108.1-4. him ... ūs. Note the characteristic change of person, the transition from indirect to direct discourse.
109.2. sceal. See § 137, Note 2 (2).
109.7. Ālęcgað hit. Bosworth illustrates thus:
| see end of text | |
|
Where the horsemen assemble. |
The six parts of the property placed within one mile. |
“The horsemen assemble five or six miles from the property, at d or e, and run towards c; the man who has the swiftest horse, coming first to 1 or c, takes the first and largest part. The man who has the horse coming second takes part 2 or b, and so, in succession, till the least part, 6 or a, is taken.”
110.5-6. man ... hī. Here the plural hī refers to the singular man. Cf. p. 109, ll. 18-19, ǣlc ... mōtan. In Exodus xxxii, 24, we find “Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off”; and Addison writes, “I do not mean that I think anyone to blame for taking due care of their health.” The construction, though outlawed now, has been common in all periods of our language. Paul remarks (Prinzipien der Sprachgeschichte, 3d ed., § 186) that “When a word is used as an indefinite [one, man, somebody, etc.] it is, strictly speaking, incapable of any distinction of number. Since, however, in respect of the external form, a particular number has to be chosen, it is a matter of indifference which this is.... Hence a change of numbers is common in the different languages.” Paul fails to observe that the change is always from singular to plural, not from plural to singular. See Note on the Concord of Collectives and Indefinites (Anglia XI, 1901). See p. 119, note on ll. 19-21.
IV. THE STORY OF CÆDMON.
[From the so-called Alfredian version of Bede’s Ecclesiastical History. The text generally followed is that of MS. Bodley, Tanner 10. Miller (Early English Text Society, No. 95, Introd.) argues, chiefly from the use of the prepositions, that the original O.E. MS. was Mercian, composed possibly in Lichfield (Staffordshire). At any rate, O.E. idiom is frequently sacrificed to the Latin original.
“Cædmon, as he is called, is the first Englishman whose name we know who wrote poetry in our island of England; and the first to embody in verse the new passions and ideas which Christianity had brought into England.... Undisturbed by any previous making of lighter poetry, he came fresh to the work of Christianising English song. It was a great step to make. He built the chariot in which all the new religious emotions of England could now drive along.” (Brooke, The History of Early English Literature, cap. XV.) There is no reason to doubt the historical existence of Cædmon; for Bede, who relates the story, lived near Whitby, and was seven years old when Cædmon died (A.D. 680)].
1 In ðysse abbudissan mynstre wæs sum brōðor syndriglīce
2 mid godcundre gife gemǣred ǫnd geweorðad, for þon
3 he gewunade gerisenlīce lēoð wyrcan, þā ðe tō ǣfęstnisse1
4 ǫnd tō ārfæstnisse belumpon; swā ðætte swā hwæt swā
5 hē of godcundum stafum þurh bōceras geleornode, þæt hē
6 æfter medmiclum fæce in scopgereorde mid þā mǣstan
7 swētnisse ǫnd inbryrdnisse geglęngde, ǫnd in Ęngliscgereorde
8 wel geworht forþ brōhte. Ǫnd for his lēoþsǫngum
1 mǫnigra mǫnna mōd oft to worulde forhogdnisse ǫnd tō
2 geþēodnisse þæs heofonlīcan līfes onbærnde wǣron. Ǫnd
3 ēac swelce2 mǫnige ōðre æfter him in Ǫngelþēode ongunnon
4 ǣfęste lēoð wyrcan, ac nǣnig hwæðre him þæt gelīce
5 dōn ne meahte; for þon hē nālæs frǫm mǫnnum nē ðurh
6 mǫn gelǣred wæs þæt hē ðone lēoðcræft leornade, ac hē
7 wæs godcundlīce gefultumod, ǫnd þurh Godes gife þone
8 sǫngcræft onfēng; ǫnd hē for ðon nǣfre nōht lēasunge,
9 nē īdles lēoþes wyrcan ne meahte, ac efne þā ān ðā ðē tō
10 ǣfęstnisse1 belumpon ǫnd his þā ǣfęstan tungan gedafenode
11 singan.
12 Wæs hē, sē mǫn, in weoruldhāde3 gesęted oð þā tīde þe
13 hē wæs gelȳfdre ylde, ǫnd nǣfre nǣnig lēoð geleornade.
14 Ǫnd hē for þon oft in gebēorscipe, þonne þǣr wæs blisse
15 intinga gedēmed, þæt hēo4 ealle sceolden þurh ęndebyrdnesse
16 be hearpan singan, þonne hē geseah þā hearpan him
17 nēalēcan, þonne ārās hē for scǫme frǫm þǣm symble,
18 ǫnd hām ēode tō his hūse. Þā hē þæt þā sumre tīde
19 dyde, þæt hē forlēt þæt hūs þæs gebēorscipes, ǫnd ūt wæs
1 gǫngende tō nēata scipene, þāra heord him wæs þǣre
2 nihte beboden; þā hē ðā þǣr on gelimplīcre tīde his
3 leomu5 on ręste gesętte ǫnd onslēpte, þa stōd him sum
4 mǫn æt þurh swefn, ǫnd hine hālette ǫnd grētte, ǫnd hine
5 be his nǫman nęmnde: “Cædmǫn, sing mē hwæthwugu.”
6 Þā ǫndswarede hē, ǫnd cwæð: “Ne cǫn ic nōht singan;
7 ǫnd ic for þon of þyssum gebēorscipe ūt ēode ǫnd hider
8 gewāt, for þon ic nāht singan ne cūðe.” Eft hē cwæð sē ðe
9 wið hine sprecende wæs: “Hwæðre þū meaht mē singan.”
10 Þā cwæð hē: “Hwæt sceal ic singan?” Cwæð hē: “Sing
11 mē frumsceaft.” Þā hē ðā þās andsware onfēng, þā
12 ongǫn hē sōna singan, in hęrenesse Godes Scyppendes,
13 þā fers ǫnd þā word þe hē nǣfre ne gehȳrde, þāra ęndebyrdnes
14 þis is:
15 Nū sculon hęrigean6 heofonrīces Weard,
16 Metodes meahte ǫnd his mōdgeþanc,
17 weorc Wuldorfæder, swā hē wundra gehwæs,
18 ēce Drihten ōr onstealde.
1 Hē ǣrest scēop eorðan bearnum
2 heofon tō hrōfe, hālig Scyppend;
3 þā middangeard mǫnncynnes Weard,
4 ēce Drihten, æfter tēode
5 fīrum foldan, Frēa ælmihtig.
6 Þā ārās hē frǫm þǣm slǣpe, ǫnd eal þā þe hē slǣpende
7 sǫng fæste in gemynde hæfde; ǫnd þǣm wordum sōna
8 mǫnig word in þæt ilce gemet Gode wyrðes sǫnges
9 tōgeþēodde. Þā cōm hē on morgenne tō þǣm tūngerēfan,
10 sē þe his ealdormǫn wæs: sægde him hwylce gife hē
11 onfēng; ǫnd hē hine sōna tō þǣre abbudissan gelǣdde,
12 ǫnd hire þæt cȳðde ǫnd sægde. Þā heht hēo gesǫmnian
13 ealle þā gelǣredestan męn ǫnd þā leorneras, ǫnd him
14 ǫndweardum hēt sęcgan þæt swefn, ǫnd þæt lēoð singan,
15 þæt ealra heora7 dōme gecoren wǣre, hwæt oððe hwǫnan
16 þæt cumen wǣre. Þā wæs him eallum gesewen, swā swā
17 hit wæs, þæt him wǣre frǫm Drihtne sylfum heofonlīc
1 gifu forgifen. Þā ręhton hęo4 him ǫnd sægdon sum hālig
2 spell ǫnd godcundre lāre word: bebudon him þā, gif hē
3 meahte, þæt hē in swīnsunge lēoþsǫnges þæt gehwyrfde.
4 Þā hē ðā hæfde þā wīsan onfǫngne, þā ēode hē hām tō
5 his hūse, ǫnd cwōm eft on morgenne, ǫnd þȳ bętstan
6 lēoðe geglęnged him āsǫng ǫnd āgeaf þæt him beboden
7 wæs.
8 Ðā ongan sēo abbudisse clyppan ǫnd lufigean8 þā Godes
9 gife in þǣm męn, ǫnd hēo hine þā mǫnade ǫnd lǣrde
10 þæt hē woruldhād forlēte ǫnd munuchād onfēnge: ǫnd
11 hē þæt wel þafode. Ǫnd hēo hine in þæt mynster onfēng
12 mid his gōdum, ǫnd hine geþēodde tō gesǫmnunge þāra
13 Godes þēowa, ǫnd heht hine lǣran þæt getæl þæs hālgan
14 stǣres ǫnd spelles. Ǫnd hē eal þā hē in gehȳrnesse
15 geleornian meahte, mid hine gemyndgade, ǫnd swā swā
16 clǣne nēten9 eodorcende in þæt swēteste lēoð gehwyrfde.
17 Ǫnd his sǫng ǫnd his lēoð wǣron swā wynsumu tō gehȳranne,
18 þætte þā seolfan10 his lārēowas æt his mūðe writon
19 ǫnd leornodon. Sǫng hē ǣrest be middangeardes gesceape,
20 ǫnd bī fruman mǫncynnes, ǫnd eal þæt stǣr Genesis (þæt
21 is sēo ǣreste Moyses bōc); ǫnd eft bī ūtgǫnge Israhēla
22 folces of Ǣgypta lǫnde, ǫnd bī ingǫnge þæs gehātlandes;
23 ǫnd bī ōðrum mǫnegum spellum þæs hālgan gewrites
1 canōnes bōca; ǫnd bī Crīstes męnniscnesse, ǫnd bī his
2 þrōwunge, ǫnd bī his ūpāstīgnesse in heofonas; ǫnd bī
3 þæs Hālgan Gāstes cyme, ǫnd þāra apostola lāre; ǫnd eft
4 bī þǣm dæge þæs tōweardan dōmes, ǫnd bī fyrhtu þæs
5 tintreglīcan wītes, ǫnd bī swētnesse þæs heofonlīcan rīces,
6 hē monig lēoð geworhte; ǫnd swelce2 ēac ōðer mǫnig be
7 þǣm godcundan fręmsumnessum ǫnd dōmum hē geworhte.
8 In eallum þǣm hē geornlīce gēmde11 þæt hē męn ātuge
9 frǫm synna lufan ǫnd māndǣda, ǫnd tō lufan ǫnd tō
10 geornfulnesse āwęhte gōdra dǣda, for þon hē wæs, sē
11 mǫn, swīþe ǣfęst ǫnd regollīcum þēodscipum ēaðmōdlīce
12 underþēoded; ǫnd wið þǣm þā ðe in ōðre wīsan dōn woldon,
13 hē wæs mid welme12 micelre ęllenwōdnisse onbærned.
14 Ǫnd hē for ðon fægre ęnde his līf betȳnde ǫnd geęndade.
111.1. ðysse abbudissan. The abbess referred to is the famous Hild, or Hilda, then living in the monastery at Streones-halh, which, according to Bede, means “Bay of the Beacon.” The Danes afterward gave it the name Whitby, or “White Town.” The surroundings were eminently fitted to nurture England’s first poet. “The natural scenery which surrounded him, the valley of the Esk, on whose sides he probably lived, the great cliffs, the billowy sea, the vast sky seen from the heights over the ocean, played incessantly upon him.” (Brooke.)
Note, also, in this connection, the numerous Latin words that the introduction of Christianity (A.D. 597) brought into the vocabulary of O.E.: abbudisse, mynster, bisceop, Lǣden, prēost, æstel, mancus.
112.4-5. The more usual order of words would be ac nǣnig, hwæðre, ne meahte ðæt dōn gelīce him.
112.10-11. ǫnd his ... singan, and which it became his (the) pious tongue to sing.
112.14-15. blisse intinga, for the sake of joy; but the translator has confused laetitiae causā (ablative) and laetitiae causa (nominative). The proper form would be for blisse with omission of intingan, just as for my sake is usually for mē; for his (or their) sake, for him. Cf. Mark vi, 26: “Yet for his oath’s sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her,” for ðǣm āðe, ǫnd for ðǣm þe him mid sǣton. For his sake is frequently for his ðingon (ðingum), rarely for his intingan. Þingon is regularly used when the preceding genitive is a noun denoting a person: for my wife’s sake, for mīnes wīfes ðingon (Genesis xx, 11), etc.
112.18-19. þæt ... þæt hē forlēt. The substantival clause introduced by the second þæt amplifies by apposition the first þæt: When he then, at a certain time (instrumental case, § 98, (2)), did that, namely, when he left the house. The better Mn.E. would be this ... that: “Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison” (Luke iv, 20).
113.1-2. þāra ... beboden. This does not mean that Cædmon was a herdsman, but that he served in turn as did the other secular attendants at the monastery.
113.13-14. þāra ęndebyrdnes þis is. Bede writes Hic est sensus, non autem ordo ipse verborum, and gives in Latin prose a translation of the hymn from the Northumbrian dialect, in which Cædmon wrote. The O.E. version given above is, of course, not the Northumbrian original (which, however, with some variations is preserved in several of the Latin MSS. of Bede’s History), but a West Saxon version made also from the Northumbrian, not from the Latin.
113.15. Nū sculon hęrigean, Now ought we to praise. The subject wē is omitted in the best MSS. Note the characteristic use of synonyms, or epithets, in this bit of O.E. poetry. Observe that it is not the thought that is repeated, but rather the idea, the concept, God. See p. 124.
113.17. wundra gehwæs. See p. 140, note on cēnra gehwylcum.
114.7-9. ǫnd þǣm wordum ... tōgeþēodde, and to those words he soon joined, in the same meter, many (other) words of song worthy of God. But the translator has not only blundered over Bede’s Latin (eis mox plura in eundem modum verba Deo digna carminis adjunxit), but sacrificed still more the idiom of O.E. The predicate should not come at the end; in should be followed by the dative; and for Gode wyrðes sǫnges the better O.E. would be sǫnges Godes wyrðes. When used with the dative wyrð (weorð) usually means dear (= of worth) to.
114.16. þā ... gesewen. We should expect frǫm him eallum; but the translator has again closely followed the Latin (visumque est omnibus), as later (in the Conversion of Edwin) he renders Talis mihi videtur by þyslīc mē is gesewen. Talis (þyslīc) agreeing with a following vita (līf). Ælfric, however, with no Latin before him, writes that John wearð ðā him [= frǫm Drihtene] inweardlīce gelufod. It would seem that in proportion as a past participle has the force of an adjective, the to relation may supplant the by relation; just as we say unknown to instead of unknown by, unknown being more adjectival than participial. Gesewen, therefore, may here be translated visible, evident, patent (= gesynelīc, sweotol); and gelufod, dear (= weorð, lēof).
A survival of adjectival gesewen is found in Wycliffe’s New Testament (1 Cor. xv, 5-8): “He was seyn to Cephas, and aftir these thingis to enleuene; aftirward he was seyn to mo than fyue hundrid britheren togidere ... aftirward he was seyn to James, and aftirward to alle the apostlis. And last of alle he was seyn to me, as to a deed borun child.” The construction is frequent in Chaucer.
115.9-10. ǫnd hēo hine þā mǫnade ... munuchād onfēnge. Hild’s advice has in it the suggestion of a personal experience, for she herself had lived half of her life (thirty-three years) “before,” says Bede, “she dedicated the remaining half to our Lord in a monastic life.”
116.6. hē mǫnig lēoð geworhte. The opinion is now gaining ground that of these “many poems” only the short hymn, already given, has come down to us. Of other poems claimed for Cædmon, the strongest arguments are advanced in favor of a part of the fragmentary poetical paraphrase of Genesis.
1 = ǣfæstnesse.
2 = swilce.
3 = woruldhāde.
4 = hīe.
5 = limu.
6 = hęrian.
7 = hiera.
8 = lufian.
9 = nīeten.
10 = selfan.
11 = gīemde.
12 = wielme.
V. ALFRED’S PREFACE TO THE PASTORAL CARE.
[Based on the Hatton MS. Of the year 597, the Chronicle says: “In this year, Gregory the Pope sent into Britain Augustine with very many monks, who gospelled [preached] God’s word to the English folk.” Gregory I, surnamed “The Great,” has ever since been considered the apostle of English Christianity, and his Pastoral Care, which contains instruction in conduct and doctrine for all bishops, was a work that Alfred could not afford to leave untranslated. For this translation Alfred wrote a Preface, the historical value of which it would be hard to overrate. In it he describes vividly the intellectual ruin that the Danes had wrought, and develops at the same time his plan for repairing that ruin.
This Preface and the Battle of Ashdown (p. 99) show the great king in his twofold character of warrior and statesman, and justify the inscription on the base of the statue erected to him in 1877, at Wantage (Berkshire), his birth-place: “Ælfred found Learning dead, and he restored it; Education neglected, and he revived it; the laws powerless, and he gave them force; the Church debased, and he raised it; the Land ravaged by a fearful Enemy, from which he delivered it. Ælfred’s name will live as long as mankind shall respect the Past.”]
1 Ælfred kyning hāteð grētan Wærferð biscep1 his wordum
2 luflīce ǫnd frēondlīce; ǫnd ðē cȳðan hāte ðæt mē cōm
3 swīðe oft on gemynd, hwelce2 witan īu3 wǣron giond4
4 Angelcynn, ǣgðer ge godcundra hāda ge woruldcundra;
5 ǫnd hū gesǣliglīca tīda ðā wǣron giond Angelcynn; ǫnd
6 hū ðā kyningas ðe ðone onwald hæfdon ðæs folces on
7 ðām dagum Gode ǫnd his ǣrendwrecum hērsumedon5;
8 ǫnd hū hīe ǣgðer ge hiora sibbe ge hiora siodo6 ge hiora
9 onweald innanbordes gehīoldon,4 ǫnd ēac ūt hiora ēðel
10 gerȳmdon; ǫnd hū him ðā spēow ǣgðer ge mid wīge ge
11 mid wīsdōme; ǫnd ēac ða godcundan hādas hū giorne
12 hīe wǣron ǣgðer ge ymb lāre ge ymb liornunga, ge ymb
13 ealle ðā ðīowotdōmas ðe hīe Gode dōn scoldon; ǫnd hū
14 man ūtanbordes wīsdōm ǫnd lāre hieder on lǫnd sōhte,
15 ǫnd hū wē hīe nū sceoldon ūte begietan, gif wē hīe habban
16 sceoldon. Swǣ7 clǣne hīo wæs oðfeallenu on Angelcynne
17 ðæt swīðe fēawa wǣron behionan Humbre ðe hiora ðēninga
18 cūðen understǫndan on Ęnglisc oððe furðum ān ǣrendgewrit
19 of Lǣdene on Ęnglisc āręccean; ǫnd ic wēne ðætte
20 nōht mǫnige begiondan Humbre nǣren. Swǣ7 fēawa
21 hiora wǣron ðæt ic furðum ānne ānlēpne8 ne mæg geðencean
1 be sūðan Tęmese, ðā ðā ic tō rīce fēng. Gode ælmihtegum
2 sīe ðǫnc ðætte wē nū ǣnigne onstāl habbað
3 lārēowa. Ǫnd for ðon ic ðē bebīode ðæt ðū dō swǣ7 ic
4 gelīefe ðæt ðū wille, ðæt ðū ðē ðissa woruldðinga tō ðǣm
5 geǣmetige, swǣ ðū oftost mæge, ðæt ðū ðone wīsdōm ðe
6 ðē God sealde ðǣr ðǣr ðū hiene befæstan mæge, befæste.
7 Geðęnc hwelc9 wītu ūs ðā becōmon for ðisse worulde, ðā
8 ðā wē hit nōhwæðer nē selfe ne lufodon, nē ēac ōðrum
9 mǫnnum ne lēfdon10: ðone naman ānne wē lufodon ðætte
10 wē Crīstne wǣren, ǫnd swīðe fēawe ðā ðēawas.
11 Ðā ic ðā ðis eall gemunde, ðā gemunde ic ēac hū ic
12 geseah, ǣr ðǣm ðe hit eall forhęrgod wǣre ǫnd forbærned,
13 hū ðā ciricean giond eall Angelcynn stōdon
14 māðma ǫnd bōca gefylda, ǫnd ēac micel męnigeo11 Godes
15 ðīowa; ǫnd ðā swīðe lȳtle fiorme ðāra bōca wiston, for
16 ðǣm ðe hīe hiora nānwuht12 ongietan ne meahton, for
17 ðǣm ðe hīe nǣron on hiora āgen geðīode awritene.
18 Swelce13 hīe cwǣden: “Ure ieldran, ðā ðe ðās stōwa ǣr
19 hīoldon, hīe lufodon wīsdōm, ǫnd ðurh ðone hīe begēaton
20 welan, ǫnd ūs lǣfdon. Hēr mǫn mæg gīet gesīon hiora
21 swæð, ac wē him ne cunnon æfter spyrigean,14 ǫnd for
22 ðǣm wē habbað nū ǣgðer forlǣten ge ðone welan ge ðone
23 wīsdōm, for ðǣm ðe wē noldon tō ðǣm spore mid ūre
24 mōde onlūtan.”
25 Ðā ic ðā ðis eall gemunde, ðā wundrade ic swīðe swīðe
26 ðāra gōdena wiotona15 ðe gīu wǣron giond Angelcynn, ǫnd
27 ðā bēc ealla be fullan geliornod hæfdon, ðæt hīe hiora ðā
1 nǣnne dǣl noldon on hiora āgen geðīode węndan. Ac
2 ic ðā sōna eft mē selfum andwyrde, ǫnd cwæð: “Hīe ne
3 wēndon þætte ǣfre męnn sceolden swǣ7 reccelēase weorðan,
4 ǫnd sīo lār swǣ oðfeallan; for ðǣre wilnunga hīe
5 hit forlēton, ǫnd woldon ðæt hēr ðȳ māra wīsdōm on
6 lǫnde wǣre ðȳ wē mā geðēoda cūðon.”
7 Ðā gemunde ic hū sīo ǣ wæs ǣrest on Ebrēisc geðīode
8 funden, ǫnd eft, ðā hīe Crēacas geliornodon, ðā węndon
9 hīe hīe on hiora āgen geðīode ealle, ǫnd ēac ealle ōðre
10 bēc. Ǫnd eft Lǣdenware swǣ same, siððan hīe hīe geliornodon,
11 hīe hīe węndon ealla ðurh wīse wealhstōdas
12 on hiora āgen geðīode. Ǫnd ēac ealla ōðra Crīstena
13 ðīoda sumne dǣl hiora on hiora āgen geðīode węndon.
14 For ðȳ mē ðyncð bętre, gif īow swǣ ðyncð, ðæt wē ēac
15 suma bēc, ðā ðe nīedbeðearfosta sīen eallum mǫnnum
16 tō wiotonne,16 ðæt wē ðā on ðæt geðīode węnden ðe wē
17 ealle gecnāwan mægen, ǫnd gedōn swǣ wē swīðe ēaðe
18 magon mid Godes fultume, gif wē ðā stilnesse habbað,
19 ðætte eall sīo gioguð ðe nū is on Angelcynne friora
20 mǫnna, ðāra ðe ðā spēda hæbben ðæt hīe ðǣm befēolan
21 mægen, sīen tō liornunga oðfæste, ðā hwīle ðe hīe tō
1 nānre ōðerre note ne mægen, oð ðone first ðe hīe wel
2 cunnen Ęnglisc gewrit ārǣdan: lǣre mǫn siððan furður
3 on Lǣdengeðīode ðā ðe mǫn furðor lǣran wille, ǫnd tō
4 hīerran hāde dōn wille. Ðā ic ðā gemunde hū sīo lār
5 Lǣdengeðīodes ǣr ðissum āfeallen wæs giond Angelcynn,
6 ǫnd ðeah mǫnige cūðon Ęnglisc gewrit ārǣdan, ðā
7 ongan ic ongemang oðrum mislīcum ǫnd manigfealdum
8 bisgum ðisses kynerīces ðā bōc węndan on Ęnglisc ðe is
9 genęmned on Lǣden “Pastoralis,” ǫnd on Ęnglisc “Hierdebōc,”
10 hwīlum word be worde, hwīlum andgit of andgiete,
11 swǣ swǣ ic hīe geliornode æt Plegmunde mīnum
12 ærcebiscepe, ǫnd æt Assere mīnum biscepe, ǫnd æt Grimbolde
13 mīnum mæsseprīoste, ǫnd æt Iōhanne mīnum mæsseprēoste.
14 Siððan ic hīe ðā geliornod hæfde, swǣ swǣ
15 ic hīe forstōd, ǫnd swǣ ic hīe andgitfullīcost āręccean
16 meahte, ic hīe on Ęnglisc āwęnde; ǫnd tō ǣlcum biscepstōle
17 on mīnum rīce wille āne onsęndan; ǫnd on ǣlcre
18 bið ān æstel, sē bið on fīftegum mancessa. Ǫnd ic bebīode
19 on Godes naman ðæt nān mǫn ðone æstel frǫm
20 ðǣre bēc ne dō, nē ðā bōc frǫm ðǣm mynstre; uncūð hū
21 lǫnge ðǣr swǣ gelǣrede biscepas sīen, swǣ swǣ nū, Gode
22 ðonc, wel hwǣr siendon. For ðȳ ic wolde ðætte hīe ealneg
1 æt ðǣre stōwe wǣren, būton sē biscep hīe mid him
2 habban wille, oððe hīo hwǣr tō lǣne sīe, oððe hwā ōðre
3 bī wrīte.
117.1-2. Ælfred kyning hāteð ... hāte. Note the change from the formal and official third person (hāteð) to the more familiar first person (hāte). So Ælfric, in his Preface to Genesis, writes Ælfric munuc grēt Æðelwærd ealdormann ēadmōdlīce. Þū bǣde mē, lēof, þæt ic, etc.: Ælfric, monk, greets Æthelweard, alderman, humbly. Thou, beloved, didst bid me that I, etc.
118.5. Notice that mæge (l. 5) and mæge (l. 6) are not in the subjunctive because the sense requires it, but because they have been attracted by gǣmetige and befæste. Sīen (p. 119, l. 15) and hæbben (p. 119, l. 20) illustrate the same construction.
118.9-10. We liked only the reputation of being Christians, very few (of us) the Christian virtues.
119.14. Alfred is here addressing the bishops collectively, and hence uses the plural īow (= ēow), not þē.
119.16. ðæt wē ðā. These three words are not necessary to the sense. They constitute the figure known as epanalepsis, in which “the same word or phrase is repeated after one or more intervening words.” Þā is the pronominal substitute for suma bēc.
119.17. Gedōn is the first person plural subjunctive (from infinitive gedōn). It and węnden are in the same construction. Two things seem “better” to Alfred: (1) that we translate, etc., (2) that we cause, etc.
119.19-21. sīo gioguð ... is ... hīe ... sīen. Notice how the collective noun, gioguð, singular at first both in form and function, gradually loses its oneness before the close of the sentence is reached, and becomes plural. The construction is entirely legitimate in Mn.E. Spanish is the only modern language known to me that condemns such an idiom: “Spanish ideas of congruity do not permit a collective noun, though denoting a plurality, to be accompanied by a plural verb or adjective in the same clause” (Ramsey, Text-Book of Modern Spanish, § 1452).
120.2. lǣre mǫn. See § 105, 1.
120.11-13. That none of these advisers of the king, except Plegmond, a Mercian, were natives, bears out what Alfred says about the scarcity of learned men in England when he began to reign. Asser, to whose Latin Life of Alfred, in spite of its mutilations, we owe almost all of our knowledge of the king, came from St. David’s (in Wales), and was made Bishop of Sherborne.
121.1. Translate ǣt ðǣre stōwe by each in its place. The change from plural hīe (in hīe ... wǣren) to singular hīe (in the clauses that follow) will thus be prepared for.
121.2-3. oððe hwā ōðre bī wrīte, or unless some one wish to copy a new one (write thereby another).