Page:King Alfred's West-Saxon Version of Gregory's Pastoral Care (2).djvu/345

336 ðearfum, his ryhtwisnes wunað on ecnesse. Nolde be no ða rummodnesse hatan mildheortnes, ac ryhtwisnes, forðæm ðætte us from ðæm gemænan gode geseald bið, hit is cynn ðæt we ðæs eac gemænlice brucen. Be ðæm cwæð Salomon: Se þe ryhtwis bið, he bið á sellende, & no ne blinð. Eac hie sint to manianne ðæt hie geornlice geðencen ðætte se fiicbeam, se on ðæm godspelle gesæd is ðætte nanne wæstm ne bære, ac stod unnyt; forðæm him wearð irre se goda wyrhta forðæm he ofergreow ðæt lond butan wæstme. Đonne ofergrewð se fiicbeam ðæt land, ðonne se gidsere hyt & heleð to unnytte ðæt ðæt monegum men to nytte weordan meahte. Swæ se fiicbeam ofersceadoð ðæt land ðæt hit under him ne mæg gegrowan, forðon hit sio sunne ne mot gescinan, ne he self nanne wæstm ðærofer ne bireð, ac ðæt land bið eall unnyt swæ he hit oferbræt, swæ bið ðæm unnytwyrðan & ðæm unwisan men, ðonne he mid ðære sceade his slæwðe oferbræt ða scire þe he ðonne hæfð, & ðonne nauðer ne ðone folgoð self nytne gedon nyle, ne ðone tolætan þe hiene ðurh ða sunnan godes weorces geondscinan wille, & nytwyrðne & wæstmbærne gedon wile. Ac manegra monna gewuna is ðæt hie hie mid ðissum wordum ladiað, & cwedað: We brucað ures agnes, ne gitsige we nanes oðres monnes. Gif we nauht ðæs ne doo þe us mon mid gode leanian ðurfe, ne do we eac nan woh þe us mon fore tælan ðurfe. Ac forðæm hie cwedað ðas word þe hie belucað hiera modes earan ongean ða godcundan lare. Hwæt se welega þe on ðæm godspelle getæld is, & him bi gecweden is ðæt he ælce dæge simblede, & mid micelre wiste wære gefiormod, & ælce dæge geglenged mid purpuran & mid hwitum hrægle, nis hit no

poor, lasts for ever." He would not call generosity mercy, but right- eousness, because it is reasonable for us to enjoy in common that which is given us from the coinmon property. Of which Solomon spoke : "He who is righteous is always giving, and never ceases." They are also to be admonished to consider carefully that the fig-tree, of which it is said in the Gospel that it bore no fruit, stood useless; therefore the good labourer was angry with it for overgrowing the land without fruit. The fig-tree overgrows the land, when the miser hides and uselessly conceals that which might be useful to many. As the fig-tree overshadows the land, so that nothing grows under it, because the sun's rays cannot reach it, and it does not bear any fruit above it itself, but the land is all useless, it spreads over it so; so it is with the