Page:King Alfred's West-Saxon Version of Gregory's Pastoral Care (2).djvu/35

26 GREGORY'S PASTORAL. [Cotton MSS. ne cunnon ðara gæstlecena beboda, þæt hi him onteoð þæt hi sin heortan læceas. Ac forðæmþe nu eal se weorðscipe ðisse worlde is gecyrred, Gode ðonc, to weorðscipe ðæm æwfæstestan [æwfestum], þæt þa sindon nu weorðoste ðæm æwfæstosðe sindon, fordon licet swiðe monig ðæt he æwfæst lareow sie, þe he wilnað micle worldare habban. Be ðæm Crist selfa clipode, & þus cwæð: Hi seceað þæt hi mon ærest grete & weordige on ceapstowum & on gebiorscipum, & þæt hi fyrmest hlynigen æt æfengiflum, & þæt yldeste setl on gemetingum hi seceað. Forðæm hi swæ mid [on] ofermettum & mid upahæfennesse becumað to ðære are ðære hirdelecan gemenne, hi ne magon medumlice ðenian þa ðenunga, & ðære eaðmodnesse lareowas bion ; ac sio tunge bið gescended on ðæm lareowdome ðonne hio oðer lærð, oðer [hio] geleornode. Swelcum monnum Dryhten cidde ðurh ðone witgan, & him swelc oðwat, ða he cwæð: Hi ricsodon, næs ðeah mines ðonces; ealdormen hi wæron, & ic hi ne cuðe. Đa þe swæ ricsiað, hi ricsiað of hira agnum dome, næs of ðæs hihstan deman, ðonne hi ne bioð mid nanre sylle underscotene þæs godcundlican mægenes, ne for nanum cræfte gecorene, ac mid hira agenre gewilnunge hi bioð onbærnde, þæt hi gereafiað swæ heane lareowdom swiður ðonne hi hine geearnigen. Hi ðonne se ecea & se digla dema upahefð swelce he hi nyte, & geðafiende he hit forbirð for ðæm dome his geðylde. Ac ðeah he on ðæm hade fela wundra wyrcen, eft ðonne hi to him cumað, he cwæð [cwið] : Gewitað from me ge unryhtwyrhtan; nat ic hwæt ge sint. Eft he ðreade ðurh ðone witgan for hira ungalærednesse, þa he cwæð: Đa hirdas næfdon andgit :

sicians of the mind. But since now all the honour of this world is turned by the grace of God to the honour of the pious, so that now the most pious are in greatest estimation, many pretend to be pious teachers because they desire great worldly honour. On which subject Christ himself exclaimed, and said thus : “They desire to be greeted first, and honoured in market-places and at banquets, and to re- cline first at suppers, and they seek the most honourable seat in assemblies.” Since with pride and vainglory they thus arrive at the honour of pastoral care, they are unable properly to fulfil the duties of their ministration and to become teachers of humility; but their exhortation in teaching is disgraced, when they teach one thing, having learnt another. Such men God chided through the prophet,