lufige ðēr ðǣr hē hine ongyte? Ac ic wolde þæt wyt sōhten nū hwilce ðæs wȳsdōmes lufiendas bēon scolen. Hū ne wōst ðū nū þæt ǣlc þāra manna þe ōðerne swīðe lufað, þæt hine lyst bet þaccian and cyssan ðonne oðerne on bær līc, þonne þēr þær clāðas beotwēona bēoð? Ic ongyte nū þæt [þū] lufast þone wīsdōm swā swīðe, and þē lyst hine swā wel nacode ongitan and gefrēdan þæt þū noldest þæt ǣnig[1] clāð betweuh wēre; ac hē hine wyle swīðe seldon ǣnegum mæn swā openlice geāwian. On ðām tīmum þe hē ǣnig lim swā bær ēowian wile, þonne ēowað hē hyt swīðe fēawum mannum; ac ic nāt hū þū hym onfōn mage mid geglofedum handum. Đū scealt ǣac dōn bær līc ongēan, gyf ðū hine gefrēdan wilt. Ac sege mē nū gyf ðū hwilc ǣnlic wīf lofodest swīðe ungemetlice ofer æalle oððer þing, and hēo ðonne þē fluge and nolde þē lufian on nān ōðer gerād[2] būtan þū woldest ǣlce ōðer lufe ālētan for hyre ānre lufe, woldest þū þonne swā dōn swā hēo wylnode?
A. Wā la wā! hwæt þū mē for hæardne lǣrst![3] Hū ne wēre þū ǣr geðafa þæt ic nānwiht ne lufode ofer wīsdōm, and ic wæs ǣac þes geðafa, and þū cwæde þā þēah hwā hwæt lufode[4] for hwilces ōðres þinges ðingum, þæt hē nā þæt þing ne lufede þæt hē þēr lufode; ac þæt þæt hē þurh ðæt þing lufode and þōhte tō tōcumanne? Forðām ic secge þæt ic ne lufige ðone wīsdōm for nānum ōðrum ðingum būton for hym selfum. Æalle þās weorlde ic lufige,
ostenderit, hanc de summo bono et summo malo sententiam sine dubitatione tenebimus. Nunc illud quaerimus, qualis sis amatōr sapientiae, quam castissimo consþectu atque amplexu, nullo interposito velamento quasi nudam vedere ac tenere desideras, qualem se illa non sinit, nisi
paucissimis et electissimis amatoribus suis. An vero si alicujus pulchrae feminae amore flagrares, jure se tibi non daret, si aliud abs te quidquam praeter se amari comþerisset; sapientiae se tibi castissima pulchritudo, nisi solam arseris, demonstrabit?
A. Quid ergo adhuc susþendor infelix, et cruciatu miserabili differor? Jam certe ostendi nihil aliud me amare, siquidem quod non propter se amatur, non amatur. Ego autem solam propter se amo
