Page:Elizabeth Elstob - An English-Saxon homily on the birth-day of St. Gregory.djvu/92

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An Homily on the


gefeaxode჻ Gregorius
þa beheold þæra cnapena
wlite & befran of hwil-
cere ðeode hi gerohte
wæron. þa sæde him man
ꝥ hi of Engla lande wæ-
ron & ꝥ þara þeode men-
nisc swa wlitig wære჻
Eft þa Gregorius be-
fran hwæðen þæs landes
folc Cristen wære þe hæ-
ðene; him man sæde ꝥ
hi hea ðene wæron. Gre-
gorius þa of mewear-
dre heortan langsume
siccetunge teah & cwæð.
[1] Wæ la wa. ꝥ swa fæ-
gres hiwes men [2] syndon
þam sweartan deofle
under ðeodde჻ Eft
þa Gregorius befran
hu þære þeode nama
wære þe hi ofcumon.
him wæs geandwyrd
þæt hi Angle genemn-
de weron჻ Đa cwæð
he rihtlice hi syndon

Heads of Hair. And Gre-
gory, when he saw the
Beauty of the Young Men,
enquired from what Coun-
try they were brought, and
the Men said from England;
and that all the Men in
that Nation were as beau-
tiful. Then Gregory asked
them whether the Men of
that Land were Christians,
or Heathens; and the Men
said unto him they were
Heathens. Gregory then
fetching a long Sigh from
the very bottom of his
Heart, said, Alas! alas!
that Men of so fair a Com-
plexion should be subject to
the Prince of Darkness. Af-
ter that Gregory enquired
how they call'd the Nation
from whence they came,
To which he was answer'd,
that they were called Angle
[that is, English:] Then
said he, rightly they are

  1. Well a way is in common use to this day in the North, to express their Grief, or Surprize.
  2. Sweartan deofle. Word for word the Black Devil; the Saxon Phrase for the Prince of Darkness.