ǣgðer ge þisne weig gelimpfulran gedō þonne hē ǣr þissum wes, ge hūru[1] mīnes mōdes ēagan tō þām ongelīhte þæt ic mage rihtne weig āredian tō þām ēcan hāme, and tō þām ēcan āre, and tō þāre ēcan reste, þe ūs gehāten is þurh þā hālgan fæderas. Sīe swā.
Nis hit nān wundor þēah man swilc[2] ontimber gewirce ēac on þāre ūtlāde[3] and ēac on þǣre bytlinge; ac ǣlcne man lyst, siððan hē ǣnig cotlȳf on his hlāfordes lǣne myd his fultume getimbred hæfð[4], þæt hē hine mōte hwīlum þāron gerestan, and huntigan, and fuglian, and fiscian, and his on gehwilce wīsan tō þēre lǣnan tilian, ǣgþær ge on sē ge on lande, oð[5] þone fyrst þe hē bōcland and ǣce yrfe þurh his hlāfordes miltse geearnige. Swā gedō se wilega gifola[6], se ðe ēgðer wilt ge þissa lǣnena stōclīfe ge þāra ēcena hāma. Sē ðe ǣgþer gescōp and ǣgþeres wilt, forgife mē þæt mē tō ǣgðrum onhagige, ge hēr nytwyrðe[7] tō bēonne, ge hūru[8] þider tō cumane.
Agustinus, Cartaina bisceop, worhte twā bēc be his āgnum ingeþance. Þā bēc sint gehātene Soliloquiorum, þæt is, be hys mōdes[9] smēaunge and twēounga; hū hys gescēadwīsnes answarode hys mōde, þonne þæt mōd ymbe hwæt twēonode, oðþe hit hwæs wilnode tō witanne þæs þe hit ǣr for sweotole ongytan ne meahte.[10]
