Page:King Alfred's West-Saxon Version of Gregory's Pastoral Care (2).djvu/79

70 gilp & on swelc selflice; swæ swæ be sumum monnum cweden is: Hie sædon ðæt hie wæron wise, & þa wurdon hie dysige forðon. Soðice se hæfð singalne sceabb se þe næfre ne blinð ungestæððignesse. Đonne bi ðæm sceabbe swiðe ryhte sio hreofl getacnað ðæt wohhæmed. And ðonne bið se lichoma hreof, ðonne se bryne þe on ðæm innoðe bið utaflihð [utaslihð] to ðære hyde. Swæ bið sio costung ærest on ðæm mode, & ðonne færeð utweardes to ðære hyde, oððæt hio utascieð on weorc. Butan tweon gif ðæt mod ær ðæm willan ne wiðbritt, se wilm ðæs innoðes utabirst [utbirst] & wierð to sceabbe, & monega wunda utan wyrcð mid ðæm won weorcum. Fordæm wilnode sanctus Paulus ðæt he ðære hyde giocðan ofadrygde mid ðæm worde, þa he cwæð: Ne gegripe eow næfre nan costung buton mennescu. Swelce he openlice cwæde : Mennislic is ðæt mon on his mode costunga ðrowige on ðæm luste yfles weorces, ac ðæt is deofullic ðæt he ðone [ðonne] willan ðurhteo. Se ðonne hæfð teter on his lichoman se þe hæfð on his mode gidsunge, and gif hiere ne bið sona gestiered, heo wile weaxan mid ungemete. Butan tweon se teter butan sare he ofergæð ðone lichoman, & swæðeah ðæt lim geunwlitegað; se gicða bið swide unsar, & se cleweða bið swide row, & swæðeah hwæðre [& ðeahhwæðre] gif him mon to longe fylgð, he wundað & sio wund sarað. Swæ eac sio gitsung ðæt mod ðæt hio gebinde mid ðære lustfulnesse hio hit gewundað, ðonne hio wirpð ðæt geðoht hwæthwugu to begietenne. Hio gehæt him æghwæs genoh, ðeah ðæt ðonne ðæm mode licige & lustfullige, ðeah hit gewundað midðæmþe hit wyrcð feondscipe. Đurh ða wunde he forlisð ðone wlite his lioma, ðonne he ðurh ðæt wó weorc forlisð ðone wlite ðara [wlite

from wantonness. The scab of leprosy is a type of fornication. The body is leprous when the inflammation of the body spreads to the skin. Thus temptation is first in the mind and then spreads to the skin until it bursts forth in actions. Doubtlessly, unless the mind oppose the desire beforehand, the internal inflammation breaks forth and becomes scab, causing many external sores with the perverse actions. Hence Paul desired to wipe off the prurience of the flesh with the words he spoke: "Let no temptation seize on you unless human;" as if he had openly said: "It is only human for a man to suffer temptations in his mind from the desire of bad deeds, but it is devilish for him to carry out his desire." He suffers from ring-