Ælfric of Eynsham

“ Swear thou not by earth, for it is God's footstool. Swear thou not by thine own head, for thou canst not make one hair of thy locks white or black. I say unto you, swear ye not by anything, but be your speech thus ended, It is as I say, or it is not so. Whatsoever there is more by oath, that is of evil."
Crist sylf gefæstnode his spræce, þaða hé spræc to anum Samaritaniscan wífe mid ðisum worde, "Crede mihi:" þæt is, "Gelyf me." Þeah-hwæðere gif we hwær unwærlice swerion, and se að ús geneadige to wyrsan dæde, þonne bið us rǽdlicor þæt we ðone maran gylt forbugon, and ðone að wið God gebétan. ”

“ He would not reign for a while in this life, who rules eternally in heaven. This world is not our country, but is our place of exile; therefore should we not set our hope in this deceitful life, but should hasten with good deserts to our country, for which we were created, that is, to the kingdom of heaven.
Soðlice hit is awriten, "Swa hwa swa wile beon freond þisre worulde, se bið geteald Godes feond." Crist cwæð on sumere stowe, þæt "Se weig is swiðe nearu and sticol, seðe læt to heofonan rice ”

“ He who beholds a woman with libidinous eye and foul lust, through his eyes' gate, manifests his soul's death. He who with delight hears idle discourse or contumelious words, makes his ear a gate of death to himself. So is it also to be understood of the other senses.
Se Hælend wearð astyred mid mildheortnysse ofer ðære meder, þæt he us bysene sealde his arfæstnysse; and he ðone deadan syððan arærde, þæt he us to his geleafan getrymede. He genealæhte and hreopode þa bǽre, and þa bǽrmenn ætstodon. Seo bǽr ðe þone deadan ferode is þæt orsorge ingehyd þæs orwenan synfullan. ”

“ The creatures are many. The Creator, who created them all, is one, who alone is Almighty God. He was ever, and ever he will continue in himself and through himself. If he had begun and had origin, without doubt he could not be Almighty God; for the creature that began and is created, has no divinity; therefore every substance that is not God is a creature; and that which is not a creature is God.
Se God wunað on Ðrynnysse úntodæledlic, and on ánnysse ánre Godcundnysse, soðlice oðer is se Fæder, oðer is se Sunu, oðer is se Halga Gast ”

“ Eac swilce is se Fæder gast and halig, and se Sunu is gast and halig untwylice; þeah-hwæðere se Halga Gast is synderlice geháten Halig Gast, þæt þæt hí ealle ðry sind gemænelice.
Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost, may not be named together, but yet they are nowhere separated. The Almighty God is not threefold, but is Trinity. The Father is God, and the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God: not three Gods, but they all three one Almighty God. The Father is also Wisdom of no other wisdom. The Son is Wisdom of the wise Father. The Holy Ghost is Wisdom. ”

“ Swa micel óga asprang ofer eallum ðam mennisce, þæt ðær nán ne beláf ðe ne gelyfde on God.
Ægeas was seized by the horrid devil on the way homeward, before he came to his house, and he became exceedingly frantic, being cast to the earth in the sight of the men who went with him. He then departed from the world bloodthirsty to hell, and his brother held the corpse of the holy Andrew with great reverence, that he might enwrap it. So great awe sprang up over all that people, that not one there remained who believed not in God. ”

“ Nis eac Cristes godcundnys gerunnen to ðære menniscnysse, ac he þurhwunað þeah á on ecnysse on anum hade untotwæmed.
The shepherds then spake among themselves, after the departure of the angels, "Let us go to Bethlehem, and see the word which is come to pass, and that God hath revealed unto us." O how rightly they acknowledged the holy faith with these words, "In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and that word was God"! A word is the manifestation of wisdom, and the Word, that is Wisdom, is begotten of the Almighty Father, without beginning ”

“ Þa woldon hi hine alysan, ac heora handa astifedon, swa hwá swa hreopode þa rode mid handum. Þa clypode se apostol to Hælendum Criste mid ormætre stemne, þus biddende, "Min góda Láreow, ne lǽt ðu me alysan, buton þu underfó ær minne gast."
Then in the meanwhile all the folk went to the house of Ægeas, all crying together and saying, that so holy a man ought not to hang; a man strict of conduct, adorned with pure morals, a noble teacher, pious and meek, discreet and sober, ought not so to suffer, but should be loosed living from the cross ”

“ God Almighty, who knows all things, saw his thoughts, that he did not persecute faithful men from rancour, but for the defence of the old law, and spake to him from heaven, thus saying, "Saul, why persecutest thou me? I am the Truth which thou defendest; cease from persecution: hurtful will it be to thee to spurn against the goad. If the ox spurneth against the goad, it hurteth himself ”

“ Ne talige nan man his yfelan dæda to Gode, ac talige ærest to þam deofle, þe mancyn beswác, and to Adámes forgægednysse; ac ðeah swiðost to him sylfum, þæt him yfel gelicað, and ne licað gód.
Those who believe not through their own choice perish, not through destiny, for destiny is nothing but a false imagination; for nothing takes place by destiny, but all things are ordered by the doom of God, who said through his prophet, "I try the hearts of men, and their loins, and give to everyone according to his course, and according to his own invention." ”

“ But those who are sent to us so execute their Creator's behest without, that they, nevertheless, depart never from his divine joy; for God is everywhere, though the angel be local. The Almighty Ruler is not local, for he is in every place, and whithersoever the local angel flieth, he will be surrounded with His presence.
Hi habbað sume synderlice gife fram heora Scyppende, and ðeah-hwæðere heora wurðscipe him bið eallum gemæne, and þæt þæt gehwilc on him sylfum be dæle hæfð, þæt he hæfð on oðrum werode fulfremodlice ”

“ God us fett and gefrefrað, and deofol us wile ofslean, gif he mót; ac him bið forwyrned þurh Godes gescyldnysse, gif we us sylfe nellað fordón mid unðeawum. Forði we sceolon forbugan and forseon þone lyðran deoful mid eallum his lotwrencum, forðan ðe him ne gebyrað naht to ús, and we sceolon lufian and filigan urum Drihtne, seðe us lǽt to ðam ecan life.
The seventh prayer is, "Sed libera nos a malo:" that is, "But deliver us from evil:" deliver us from the devil and from all his wiles. God loves us, and the devil hates us. God feeds and comforts us, and the devil will slay us if he may ”

“ Also the holy are so filled with their Creator's righteousness, that they in no wise lament the misery of the wicked; because they see the fordone ones as greatly estranged from them, as they are thrust away from their beloved Lord.
Siððan se rica wearð orwene his agenre alysednysse, ða beárn him on mod his gebroðra gemynd; forðan ðe ðæra wiðercorenra wite tiht for wel oft heora mod unnytwurðlice to lufe, swilce hi þonne lufian heora siblingas, ðe ǽr on life ne hi sylfe ne heora magas ne lufedon. Ne lufað se hine sylfne seðe hine mid synnum bebint. ”

“ If ye will live according to human reason, then are ye spiritually circumcised; but if ye will be subjected to your libidinousness, then will ye be as the prophet said, "Man, when he was in dignity understood it not; he is, therefore, compared with the foolish beasts, and is become like unto them."
Forðy sealde God mannum gesceád, þæt hi sceoldon oncnawan heora Scyppend, and mid biggenge his beboda þæt ece lif geearnian. Witodlice se fyrenfulla bið earmra ðonne ænig nyten, forðan þe þæt nyten næfð nane sawle, ne næfre ne ge-edcucað, ne þa toweardan wita ne ðrowað. ”

“ Þonne beoð ða hire witneras on ðære hellican susle, ða ðe ǽr mid mislicum lustum hi to ðam leahtrum forspeonon.
Verily in the gospel it follows, "And they shall not leave in thee stone over stone." The perverse mind, when it heaps evil over evil, and perversity over perversity, what does it, but as though it lay stone over stone? But when the soul shall be led to its punishment, then will all the structure of its cogitation be overthrown; for it knew not the time of its visitation. In many ways the Almighty God visits the souls of men ”

“ So might also the others who fell have done if they had been willing; seeing that God had made them of the beauteous nature of angels, and let them have their own will, and would never have inclined nor forced them in any way to that evil counsel; for the evil counsel never came from God's conception, but came from the devil's, as we before said.
Nu þencð menig man and smeað hwanon deofol come; þonne wite he þæt God gesceop to mæran engle þone þe nu is deofol: ac God ne gesceop hine na to deofle ”

“ Swa we sceolon eac, gif bið an ure geferena on sumre earfoðnysse, ealle we sceolon his yfel besárgian, and hógian embe ða bote, gif we hit gebetan magon. And on eallum ðingum we sceolon healdan sibbe and annysse, gif we willað habban þa micclan geðincðe þæt we beon Godes bearn, seðe on heofonum is, on ðære he rixað mid eallum his halgum on ealra worulda woruld on ecnysse. Amen.
He is thy hand or thy foot, who supplieth thy wants. He is thine eye who teacheth thee wisdom, and bringeth thee into the right way. He who protecteth thee as a father is, as it were, thy head. ”

“ If any one be maimed, or limbless in this life, he will be as it is written, that "All those who belong to God's kingdom, shall have neither blemish nor hurt on their bodies." What shall we suppose concerning those others who depart to everlasting perdition, whether they are maimed or limbless, when they are dwelling in eternal torment?
Hit bið þonne swa swa Crist cwæð, þæt "Nan wer ne {238}wifað, ne wif ne ceorlað, ne team ne bið getymed, ne hí deaðes ne abyrigað siððan, ac beoð englum gelice, þonne hí mid englum wuniað." Ne him ne lyst nanre galnysse, ne hí næfre siððan synna ne gewyrceað. ”

“ Þusend getel bið fulfremed, and ne astihð nán getel ofer þæt. Mid {190}þam getele bið getácnod seo fulfremednys ðæra manna ðe gereordiað heora sawla mid Godes láre.
There were counted at that refection five thousand males; because those men who belong to the spiritual refection should be manfully made, as the apostle said; he said, "Be watchful, and stand on faith, and undertake manfully, and be bold." Though if a woman be manly by nature, and strong to God's will, she will be counted among the men who sit at the table of God. Thousand is a perfect number, and no number extends beyond it. ”

“ Swa swa þæs mannes lichama leofað be hlafe, swa sceal his sawul lybban be Godes wordum, þæt is, be Godes lare, þe he þurh wise menn on bocum gesette. Gif se lichama næfð mete, oþþe ne mæg mete ðicgean, þonne forweornað he, and adeadað: swa eac seo sawul, gif heo næfð þa halgan lare, heo bið þonne weornigende and mægenleas. Þurh ða halgan lare heo bið strang and onbryrd to Godes willan.
Easily might God, who turned water to wine, and he who wrought all creatures from nothing, easily might he have turned the stones to loaves: but he would do nothing by the devil's direction ”

“ Þa gecorenan geseoð symle heora Scyppendes beorhtnysse, and forði nis nan ðing on gesceaftum him bediglod.
The sinful will now sometimes see the chosen in glory, whom they in the world despised, that the affliction of their minds may be the greater: and the righteous will ever see the unrighteous suffering in their torments, that their bliss and love to their Lord may be the greater, who rescued them from the power of the devil, and from the wicked band. That spectacle will excite no terror to the righteous, nor will their glory wane ”

“ One is sustenance of the body; the second, of the soul; the third is the partaking of the holy housel. For these three things we should pray daily to the Lord.
Þæt fifte gebéd is, "Et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris:" þæt is, "Forgif us ure gyltas, swa swa we forgifað þam mannum þe wið us agyltað." We sceolon dón swa swa we on ðisum wordum behatað; þæt is, þæt we beon mildheorte us betwynan, and, for ðære micclan lufe Godes, forgyfan ðam mannum þe wið us agyltað, þæt God Ælmihtig forgyfe us ure synna. ”

“ Heo cwæð to ðam engle, "Getimige me æfter ðinum worde:" þæt is, Gewurðe hit swa ðu segst, þæt ðæs Ælmihtigan Godes Sunu becume on minne innoð, and mennisce edwiste of me genime, and to alysednysse middangeardes forðstæppe of mé, swa swa brydguma of his brydbedde.
The angel said, "The holy thing that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." Verily all men are, as the prophet said, conceived in iniquity and born in sins, but our Saviour alone was conceived without iniquity, and born without sins ”

“ If any one be sinful, let him confess, and not the less praise, though praise be not beautiful in the mouth of the sinful; yet let him not cease from praise, for thence is promised to him forgiveness.
Þes pistol is swiðe menigfeald ús to gereccenne, and eow swiðe deop to gehyrenne. Nu ne onhagað ús na swiðor be ðam to sprecenne, ac we wyllað sume oðre trimminge be ðære mæran Godes meder gereccan, to eowre gebetrunge. Soðlice Maria is se mæsta frofer and fultum cristenra manna, þæt is forwel oft geswutelod, swa swa we on bocum rædað. ”

“ If the body has not food, or cannot eat food, then it decays and dies: so likewise the soul, if it has not the holy doctrine, it will be perishable and powerless. By the holy doctrine it will be strong, and stimulated to God's will.
Þa wæs se deofol æne oferswiðed fram Criste. "And he ða hine genam, and bær upp on þæt templ, and hine sette æt {170}ðam scylfe, and cwæð to him, Gif ðu Godes Sunu sy, sceot adún; forðan þe englum is beboden be ðe, þæt hí ðe on handum ahebban, þæt þu ne ðurfe ðinne fót æt stane ætspurnan." Her begánn se deofol to reccanne halige gewritu, and he leah mid þære race ”