Page:King Alfred's Old English Version of Boethius' De Consolatione Philosophiae.djvu/49

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PROEM

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ÆLFRED KUNING wæs wealhstod ðisse bec, ⁊ hie of boclædene[1] on englisc wende, swa hio nu is gedon. Hwilum he sette word be worde, hwilum andgit of andgite, swa swa he hit þa sweotolost 7 andgitfullicast gereccan mihte for þam mistlicū[2] ⁊ manigfealdum weoruldbisgum[3] þe hine oft ægðer ge on mode ge on lichoman bisgodan. Ða bisgu us sint swipe earfoþrime[4] þe on his dagum on þa ricu becoman þe he underfangen hæfde, ⁊ þeah ða þas boc hæfde geleornode ⁊ of lædene to engliscū spelle gewende, ⁊ geworhte hi eft to leoðe, swa swa heo nu gedon is; ⁊ nu bit ⁊ for Godes naman he halsað ælcne þara þe þas boc rædan lyste, ꝥ he for hine gebidde, ⁊ him ne wite gif he hit rihtlicor ongite þonne he mihte;[5] forþamþe ælc mon sceal be his andgites mæðe ⁊ be his æmettan sprecan ꝥ he spreco, ⁊ don ꝥ þæt he deþ.

  1. So also J, where the first vowel is apparently e turned into o.
  2. mislicum J.
  3. So J, wordū ⁊ bisgum B.
  4. earfoðrimu J.
  5. meahte J.