Alfred: Alfred's Preface to Cura Pastoralis (875 words)

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1B9.1.1

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2

ÐEOS BOC SCEAL TO WIOGORA CEASTRE.


3    ælfred kyning hateð gretan Wærferð biscep his wordum
4luflice & freondlice;
5& ðe cyðan hate ðæt me com swiðe oft on gemynd, hwelce
6wiotan iu wæron giond Angelcynn, ægðer ge godcundra
7hada ge woruldcundra;
8& hu gesæliglica tida ða wæron giond Angelcynn;
9& hu ða kyningas ðe ðone onwald hæfdon ðæs folces on
10ðam dagum Gode & his ærendwrecum hyrsumedon;
11& hie ægðer ge hiora sibbe ge hiora siodo ge hiora onweald
12innanbordes wel MS: wel WRITTEN ABOVE THE LINE gehioldon,
13& eac ut hiora eðel gerymdon;
14& hu him ða speow ægðer ge mid wige ge mid wisdome;
15& eac ða godcundan hadas hu giorne hie wæron ægðer ge ymb
16lare ge ymb liornunga, ge ymb ealle ða ðiowotdomas
17ðe hie Gode don scoldon;
18& hu man utanbordes wisdom & lare hieder on lond sohte, & hu
19we hie nu sceoldon ute begietan gif we
20hie habban sceoldon.
21Swæ clæne hio wæs oðfeallenu on Angelcynne ðæt swiðe
22feawa wæron behionan Humbre ðe hiora ðeninga cuðen
23understondan on Englisc, oððe furðum an ærendgewrit
24of Lædene on Englisc areccean;
25& ic wene ðætte noht monige begiondan Humbre næren.
26Swæ feawa hiora wæron ðæt ic furðum anne anlepne ne mæg
27geðencean besuðan Temese ða ða ic ærest MS: ærest
28WRITTEN ABOVE THE LINE
to rice feng.
29Gode ælmihtegum

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30sie ðonc ðætte we nu ænigne onstal
31habbað lareowa.
32& forðon ic ðe bebiode ðæt ðu do swæ ic geliefe ðæt
33ðu wille, ðæt ðu ðe ðissa woruldðinga to ðæm
34geæmetige swæ ðu oftost mæge, ðæt ðu ðone wisdom ðe
35ðe God sealde ðær ðær ðu hiene befæstan mæge, georne
36MS: georne ADDED IN THE MARGIN befæste.
37Geðenc hwelc witu us ða becomon for ðisse worulde, ða ða
38we hit nohwæðer ne selfe ne lufodon ne eac
39oðrum monnum ne lefdon: ðone naman anne we lufodon ðæt
40MS: ORIGINALLY ðætte; te ERASED BUT STILL LARGELY
41VISIBLE
we Cristne wæren, & swiðe feawe ða ðeawas.
42ða ic ða ðis eall gemunde ða gemunde ic eac hu ic geseah,
43ærðæmðe hit eall forhergod wære & forbærned,
44hu ða ciricean giond eall Angelcynn stodon maðma & boca
45gefyldæ ond eac micel menigeo Godes ðiowa
46& ða swiðe lytle fiorme ðara boca wiston, forðæmðe
47hie hiora nan wuht ongiotan ne meahton THE NEXT THREE
48WORDS WRITTEN ABOVE THE LINE IN THE MS
ond þæt wæs
49forðæmðe hy MS NOW hy; ORIGINAL READING hie STILL
50VISIBLE
næron on hiora agen geðiode awritene.
51Swelce hie cwæden: Ure yldran MS NOW yldran; ORIGINAL
52READING ieldran STILL VISIBLE
, ða ðe ðas stowa ær
53hioldon, hie lufodon wisdom & ðurh ðone hie begeaton
54welan & us læfdon.
55Her mon mæg giet gesion hiora swæð, ac we him ne cunnon
56æfterspyrigean, & forðæm we habbað nu ægðer
57forlæten ge ðone welan ge ðone wisdom, forðæmðe we
58noldon to ðæm spore mid ure mode onlutan.
59ða ic ða ðis eall gemunde, ða wundrade ic swiðe swiðe
60ðara godena wiotona ðe giu wæron giond Angelcynn,
61& ða bec eallæ befullan geliornod hæfdon, ðæt hie
62hiora ða nænne dæl noldon on hiora agen geðiode wendan.
63Ac ic ða sona eft me selfum andwyrde & cwæð: Hie ne wendon
64ðætte æfre menn sceolden swæ recelease
65MS ORIGINALLY reccelease; FIRST c HAS BEEN ERASED
66weorðan & sio lar swæ oðfeallan;
67for ðære wilnunga hy MS NOW hy; ORIGINAL READING hie
68STILL PARTLY VISIBLE
hit forleton, & woldon ðæt her ðy
69mara wisdom on londe wære ðy we ma geðeoda cuðon.
70ða gemunde ic hu sio æ wæs ærest

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71on Ebreisc geðiode
72funden, & eft, ða hie Creccas EDITION: Creacas
73geliornodon, ða
74wendon hie hie on hiora agen geðiode ealle, & eac ealle oðre
75bec.
76& eft Lædenware swæ same, siððan hie hie geliornodon, hie
77hie wendon ealla ðurh wise wealhstodas on
78hiora agen geðiode.
79Ond eac ealla oðræ Cristnæ ðioda sumne dæl hiora on hiora
80agen geðiode wendon.
81Forðy me ðyncð betre, gif iow swæ ðyncð, ðæt we eac
82sumæ bec, ða ðe niedbeðearfosta sien eallum monnum
83to wiotonne, ðæt we ða on ðæt geðiode wenden ðe we
84ealle gecnawan mægen, & gedon EDITION: ge don swæ we
85swiðe eaðe magon mid Godes fultume, gif we ða
86stilnesse habbað, ðæt THE ERASED END te STILL PARTLY
87VISIBLE
eall sio gioguð ðe nu is on Angelcynne
88friora monna, ðara ðe ða speda hæbben ðæt hie ðæm
89befeolan mægen, sien to liornunga oðfæste, ða
90hwile ðe hie to nanre oðerre note ne mægen, oð ðone
91first ðe hie wel cunnen Englisc gewrit arædan:
92lære mon siððan furður on Lædengeðiode ða ðe mon
93furðor læran wille & to hieran hade don wille.
94ða ic ða gemunde hu sio lar Lædengeðiodes ær ðissum
95afeallen wæs giond Angelcynn, & ðeah monige cuðon
96Englisc gewrit arædan, ða ongan ic ongemang oðrum
97mislicum & manigfealdum bisgum ðisses kynerices
98ða boc wendan on Englisc ðe is genemned on Læden
99Pastoralis , & on Englisc Hierdeboc, hwilum word
100be worde, hwilum andgit of andgiete, swæ swæ ic hie
101geliornode æt Plegmunde minum ærcebiscepe &
102æt Assere minum biscepe & æt Grimbolde minum mæsseprioste
103& æt Iohanne minum mæssepreoste.
104Siððan ic hie ða geliornod hæfde, swæ swæ ic hie
105forstod, & swæ ic hie andgitfullicost areccean meahte,
106ic hie on Englisc awende: ond to ælcum biscepstole on
107minum rice wille ane

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108onsendan;
109& on ælcre bið an æstel, se bið on fiftegum mancessan.
110Ond ic bebiode on Godes naman ðæt nan mon ðone æstel from
111ðære bec ne do, ne ða boc from ðæm mynstre:
112uncuð hu longe ðær swæ gelærede biscepas sien, swæ
113swæ nu Gode ðonc ge MS: ge ABOVE THE LINE wel hwær
114siendon;
115forðy ic wolde ðætte hie ealneg æt ðære stowe wæren,
116buton se biscep hie mid him habban wille oððe
117hio hwær to læne sie, oððe hwa oðre biwrite.