Page:King Alfred's West-Saxon Version of Gregory's Pastoral Care (2).djvu/43

GREGORY'S PASTORAL. [Cotton MSS. we his ege & his brogan us ne ondreden, & for soðfæstnesse þæt we lufien geswinc, & orsorgnesse we us ondræden, & hi forðy forbugen. Forðæm for ðære orsorgnesse monn oft aðint on ofermettum, & þa earfeðu ðurh sar & ðurh sorge hine geclænsiað & geeаðmedað. On ðæm gesuntfulnessum ðæt mod wirð upahæfen ; & on ðæm earfeðum, ðeah hit ær upahæfen wære, hit bið geeaðmeded. On ðære gesuntfulnesse mon forgit his selfes; on ðæm geswincum he sceal hine selfne geðencean, ðeah he nylle. On ðære orsorgnesse oft þæt he to gode gedyde he forlist; on ðæm earfeðum oft þæt he [longe] ær to yfle gedyde, he hit (om.) gebet. Swiðe oft mon bið þære earfoðnesse lareowdome underðided, ðeah he ær nolde his lareowes ðeawum & larum bion. Ac ðeah hine ðonne ða brocu getyn & gelæren, sona, gif he on rice becymð, for ðære weorðunge ðæs folces he bið on ofermetto awended, & gewunað to ðæm gilpe. Swa swa Saul se cyning, ærest he fleah ðæt rice, & tealde hine selfne his swiðe unwierðne. Ac sona swa he ðone onwald onfeng ðæs rices, he astag on ofermetto, & hine bealg wið ðone ilcan Samuhel þe hine ær on ðæm rice gebrohte, & hine to gehalgode, forðæmþe he him sæde beforan ðæm folce his unðeawas, þa he him ær hira ðonces gestiran ne meahte; & þa he him fram wolde, þa feng [gefeng] he hine, & toslat his hrægl, & hine geunarode. Swæ eac Dauid, se folneah on eallum ðingum Gode licode, sona swæ he ða byrðen(n)e næfde swæ manegra earfoða, he wæs mid ofermettum gewundod, & þæt swiðe wælhreowlice gecyðde on Urias slege his agnes holdes ðegnes, for ðære scamleaslican wilnunge [gewilnunge] his wifes. Se ilca se

that we who are his members might learn from him to shun the seductions of this world ; and also that we might not dread its fear and terror, and for the sake of truth, love toil and dread luxury, and therefore avoid it. For through luxury men are often inflated with pride, while hardships through pain and sorrow purify and humble them. In prosperity the heart is puffed up; in adversity, even if it were formerly puffed up, it is humbled. In prosperity men forget themselves; in adversity they must remember themselves, even if they are unwilling. In prosperity they often lose the good they formerly did ; in adversity they often repair the evil they long ago did. Often a man is subjected to the instruction of adversity, although before he would not follow the moral example and instruction of his