ǣac māren āre and māren wuldor. Hwæðer þē nū gǣt sī genōh sweotole gesēd be þām wīsdōme and be þāre Godes ansīne?
A. Gēa; genōh wel ic gelīfe þæt[1] wē nāne wiuht ne þurfon forlǣtan þæs wīsdōmes þe wē nū habbað, þēah sēo sāwl and se līchama hȳ gedǣlan. Ac ic gelȳfe þæt ūre gewit weorðe myd þī swīðe miclum geǣced, þēah wē eall witan [ne] magen ǣr dōmes dæge þæt þæt [wē] witan[2] woldon. Ac ic gelȳfe æfter dōmes dæge þæt ūs ne bēo nānwiht dȳhle, nāwðer nē þæs þe on ūrum dagum byð[3], nē þæs þe ǣr[4] ūs wæs, nē þæs þe æfter ūs gewyrð. Þū hæfst mē nū manega bȳsna gereihte, and ic hæbbe[5] sælf gesegen on hālgum bōcum gewritum mā þonne ic āreccan[6] mage, oððe furðum gemunan mage. Þū tēhtest mē ēac swā ungelygena gewittnesse swā ic nān oððer dōn ne mæg, būte ic nǣde scall hym gelīfan; forðām gyf [ic] nānre wācran gewitnesse ne gelȳfe, þonne wāt ic swīðe lȳtel oððer nānwiht. Hwæt wāt ic būton pat ic wilnie[7] þæt wē be Gode witan swā sweotole swā wē woldon? Ac þæt mōd is mid þām[8] līchaman gehefegod and ābysgod, þæt wē ne magon myd þæs mōdes ēagum nān þing gesēon swylc swilc hyt is, ðē mā[9] þe ðū myht hwīlum þǣre sunnan scȳman gesēon, þonne þā wolcnan scēotað betwēon hyre and þē; and þēah hēo scȳnað swīðe beorhte þǣr þēr hēo bēoð. Ne furðum þēah þēr nān wolcne sī betwēon þē and hyre, þū hȳ ne myht ful sweotole gesēon swilce swilc hēo is, forðām þū ne eart ðēr þǣr hēo is; nē þīn līchaman þǣr bēon ne mæg, nē þīn lȳchamlican ǣagan þǣr nāwer nēah cuman ne magon, nē þēr nēah ge gesēon. Ne furðan þone mōnan, þe ūs nēar is, wē ne magon gesēon swilcne swilc hē is. Wē witon þæt hē is brādre ðonne se[10] myddaneard, and þēah ne þincð ūs hwīlum þē bradder þe ān scyld for þǣre firlene[11]. Nū þū hæfst[11] gehȳred þæt wē nāðer nē myd þæs mōdes ēagan nānwiht ne magon of þisse weorulde gesēon eallunga swā-swā hyt is; ac of ðām dǣle þe wē hys gesēoð wē sceolun gelīfan þane dēl þe wē hys
