King Alfred's Old English Version of St. Augustine's Soliloquies/Notes
Notes.
1.1 Apparently the first letter of Gaderode is, in the MS., an ornamental capital, thus denoting the beginning of a chapter, if not a book. Cf. the first facsimile. The omission of the subject is not a sufficient reason for indicating a lost beginning. But possibly the first letter is I.
kigclas. Only C.P. 297.1. Cf. New English Dict. under cudgel. Junius and Wanley read rigelas. Cf. orsnaforda for oksnaforda in the Jubilee Edition.
1.2 tōla. Cf. Bo. 30.7; and esp. 40.5 ff.
1.4 be þām dēle. So 58.14; Bo. 93.23; 109.21; C. P. 58.14.
1.12 windan. Probably an allusion to the wicker-work buildings of Alfred's time.
1.17 while. Wh only here.
1.19, 20 Cf. Introd.
2.2 tō þām. To the extent; so 5.14.
2.4 āre. Ār being fem., we should expect tō þāre ēcan. For other confusions of gender cf. ǣnigne hēle, 32.14; ǣnigne wemnesse, 36.14; 49.4; etc.
2.13-17 A prayer sublime in its pathos. gifola. Suggested by Wülker for MS. gidfola. Cf. Beitr. IV, p. 108 and see Bo. 119.31.
3.1-11 Note this skilful transition from his own preface to Augustine's thoughts.
3.7 tō forletende. Present participial form for gerund. So 12.12; 14.17; etc.
3.12 ff. Wülker, Beitr. IV, p. 105, uses this as a proof of Alfred's authorship.
4.8-13 and ... onhagie. Added by Alfred to the original.
4.20 Ic ... ða. Added by Alfred.
4.21-14.9 This elaborate prayer recalls the similar one at the beginning of Augustine's Confessions.
5.13-16 ac ... wlitige. Added by Alfred.
6.2-4 Ðu ... becumen. Free rendering.
6.7 hēhstan. Nom. sing, in -n; so 6.5; 13.6; etc.
6.14-15 þū ... hrine. Added.
6.15 Alfred is fond of such particularizings where the Latin has only general terms; cf. 9.4, 19; etc.
7.5-7 Augustine frequently introduces Faith, Hope, and Love so. Cf. his Handbook on Faith, Hope, and Love, Migne, 40.231.
8.10-11 and ūs ... dydon. Added.
9.4 Fæder ... Gāst. Added. Note the Trinitarianism; so 9.10.
9.10,11 Þū ... Gāst. Added.
9.15 sēo sunne bringð lēohtne dæg, etc. Cf. Bo. 49.21,22.
9.22 tunglai. The i is likely a scribal error.
9.23-10.17 and eft ... Godes bebode. Here is the first considerable addition by Alfred.
9.24 Wrixliað sume, etc. Cf. Bo.
11.14 Another prominent thought. Cf. 34.21 ff.; 44.24 ff.; etc.
11.21-12.7 forðām ... gebrōhton. Added.
14.5 sile mē oferhȳda. 'Grant me largeness of spirit.' Cf. magnanimum of the Latin. But see C.P. 110.23 and Bo. 62.16. Cf. the list of Virtues in 5-8 with 22.14-18 and with Dante's Purgatory.
14.14 Ic woldo. The only use of the old ending. Cf. 11.19 and 20, and cweðo, C.P. 397.27.
14.15-18 þe ... mē. Added.
14.19-15.6, Ic ... wēre. Free rendering.
16.5-6, Gyf ... hæfð. Added.
16.10,11 Hū ... nȳtenu. Free rendering.
18.3-5 Ac ... gebringan. Added.
18.6,7 Gelȳfst ... mōnan. Free rendering.
18.12-15 nāðer ... gescēadwīsnesse. Added.
18.20-19.2 Ic ... mē. Free rendering.
20.7-19 mē ... færeld. Free rendering.
20.21-23 ðā ... twēonige. Added.
21.7-9 atēfred ... is. Added.
22.2 Here a considerable omission of the Latin compensates for the long addition following.
22.3-26.5 For ... understentst. Added.
26.16-27.1 God ... mæqe. Added.
27.2-29.16 Wite ... lufe. Free rendering.
27.4 After hāwode a possible corruption of the MS.
29.4 ff. Cf. Jerome's Commentary on 1. Cor. 13, Migne, 30.759.
29.9 Psalms 119.96, the only Latin quotation used in this work. Cf. Jerome's Commentary on the Psalms, Migne, 26.1197.
29.20 [hlāford]. Hulme, p.58, suggests hæseta for MS. ho feut.
29.16-31.27 Ðæt ... byð. Added.
32.1-19 Swīðe ... dōme. Free rendering.
33.18-20 Ðāra ... swīðlice. Added.
35.6-10 Ne ... ðearfe. Added.
35.17 On bi bēon, see Wülfing, § 633.
36.1-39.9 Ne ... þæt. Free rendering.
38.5. tōgeenan. Hulme suggests an emendation to tōgefnan. Cf. Wülfing, § 71, p.95.
40.9-11 gyf ... dyde. Added.
41.1-43.12 Tōðæcce ... wēre. Free rendering.
43.13-19 Hū ... wilnige. Added.
43.15 Cf. Prov. 4.8.
43.23-44.27 Næfð ... summan. This interesting addition by Alfred is clearly in keeping with a royal author. Cf. the following passages on this point: 39.20 ff. and 69.12 ff.; also Introd.
45.16-18 se ... sǣclife. Cf. this passage with the following from C. P., p.23.16-18, as bearing on the common authorship of these two works: 'Nū ic wilnige ðætte ðēos spræce stīgge on ðæt ingeðonc ðæs leorneres, sūæ sūæ on sume hlǣdre, stæpmǣlum nēar and nēar, oððæt hīo fæstlice gestond on ðǣm solore ðæs mōdes ðe hi leornige'.
46.1-5 Nese ... onhagað. Free rendering.
46.10-11 and ... fēht. Added.
47.3-49.9 Ne ... lēohte. Free rendering.
47.14 Cf. Augustine's Epistle 92, Migne, 33.318, and his Sermon, 78.6, Migne 38. Also cf. John 4.24, and 1. John 3.2.
50.5-7 oððe ... lȳf. Added.
50.7 John 14.6.
50.11 ōðer ... byð. Added.
50.18-51.1 and ... wurde. Added.
51.4-54.5 Nese ... þæt. Free rendering.
52.14-53.5 Sē ... bēoð. Cf. Augustine's City of God, 22.29. Also cf. Bo.
55.2-57.12 Ēala ... woldest. Free rendering.
55.3 From this point Alfred's version is an epitome rather than a translation.
59.20 wealt. Wülfing, § 17, reads wealð.
63.29-31 Cf. Augustine on the Origin of Soul and Body.
64.5 ff. Cf. Augustine's Epistle 147, and City of God, 20.22; 22.30.
65.11 The lost part doubtless contains the response of G., hence the two consecutive speeches of A.
65.10 ff. Cf. Gregory's Dialogues, 4.43,44.
65.15 Cf. Jerome's Commentary on Luke, Migne, 30.575.
66.4 ff. Cf. Augustine's Epistle 147, 3.20; 22.23; Gregory's Dialogues, 4.33.
67.25 ðe. Here with the force of since.
67.27-68.10 Jerome's Vulgate, Luke 16.19-31, rather than Gregory's Dialogues, 4.33. Wülker is wrong in citing the latter as a source, since Gregory omits the closing words of the passage.
68.30 ff. Cf. Gregory's Morals, 4.36; 18.54; and Dialogues, 4.33.
69.23 ff. Cf. Augustine's Epistle 147, § 5.
69.34-70. 3. Cf. 1.15 ff.
70.5 Wülker, Beitr. IV, 119, suggests the following as a possible restoration: [Ladene De Videndo Deo and on Engiisc be Godes Ansyne.]