upahæfene & arundene on hiora mode? Him wære ðonne micel ðearf ðæt hie leten Godes ege hie geeаðmedan. And eac him is micel ðearf ðæt hie geornlice geðencen ðæt hie to unweorðlice ne dælen ðæt him befæst bið, ðylæs hie auht sellen ðæm þe hie nanwuht ne scoldon, oððe nauht ðæm þe hie hwæthwugu scoldon, oððe eft fela ðæm ðe hie lytel scoldon, oððe lytel ðæm þe hie micel scoldon, ðylæs hie unnytlice forweorpen ðæt ðæt hie sellen for hiora hrædhydignesse, oððe him eft hefiglice ofðynce ðæs þe hie sceal don, & hie scylen selfe bion biddende, & forðy weorðen geunrotsode, oððe hie eft her wilnigen ðara leana ðæs þe hie on ælmessan sellað, ðylæs sio gidsung ðæs lænan lofes adwæsce ðæt leoht ðære giofolnesse, oððe eft sio giofolnes sie gemenged wið unrotnesse, oððe he eft for ðæm giefum, þe him ðonne ðynceð ðæt he swiðe wel atogen hæbbe, his mod swiður fægnige & blissige ðonne hit gemetlic oððe gedafenlic sie. Ac ðonne hie hit eall

and the servants are commanded to content themselves with what is given to them. And yet the masters often sin, and the servants who are righteous continue in God's grace, and those incur his displeasure who ought to distribute it to them, and those are without anger who have to live by their gifts. They are also to be admonished who generously give away what they have, to understand that they are appointed stewards of the God of heaven, to distribute these transitory goods. They must so much the more graciously distribute them the more transitory and precarious they perceive that that is which they distribute, because they can understand that they are appointed to their ministration to distribute to them God's gifts. Why, then, shall they be on that account proud and inflated in their minds 1