fol. 189rIncipiunt documenta regis Alvredi.textual note 1
Attextual note 2Sevordeexplanatory note 1textual note 3setetextual note 4 theynes monye,
Fele biscopes,and feole bok-ilered,textual note 5
Eorles prute,knyhtes egleche.
Thar wes the Eorl Alvrich,explanatory note 2
line5Of thare lawe swithe wis,
And ek Ealvred,Englene hurde,
Englene durlyngtextual note 6 —
On Englene londeexplanatory note 3textual note 7he wes kyng.
Heom he bigon lere,textual note 8
line10So ye mawe ihure,
Hwtextual note 9 hi heore liflede scholden.
Alvred he wes in Englene londtextual note 10
Andtextual note 11 king wel swithe strong.
He wes king and he wes clerek.explanatory note 4textual note 12
line15Wel he luvede Godes werk.
He wes wis on his word,and war on his werke.
He wes the wysuste mon
That wes Englelonde on.textual note 13
Thustextual note 14 queth Alvred,Englene frouer:
line20“Wolde ye, mi leode,lusten euretextual note 15 louerde;
He outextual note 16 wolde wyssyewisliche thinges:
Hwtextual note 17 ye myhte worldeswrthsipestextual note 18 welde,
And ek eure saulesomnen to Criste.”
Wyse were the wordesthe seyde the King Alvred.textual note 19
fol. 189v“Mildelichetextual note 21 ich munye,myne leove freond,
line26Poure and riche,leode myne,
That ye alle adredetextual note 22ure Dryhten Crist.
Luvyen hine and lykyen,for he is Louerd of Lyf;
He is one godover alle godnesse;
line30He is one gleawover alle glednesse;
He is one blisseover alle blissen;
He is one monne,mildest mayster;
He is one folkes fader,and frouer;
He is one rihtwis,and so riche king
line35That him ne schal beo wonenouht of his wille,
Thetextual note 23 hine her on worldewrthietextual note 24 thencheth.”explanatory note 5textual note 25
Thustextual note 26 queth Alvred,Englene vrouer:
“Ne may non ryhtwis kingundertextual note 27Criste seolvenexplanatory note 6
Bute if he beoin boke ilered,
line40And he his wyttestextual note 28swithe wel kunne,
And he cunne lettreslokie himseolf oneexplanatory note 7
Hwtextual note 29 he schule his londlaweliche holde.”explanatory note 8
Thus queth Alvred.textual note 30
“Thetextual note 31 eorl and thetextual note 32 ethelyng
line45Ibureth, under godnetextual note 33 king,
That lond to leden
Myd lawelyche deden.
And the clerektextual note 34 and the knyht
He schulletextual note 35 dementextual note 36 evelychetextual note 37 riht,
line50The poure and the ryche
Dementextual note 38 ilyche.
Hwych so the mon soweth,
Al swuch he schal mowe;explanatory note 9
And everuyches monnes domto his owere dure churreth.explanatory note 10
line55Than knyhte bihovethkenlichetextual note 39 on to fonetextual note 40
For to werie that londwith hunger and with heriunge,
That the Chirechetextual note 41 habbe gryth,
And the cheorl beo in fryth
His sedes to sowen,
line60His medes to mowen,explanatory note 11
And his plouh beo idryve.
To ure alre bihove
This is thes knyhtes lawe.explanatory note 12Loke he that hit wel fare.”explanatory note 13textual note 42textual note 43
Thustextual note 44 queth Alvred:explanatory note 14
line65“The mon the on his youhtheyeorne leorneth
Wit and wisdom,and iwriten reden,
He may beon on eldewenliche lortheu;explanatory note 15textual note 45
And the that nule onetextual note 46 youhtheyeorne leorny
Wit and wysdom,and iwriten rede,
line70That him schal on eldesore rewe.
Thenne cumeth elde,
And unhelthe,
Thenne beoth his wenetextual note 47
Ful wrotheexplanatory note 16 isene;
line75Bothe heo beoth biswikeand eke hi beoth aswunde.”
Thus queth Alvred.textual note 48
“Wythutetextual note 49 wysdome,is weole wel unwurth,
For they o mon ahtehuntseventiexplanatory note 17 acres,
And he hi hadde isowenalle myd reade golde,
fol. 190rAnd that gold greoweso gres doth on eorthe,
line81Nere he, for his weole,never the further
Bute he him, of frumthe,textual note 50freond iwrche,textual note 51
For hwat is gold bute ston
Bute if hit haveth wis mon?”explanatory note 18explanatory note 19
line85Thus queth Alvred.textual note 52
“Netextual note 53 scolde never yong monhowyenexplanatory note 20 to swithe,
Theih him his wysewel ne lykie,
Ne theih he ne weldeal that he wolde,
For God may yeve,thenne he wule,
line90God after uvele,weole after wowe.textual note 54
Wel is him that hitischapen is.”textual note 55
Thus seyth Alvred.textual note 56
“Strongtextual note 57 hit is to reowetextual note 58ayeyn the seetextual note 59 that floweth,
So hit is to swynkeayeyn unylimpe.
line95The mon thetextual note 60 on his youhtheswotextual note 61 swinketh
And worldes weoleher iwinth,
That he may on eldeidelnesse holde,
And ek myd his worldes weole
God iqueme er he quele,
line100Youthe and al that he haveth idroweexplanatory note 21
Is thenne wel bitowe.”explanatory note 22explanatory note 23
Thus queth Alvred.textual note 62
“Monytextual note 63 mon weneththat he wene ne tharf,
Longes lyves,ac him lyeth thetextual note 64 wrench;
line105For thanne histextual note 65 lyvestextual note 66alre best luvede,
Thenne he schal letentextual note 67lyf his owe.
For nys no wrttextual note 68 vexyndetextual note 69a wude ne a velde
That ever muwe thas feyefurth upholde.explanatory note 24
Not no mon thene tymehwanne he schal heonne turne.
line110Ne no mon thene endehwenne he schal heonne wende.
Dryhten hit one wot,dowethes Louerd,explanatory note 25
Hwannetextual note 70 ure lifleten schule.”explanatory note 26
Thus queth Alvred.textual note 71
“Yftextual note 72 thu seolver and gold yefstand weldest in this world,
line115Never upentextual note 73 eortheto wlonk thu nywrthe.textual note 74
Ayhte nys non ildre istreontextual note 75ac hit is Godes lone;explanatory note 27
Hwanne hittextual note 76 is his wille,tharof we schulle wende,
And ure owe lyfmyd alleexplanatory note 28 forleten.
Thanne schulle ure ifonto ure vouhtextual note 77 gripen,
line120Welden ure maythenes,explanatory note 29textual note 78and leten us byhinde.”explanatory note 30
Thus queth Alvred.textual note 79
“Netextual note 80 ilef thu nouht to feleuppe the seetextual note 81 that floweth.
If thu hafst madmes,monye and inowe,
Gold and seolver,hit schal gnydetextual note 82 to nouht;
fol. 190vTo duste hit schal dryven;Dryhten schal libben evere.
line126Mony mon, for his gold,haveth Godes urre,
And for his seolver,hymseolve
Foryemeth, foryeteth,and forleseth.textual note 83
Betere him bycomeiboren that he nere.”textual note 84
line130Thus queth Alvred.textual note 85
“Lustethtextual note 86 ye, metextual note 87 leode,
Ower is the neode,
And ich eu will leretextual note 88 wit and wisdom,that alle thing overgoth.explanatory note 31
Syker he may sittethetextual note 89 hyne haveth to ivere;
line135For theyh his eyhte him ago,
His wit ne agoth hym nevermo,
For ne may he forvare
The hyne haveth to vere
The wiletextual note 90 his owe lyfileste mote.”explanatory note 32
line140Thus queth Alvred.textual note 91
“Iftextual note 92 thu havest seorewe,
Ne seye thu hit nouhttextual note 93 than arewe.explanatory note 33
Seye hit thine sadelbowe,and ryd the singinde forth.
Thenne wile wene, thet thine wise ne con,that the thine wise wel lyke.textual note 94
line145Serewe if thu havestand the erewe hit wot,
Byfore he the meneth,
Byhynde he the teleth.
Thu hit myht segge swyhctextual note 95 mon
That thetextual note 96 ful wel onexplanatory note 34 —
line150Wythute echere ore,explanatory note 35
He on the muchele more.
Byhud hit on thire heorte
That the eft ne smeorte;
Ne let thu hyne wite
line155Al that thin heorte bywite.”explanatory note 36
Thus queth Alvred.textual note 97
“Netextual note 98 schaltu nevere thi wifby hire wlyte cheose,
For never nonetextual note 99 thingethat heo to the bryngeth;
Ac leorne hire custe —heo cutheth hi wel sone.
line160For mony mon, for ayhte,uvele iauhteth,
And ofte mon, of fayre,frakele icheoseth.
Wo is him that uvel wif
Bryngeth to his cotlyf.
So him is alyve,
line165That uvele ywyveth
For he schal uppentextual note 100 eorthe
Dreori iwurthe.explanatory note 37
Mony mon singeth
That wif hom bryngeth;
line170Wiste he hwat he brouhte,
Wepen he myhte.”explanatory note 38
Thus queth Alvred.textual note 101
“Netextual note 102 wurth thu never so wodne so wyn-drunke
That everetextual note 103 segge thine wifealle thine wille,
line175For if thutextual note 104 iseye the bivorethine ivo alle,
And thu hi myd wordeiwreththed hevedest,
Ne scholde heo hit letefor thing lyvyinde,
That heo ne scholde the forth upbreydeof thine baleusythes.
Wymmon is word-wothtextual note 105and haveth tunge to swift;
line180Theyh heo wel wolde,ne may heo hi nowiht welde.”explanatory note 39
Thus queth Alfred.textual note 106
fol. 191r“Idelschipetextual note 107 and overpruteexplanatory note 40 that lerethyong wif uvele thewes,
And ofte that woldetextual note 108
Do that heo ne scholde.
line185Thene untheu lihte
Leten heo myhte
If heo ofte aswote,textual note 109
Forswunke were,
Theyh hit is uvel to buwe
line190That beo nule treowe,
For ofte museth the katafter hire moder.explanatory note 41
The mon that let wymmonhis mayster iwurthe
Ne schal he never beon ihurd
His wordes louerd;
line195Ac, heo hine schal steornetotrayen and toteone.explanatory note 42textual note 110
And selde wurth he blythe and gled
The mon that is his wives qued.
Mony appel is bryht withuteand bitter withinne;explanatory note 43
So is mony wymmonon hyre fader bure
line200Schene under schete,explanatory note 44and theyh heo is schendful;
So is mony gedelynggodlyche on horse,
And is theyh lutel wurthexplanatory note 45 —
Wlonk bi the glede
And uveltextual note 111 at thare neode.”
line205Thus queth Alvred.
“Nevretextual note 112 thu bi thine lyve
The word of thine wyve
To swithe thu ne aredetextual note 113
If heo beo iwreththed
line210Myd worde other myd dede.
Wymmon wepeth for modexplanatory note 46
Oftere than for eny god,
And ofte lude and stilleexplanatory note 47
For to vordryeexplanatory note 48 hire wille;
line215Heo wepeth otherhwile
For to do the gyle.
Salomon hit haveth ised:
‘That wymmon can wel uvelne red.’
The hire red foleweth,
line220Heo bryngeth hine to seorewe,explanatory note 49
For hit seyth in the lothexplanatory note 50textual note 114
As ‘cuenestextual note 115 forteoth.’explanatory note 51
Hit is ifurn iseyd
Thattextual note 116 ‘cold red is quene red.’explanatory note 52
line225Hu he is unledetextual note 117
That foleweth hire rede.
Ich hit ne segge nouht, forthan,
That god thing ystextual note 118 god wymmon,
The mon thetextual note 119 hi may icheoseand icovereexplanatory note 53 over othre.”
line230Thus queth Alvred.textual note 120
“Monytextual note 121 mon weneththat he weny ne tharf:
Freond that he habbethar me him vayre bihat,
Seyth him vayre bivore,and frakele bihynde;
So me may thane lothelengust lede.
line235Ne ilef thu never thane mon
That is of feole speche,textual note 122
Ne alle the thinge
That thu iherest singe.textual note 123
Mony mon haveth swikelne muth,
line240Milde and monne forcuth;explanatory note 54
Nele he the cuthehwenne he the wule bikache.”explanatory note 55
Thus queth Alvred.textual note 124
“Thurhtextual note 125 sawe, mon is wis,
And, thurh hiselthe,explanatory note 56textual note 126 mon is gleu.
line245Thurh lesinge, mon is loth,
fol. 191vAnd thurh luthre, wrenches and unwurth;textual note 127
And thurh hokede hondeexplanatory note 57 that he bereth,
Himseolve he forvareth.
From lesynge thu the wune,
line250And alle unthewes thu the bischune,
So myht thu on theode
Leof beon in alle leode.
And luve thyne nexte —he is at the neode god.textual note 128
At chepynge and at chyreche,explanatory note 58textual note 129
line255Freond thu the iwurche
Wyth pouere and with riche,
With alle monne ilyche.
Thanne myht thu sikerlichesely sytte,
And ek faren over londetextual note 130hwider so beoth thi wille.”
line260Thus queth Alvred.textual note 131
“Alletextual note 132 world-ayhte
Schulle bicumen to nouhte,
And uyches cunnes madmesto mixeexplanatory note 59 schulen imulten;
And ure owe liflutel hwile ileste,
line265For theyh o monwolde al the worlde
And al the wunnethe tharinne wunyeth,
Ne myhte he, tharmyde, his lifnone hwile holde,
Ac al he schal forletenon a litel stunde;
And schal ure blisseto balewe us iwurthe
line270Bute if we wurchethwyllen Cristes.
Nu bithenche we, thanne,us sulve,
Ure lif to ledenso Crist us gynneth lere;
Thanne mawe we wenenthat he wule us wrthie.textual note 133
For so seyde Salomontextual note 134 the wise:explanatory note 60
line275‘The mon that her wel deth
He cumeth thar he lyen foth
On his lyves ende,
He hit schal avynde.’”
Thus queth Alvred.textual note 135
line280“Netextual note 136 gabbe thu ne schotteexplanatory note 61
Ne chid thu wyth none sotte,
Ne myd manyes cunnes tales
Ne chid thu with nenne dwales.
Ne never thu ne bigynnetextual note 137
line285To telle thine tythinges
At nones fremannes borde,
Ne have thu to vale worde.
Mid fewe worde wis mon
Fele bilukenexplanatory note 62 wel con,
line290And sottes bolt is sone iscohte.explanatory note 63textual note 138
Forthi ich holde hine for dote
That sayth al his wille
Thanne he scholde beon stille,
For ofte tunge breketh bon
line295Theyh heo seolf nabbe non.”explanatory note 64
Thus queth Alvred.textual note 139textual note 140
“Wistextual note 141 child is
Fader blisse.explanatory note 65
If hit so bitydeththat thu bern ibidest,
line300The hwile hit is lutel,ler him mon thewes;explanatory note 66
fol. 192rThanne hit is wexynde,hit schal wende tharto:
The betere hit schal iwurthe
Ever buven eorthe.explanatory note 67
Ac if thu him lest weldewexendeexplanatory note 68textual note 142 on worlde,
line305Lude and stille
His owene wille.
Hwanne cumeth ealde,
Ne myht thu hyne awelde.
Thanne deth hit sone
line310That the bith unyqueme;textual note 143
Oferhoweth thin ibod,
And maketh the ofte sory-mod.
Betere the were
Iboren that he nere,
line315For betere is child unborethane unbuhsum.explanatory note 69
The mon the spareth yeordeand yonge childe,
And let hit arixlye,explanatory note 70textual note 144that he hit areche ne may,
That him schal, on ealde,sore reowe.” Amen.
fol. 189rHere begin the proverbs of King Alfred.
At Sheffordsat many thanes,
Many bishops,and many book-learned,
Proud earls,brave knights.
There was Earl Alfrich,
line5So wise in their law,
And also Alfred,shepherd of the English,
Beloved by the English —
Of the land of the Englishhe was king.
He taught them,
line10As you may hear,
How their lives theyought to lead.
Alfred was in the land of the English
A very powerful king.
He was king and he was scholar.
line15Well did he love God’s work.
He was wise in word,and careful in work.
He was the wisest man
In England.
Thus says Alfred,comforter of the English:
line20“Be willing, my people,to listen to your lord;
He wishes to teach youwise things:
How you might worldlyhonor possess,
And also your souljoin to Christ.”
Wise were the wordsthen said by King Alfred.
fol. 189v“Mildly do I admonish,my dear friends,
line26Poor and rich,my people,
That all of you should fearour Lord Christ.
Love and please him,for he is Lord of Life;
He is the one goodover all goodness;
line30He is the one joyover all joyfulness;
He is the one blissover all blissfulness;
He is the one man,mildest master;
He is the one father of folk,and source of comfort;
He is the one justice,and so powerful a king
line35That he shall lack nothingof what he desires,
Who here in this worldintends to honor him.”
Thus says Alfred,comforter of the English:
“There can be no just kingunder Christ himself
Unless he belearned in books,
line40And able to usehis intelligence,
And can read lettersto examine on his own
How his land he shouldmaintain lawfully.”
Thus says Alfred.
“The earl and the noble atheling
line45Are obliged, under a good king,
To lead the land
With lawful deed.
And they must fairly judge
The clerk and the knight,
line50Judge even-handedly
The poor and the rich.
What a man sows,
So must he reap;
And every man’s judgmentreturns to his own door.
line55The knight is obligedto bravely undertake
To defend the landfrom hunger and invasion,
So the Church has protection,
And the peasant in the field
May sow his seeds,
line60Mow his meadows,
And drive his plow.
We all ought to know
This is the knight’s duty.He must see that it goes well.”
Thus says Alfred:
line65“He who in his youtheagerly learns
Wit and wisdom,and reads what’s written,
In old age he may bean excellent teacher;
And he who in youth refusesto eagerly learn
Wit and wisdom,and read what’s written,
line70In old age he shallsorely regret it.
When old age comes,
And ill health,
Then is his opinion
Seen to be perverse;
line75It is both deludedand also feeble.”
Thus says Alfred.
“Without wisdom,wealth is worthless,
For even if a man possessedseventy acres,
And had sown themall with red gold,
fol. 190rAnd that gold grewas grass does on earth,
line81He’d never, for all his wealth,advance any further
Unless he, from the beginning,gains friends for himself,
For what is gold but stone
Unless it’s owned by a wise man?”
line85Thus says Alfred.
“A young man should neverbe overly distressed,
Even if his situationisn’t to his liking,
And he doesn’t controlall he’d like to,
For God may give him,when he will,
line90Good after bad,happiness after grief.
Well is he who for thatis destined.”
Thus says Alfred.
“It’s as difficult to rowagainst the flowing sea,
As to striveagainst misfortune.
line95The man who in his youthstrives so
And worldly wealthwins here,
So that in old age he maygain leisure,
And also with his worldly wealth
Pleases God before he dies,
line100Then youth and all he’s earned
Are well applied.”
Thus says Alfred.
“Many a man expectswhat he may not expect,
Long length of life,but he’ll be deceived;
line105For when his lifeis most cherished,
Then shall he losehis own life.
For there’s no herb growingin wood or in field
That can ever sustainwhat’s fated to die.
None knows the timewhen he’ll turn from here.
line110None knows the destinationwhen he’ll go hence.
Only God knows,Lord of hosts,
When our lifewill end.”
Thus says Alfred.
“If silver and gold you giveand wield in this world,
line115Don’t ever on earthbecome overly proud.
Property’s not gained from parentsbut a loan from God;
When it’s his will,we’ll turn away from it,
And our own lifeentirely lose.
Then our enemies willseize our treasures,
line120Control our valuables,and leave us behind.”
Thus says Alfred.
“Don’t trust too muchin the sea that flows.
If you have treasures,abundant and plentiful,
Gold and silver,it’ll crumble to nothing;
fol. 190vTo dust it’ll be reduced;the Lord will live forever.
line126Many a man, for his gold,receives God’s wrath,
And for his silver,himself
Neglects, forgets,and loses.
It’d be better for himhad he never been born.”
line130Thus says Alfred.
“Listen, my people,
You are in need,
And I’ll teach you wit and wisdom,beyond all things.
Securely sits hewho has it for company;
For though his property leave him,
line135His wit may never go from him,
For he cannot perish
Who has it for company
As long as his own lifemay last.”
line140Thus says Alfred.
“If you have sorrow,
Never tell it to a scoundrel.
Tell it to your saddlebow,and ride forth singing.
Then he’ll think, ignorant of your state,that you’re happy.
line145If you have sorrowand the scoundel knows it,
To your face he’ll comfort you,
Behind your back he’ll mock you.
You may have told it to such a man
As wishes you very well —
line150Without any mercy,
He’d wish you even more.
Hide it in your heart
So that you’re not hurt again;
Never let him know
line155What your heart guards.”
Thus says Alfred.
“You must never chooseyour wife for her beauty,
No matter whatshe brings to you;
Learn instead her character —she’ll reveal it right away.
line160For many a man, for wealth,makes a bad bargain,
And often a man, for beauty,chooses what’s worthless.
Woeful is he who brings
A bad wife to his dwelling.
While he’s alive,
line165The one badly wived
Shall everywhere
Become miserable.
Many a man sings
Who brings home a wife;
line170If he knew what he brought,
He’d surely weep.”
Thus says Alfred.
“Don’t ever be so crazyor so drunk on wine
That you ever tell your wifeall your secrets,
line175For even if you saw before youall your enemies,
And with your wordshave enraged them,
She’d not neglect,for any living creature,
To upbraid you openlyfor your mistakes.
Woman is word-madand has a very quick tongue;
line180Even if she wanted to,she can’t control it at all.”
Thus says Alfred.
fol. 191r“Indolence and excessive pride teacha young wife bad habits.
And make her often want
To do what she shouldn’t.
line185She might readily
Avoid bad habits
If she had to sweat often,
Worn out by work,
Though it’s hard to bend
line190What won’t be straight,
For often a cat learns to mousefrom her mother.
The man who allows a womanto be his master
Will never be listened to
As lord of his words;
line195Instead, she’ll severelytorment and harass him.
Seldom is a man happy and glad
Who is his wife’s enemy.
Many an apple’s shiny withoutand bitter within;
So is many a womanin her father’s house
line200Beautiful under sheet,and yet she’s shameless;
So is many a soldierhandsome on a horse,
And yet worth little —
Brave by the hearth
And useless when needed.”
line205Thus says Alfred.
“Don’t ever in your life
Heed too hastily
The advice of your wife
If she’s been angered
line210By word or by deed.
A woman weeps for wrath
More often than for good,
And under all circumstances
To advance her own will;
line215She weeps at other times
In order to deceive you.
Solomon has said it:
‘Woman is prone to give bad advice.’
Whoever follows her advice,
line220She’ll bring him to sorrow,
For it’s said everywhere
That ‘women deceive.’
It’s long been said
That ‘cold counsel is woman’s counsel.’
line225How miserable is he
Who follows her counsel.
I don’t deny at all, however,
That a good woman is a good thing,
For one who may chooseand win her above others.”
line230Thus says Alfred.
“Many a man thinkswhat he oughtn’t think:
That he has a friendwhen someone makes fair promises,
Says fair things to his face,but evil behind his back;
Thus may someone loath the onehe’s accompanied longest.
line235Don’t believe any man
Who’s of varying speech,
Nor all of the things
You hear being sung.
Many a man has a deceptive mouth,
line240A gentle yet wicked man;
He’ll not let you knowwhen he plans to trick you.”
Thus says Alfred.
“By proverb, man is wise,
And, by piety, man is good.
line245By lying, man is loathsome,
fol. 191vAnd by evil, worthless and false;
And by having hooked hands,
He ruins himself.
Lose the habit of lying,
line250And shun all your vices,
So that everywhere you may
Be beloved by all people.
And love your neighbor —he’s helpful in time of need.
At market and at church,
line255Acquire friends for yourself
Among poor and rich,
With all men equally.
You will certainly thenbe happily situated,
And also travel over landwherever you want.”
line260Thus says Alfred.
“All worldly wealth
Will come to nothing,
And each kind of treasurewill dwindle to filth;
And our own lifelasts a little while,
line265For even if a manwanted the whole world
And all the joysdwelling therein,
His life he may not, therewith,keep for a while,
But he must lose allin a brief moment;
And so will our blisslead us to torment
line270Unless we performChrist’s will.
Now let’s resolve, then,on our own,
To lead our lifeas Christ taught us;
Then may we hopethat he will reward us.
For so said Solomon the wise:
line275‘The man who does well here
Comes where he’ll be received
At his life’s end,
As he shall find out.’”
Thus says Alfred.
line280“Don’t scoff or yell
Or quarrel with a fool,
Or with all sorts of claims
Argue with dimwits.
You shouldn’t ever begin
line285To disclose your news
At any franklin’s table,
Nor have too many words.
With few words the wise man
Can express a great deal,
line290And a fool’s arrow is soon shot.
So I hold him a dolt
Who tells all his private thoughts
When he ought to be quiet,
For often does a tongue break a bone
line295Though itself has none.”
Thus says Alfred.
“Wise child is
Father’s bliss.
If it should happenthat you have a child,
line300While it is small,teach him good habits;
fol. 192rThen as it grows,it shall carry on that way:
The better it shall become
Of any seen on earth.
But if you fail to control himas he grows in the world,
line305In all circumstances
He’ll do as he pleases.
When old age advances,
You’ll be unable to manage him.
Then soon it will do
line310What displeases you;
He disdains your command,
And often causes you grief.
It’d have been better for you
Had he not been born,
line315For better is an unborn childthan a disobedient one.
The man who spares the rodand the young child,
And allows it to have its own way,and he cannot control it,
That one will, in old age,sorely regret it.” Amen.