King Alfred's West-Saxon version of Gregory's Pastoral care: with an English translation, the Latin text, notes, and an introduction, Volumes 1-2 |
Common terms and phrases
admonished æfter æt hie æt mod ætte awriten beforan beod beon bið bioð bion butan buton čara Conne cuæ cwæ cwæð dæm dæt deah donne hie Dryhten ðurh eagum ealle folces fordæm fordon gecweden Gehieren geornlice Godes godspelle habbað hæbbe halgan heortan hie hie hie selfe hiene hiera hiora hira hwæt hwelc hwilum ilcan læran lare lareow lichoman mæg mæge mægen magon meahte menn micel micle mid ære middangeardes mode monige monna monnes monnum næfre oðrum ofer Ongean ongietan ryhte ryhtlice Sæt sceal sceolde sceoldon sculon scylda selfum sibbe sins sint to manianne spræc swæ swelce swiče swide tæm tæt tætte tonne undeawas wære wæron wæs weorc weorcum wið willan witgan wolde wordum wuht xæm Xara Xonne Xylæs Yeah yfel Yonne þæt
Popular passages
Page 7 - When I remembered how the knowledge of Latin had formerly decayed throughout England, and yet many could read English writing, I began, among other various and manifold troubles of this kingdom to translate into English the book which is called in Latin Pastoralis...
Page 6 - ... if we have tranquillity enough, that is, that all the youth now in England of free men, who are rich enough to be able to devote themselves to it, be set to learn as long as they are not fit for any other occupation, until that they are well able to read English writing : and let those be afterwards taught more in the Latin language who are to continue learning and be promoted to a higher rank.
Page 4 - There were so few that I cannot remember a single one south of the Thames when I came to the throne. Thanks be to God Almighty that we have any teachers among us now. And therefore I command thee to do as I believe thou art willing, to disengage thyself from worldly matters as often as thou canst, that thou mayst apply the wisdom which God has given thee wherever thou canst.
Page 4 - When I considered all this I remembered also how I saw, before it had been all ravaged and burnt, how the churches throughout the whole of England stood filled with treasures and books, and there was also a great multitude of God's servants, but they had very little knowledge of the books, for they could not understand anything of them, because they were not written in their own language.
Page 3 - ... wisdom ; and also the sacred orders, how zealous they were both in teaching and learning and in all the services they owed to God ; and how foreigners came to this land in search of wisdom and instruction, and how we should now have to get them from abroad if we were to have them.
Page 5 - When I remembered all this, I wondered extremely that the good and wise men who were formerly all over England, and had perfectly learnt all the books, did not wish to translate them into their own language.
Page 8 - And I command in God's name that no man take the clasp from the book or the book from the minster : it is uncertain how long there may be such learned bishops as now, thanks be to God, there are nearly everywhere ; therefore I wish them always to remain in their place, unless the bishop wish to take them with him, or they be lent out anywhere, or any one make a Copy from them.
Page 3 - Humber who could understand their rituals in English, or translate a letter from Latin into English; and I believe that there were not many beyond the Humber. There were so few of them that " The document will also illustrate intellectual conditions in late ninth century England. I cannot remember a single one south of the Thames when I came to the throne.
Page 4 - I believe thou art willing, to disengage thyself from worldly matters as often as thou canst, that thou mayest apply the wisdom which God has given thee wherever thou canst. Consider what punishments would come upon us on account of this world, if we neither loved it [wisdom] ourselves nor suffered other men to obtain it: we should love the name only of Christian, and very few the virtues.
Page 7 - England, and yet many could read English writing, I began, among other various and manifold troubles of this kingdom, to translate into English the book which is called in Latin Pastoralis, and in English Shepherd's Book...