HS OE Prose - Wulfstan, Sermo Lupi ad Anglos - page 1
Sermo Lupi ad Anglos, quando Dani
maxime persecuti sunt eos quod fuit anno
millesimo XIIII ab incarnatione domini
nostri Iesu Cristi:
The sermon of the Wolf to the English, when
the Danes were greatly persecuting them,
which was in the year 1014 after the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ:
(1) Leofan men gecnawað þæt soð is: ðeos
worolde is on ofste & hit nealæcð þam ende.
(2) & þy hit is on worolde aa swa leng swa
wyrse, & swa hit sceal nyde for folces synnan
fram dæge to dæge, ær antecristes tocyme,
yfelian swyþe. (3) & huru hit wyrð þænne
egeslic & grimlic wide on worolde. (4)
Understandað eac georne þæt deofol þas þeode
nu fela geara dwelode to swyþe, & þæt lytle
getreowþa wæran mid mannum, þeah hy wel
(1) Beloved men, know that which is true: this
world is in haste and it nears the end. (2) And
therefore things in this world go ever the
longer the worse, and so it must needs be that
things quickly worsen, on account of people's
sinning from day to day, before the coming of
Antichrist. (3) And indeed it will then be awful
and grim widely throughout the world. (4)
Understand also well that the Devil has now
led this nation astray for very many years, and
that little loyalty has remained among men,
though they spoke well. (5) And too many
crimes reigned in the land, and there were
never many of men who deliberated about the
remedy as eagerly as one should, but daily
they piled one evil upon another, and committed injustices and many violations of law all
too widely throughout this entire land.
spræcan. (5) & unrihta to fela ricsode on lande,
& næs a fela manna þe smeade ymbe þa bote
swa georne swa man scolde, ac dæghwamlice
man ihte yfel æfter oðrum, & unriht rærde &
unlaga manege ealles to wide gynd ealle þas
þeode.
(6) & we eac forþam habbað fela byrsta &
bysmara gebiden, & gif we ænige bote gebidan
scylan þonne mote we þæs to Gode ernian bet
þonne we ær þysan dydan. (7) Forþam mid
miclan earnungan we geearnedan þa yrmða þe
us on sittað & mid swyþe micelan earnungan
we þa bote motan æt Gode geræcan, gif hit
sceal heonanforð godiende weorðan. (8) La
hwæt we witan ful georne þæt to miclan bryce
sceal micel bot nyde, & to miclan bryne wæter
unlytel, gif man þæt fyr sceal to ahte acwencan. (9) & micel is nydþearf eac manna gehwilcum þæt he Godes lage gyme heonanforð
georne bet þonne he ær dyde, & Godes gerihta
mid rihte gelæste. (10) On hæþenum þeodum
ne dear man forhealdan lytel, ne micel, þæs þe
gelagod is to gedwolgoda weorðunge, & we
forhealdað æghwær Godes gerihta ealles to
gelome. (11) & ne dear man gewanian on
hæþenum þeo dum, inne ne ute, ænig þæra
þinga þe gedwolgodan broht bið & to lacum
(6) And we have also therefore endured many
injuries and insults, and if we shall experience
any remedy then we must deserve better of
God than we have previously done. (7) For
with great deserts we have earned the misery
that is upon us, and with truly great deserts we
must obtain the remedy from God, if henceforth things are to improve. (8) Lo, we know
full well that a great breach of law shall necessitate a great remedy, and a great fire shall
necessitate much water, if that fire is to be
quenched. (9) And it is also a great necessity
for each of men that he henceforth eagerly
heed the law of God better than he has done,
and justly pay God's dues. (10) In heathen
lands one does not dare withhold little nor
much of that which is appointed to the worship
of false gods; and we withhold everywhere
God's dues all too often. (11) And in heathen
lands one dares not curtail, within or without
the temple, anything brought to the false gods
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betæht bið. (12) & we habbað Godes hus, inne
& ute, clæne berypte ælcra gerisena, & Godes
þeowas syndan mæþe & munde gewelhwær
bedælde. (13) & sume men secgað þæt gedwolgoda þenan ne dear man misbeodan on
ænige wisan mid hæþenum leodum, swa swa
man Godes þeowum nu deð to wide, þær
Cristene scoldan Godes lage healdan & Godes
þeowas griðian.
(14) Ac soð is þæt ic secge: þearf is þære bote
forþam Godes gerihta wanedan to lange innan
þysse þeode on æghwylcan ænde, & folclaga
wyrsedan ealles to swyþe, syððan Eadgar
geendode. (15) & halignessa syndan to
griðlease wide & Godes hus syndan to clæne
berypte ealdra gerihta & innan bestrypte ælcra
gerisena. (16) & wydewan syndan wide fornydde on unriht to ceorle & to mænege
foryrmde & gehynede swyþe, & earme men
syndan sare beswicene & hreowlice besyrwde,
& ut of þysan earde wide gesealde swyþe unforworhte fremdum to gesealde, & cradolcild
geþeowede þurh wælhreowe unlaga, forlytelre
þyfþe wide gynd þas þeode. (17) & freoriht
fornumene & þrælriht genyrwde & ælmæsriht
gewanode. (18) Frige men ne motan wealdan
heora sylfna ne faran þar hi willað ne ateon
heora agen swa swa hi willað. (19) Ne þrælas
ne moton habban þæt hi agon on agenan
hwilan mid earfeðan gewunnen. (20) Ne þæt
þæt heom on Godes est gode men geuðon. &
to ælmesgife for Godes lufan sealdon. (21) Ac
æghwilc ælmesriht þe man on Godes est
scolde mid rihte georne gelæstan, alc man gelitlað oððe forhealdeð, forðam unriht is to
wide mannum gemæne & unlaga leofe. (22) &
hrædest is to cweþenne Godes laga laðe & lara
forsawenne, & þæs we habbað ealle þurh
Godes yrre bysmor gelome, gecnawe se þe
cunne. (23) & se byrst wyrð gemæne þeh man
swa ne wene eallre þysse þeode butan God
beorge.
and entrusted as an offering. (12) And we have
entirely stripped God's houses of everything
fitting, within and without, and God's servants
are everywhere deprived of honor and protection. (13) And some men say that no man dare
abuse the servants of false gods in any way
among heathen people, just as is now done
widely to the servants of God, where Christians ought to observe the law of God and
protect the servants of God.
(14) But what I say is true: there is need for
that remedy because God's dues have diminished too long in this land in every district, and
laws of the people have deteriorated entirely
too greatly, since Edgar died. (15) And sanctuaries are too widely violated, and God's
houses are entirely stripped of all dues and are
stripped within of everything fitting. (16) And
widows are widely forced to marry in unjust
ways and too many are impoverished and fully
humiliated; and poor men are sorely betrayed
and cruelly defrauded, and sold widely out of
this land into the power of foreigners, though
innocent; and infants are enslaved by means of
cruel injustices, on account of petty theft
everywhere in this nation. (17) And the rights
of freemen are taken away and the rights of
slaves are restricted and charitable obligations
are curtailed. (18) Free men may not keep their
independence, nor go where they wish, nor
deal with their property just as they desire;
(19) nor may slaves have that property which,
on their own time, they have obtained by
means of difficult labor, (20) or that which
good men, in Gods favor, have granted them,
and given to them in charity for the love of
God. (21) But every man decreases or withholds every charitable obligation that should
by rights be paid eagerly in Gods favor, for injustice is too widely common among men and
lawlessness is too widely dear to them. (22)
And in short, the laws of God are hated and his
teaching despised; therefore we all are frequently disgraced through God's anger, let him
know it who is able. (23) And that loss will become universal, although one may not think
so, to all these people, unless God protects us.
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(24) Forþam hit is on us eallum swutol &
gesene þæt we ær þysan oftor bræcan þonne
we bettan, & þy is þysse þeode fela onsæge.
(25) Ne dohte hit nu lange inne ne ute: ac wæs
here & hungor, nu bryne & blodgyte on
gewelhwylcan ende oft & gelome. (26) & us
stalu & cwalu, stric & steorfa, orfcwealm &
uncoþu, hol & hete, & rypera reaflac derede
swyþe þearle. (27) & us ungylda swyðe
gedrohtan, & us unwedera foroft weoldan
unwæstma; forþam on þysan earde wæs, swa
hit þincan mæg, nu fela geara unrihta fela &
tealte getrywða æghwær mid mannum.
(28) Ne bearh nu foroft gesib gesibban þe ma
þe fremdan, ne fæder his bearne, ne hwilum
bearn his agenum fæder, ne broþor oþrum.
(29) Ne ure ænig his lif ne fadode swa swa he
scolde, ne gehadode regellice, ne læwede
lahlice. Ac worhtan lust us to lage ealles to
gelome, & naþor ne heoldan ne lare ne lage
Godes ne manna, swa swa we scoldan. (30) Ne
ænig wið oþerne getrywlice þohte swa rihte
swa he scolde, ac mæst ælc swicode & oþrum
derede wordes & dæde, & huru unrihtlice
mæst ælc oþerne æftan heaweþ mid
sceandlican onscytan & mid wrohtlacan -- do
mare gif he mæge.
(31) Forþam her syn on lande ungetrywþa
micle for Gode & for worolde, & eac her syn,
on earde, on mistlice wisan hlafordswican
manege: & ealra mæst hlafordswice se bið on
worolde þæt man his hlafordes saule beswice.
(32) & ful micel hlafordswice eac bið on
worolde þæt man his hlaford of life forræde,
oððon of lande lifiendne drife, & ægþer is
geworden on þysan earde: Eadweard man
forrædde, & syððan acwealde & æfter þam
forbærnde; and Æþelred mon dræfde ut of his
earde. (33) & godsibbas & godbearn to fela
(24) Therefore it is clear and well seen in all of
us that we have previously more often transgressed than we have amended, and therefore
much is greatly assailing this nation. (25) Nothing has prospered now for a long time either
at home or abroad, but there has been military
devastation and hunger, burning and bloodshed in nearly every district time and again.
(26) And stealing and slaying, plague and
pestilence, murrain and disease, malice and
hate, and the robbery by robbers have injured
us very terribly. (27) And excessive taxes have
afflicted us, and storms have very often caused
failure of crops; therefore in this land there
have been, as it may appear, many years now
of injustices and unstable loyalties everywhere
among men. (28) Now very often a kinsman
does not spare his kinsman any more than the
foreigner, nor the father his children, nor
sometimes the child his own father, nor one
brother the other. (29) Neither has any of us
ordered his life just as he should, neither the
ecclesiastic according to the rule nor the layman according to the law, but we have transformed desire into laws for us entirely too
often, and have kept neither precepts nor laws
of God or men just as we should. (30) Neither
has anyone had loyal intentions with respect to
others as justly as he should, but almost
everyone has deceived and injured another by
words and deeds; and indeed almost everyone
unjustly stabs the other from behind with
shameful assaults and with wrongful accusations -- let him do more, if he may.
(31) For there are in this nation great disloyalties for matters of the Church and the state,
and also there are in the land many who betray
their lords in various ways: and the greatest of
all betrayals of a lord one can think of is that a
man betrays the soul of his lord. (32) And a
very great betrayal of a lord it is also in the
world, that a man betray his lord to death, or
drive him living from the land, and both have
come to pass in this land: Edward was
betrayed, and then killed, and after that
burned; and Æthelred was driven out of his
land. (33) And too many sponsors and god-
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man forspilde wide gynd þas þeode, toeacan
oðron ealles to manegan þe man unscyldige
forfor, ealles to wide. (34) & ealles to mænege
haligestowa wide forwurdan þurh þæt þe man
-- sume men ær þam gelogode swa manna ne
scolde, gif man on Godes griðe mæþe witan
wolde.
(35) & cristenes folces to fela man gesealde ut
of þysan earde, nu ealle hwile, & eal þæt is
Gode lað, gelyfe se þe wille. (36) Eac we
witan georne hwær seo yrmð gewearð &
scandlic is to specenne þæt geworden is to
wide. (37) & egeslic is to witanne þæt oft doð
to manege, þe dreogað þa yrmþe hwilum, þæt
sceotað togædere & ane cwenan gemænum
ceape bicgað gemæne & wið þa ane fylþe
adreogað, an æfter anum & ælc æfter aðrum
hundum geliccast þe for fylþe ne scrifað. (38)
& syððan wið weorðe syllað of lande feondum
to gewealde Godes gesceafte -- & his agenne
ceap þe He deore gebohte. (39) Eac we witan
georne hwær seo yrmð gewearð þæt fæder
gesealde bearn wið weorþe, & bearn his
modor, & broþor sealde oþerne fremdum to
gewealde, & ut of ðisse þeode. (40) Eal þæt
syndan micle & egeslice dæda, understande se
þe wille. (41) & gyt hit is mare & eac mænig
fealdre þæt dereð þysse þeode: mænige synd
forsworene & swyþe forlogene & wed synd to
brocene oft & gelome, & þæt is gesyne on
þysse þeode þæt us Godes yrre hetelice on sit,
gecnewe se þe cunne.
(42) And la! Hu mæg mare scamu þurh Godes
yrre mannum gelimpan þonne us deð gelome
for agenum gewyrhtum? (43) Ðeh þræla wylc
hlaforde æthleape & of Cristendom to wicinge
weorþe, & hit æfter þam eft geweorþe þæt
wæpngewrixl weorðe gemæne þegene &
þræle: gif þræl þæne þegen fullice afyllen
licge ægylde ealre his mægðe, &, gif se þegen
children have been killed widely through- out
this nation, in addition to entirely too many
other innocent people who have been destroyed entirely too widely. (34) And entirely too
many holy religious foundations have deteriorated because some men have previously been
placed in them who ought not to have been, if
one wished to show respect to God's sanctuary.
(35) And too many Christian men have been
sold out of this land, now for a long time, and
all this is entirely hateful to God, let him
believe it who will. (36) Also we know well
where this crime has occurred, and it is shameful to speak of that which has happened too
widely. (37) And it is terrible to know what
too many do often, those who for a while carry
out a miserable deed, who contribute together
and buy a woman as a joint purchase between
them and practice foul sin with that one
woman, one after another, and each after the
other like dogs that care not about filth; (38)
and then for a price they sell a creature of God
- His own purchase that He bought at a great
cost - into the power of enemies. (39) Also we
know well where the crime has occurred such
that the father has sold his son for a price, and
the son his mother, and one brother has sold
the other into the power of foreigners, and out
of this nation. (40) All of those are great and
terrible deeds, let him understand it who will.
(41) And yet what is injuring this nation is still
greater and manifold: many are forsworn and
greatly perjured and more vows are broken
time and again, and it is clear to this people
that God's anger violently oppresses us, let
him know it who can.
(42) And lo! How may greater shame befall
men through the anger of God than often does
us for our own sins? (43) Although it happens
that a slave escape from a lord and, leaving
Christendom becomes a Viking, and after that
it happens again that a hostile encounter takes
place between thane and slave, if the slave
kills the thane, he lies without wergild paid to
any of his kinsmen; but if the thane kills the
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þæne þræl þe he ær ahte fullice afylle, gylde
þegengylde. (44) Ful earhlice laga & scandlice nydgyld þurh Godes yrre us syn gemæne;
oft þræl þæne þegen þe ær wæs his hlaford
cnyt swyþe fæste & wyrcð him to þræle þurh
Godes yrre. (49) Wala þære yrmðe & wala
þære woroldscame þe nu habbað Engle eal
þurh Godes yrre. (50) Oft twegen sæmæn,
oððe þry hwilum, driwað þa drafe cristentra
manna fram sæ to sæ -- ut þurh þas þeode,
gewelede togædere, us eallum to woruldscame, gif we on eornost ænige cuþon ariht
understandan. (51) Ac eal ne þæne bysmor þe
we oft þoliað, we gyldað mid weorðscype þam
þe us scendað. (52) We him gyldað singallice
& hy us hynað dæghwamlice; hy hergað & hy
bærnað, rypaþ & reafiað, & to scipe lædað.
(53) & la hwæt! Is ænig oðer on eallum þam
gelimpum butan Godes yrre ofer þas þeode
swutol & gesæne?
slave that he had previously owned, he must
pay the price of a thane. (44) Full shameful
laws and disgraceful tributes are common
among us, through God's anger, let him understand it who is able. (45) And many misfortunes befall this nation time and again:
things have not prospered now for a long time
neither at home nor abroad, but there has been
destruction and hate in every district time and
again, and the English have been entirely
defeated for a long time now, and very truly
disheartened through the anger of God. (46)
And pirates are so strong through the consent
of God, that often in battle one drives away
ten, and two often drive away twenty, sometimes fewer and sometimes more, entirely on
account of our sins. (47) And often ten or
twelve, each after the other, insult the thane's
woman disgracefully, and sometimes his
daughter or close kinswomen, while he looks
on, he that considered himself brave and
strong and good enough before that happened.
(48) And often a slave binds very fast the
thane who previously was his lord and makes
him into a slave through God's anger. (49)
Alas the misery and alas the public shame that
the English now have, entirely through God's
anger. (50) Often two sailors, or three for a
while, drive groups of Christian men from sea
to sea -- out through this nation, huddled together, as a public shame for us all, if we could
seriously and properly know any shame. (51)
But all the insult that we often suffer, we repay
by honoring those who insult us. (52) We pay
them continually and they humiliate us daily;
they ravage and they burn, plunder and rob
and carry to the ship; (53) and lo! what else is
there in all these happenings except God's
anger clear and evident over this nation?
(54) Nis eac nan wundor þeah us mislimpe:
forþam we witan ful georne þæt nu fela geara
mænn na ne rohtan, foroft, hwæt hy worhtan
wordes oððe dæde. (55) Ac wearð þes þeodscipe, swa hit þincan mæg, swyþe forsyngod
þurh mænigfealde synna & þurh fela misdæda:
þurh morðdæda & þurh mandæda, þurh gitsunga & þurh gifernessa, þurh stala & þurh
(54) It is no wonder that there is mishap
among us: because we know full well that now
for many years men have too often not cared
what they did by word or deed; (55) but this
nation, as it may appear, has become very
corrupt through manifold sins and through
many misdeeds: through murder and through
evil deeds, through avarice and through greed,
understande se þe cunne. (45) & fela ungelimpa gelimpð þysse þeode oft & gelome: ne
dohte hit nu lange inne ne ute. Ac wæs here &
hete on gewelhwilcan ende, oft & gelome, &
Engle nu lange eal sigelease & to swyþe
geyrigde þurh Godes yrre. (46) & flotmen swa
strange þurh Godes þafunge, þæt oft on
gefeohte anfeseð tyne, & twegen oft twentig,
& hwilum læs hwilum ma, eal for urum
synnum. (47) & oft tyne oððe twelfe, ælc æfter
oþrum, scendað to bysmore þæs þegenes
cwenan & hwilum his dohtor oððe nydmagan,
þær he on locað, þe læt hine sylfene rancne &
ricne & genoh godne ær þæt gewurde. (48) &
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strudunga, þurh mannsylena & þurh hæþene
unsida, þurh swicdomas & þurh searacræftas,
þurh lahbrycas & þurh æswicas, þurh mægræsas & þurh manslyhtas, þurh hadbrycas & þurh
æwbrycas, þurh siblegeru & þurh mistlice forligru. (56) & eac syndan wide, swa we ær
cwædan, þur aðbricas & þurh wedbrycas, &
þurh mistlice leasunga forloren, & forlogen ma
þonne scolde, & freolsbricas & fæstenbrycas
wide geworhte oft & gelome. (57) & eac her
syn on earde Godes wiðersacan, apostatan
abroþene & cyrichatan hetole, & leodhatan
grimme ealles to manege, & oferhogan wide
godcundra rihtlaga & cristenra þeawa, &
hocorwyrde dysige æghwær on þeode oftost of
þa þing þe Godes bodan beodaþ & swyþost on
þa þing þe æfre to Godes lage gebyriað mid
rihte. (58) & þy is nu geworden wide & side to
ful yfelan gewunan þæt menn swyþor scamað
nu for goddædan þonne for misdædan; forþam
to oft man mid hocere god dæda hyrweð &
Godfyhte lehtreð ealles to swyþe & swyþost
man tæleð & mid olle gegreteð ealles to
gelome þa þe riht lufiað. & Godes ege habbað
be ænigum dæle. (59) & þurh þæt þe man swa
deð þæt man eal hyrweð þæt man scolde
heregian & to forð laðet þæt man scolde
lufian, þurh þæt man gebringeð ealles to
manege on yfelan geþance & on undaede, swa
þæt hy ne scamað na þeh hy syngian swyðe &
wid God sylfne forwyrcan hy mid ealle; (60)
ac for idelan onscytan hy scamað þæt hy betan
heora misdæda, swa swa bec tæcan, gelice
þam dwæsan þe for heora wrytan lewe nellað
beorgan: ær hy na ne magan, þeh hy eal
willan.
(61) Her syndan þurh synleawa, swa hit þincan
mæg, sare gelewede to manege on earde. (62)
Her syndan, swa we ær sædon, mannslagan &
mægslagan & mæsserbanan & mynsterhatan &
through stealing and through robbery, through
man-selling and through heathen vices,
through betrayals and through frauds, through
attacks on kinsmen and through manslaughter,
through injury of men in holy orders and
through adultery, through incest and through
various fornications. (56) And also, far and
wide, as we said before, more than should be
are lost and perjured through the breaking of
oaths and through violations of pledges, and
through various lies; and non-observances of
church feasts and fasts widely occur time and
again. (57) And also there are here in the land
God's adversaries, degenerate apostates, and
hostile persecutors of the Church and entirely
too many grim tyrants, and widespread despisers of divine laws and Christian virtues, and
foolish deriders everywhere in the nation, most
often of those things that the messengers of
God command, and especially those things
that always belong to God's law by right. (58)
And therefore things have now come far and
wide to that full evil way that men are more
ashamed now of good deeds than of misdeeds;
because too often good deeds are abused with
derision and the Godfearing are blamed
entirely too much, and especially are men
reproached and all too often greeted with
contempt who love right and have fear of God
to any extent. (59) And because men do that,
entirely abusing all that they should praise and
hating too much all that they ought to love,
therefore they bring entirely too many to evil
intentions and to misdeeds, so that they are
never ashamed though they sin greatly and
commit wrongs even against God himself. (60)
But on account of idle attacks they are
ashamed to repent for their misdeeds, just as
the books teach, like those foolish men who on
account of their pride will not protect themselves from injury before they might no longer
do so, although they all wish for it.
(61) Here in the country, as it may appear, too
many are sorely wounded by the stains of sin.
(62) Here there are, as we said before, manslayers and murderers of their kinsmen, and
murderers of priests and persecutors of monas
HS OE Prose - Wulfstan, Sermo Lupi ad Anglos - page 7
hlafordswican & æbere apostatan, & her syndan mansworan & morþorwyrhtan, & her syndan hadbrecan & aewbrecan, & ðurh siblegeru
& ðurh mistlice forligeru forsyngode swyðe, &
her syndan myltestran & bearn myrðrah & fule
forlegene horingas manege, & her syndan
wiccan & wælcyrian, & her syndan ryperas &
reaferas & woruldstruderas & ðeofas &
þeodscaðan, & wedlogan & wærlogan &
hrædest is to cweþenne mana & misdæda ungerim ealra: (63) & þæs us ne scamað na, ac
þæs us scamað swyþe þæt we bote agennan,
swa swa bec tæcan, & þæt is gesyne on þysse
earman forsyngodan þeode. (64) Ea la! Micel
magan manege git hertoeacan eaþe beþencan
þæs þe an man ne mehte on hrædinge
asmeagan, hu earmlice hit gefaren is nu ealle
hwile wide gynd þas þeode. (65) & smeage
huru georne gehwa hine sylfne, & þæs na ne
latige ealles to lange. (66) Ac la, on Godes
naman, utan don swa us neod is, beorgan us
sylfum swa we geornost magan, þe læs we
ætgædere ealle forweorðan.
(67) An þeodwita wæs on Brytta tidum, Gildas
hatte. (68) Se awrat be heora misdædum, hu hy
mid heora synnum swa oferlice swyþe God
gegræmedan, þæt He let æt nyhstan Engla here
heora eard gewinnan, & Brytta dugeþe forðon
mid ealle. (69) & þæt wæs geworden þæs þe
he sæde, þurh gelæredra regolbryce & ðurh
læwedra lahbryce, þurh ricra reaflac & þurh
gitsunge wohgestreona; ðurh leode unlaga &
þurh wohdomas, ðurh biscopas asolcennesse &
unsnotornesse, & þurh lyðre yrhðe Godes
bydela, þe soþes geswugedan ealles to gelome
& clumedan mid ceaflum þær hy scoldan
clypian. (70) Þurh fulne eac folces gælsan &
þurh oferfylla & mænigfealde synna heora
eard hy forworhtan & selfe hy forwurdan. (71)
Ac wutan don swa us þearf is warnian us be
teries, and traitors and notorious apostates, and
here there are perjurers and murderers, and
here there are injurers of men in holy orders
and adulterers, and people greatly corrupted
through incest and through various fornications, and here there are harlots and infanticides and many foul adulterous fornicators,
and here there are witches and sorceresses, and
here there are robbers and plunderers and pilferers and thieves, and injurers of the people
and pledge-breakers and treaty-breakers, and,
in short, a countless number of all crimes and
misdeeds. (63) And we are not at all ashamed
of it, but we are greatly ashamed to begin the
remedy just as the books teach, and that is
evident in this wretched and corrupt nation.
(64) Alas, many a great kinsman can easily
call to mind much in addition which one man
could not hastily investigate, how wretchedly
things have fared now all the time now widely
throughout this nation. (65) And indeed let
each one examine himself well, and not delay
this all too long. (66) But lo, in the name of
God, let us do as is needful for us, protect
ourselves as earnestly as we may, lest we all
perish together.
(67) There was a historian in the time of the
Britons, called Gildas, (68) who wrote about
their misdeeds, how with their sins they
infuriated God so excessively that He finally
allowed the English army to conquer their
land, and to destroy the host of the Britons
entirely. (69) And that came about, just as he
said, through breach of rule by the clergy and
through breach of laws by laymen, through
robbery by the strong and through coveting of
ill-gotten gains, violations of law by the people
and through unjust judgments, through the
sloth of the bishops and folly, and through the
wicked cowardice of messengers of God, who
swallowed the truths entirely too often and
they mumbled through their jaws where they
should have cried out; (70) also through foul
pride of the people and through gluttony and
manifold sins they destroyed their land and
they themselves perished. (71) But let us do as
is necessary for us, take warning from such;
HS OE Prose - Wulfstan, Sermo Lupi ad Anglos - page 8
swilcan, & soþ is þæt ic secge, wyrsan dæda
we witan mid Englum, sume gewordene þonne
we mid Bryttan æhwar gehyrdan. (72) & þy us
is þearf micel þæt we us beþencan & wið God
sylfne þingian georne. (73) & utan don swa us
þearf is gebugan to rihte & be suman dæle
unriht forlætan, & betan swyþe georne þæt we
ær bræcan. (74) & utan God lufian & Godes
lagum fylgean, & gelæstan swyþe georne þæt
þæt we behetan þa þe fulluht underfengan,
oððon þa þe æt fulluhte ure forespecan wæran,
& utan word & weorc rihtlice fadian, & ure in
geþanc clænsian georne, & að & wed wærlice
healdan, & sume getrywða habban us betweonan butan uncræftan. (75) & utan gelome
understandan þone miclam Dom þe we ealle to
sculon & beorgan us georne wið þone
weallendan bryne helle wites, & geearnian us
þa mærþa & þa myrhða þe God hæfð
gegearwod þam þe his willan on worolde
gewyrcað. (76) God ure helpe, Amen.
and it is true what I say, we know of worse
deeds among the English than we have heard
of anywhere among the Britons; (72) and
therefore there is a great need for us to take
thought for ourselves, and to intercede eagerly
with God himself. (73) And let us do as is
necessary for us, turn towards the right and to
some extent abandon wrong-doing, and eagerly atone for what we previously transgressed;
(74) and let us love God and follow God's
laws, and carry out well that which we
promised when we received baptism, or those
who were our sponsors at baptism; and let us
order words and deeds justly, and cleanse our
thoughts with zeal, and keep oaths and pledges
carefully, and have some loyalty between us
without evil practice. (75) And let us often
reflect upon the great Judgment to which we
all shall go, and let us save ourselves from the
welling fire of hell torment, and gain for
ourselves the glories and joys that God has
prepared for those who work his will in the
world. (76) God help us. Amen.