bȳsne be þām wīsdome. Geðenc nū hweðer āwiht mani mann cynges hām sēce þēr ðǣr hē ðonne on tūne byð,[1] oððe hys gemōt, oððe hys fird, oððe hweðer ðē dince þæt hī æalle on ānne weig þeder cumen? Ic wēne þēah ðæt hī cumen on swīðe manige wegas: sume cumað swĪðe feorran and habbað swīðe længe[2] weig and swīðe yfelne and swīðe earfoðferne; sume habbað swīðe langne and swīðe rihtne and swīðe gōdne; sume habbað swīðne scortne, and þēah wōne and nearone and fuulne; sume habbað scordne and smēðne and rihtne, and þēah cumað æalle tō ānum hlāforde; sume ǣð, sume unēð, nāðer nē hī þeder gelīce ēaðe cumað, nē hī þēr gelīce ēaðe ne bēoð. Sume bēoð on māran āre and on māran ēðnesse þonne sume, sume on lǣssan, sume ful nēah būton, būton þæt ān þæt hē lufað. Swā hit bið ǣac be þām wīsdome. Ǣlc þāra þe hys wilnað and be hys geornful byt, hē hym mæg cuman tō and on hys hȳrede wunian and be lybban, þēah hī hym sume nēar[3] sīan, sume fyer; swā-swā ǣlces cynges hāma: bēoð sume on būre, sume on healle, sume on ōdene, sume on carcerne; and lybbað þēah æalle be ānes hlāfordes āre, swā-swā æalle men lybbað under ānre sunnan and be hyre lēohte[4] gesēoð þæt þæt hy gesēoð. Sume swīðe scearpe[5] and swīðe swotele lōciað; sume unǣaðe āwiht gesēoð; sume beoð stæreblind and nyttiað þēah þāre sunnan. Ac swā-swā þēos gesewe sunne ūres līchaman ǣagan onlēoht, swā onlīht se wīsdōm ūres mōdes ǣagan, þæt ys,[6] ūre angyt; and swā-swā þæs līchaman ǣagan hālren bēoð, swā hȳ māre gefōð þæs lēohtes þǣre sunnan.
nos doceat quantum potest, quomodo se illud habeat. Nam sunt non-
nulli oculi tam sani et vegeti, qui se, mox ut aþerti fuerint, in ipsum solem sine ulla trepidatione convertant. His quodammodo ipsa lux sanitas est, nec doctore indigent, sed sola fortasse admonitione. His credere, sperare, amare satis est. Alii vero ipso quem videre vehementer desiderant, fulgore feriuntur, et eo non viso saepe in tenebras cum delectatione redeunt. Quibus periculosum est, quamvis jam talibus ut sani recte dici possint, velle ostendere quod adhuc videre non valent.
