Ic Aelfric munuc and maessepreost, swa theah waccre thonne swilcum hadum
gebyrige, weardh asend on Aethelredes daege cyninges fram Aelfeage biscope,
Adhelwoldes aeftergengan, to sumum mynstre the is Cernel gehaten, thurh
Aedhelmaeres bene dhaes thegenes, his gebyrd and goodnys sind gehwaer
cuthe. Tha bearn me on mode, ic truwige thurh Godes gife, thaet ic dhas boc
of Ledenum gereorde to Engliscre spraece awende; na thurh gebylde mycelre
lare, ac forthan the ic geseah and gehyrde mycel gedwyld on manegum
Engliscum bocum, the ungelaerede menn thurh heora bilewitnysse to micclum
wisdome tealdon; and me ofhreow thaet h['i] ne cuthon ne naefdon tha
godspellican lare on heora gewritum, buton tham mannum anum dhe thaet Leden
cudhon, and buton tham bocum dhe Aelfred cyning snoterlice awende of Ledene
on Englisc, tha synd to haebbene. For thisum antimbre ic gedyrstlaehte, on
Gode truwiende, thaet ic dhas gesetnysse undergann, and eac fordham the
menn behofiadh godre lare swidhost on thisum timan the is geendung thyssere
worulde, and beodh fela frecednyssa on mancynne aerdhan the se ende becume,
swa swa ure Drihten on his godspelle cwaedh to his leorning-cnihtum,
"Dhonne beodh swilce {4} gedreccednyssa swilce naeron naefre aer fram
frymdhe middangeardes. Manega lease Cristas cumadh on minum naman,
cwedhende, 'Ic eom Crist,' and wyrcadh fela tacna and wundra, to bepaecenne
mancynn, and eac swylce tha gecorenan men, gif hit gewurthan maeg: and
butan se Aelmihtiga God dha dagas gescyrte, eall mennisc forwurde; ac for
his gecorenum he gescyrte tha dagas." Gehw['a] maeg the eadhelicor dha
toweardan costnunge acuman, dhurh Godes fultum, gif h['e] bidh thurh
boclice lare getrymmed; fordhan dhe tha beodh gehealdene the odh ende on
geleafan thurhwuniadh. Fela gedreccednyssa and earfodhnysse becumadh on
thissere worulde ['ae]r hire geendunge, and tha synd dha bydelas thaes ecan
forwyrdes on yfelum mannum, the for heora m['a]ndaedum sidhdhan ecelice
throwiadh on dhaere sweartan helle. Thonne cymdh se Antecrist, se bidh
mennisc mann and sodh deofol, swa swa ure Haelend is sodhlice mann and God
on anum hade. And se gesewenlica deofol thonne wyrcdh ungerima wundra, and
cwydh thaet he sylf God beo, and wile neadian mancynn to his gedwylde; ac
his tima ne bidh na langsum; forthan the Godes grama hine fordedh, and
theos weoruld bidh sidhdhan geendod. Crist ure Drihten gehaelde untrume and
adlige, and thes deofol the is gehaten Antecrist, thaet is gereht, dhwyrlic
Crist, aleuadh and geuntrumadh dha halan, and naenne ne gehaeldh fram
untrumnyssum, buton tham anum the he sylf aer awyrde. He and his gingran
awyrdadh manna lichaman digellice thurh deofles craeft, and gehaeladh h['i]
openlice on manna gesihthe; ac h['e] ne maeg naenne gehaelan the God sylf
aer geuntrumode. He neadadh thurh yfelnysse thaet men sceolon bugan fram
heora Scyppendes geleafan to his leasungum, sedhe is ord aelcere leasunge
and yfelnysse. Se Aelmihtiga God gedhafadh tham arleasan Antecriste to
wyrcenne t['a]cna, and wundra, and ehtnysse, to feorthan healfan geare;
forthan dhe on dham timan bidh swa micel yfelnyss and thwyrnys betwux
mancynne thaet h['i] wel wyrdhe beodh thaere deoflican ehtnysse, to ecum
forwyrde tham dhe him onbugadh, and to ecere myrhdhe dham the him thurh
geleafan widhcwedhadh. God {6} gedhafadh eac thaet his gecorenan thegenas
beon aclaensade fram eallum synnum thurh dha ormaetan ehtnyssa, swa swa
gold bidh on fyre afandod. Tha ofslihdh se deofol dhe him widhstandadh, and
h['i] thonne faradh mid halgum martyrdome to heofenan rice. Tha dhe his
leasungum gelyfadh, tham h['e] aradh, and h['i] habbadh sydhdhan tha ecan
susle to edleane heora gedwyldes. Se arleasa dedh thaet fyr cymdh ufan
swilce of heofonum on manna gesihdhe, swilce h['e] God Aelmihtig sy, dhe ah
geweald heofenas and eorthan. Ac tha cristenan sceolon beon thonne
gemyndige hu se deofol dyde tha dha he baed aet Gode thaet he moste fandian
Iobes. He gemacode dha thaet fyr come ufan swilce of heofenum, and
forbaernde ealle his scep ['u]t on felda, and tha hyrdas samod, buton anum
the hit him cydhan sceolde. Ne sende se deofol dha fyr of heofenum, theah
dhe hit ufan come; fordhan the he sylf naes on heofonum, sydhdhan he for
his modignysse of-aworpen waes. Ne eac se waelhreowa Antecrist naefdh tha
mihte thaet he heofenlic fyr asendan maege, dheah the h['e] thurh deofles
craeft hit swa gehiwige. Bidh nu w['i]slicor thaet gehwa dhis wite and
cunne his geleafan, weald hwa dha micclan yrmdhe gebidan sceole. Ure
Drihten bebead his discipulum thaet h['i] sceoldon laeran and taecan eallum
theodum dha dhing the he sylf him taehte; ac thaera is nu to lyt dhe wile
wel taecan and wel bysnian. Se ylca Drihten clypode thurh his witegan
Ezechiel, "Gif thu ne gestentst thone unrihtwisan, and hine ne manast,
thaet h['e] fram his arleasnysse gecyrre and lybbe, thonne swelt se arleasa
on his unrihtwisnysse, and ic wille ofgan aet dhe his blod," thaet is his
lyre. "Gif dhu dhonne thone arleasan gewarnast, and he nele fram his
arleasnysse gecyrran, thu alysdest thine sawle mid thaere mynegunge, and se
arleasa swylt on his unrihtwisnysse." Eft cwaedh se Aelmihtiga to tham
witegan Isaiam, "Clypa and ne geswic dhu, ahefe thine stemne swa swa byme,
and cydh minum folce heora leahtras, and Iacobes hirede heora synna." For
swylcum bebodum weardh me gedhuht thaet ic naere unscyldig widh God, gif ic
nolde odhrum mannum cydhan, odhdhe thurh {8} tungan odhdhe thurh gewritu,
tha godspellican sothfaestnysse the he sylf gecwaedh, and eft halgum
lareowum onwreah. For wel fela ic wat on thisum earde gelaeredran thonne ic
sy, ac God geswuteladh his wundra thurh dhone the he wile. Swa swa
aelmihtig wyrhta, he wyrcdh his weorc thurh his gecorenan, na swylce he
behofige ures fultumes, ac thaet we geearnion thaet ece lif thurh his
weorces fremminge. Paulus se apostol cwaedh, "We sind Godes gefylstan," and
swa dheah ne do we nan thing to Gode, buton Godes fultume. Nu bidde ic and
halsige on Godes naman, gif hwa thas boc awritan wylle, thaet he h['i]
geornlice gerihte be thaere bysene, thylaes the we thurh gymelease writeras
geleahtrode beon. Mycel yfel dedh sedhe leas writ, buton he hit gerihte,
swylce he gebringe tha sodhan lare to leasum gedwylde: forthi sceal gehwa
gerihtlaecan thaet thaet he aer to woge gebigde, gif h['e] on Godes dome
unscyldig beon wile. Quid necesse est in hoc codice capitula ordinare, cum
prediximus quod xl. sententias in se contineat? excepto quod Aethelwerdus
dux vellet habere xl. quattuor in suo libro.