Accesserunt ad Iesum discipuli dicentes, Quis putas maior in regno
coelorum: et reliqua.
This daegtherlice godspell cwydh, thaet "Drihtnes leorning-cnihtas to him
genealaehton, thus cwedhende, La leof, hw['a] is fyrmest manna on heofenan
rice? Se Haelend him dha to clypode sum gehw['ae]de cild:" et reliqua.
Haegmon trahtnadh this godspell, and segdh, h['u] dhaes caseres tolleras
axodon Petrus dhone apostol, dhadha hi geond ealne middangeard dham casere
toll gegaderodon; hi cwaedon, "Wyle eower l['a]reow Crist aenig toll
syllan? Tha cwaedh Petrus, thaet he wolde. Tha mid tham dhe Petrus wolde
befr['i]nan thone Haelend, tha forsceat se Haelend hine, dhe ealle dhing
w['a]t, thus cwedhende, Hwaet dhincdh the, Petrus, aet hwam nimadh
eordhlice cynegas gafol odhdhe toll, aet heora gesiblingum, oththe aet
aelfremedum? Petrus cwaedh, Aet aelfremedum. {512} Se Haelend cwaedh, Hwaet
la synd heora siblingas frige? The l['ae]s dhe we h['i] aeswicion, ga to
dhaere s['ae], and wurpe ['u]t dhinne angel, and thone fisc dhe hine
hradhost forswelhdh, geopena his mudh, thonne fintst thu dhaer-on aenne
gyldenne wecg: nim dhone, and syle to tolle for me and for dhe."
Tha for dham intingan the h['e] cwaedh, "Syle for me and for dhe," wendon
tha apostolas thaet Petrus waere fyrmest, and axodon dha dhone Haelend,
"Hw['a] waere fyrmest manna on heofonan rice?" Tha wolde se Haelend heora
dwollican gethohtas mid sodhre eadmodnysse gehaelan, and cwaedh, thaet
h['i] ne mihton becuman to heofonan rice, buton h['i] waeron swa eadmode,
and swa unscaedhdhige swa thaet cild waes dhe he him to clypode. Bilewite
cild ne gewilnadh odhra manna aehta, ne wlitiges wifes; theah dhe hit beo
gegremod, hit ne hylt langsume ungethwaernysse to dham dhe him derode, ne
hit ne h['i]wadh mid wordum, thaet hit odher dhence, and odher sprece. Swa
eac sceolon Godes folgeras, thaet synd tha cristenan, habban tha
unscaedhdhignysse on heora mode the cild haefdh on ylde.
Se Haelend cwaedh, "Sodh ic eow secge, Ne becume ge to heofonan rice, buton
ge beon awende, and gewordene swa swa lyttlingas." Ne bebead he his gingrum
thaet h['i] on lichaman cild waeron, ac thaet h['i] heoldon bilewitra
cildra unscaedhdhignysse on heora theawum. On sumere stowe he cwaedh,
thadha him man to baer cild to bletsigenne, and his gingran thaet
bemaendon, "Gedhafiadh thaet dhas cild to me cumon; swilcera is sodhlice
heofonan rice." Be dhisum manode se apostol Paulus his underdheoddan, and
cwaedh, "Ne beo ge cild on andgite, ac on yfelnyssum: beodh on andgite
fulfremede." Se Haelend cwaedh, "Swa hw['a] swa hine sylfne geeadmet, swa
swa dhis cild, he bidh fyrmest on heofonan rice." Uton habban dha sodhan
eadmodnysse on urum life, gif we willadh habban dha healican gedhincdhe on
Godes rice; swa swa se Haelend cwaedh, "Aelc dhaera dhe hine onhefdh bidh
geeadmet, and se dhe hine geeadmet, he bidh ah['a]fen." Se haefdh bilewites
cildes unscaedhdhignysse, the him sylfum mislicadh to dhi thaet he Gode
gelicige; {514} and he bidh swa micele wlitegra aetforan Godes gesihdhe,
swa he swidhor aetforan him sylfum eadmodra bidh. "Se dhe underfehdh aenne
swilcne lyttling on minum naman, h['e] underfehdh me sylfne." Eallum Godes
dhearfum man sceall wel-d['ae]da thenian, ac dheah swidhost tham eadmodum
and lidhum, the mid heora l['i]fes dheawum Cristes bebodum gethwaeriadh;
fordham him bidh gedhenod mid his dhearfena thenunge, and h['e] sylf bidh
underfangen on heora anfenge.
He cwaedh eac on odhre stowe, "Se dhe w['i]tegan underfehdh, he haefdh
w['i]tegan mede; se dhe rihtwisne underfehdh, he haefdh rihtwises mannes
edlean." Thaet is, Se dhe witegan, odhdhe sumne rihtwisne Godes dheow
underfehdh, and him for Godes lufon bigwiste foresceawadh, thonne haefdh he
swa micele mede his cystignysse aet Gode, swilce h['e] him sylf w['i]tega
waere, oththe rihtwis Godes theow. "Se dhe ge['ae]swicadh anum dhyssera
lyttlinga, dhe on me gelyfadh, selre him waere thaet him waere getiged
['a]n ormaete cwyrnst['a]n to his swuran, and he swa wurde on deoppre
s['ae] besenced." Se ['ae]swicadh odhrum the hine on Godes daele beswicdh,
thaet his sawul forloren beo. Se cwyrnst['a]n the tyrndh singallice, and
naenne faereld ne dhurhtihdh, get['a]cnadh woruld-lufe, dhe on gedwyldum
hwyrftladh, and naenne staepe on Godes wege ne gefaestnadh. Be swylcum
cwaedh se witega, "Tha arleasan turniadh on ymbhwyrfte." Se dhe genealaehdh
halgum h['a]de on Godes geladhunge, and sidhdhan mid yfelre tihtinge oththe
mid leahterfullre drohtnunge odhrum yfele bysnadh, and heora ingehyd
towyrpdh, thonne waere him selre thaet he on woruldlicere drohtnunge ana
losode, thonne h['e] on halgum h['i]we odhre mid him thurh his dhwyrlican
theawas to forwyrde getuge.
"W['a] middangearde for ['ae]swicungum." Middangeard is her gecweden tha
dhe thisne ateorigendlican middangeard lufiadh swidhor thonne thaet ece
l['i]f, and mid mislicum swicdomum h['i] sylfe and odhre forpaeradh. "Neod
is thaet aeswicunga cumon, dheah-hwaedhere w['a] dham menn dhe hi
ofcumadh." Theos woruld is swa mid gedwyldum afylled, thaet heo ne maeg
beon butan {516} ['ae]swicungum, and theah w['a] dham menn dhe odherne aet
his aehtum, odhdhe aet his feore beswicdh, and dham bidh wyrs, the mid
yfelum tihtingum othres mannes sawle to ecum forwyrdum beswicdh. "Gif dhin
hand odhdhe dhin f['o]t the ['ae]swicige, ceorf of thaet lim, and awurp
fram dhe." This is gecweden aefter gastlicere get['a]cnunge, na aefter
lichamlicere gesetnysse. Ne bebead God nanum menn thaet he his lima awyrde.
Seo h['a]nd get['a]cnadh urne nydbehefan freond, the us daeghwomlice mid
weorce and fultume ure neode dedh; ac dheah, gif swilc freond us fram Godes
wege gew['e]mdh, thonne bidh us selre thaet we his flaesclican lufe fram
['u]s aceorfon, and mid tw['ae]minge awurpon, thonne we, thurh his yfelan
tihtinge, samod mid him on ece forwyrd befeallon. Ealswa is be dham f['e]t
and be dham eagan. Gif hwilc sibling the bidh swa deorwurdhe swa dhin eage,
and odher swa behefe swa dhin hand, and sum swa gedhensum swilce dhin agen
f['o]t, gif hi dhonne the thwyrlice tihtadh to dhinre sawle forwyrde,
thonne bidh the selre thaet thu heora gedheodraedene forb['u]ge, thonne hi
dhe fordh mid him to dham ecan forwyrde gelaedon. "Behealdadh thaet ge ne
forseon aenne of thysum lytlingum." Se dhe bepaehdh aenne Godes theowena,
he ge['ae]biligdh dhone Hlaford, swa swa he sylf thurh his witegan cwaedh,
"Se dhe eow hrepadh, hit bidh me swa egle swilce h['e] hreppe mines eagan
s['e]o."
"Ic secge eow thaet heora englas symle geseodh mines Faeder ansyne sedhe on
heofonum is." Mid thisum wordum is geswutelod thaet aelcum geleaffullum men
is engel to hyrde geset, the hine widh deofles syrwunge gescylt, and on
halgum maegnum gefultumadh, swa swa se sealm-sc['o]p be gehwilcum rihtwisum
cwaedh, "God bebead his englum be dhe, thaet hi dhe healdon, and on heora
handum hebban, thel['ae]s dhe dhu aet stane thinne f['o]t aetspurne." Micel
wurdhscipe is cristenra manna, thaet gehwilc haebbe fram his acennednysse
him betaehtne engel to hyrdraedene, swa swa be dham apostole Petre awriten
is, thadha se engel hine of dham cwearterne gelaedde, and he to his geferum
becom, and cnucigende inganges baed. Tha cwaedon tha {518} geleaffullan,
"Nis hit na Petrus thaet dhaer cnucadh, ac is his engel." Tha englas
sodhlice dhe God gesette to hyrdum his gecorenum, h['i] ne gewitadh naefre
fram his andweardnysse; fordhan dhe God is aeghwaer, and swa hwider swa dha
englas fleodh, aefre h['i] beodh binnan his andwerdnysse, and his wuldres
brucadh. Hi bodiadh ure weorc and gebedu tham Aelmihtigan, theah dhe him
n['a]n dhing digle ne sy, swa swa se heah-engel Raphahel cwaedh to dham
Godes menn, Tob['i]an, "Thadha ge eow gebaedon, ic offrode eower gebedu
aetforan Gode."
Seo Ealde Ae ['u]s saegdh, thaet heah-englas sind gesette ofer gehwilce
leodscipas, thaet hi dhaes folces gymon, ofer dha odhre englas, swa swa
Moyses, on dhaere fiftan b['e]c dhaere Ealdan Ae, thysum wordum
geswutelode, "Thadha se healica God todaelde and tostencte Adames ofspring,
tha sette he dheoda gemaeru aefter getele his engla." Thisum andgite
gethwaerlaecdh se witega Danihel on his witegunge. Sum Godes engel spraec
to Danihele embe dhone heah-engel the Perscisce dheode bewiste, and cwaedh,
"Me com to se heah-engel, Greciscre theode ealdor, and nis heora n['a]n
m['i]n gefylsta, buton Michahel, Ebreisces folces ealdor. Efne n['u]
Michahel, ['a]n dhaera fyrmestra ealdra, com me to fultume, and ic wunode
dhaer widh thone cyning Persciscre dheode." Mid thisum wordum is geswutelod
h['u] micele care dha heah-englas habbadh heora ealdordomes ofer mancynn,
dhadha he cwaedh, thaet Michahel him come to fultume.
Is nu geleaflic thaet se heah-engel Michahel haebbe gymene cristenra manna,
sedhe waes dhaes Ebreiscan folces ealdor, tha hwile dhe h['i] on God
belyfdon; and thaet he geswutelode, thadha he him sylfum cyrcan getimbrode
betwux geleaffulre dheode, on dham munte Gargano, swa swa we hwene ['ae]r
raeddon. Thaet is ged['o]n be Godes fadunge, thaet se m['ae]ra heofonlica
engel beo singallice cristenra manna gefylsta on eordhan, and thingere on
heofonum to dham Aelmihtigan Gode, sedhe leofadh and rixadh ['a] on
ecnysse. Amen.
{503} SEPTEMBER XXIX.