PREFACE TO THE "PASTORAL CARE” word and deed, the counsels of the King of heaven and been displeasing to the Lord." Then God's enemy began to make him ready, equipped in war-gear, with a wily heart. He set his helm of darkness on his head, bound it full hard, and fastened it with clasps. Many a crafty speech he knew, many a crooked word. Upward he beat his way and darted through the doors of hell. He had a ruthless heart. Evil of purpose he circled in the air, cleaving the flame with fiendish craft. ALFRED'S PREFACE TO THE "PASTORAL CARE" Alfred the King bids greet Bishop Wærferth 1 it to other men: only the name of Christians When I remembered all this, then I re- When I remembered all this, then I wondered very much about the good wise men who were formerly throughout the English nation and had perfectly learned all the books that they did not turn any portion of them into their own language. But I then soon answered myself and said: "They did not think that men should ever become so careless and learning so fallen into decay; for this reason they neglected it and they wished that there should be the more wisdom here in the land the more languages we knew.” Then I remembered how the Law [the Bible] was first found in the Hebrew language, and afterward when the Greeks learned it they turned it all into their own language and also 1 The name of the diocese and that of the bishop of course varied in the copies sent to the different dioceses. all other books and the Latins in turn likewise, after they had likewise learned them, they turned them all by wise translators into their own language. And also all other Christian nations turned some part of them into their own language. Therefore it seems better to me if it seems so to you, that we also turn some books that are most necessary for all men to know into the language which we can all understand, and bring it about as we very easily may with God's help, if we have the tranquillity, that all the children of free men now in England who are wealthy enough to devote themselves to it be set to learning while they are not old enough for any other use until they are able to read English writing well. Let any be instructed also in Latin whom it is desired to educate further and to promote to higher rank. When I remembered how the knowledge of the Latin tongue had formerly decayed throughout the English people and yet many could read English writings, I began among other various and manifold occupations of this kingdom to turn into English the book which is called in Latin Pastoralis and in English Shepherd's Book, sometimes word by word, and sometimes sentence by sentence, as I had learned it from Plegmund my archbishop, and Asser my bishop, and Grimbold my priest, and John my priest. After I had learned as I understood it and as I could most intelligently explain it I turned it into English; and I intend to send one to every bishopric in my kingdom; and in each one there is a bookmark worth fifty mancuses. And I command in God's name that no man remove the bookmark from the book nor the book from the church. It is uncertain how long there shall be such learned bishops as now, thank God, there are nearly everywhere. Therefore I wish that they should be always in their place unless the bishop will have them with him or the book be anywhere on loan or anyone be making a copy from it. FROM KING ALFRED'S OROSIUS OHTHERE'S FIRST VOYAGE Ohthere' told King Alfred, his lord, that he, of all the Norwegians, dwelt farthest north. He said that he lived in the northern part of the country, along the West Sea. He said, however, that the land extends yet farther to the north; but it is all waste, save in a few places here and there where Finns dwell, a-hunting in winter and a-fishing in summer by the sea. He said that at a certain time he wished to discover how far north the land extended and whether anybody lived north of the waste. So he set out due north along the coast, with the waste land to starboard and the high seas to larboard for three days. Then he was as far north as the whale-hunters ever go. After this, he went due north as far as he could sail in another three days. At that point the land curved to the east or the sea in on the land, he knew not which; all he knew was that there he waited for a wind from the west, and a bit from the north, and so sailed east, close to land, as far as he could in four days. There he had to wait for a wind from due north, for at that point the land curved due south or the sea in on the land, he knew not which. Thence he sailed due south, close to land, as far as he could sail in five days. At that point a great river extended up into the land. Then they turned up into this river, for they durst not sail beyond it for dread of hostile treatment, because the land was all inhabited on the other side of the river. He had not found any inhabited land since he left his own home, for to starboard the land was uninhabited all the way, save for fishermen, fowlers, and hunters, and these were all Finns; to larboard there was always open sea. The Permians had cultivated their land very well, but they durst not enter it. The land of the Terfinns was all waste, save where hunters camped, or fishers, or fowlers. The Permians told him many stories both about their own country and about the countries which were round them, but he knew not what was true, because he did not see it himself. The Finns and the Permians, it seemed to him, spoke nearly the same language. He made this voyage, in addition to his purpose of seeing the country, chiefly for the horsewhales [walruses], for they have very good 1 pr. Öht her e bone in their teeth they brought some of these teeth to the king—and their hides are very good for ship-ropes. This whale is much smaller than other whales; it is not more than seven ells long; but the best whale-hunting is in his own country - those are eight and forty ells long, and the largest fifty ells long. He said that his party of six killed sixty of these in two days. He was a very wealthy man in such possessions as their wealth consists in, that is, in wild beasts. He still, at the time when he visited the king, had six hundred tame deer unsold. These animals they call reindeer. Six of these were decoy deer, which are very valuable among the Finns, for it is with them that they capture the wild reindeer. He was among the first men in the land; he had not, however, more than twenty horned cattle, twenty sheep, and twenty swine, and the little that he plowed he plowed with horses. But their income is chiefly in the tribute that the Finns pay them skins of animals, feathers of birds, whalebone, and ship-ropes made of whale's hide and seal's hide. Every one pays according to his means; the richest has to pay fifteen marten skins and five reindeer skins, one bear skin, forty bushels of feathers, a bear- or otterskin kirtle, and two ship-ropes, each sixty ells long, one made of whale's hide and the other of seal's. He said that the country of the Northmen was very long and very narrow. All of it that one can either graze or plow lies by the sea, and even that is very rocky in some places; and to the east, alongside the inhabited land, lie wild moors. In these moors dwell the Finns. And the inhabited land is broadest to the eastward, growing ever narrower the farther north. To the east it may be sixty miles broad, or even a little broader, and midway thirty or broader; and to the north, where it was narrowest, he said it might be three miles broad up to the moor. Moreover the moor is in some places so broad that it would take a man two weeks to cross it, in other places of such a breadth that a man can cross it in six days.... The filed javelins, flying afar; 110 115 Bows were busy, arrows bit bucklers. I 22 |