The Seasons for Fasting

Wæs on ealddagum Israheala folc þurh Moysen, mærne lareow, anlyht and gelared, swa hine lifes frea, heofna heahcyning, her on life þurh his sylfes word sette for leodum, rincum to ræde, and him runa gescead sylfum asæde, hu he þone soþan weg leofum leodscipe læran sceolde. þa se leoda fruma larum fyligde heofena heahcyninges, and þa hæleþ samod, swa hie on leodscipe lærede wæron; gyf hie wancule weorc ongunnon, heom þæs of heofonum hearm to leane asende sigora god, and hie sona to him

fryþa wilnodan and þær fundon raþe, gif hie leohtras heora letan gewyrpan. Feala is mægena þe sio mære þeod on þam herescype heold and worhte, þendan hie lifes frean lufian woldon; ac him se ende wearð earm and þrealic, þa hie besyredon sylfne dryhten, on beam setton and to byrgenne gedemdon; he þær bedigled wæs, and þy þryddan dæge þeodum ætywed. We þæt gehyrdon hæleþa mænige on bocstafum breman and writan, þæt hie fæstenu feower heoldon and þonne offredan unmæne neat,

þæt is lamb oþþe styrc, leofum to tacne þe for worulde wæs womma bedæled. Ac arisan ongan rices ealdor of byrgenne, blæda gefylled, and mid heofenwarum ham gesohte, eard mid englum, and us eallum þone hyht and gehateð, gyf we his willaþ þurh rihtne sefan rædum fyligan. Na þær in cumeð atele gefylled, womme gewesed, ac scal on wyrd sceacan. Nu we herian sceolan her for life deorne dædfruman, and him geara gerim ælmesdædum ure gefyllan, and on fæstenum, swa se froda iu

Moyses mælde, and we þa mearce sceolan heoldan higefæste mid Anglum, swa hie gebrefde us beorn on Rome, Gregorius, gumena papa. We þæt forme sceolan fæsten heowan on þære ærestan wucan lengtenes, on þam monþe þe man Martius geond Romwara rice nemneð, and þær twelfe sceolan torhtum dihte runa gerædan in þæs rican hofe, heofona heahcyninges, herian mid sange, wlancne weorþian wuldres bryttan. Ofer þa Eastertid oþer fæsten ys to bremenne Brytena leodum

mid gelicum lofe, þe gelesen hafað on þære wucan þe æfter cumeð þam sunnandæge þe geond sidne wang Pentecostenes dæg preostas nemnað, on þam monþe, þæs þe me þinceð, þe man Iunius gearum nemde. ðonne is þæt þrydde þinga gehwelces fæsten on foldan fyra bearnum dihte gelicum on þam deoran hofe to brymenne beorhtum sange on þære wucan þe ærur byð emnihtes dæge ælda beornum, on þam monþe, mine gefræge, þe man September genemneð.

We þæt feorþe sceolen fæsten gelæstan on þære wucan þe bið ærur full dryhtnes gebyrde, and we mid deornum scylan wordum and weorcum wuldres cyninge in þa ylcan tid eallum gemynde þeodne deman þinga gehwylces, efne swa swa ærran, and þone arwesan leofne leoda frean lifes biddan. On þissum fæstenum is se feorþa dæg and sixta samod seofoþa getinge to gelæstanne lifes ealdre and to bremenne boca gerynum emb þa nigoþan tyd; nan is on eorþan, butan hine unhæl an geþreatige,

þe mot, hæt, oþþe wæt ærur þingan, þæs þe us boca dom þeodlic demeð. Gif þe þonne secgan suþan cymene bryttan Franca, þæt þu gebann sceole her on eorþan ænig healdan, þæs þe Moyses iu mælde to leodum, na þu þæs andfeng æfre gewyrþe, ac þu þæt sylfe heald þæt þe suþan com from Romana rices hyrde, Gregoriæ, gumena papa. þus he gesette sylf ond dyhte þa þenunga, þeodlareow, fæstendtida; we þam forþ nu gyt geond Engla land estum filiað.

Swa he æt þæm setle sylfa gedemde, 100 sancte Petres preostas syþþan lange lifes tyd leordun þæt sylfe, þæt þu oþrum ne scealt æfre filian. Eac we feowertig daga fæsten healden ær þæm æriste ures dryhtnes, 105 þæt nu lengtentid leoda nemnað, and hit ærest ongan eorl se goda, mære Moyses, ær he on munt styge; he þæt fæsten heold feowertig daga and nyhta samod, swa he nahtes anbat 110

ær he þa deoran æ dryhtnes anfenge. Him þær gesealde sylfe dryhten bremne boca cræft, bæle behlæned, of his haligan handa gescrifene, het hine leodum þone leoran and tæcan 115 elda orþancum eallum to tacne, þæt we mid fæstene magon freode gewinnan and þa deopan dryhtnes gerynu, þa þe leoran sceolan leoda gehwylce, gif us þære duguþe hwæt dryhten sylleð. 120 Eft Helias, eorl se mæra, him on westene wiste geþigede,

þær him symbelbread somod mid wætere dryhtnes engla sum dihte togeanes, and se gestrangud wearð styþum gyfle 125 to gefæstenne feowertig daga and nihta samod, swa he nahtes anbat ær he on Horeb dun hali ferde. Uton þæt gerine rihte gehicgan, þæt se mæra þegen mihta ne hæfde 130 to astigenne stæppon on ypplen ær him þæt symbel wearþ seald fram engle. We sint on westene wuldres blisse on þæm ænete ealra gefeana;

nu is helpes tid, halig dryhten, 135 hu we munt þinne mærne gestygan. Sint for englas geteald eorþbugendum þa þe dryhtnes word dædum lærað. We þa andlifene ofstum þycgen and þone deoran wist, dryhtnes lare; 140 uton fæstan swa fyrene dædum on forhæfenesse her for life, þæt we þæs muntes mægen mærþa gestigan swa se ealda dyde Elias iu. Is to hicganne hu se halga gewat 145

of þissum wangstede wuldres neosian; hine fyren scryd feower mærum wlangum wicgum on weg ferede on neorxnawong, þær us nergend Crist gehaten hafað ham mid blisse, 150 gif we þæt fæsten her fyrena gelæstað and þone uplican æþel secað. Nu wæs æt nehstan þæt us nergend Crist, halig heofenes weord, heolp and lærde. He hine dyppan let deorum þweale, 155 fulwihtes bæðe, fyrena bedæled, and he feowertig daga firsude mettas,

eac nihta swa feala nanuht gyltig, leodum to lare, þæt hie on lengten sceolan efen feowertig daga fæsten hewan. 160 Hine costude þær Cristes gewinna on þæm ænete eald and fræte, geseah mærne frean mannum gelicne and þa wenan ongann, wommes gemyndig, þæt he stræla his stellan mihte 165 on þam lichoman; næs þæs leahtra nan, ac on hinder gewat hearmes brytta, and þær englas hyra ealdor sohtan. Higesynnig man, gyf þe susla weard

costian durre, þonne he Crist dyde, 170 wereda wulderfrean, womma leasne, ne mæg he þæs inne ahwæt scotian gif he myrcels næfþ manes æt egum, ac he on hinder scriþ, and þe halig englas ærfæste æghwær helpað, 175 gif þu dryhtnes her dædum fylgest. Hæbbe we nu gemearcod hu þa mæran iu feowertig daga fæsten hewdon, and we bebeodað þurh beorn godes þæt manna gehwilc þe for moldan wunað 180

ær þam æreste ures dryhtnes efen feowertig daga fæsten hewe oþ þa nigoþan tid, and he na bruce flæsces oþþe fyrna, þæ læs þe he fah wese. Sceolan sacerdas singan mæssan, 185 dæghwamlice dryhten biddan on þam fæstenne þæt he freond wese folce gynd foldan, and þa fyrna sceolan þam sacerdan secgan gehwilce and þa dymnissa dædum betan 190 wordes and weorces, wuldres ealdor þurh ælmesdæde eall gegladian.

þonne is þearf micel þeoda mænium þæt þa sacerdos sylfe ne gyltan, ne on leahtrum hiora ligegen to fæste. 195 Hwa mæg þyngian þreale hwilcum wiþ his arwesan, gyf he him ærur hæfð bitere onbolgen, and þæs bote ne deð, ac þa æbyligþe ealdere wrohte, dæghwamlice dædum niwað? 200 Gyf se sacerd hine sylfne ne cunne þurh dryhtnes ege dugeþum healdan, nu þa, folces mann, fyrna ne gyme þe gehalgod mann her gefremme,

ac þu lare scealt lustum fremman 205 ryhthicgennde þe he to ræde tæchð, drince he him þæt drofe oððe þæt dæghluttre wæter of wege, þæt is wuldres lare. Ac ic secgan mæg, sorgum hremig, hu þa sacerdas sace niwiað, 210 dæghwamlice dryhten gremiað and mid æfeste ælcne forlædað þe him fylian wyle folces manna; sona hie on mergan mæssan syngað and forþegide, þurste gebæded, 215

æfter tæppere teoþ geond stræta. Hwæt! Hi leaslice leogan ongynnað and þone tæppere tyhtaþ gelome, secgaþ þæt he synleas syllan mote ostran to æte and æþele wyn 220 emb morgentyd, þæs þe me þingeð þæt hund and wulf healdað þa ilcan wisan on worulde and ne wigliað hwæne hie to mose fon, mæða bedæled. Hi þonne sittende sadian aginnað, 225 sinne semað, syllað gelome, cweðað goddlife gumena gehwilcum

þæt wines dreng welhwa mote, siþþan he mæssan hafað, meþig þicgan, etan ostran eac and oþerne 230 fisc of flode