Page:King Alfred's West-Saxon Version of Gregory's Pastoral Care (2).djvu/461

452 spoke, saying: "Speak not evil to the deaf man." And again, he said: "Trip not up the blind man." He speaks evil to the deaf man, who accuses him who is absent, knowing him to be innocent. And he trips up the blind man, who injures the simple man by doing good secretly, and pretending to do evil.

LX. How many a one is to be exhorted that his good deeds may not become evil deeds.

These then are the modes in which the shepherds of the mind and soul are to teach all men, that they may always have the salve ready which belongs to the wound that they perceive. For while it is very laborious to have to teach each one separately, it is still more difficult to teach them all together, for he must regulate the voice of instruction with such art, that he may find the remedy that belongs to each man, because the diseases of all men are not alike. And he must conform his conduct to his instruction, that he may himself pass safely through the vices of others, as a sharp sword divides the wound in two, and emerges with unturned edge. He must overawe the proud, without thereby frightening too much the humble; and teach the former humility, without increasing too much the fear of the latter; cheer the humble, without omitting to coerce the proud; teach the slow the zeal of good works, without urging on overmuch the zealous; and strive to moderate the exertions of the latter, without making the idle confident, lest they become torpid; restrain the anger of the impatient, without making the soft assentator careless; and yet strive to infuse warmth into him, without inflaming the angry; teach the niggardly liberality, without making the liberal wasteful; and again, teach the generous economy, without teaching the niggardly base avarice; and teach the licentious marriage, without making the continent licentious; and teach the continent continence, without teaching them to despise marriage; and try to soothe and praise the good, without soothing the bad; and praise the greatest good, without despising the least good; and again, praise those who do a little good, without letting them think they do enough.