Page:King Alfred's West-Saxon Version of Gregory's Pastoral Care (2).djvu/80

Hatton MS.] gielp & on suele selflice; sua sua be sumum monnum cueden is: Hie sædon ðæt [hie] wæren wiese, & ða wurdo[n] hie dysige forðæm. Soðlice se ðe hæfð singalne sceabb se ðe næbre ne ablinð ungestæððignesse. Ðonne bi ðam sceabbe suiðe ryhte sio hreofl getacnað ðæt wohhæmed. Ðonne bið se lichoma hreof, ðonne se bryne se o[n] ðæm innoðe bið utaslihð to ðære hyde. Sua bið sio costung æresð on ðæm mode, & ðonne fereð útweardes to ðære hyde, oððæt hio útasciet ón weorc. Butan tweon gif ðæt mod ær ðæm willan ne wiðbritt, se wielm ðæs innoðes utabiersð & wierð to sceabbe, & moniga wunda utane wyrce mid ðæm wón weorcum. Forðon wilnode sanctus Paulus ðæt he ðære hyde giocðan ofadrygde mid ðæm worde, ða he cuæð: Ne gegripe eow næfre nán costung buton menniscu. Suelce he openlice cuæde: Mennisclic is ðæt mon on his mode costunga ðrowige on ðæm luste yfles weorces, ac ðæt is deofullic ðæt he ðone willan ður(h)teo. Se ðonne hæfð teter on hi[s] lichoman se hæfð on his mode gi[t]sunga, gif hiere ne bið sona gestiered, hio wile weahsan mid ungemete. Butan tueon se teter butan sare he ófergæð ðone lichoman, & sua ðeah ðæt lim geunwlitegað; se giecta bið suiðe unsár, & se cleweða bið suiðe rów, & ðeahhwæðere gif him mon to longe fylgð, he wundað & sio wund sarað. Sua eac sio gitsung ðæt mod ðæt hio gebindeð mid ðære lustfulnesse hio hit gewundað, ðonne hio wyrpð on ðæt geðoht hwæthugu to bigieten(n)e. Hio gehæt him æghwæs genog, ðeah at ðonne ðæm mode licige & lustfullige, ðeah hit gewundað midðæmðe hit wyrcð feondscipe. Đurh ða wunde he forliest ðone wlite his lioma, ðonne he ður(h) ðæt woo weorc forliest ðone wlite oðerra godra weorca, gelicost ðæm ðe he

worm on his body whose mind is filled with covetousness, which, unless soon checked, will increase enormously. Ringworm doubtlessly spreads over the body without pain, and yet disfigures the limb; scab is not at all painful, and itch is very mild, and yet if it is allowed to go too far, it wounds, and the wound pains. Thus covetousness wounds the mind that it enslaves with desires when it excites in the mind the desire of obtaining something. It promises him enough of everything, which, although it pleases and delights the mind, yet wounds it by causing enmity. Through the wound he loses the beauty of his limbs, when he through the evil work loses the beauty of other good works, as if he polluted his whole