HS OE Prose - Wulfstan, Sermo Lupi ad Anglos - page 1
Sermo Lupi ad Anglos, quando Dani
maxime persecuti sunt eos quod fuit anno
millesimo XIIII ab incarnatione domini
nostri Iesu Cristi:
(1) Leofan men gecnawa t so is: eos
worolde is on ofste & hit nealc am ende.
(2) & y hit is on worolde aa swa leng swa
wyrse, & swa hit sceal nyde for folces synnan
fram dge to dge, r antecristes tocyme,
yfelian swye. (3) & huru hit wyr nne
egeslic & grimlic wide on worolde. (4)
Understanda eac georne t deofol as eode
nu fela geara dwelode to swye, & t lytle
getreowa wran mid mannum, eah hy wel
sprcan. (5) & unrihta to fela ricsode on lande,
& ns a fela manna e smeade ymbe a bote
swa georne swa man scolde, ac dghwamlice
man ihte yfel fter orum, & unriht rrde &
unlaga manege ealles to wide gynd ealle as
eode.
(6) & we eac foram habba fela byrsta &
bysmara gebiden, & gif we nige bote gebidan
scylan onne mote we s to Gode ernian bet
onne we r ysan dydan. (7) Foram mid
miclan earnungan we geearnedan a yrma e
us on sitta & mid swye micelan earnungan
we a bote motan t Gode gercan, gif hit
sceal heonanfor godiende weoran. (8) La
hwt we witan ful georne t to miclan bryce
sceal micel bot nyde, & to miclan bryne wter
unlytel, gif man t fyr sceal to ahte acwen-
can. (9) & micel is nydearf eac manna ge-
hwilcum t he Godes lage gyme heonanfor
georne bet onne he r dyde, & Godes gerihta
mid rihte gelste. (10) On henum eodum
ne dear man forhealdan lytel, ne micel, s e
gelagod is to gedwolgoda weorunge, & we
forhealda ghwr Godes gerihta ealles to
gelome. (11) & ne dear man gewanian on
henum eo dum, inne ne ute, nig ra
inga e gedwolgodan broht bi & to lacum
The sermon of the Wolf to the English, when
the Danes were greatly persecuting them,
which was in the year 1014 after the Incarna-
tion of our Lord Jesus Christ:
(1) Beloved men, know that which is true: this
world is in haste and it nears the end. (2) And
therefore things in this world go ever the
longer the worse, and so it must needs be that
things quickly worsen, on account of people's
sinning from day to day, before the coming of
Antichrist. (3) And indeed it will then be awful
and grim widely throughout the world. (4)
Understand also well that the Devil has now
led this nation astray for very many years, and
that little loyalty has remained among men,
though they spoke well. (5) And too many
crimes reigned in the land, and there were
never many of men who deliberated about the
remedy as eagerly as one should, but daily
they piled one evil upon another, and commit-
ted injustices and many violations of law all
too widely throughout this entire land.
(6) And we have also therefore endured many
injuries and insults, and if we shall experience
any remedy then we must deserve better of
God than we have previously done. (7) For
with great deserts we have earned the misery
that is upon us, and with truly great deserts we
must obtain the remedy from God, if hence-
forth things are to improve. (8) Lo, we know
full well that a great breach of law shall neces-
sitate a great remedy, and a great fire shall
necessitate much water, if that fire is to be
quenched. (9) And it is also a great necessity
for each of men that he henceforth eagerly
heed the law of God better than he has done,
and justly pay God's dues. (10) In heathen
lands one does not dare withhold little nor
much of that which is appointed to the worship
of false gods; and we withhold everywhere
God's dues all too often. (11) And in heathen
lands one dares not curtail, within or without
the temple, anything brought to the false gods

betht bi. (12) & we habba Godes hus, inne
& ute, clne berypte lcra gerisena, & Godes
eowas syndan me & munde gewelhwr
bedlde. (13) & sume men secga t ge-
dwolgoda enan ne dear man misbeodan on
nige wisan mid henum leodum, swa swa
man Godes eowum nu de to wide, r
Cristene scoldan Godes lage healdan & Godes
eowas griian.
(14) Ac so is t ic secge: earf is re bote
foram Godes gerihta wanedan to lange innan
ysse eode on ghwylcan nde, & folclaga
wyrsedan ealles to swye, syan Eadgar
geendode. (15) & halignessa syndan to
grilease wide & Godes hus syndan to clne
berypte ealdra gerihta & innan bestrypte lcra
gerisena. (16) & wydewan syndan wide for-
nydde on unriht to ceorle & to mnege
foryrmde & gehynede swye, & earme men
syndan sare beswicene & hreowlice besyrwde,
& ut of ysan earde wide gesealde swye un-
forworhte fremdum to gesealde, & cradolcild
geeowede urh wlhreowe unlaga, forlytelre
yfe wide gynd as eode. (17) & freoriht
fornumene & rlriht genyrwde & lmsriht
gewanode. (18) Frige men ne motan wealdan
heora sylfna ne faran ar hi willa ne ateon
heora agen swa swa hi willa. (19) Ne rlas
ne moton habban t hi agon on agenan
hwilan mid earfean gewunnen. (20) Ne t
t heom on Godes est gode men geuon. &
to lmesgife for Godes lufan sealdon. (21) Ac
ghwilc lmesriht e man on Godes est
scolde mid rihte georne gelstan, alc man ge-
litla oe forhealde, foram unriht is to
wide mannum gemne & unlaga leofe. (22) &
hrdest is to cweenne Godes laga lae & lara
forsawenne, & s we habba ealle urh
Godes yrre bysmor gelome, gecnawe se e
cunne. (23) & se byrst wyr gemne eh man
swa ne wene eallre ysse eode butan God
beorge.
HS OE Prose - Wulfstan, Sermo Lupi ad Anglos - page 2
and entrusted as an offering. (12) And we have
entirely stripped God's houses of everything
fitting, within and without, and God's servants
are everywhere deprived of honor and protec-
tion. (13) And some men say that no man dare
abuse the servants of false gods in any way
among heathen people, just as is now done
widely to the servants of God, where Christ-
ians ought to observe the law of God and
protect the servants of God.
(14) But what I say is true: there is need for
that remedy because God's dues have dimin-
ished too long in this land in every district, and
laws of the people have deteriorated entirely
too greatly, since Edgar died. (15) And sanc-
tuaries are too widely violated, and God's
houses are entirely stripped of all dues and are
stripped within of everything fitting. (16) And
widows are widely forced to marry in unjust
ways and too many are impoverished and fully
humiliated; and poor men are sorely betrayed
and cruelly defrauded, and sold widely out of
this land into the power of foreigners, though
innocent; and infants are enslaved by means of
cruel injustices, on account of petty theft
everywhere in this nation. (17) And the rights
of freemen are taken away and the rights of
slaves are restricted and charitable obligations
are curtailed. (18) Free men may not keep their
independence, nor go where they wish, nor
deal with their property just as they desire;
(19) nor may slaves have that property which,
on their own time, they have obtained by
means of difficult labor, (20) or that which
good men, in Gods favor, have granted them,
and given to them in charity for the love of
God. (21) But every man decreases or with-
holds every charitable obligation that should
by rights be paid eagerly in Gods favor, for in-
justice is too widely common among men and
lawlessness is too widely dear to them. (22)
And in short, the laws of God are hated and his
teaching despised; therefore we all are fre-
quently disgraced through God's anger, let him
know it who is able. (23) And that loss will be-
come universal, although one may not think
so, to all these people, unless God protects us.
 HS OE Prose - Wulfstan, Sermo Lupi ad Anglos - page 3

(24) Foram hit is on us eallum swutol & earde. (33) & godsibbas & godbearn to fela
gesene t we r ysan oftor brcan onne
we bettan, & y is ysse eode fela onsge.
(25) Ne dohte hit nu lange inne ne ute: ac ws
here & hungor, nu bryne & blodgyte on
gewelhwylcan ende oft & gelome. (26) & us

stalu & cwalu, stric & steorfa, orfcwealm &

uncou, hol & hete, & rypera reaflac derede

swye earle. (27) & us ungylda swye

gedrohtan, & us unwedera foroft weoldan
unwstma; foram on ysan earde ws, swa
hit incan mg, nu fela geara unrihta fela &
tealte getrywa ghwr mid mannum.
(28) Ne bearh nu foroft gesib gesibban e ma
e fremdan, ne fder his bearne, ne hwilum
bearn his agenum fder, ne broor orum.

(29) Ne ure nig his lif ne fadode swa swa he

scolde, ne gehadode regellice, ne lwede
lahlice. Ac worhtan lust us to lage ealles to
gelome, & naor ne heoldan ne lare ne lage
Godes ne manna, swa swa we scoldan. (30) Ne

nig wi oerne getrywlice ohte swa rihte

swa he scolde, ac mst lc swicode & orum
derede wordes & dde, & huru unrihtlice
mst lc oerne ftan heawe mid
sceandlican onscytan & mid wrohtlacan -- do
mare gif he mge.

(31) Foram her syn on lande ungetrywa

micle for Gode & for worolde, & eac her syn,
on earde, on mistlice wisan hlafordswican
manege: & ealra mst hlafordswice se bi on
worolde t man his hlafordes saule beswice.
(32) & ful micel hlafordswice eac bi on
worolde t man his hlaford of life forrde,
oon of lande lifiendne drife, & ger is

geworden on ysan earde: Eadweard man

forrdde, & syan acwealde & fter am
forbrnde; and elred mon drfde ut of his

(24) Therefore it is clear and well seen in all of
us that we have previously more often trans-
gressed than we have amended, and therefore
much is greatly assailing this nation. (25) No-
thing has prospered now for a long time either
at home or abroad, but there has been military
devastation and hunger, burning and blood-
shed in nearly every district time and again.
(26) And stealing and slaying, plague and
pestilence, murrain and disease, malice and
hate, and the robbery by robbers have injured
us very terribly. (27) And excessive taxes have
afflicted us, and storms have very often caused
failure of crops; therefore in this land there
have been, as it may appear, many years now
of injustices and unstable loyalties everywhere
among men. (28) Now very often a kinsman
does not spare his kinsman any more than the
foreigner, nor the father his children, nor
sometimes the child his own father, nor one
brother the other. (29) Neither has any of us
ordered his life just as he should, neither the
ecclesiastic according to the rule nor the lay-
man according to the law, but we have trans-
formed desire into laws for us entirely too
often, and have kept neither precepts nor laws
of God or men just as we should. (30) Neither
has anyone had loyal intentions with respect to
others as justly as he should, but almost
everyone has deceived and injured another by
words and deeds; and indeed almost everyone
unjustly stabs the other from behind with
shameful assaults and with wrongful accusa-
tions -- let him do more, if he may.
(31) For there are in this nation great disloyal-
ties for matters of the Church and the state,
and also there are in the land many who betray
their lords in various ways: and the greatest of
all betrayals of a lord one can think of is that a
man betrays the soul of his lord. (32) And a
very great betrayal of a lord it is also in the
world, that a man betray his lord to death, or
drive him living from the land, and both have
come to pass in this land: Edward was
betrayed, and then killed, and after that
burned; and thelred was driven out of his
land. (33) And too many sponsors and god-
HS OE Prose - Wulfstan, Sermo Lupi ad Anglos - page 4
man forspilde wide gynd as eode, toeacan
oron ealles to manegan e man unscyldige
forfor, ealles to wide. (34) & ealles to mnege
haligestowa wide forwurdan urh t e man
-- sume men r am gelogode swa manna ne
scolde, gif man on Godes grie me witan
wolde.
(35) & cristenes folces to fela man gesealde ut
of ysan earde, nu ealle hwile, & eal t is
Gode la, gelyfe se e wille. (36) Eac we
witan georne hwr seo yrm gewear &
scandlic is to specenne t geworden is to
wide. (37) & egeslic is to witanne t oft do
to manege, e dreoga a yrme hwilum, t
sceota togdere & ane cwenan gemnum
ceape bicga gemne & wi a ane fyle
adreoga, an fter anum & lc fter arum
hundum geliccast e for fyle ne scrifa. (38)
& syan wi weore sylla of lande feondum
to gewealde Godes gesceafte -- & his agenne
ceap e He deore gebohte. (39) Eac we witan
georne hwr seo yrm gewear t fder
gesealde bearn wi weore, & bearn his
modor, & broor sealde oerne fremdum to
gewealde, & ut of isse eode. (40) Eal t
syndan micle & egeslice dda, understande se
e wille. (41) & gyt hit is mare & eac mnig
fealdre t dere ysse eode: mnige synd
forsworene & swye forlogene & wed synd to
brocene oft & gelome, & t is gesyne on
ysse eode t us Godes yrre hetelice on sit,
gecnewe se e cunne.
(42) And la! Hu mg mare scamu urh Godes
yrre mannum gelimpan onne us de gelome
for agenum gewyrhtum? (43) eh rla wylc
hlaforde thleape & of Cristendom to wicinge
weore, & hit fter am eft geweore t
wpngewrixl weore gemne egene &
rle: gif rl ne egen fullice afyllen
licge gylde ealre his mge, &, gif se egen
 HS OE Prose - Wulfstan, Sermo Lupi ad Anglos - page 5
children have been killed widely through- out
this nation, in addition to entirely too many
other innocent people who have been destroy-
ed entirely too widely. (34) And entirely too
many holy religious foundations have deterior-
ated because some men have previously been
placed in them who ought not to have been, if
one wished to show respect to God's sanctuary.
(35) And too many Christian men have been
sold out of this land, now for a long time, and
all this is entirely hateful to God, let him
believe it who will. (36) Also we know well
where this crime has occurred, and it is shame-
ful to speak of that which has happened too
widely. (37) And it is terrible to know what too
many do often, those who for a while carry out
a miserable deed, who contribute together and
buy a woman as a joint purchase between them
and practice foul sin with that one woman, one
after another, and each after the other like dogs
that care not about filth; (38) and then for a
price they sell a creature of God - His own
purchase that He bought at a great cost - into
the power of enemies. (39) Also we know well
where the crime has occurred such that the
father has sold his son for a price, and the son
his mother, and one brother has sold the other
into the power of foreigners, and out of this
nation. (40) All of those are great and terrible
deeds, let him understand it who will. (41) And
yet what is injuring this nation is still greater
and manifold: many are forsworn and greatly
perjured and more vows are broken time and
again, and it is clear to this people that God's
anger violently oppresses us, let him know it
who can.
(42) And lo! How may greater shame befall
men through the anger of God than often does
us for our own sins? (43) Although it happens
that a slave escape from a lord and, leaving
Christendom becomes a Viking, and after that
it happens again that a hostile encounter takes
place between thane and slave, if the slave
kills the thane, he lies without wergild paid to
any of his kinsmen; but if the thane kills the
ne rl e he r ahte fullice afylle, gylde
egengylde. (44) Ful earhlice laga & scand-
lice nydgyld urh Godes yrre us syn gemne;
understande se e cunne. (45) & fela unge-
limpa gelimp ysse eode oft & gelome: ne
dohte hit nu lange inne ne ute. Ac ws here &
hete on gewelhwilcan ende, oft & gelome, &
Engle nu lange eal sigelease & to swye
geyrigde urh Godes yrre. (46) & flotmen swa
strange urh Godes afunge, t oft on
gefeohte anfese tyne, & twegen oft twentig,
& hwilum ls hwilum ma, eal for urum
synnum. (47) & oft tyne oe twelfe, lc fter
orum, scenda to bysmore s egenes
cwenan & hwilum his dohtor oe nydmagan,
r he on loca, e lt hine sylfene rancne &
ricne & genoh godne r t gewurde. (48) &
oft rl ne egen e r ws his hlaford
cnyt swye fste & wyrc him to rle urh
Godes yrre. (49) Wala re yrme & wala
re woroldscame e nu habba Engle eal
urh Godes yrre. (50) Oft twegen smn,
oe ry hwilum, driwa a drafe cristentra
manna fram s to s -- ut urh as eode,
gewelede togdere, us eallum to woruld-
scame, gif we on eornost nige cuon ariht
understandan. (51) Ac eal ne ne bysmor e
we oft olia, we gylda mid weorscype am
e us scenda. (52) We him gylda singallice
& hy us hyna dghwamlice; hy herga & hy
brna, rypa & reafia, & to scipe lda.
(53) & la hwt! Is nig oer on eallum am
gelimpum butan Godes yrre ofer as eode
swutol & gesne?
(54) Nis eac nan wundor eah us mislimpe:
foram we witan ful georne t nu fela geara
mnn na ne rohtan, foroft, hwt hy worhtan
wordes oe dde. (55) Ac wear es eod-
scipe, swa hit incan mg, swye forsyngod
urh mnigfealde synna & urh fela misdda:
urh mordda & urh mandda, urh git-
sunga & urh gifernessa, urh stala & urh
 HS OE Prose - Wulfstan, Sermo Lupi ad Anglos - page 6
slave that he had previously owned, he must
pay the price of a thane. (44) Full shameful
laws and disgraceful tributes are common
among us, through God's anger, let him under-
stand it who is able. (45) And many mis-
fortunes befall this nation time and again:
things have not prospered now for a long time
neither at home nor abroad, but there has been
destruction and hate in every district time and
again, and the English have been entirely
defeated for a long time now, and very truly
disheartened through the anger of God. (46)
And pirates are so strong through the consent
of God, that often in battle one drives away
ten, and two often drive away twenty, some-
times fewer and sometimes more, entirely on
account of our sins. (47) And often ten or
twelve, each after the other, insult the thane's
woman disgracefully, and sometimes his
daughter or close kinswomen, while he looks
on, he that considered himself brave and
strong and good enough before that happened.
(48) And often a slave binds very fast the
thane who previously was his lord and makes
him into a slave through God's anger. (49) Alas
the misery and alas the public shame that the
English now have, entirely through God's
anger. (50) Often two sailors, or three for a
while, drive groups of Christian men from sea
to sea -- out through this nation, huddled to-
gether, as a public shame for us all, if we could
seriously and properly know any shame. (51)
But all the insult that we often suffer, we repay
by honoring those who insult us. (52) We pay
them continually and they humiliate us daily;
they ravage and they burn, plunder and rob
and carry to the ship; (53) and lo! what else is
there in all these happenings except God's
anger clear and evident over this nation?
(54) It is no wonder that there is mishap
among us: because we know full well that now
for many years men have too often not cared
what they did by word or deed; (55) but this
nation, as it may appear, has become very
corrupt through manifold sins and through
many misdeeds: through murder and through
evil deeds, through avarice and through greed,
strudunga, urh mannsylena & urh hene
unsida, urh swicdomas & urh searacrftas,
urh lahbrycas & urh swicas, urh mgr-
sas & urh manslyhtas, urh hadbrycas & urh
wbrycas, urh siblegeru & urh mistlice for-
ligru. (56) & eac syndan wide, swa we r
cwdan, ur abricas & urh wedbrycas, &
urh mistlice leasunga forloren, & forlogen ma
onne scolde, & freolsbricas & fstenbrycas
wide geworhte oft & gelome. (57) & eac her
syn on earde Godes wiersacan, apostatan
abroene & cyrichatan hetole, & leodhatan
grimme ealles to manege, & oferhogan wide
godcundra rihtlaga & cristenra eawa, &
hocorwyrde dysige ghwr on eode oftost of
a ing e Godes bodan beoda & swyost on
a ing e fre to Godes lage gebyria mid
rihte. (58) & y is nu geworden wide & side to
ful yfelan gewunan t menn swyor scama
nu for godddan onne for misddan; foram
to oft man mid hocere god dda hyrwe &
Godfyhte lehtre ealles to swye & swyost
man tle & mid olle gegrete ealles to
gelome a e riht lufia. & Godes ege habba
be nigum dle. (59) & urh t e man swa
de t man eal hyrwe t man scolde
heregian & to for laet t man scolde
lufian, urh t man gebringe ealles to
manege on yfelan geance & on undaede, swa
t hy ne scama na eh hy syngian swye &
wid God sylfne forwyrcan hy mid ealle; (60)
ac for idelan onscytan hy scama t hy betan
heora misdda, swa swa bec tcan, gelice
am dwsan e for heora wrytan lewe nella
beorgan: r hy na ne magan, eh hy eal willan.
(61) Her syndan urh synleawa, swa hit incan
mg, sare gelewede to manege on earde. (62)
Her syndan, swa we r sdon, mannslagan &
mgslagan & msserbanan & mynsterhatan &
 HS OE Prose - Wulfstan, Sermo Lupi ad Anglos - page 7
through stealing and through robbery, through
man-selling and through heathen vices,
through betrayals and through frauds, through
attacks on kinsmen and through manslaughter,
through injury of men in holy orders and
through adultery, through incest and through
various fornications. (56) And also, far and
wide, as we said before, more than should be
are lost and perjured through the breaking of
oaths and through violations of pledges, and
through various lies; and non-observances of
church feasts and fasts widely occur time and
again. (57) And also there are here in the land
God's adversaries, degenerate apostates, and
hostile persecutors of the Church and entirely
too many grim tyrants, and widespread des-
pisers of divine laws and Christian virtues, and
foolish deriders everywhere in the nation, most
often of those things that the messengers of
God command, and especially those things
that always belong to God's law by right. (58)
And therefore things have now come far and
wide to that full evil way that men are more
ashamed now of good deeds than of misdeeds;
because too often good deeds are abused with
derision and the Godfearing are blamed
entirely too much, and especially are men
reproached and all too often greeted with
contempt who love right and have fear of God
to any extent. (59) And because men do that,
entirely abusing all that they should praise and
hating too much all that they ought to love,
therefore they bring entirely too many to evil
intentions and to misdeeds, so that they are
never ashamed though they sin greatly and
commit wrongs even against God himself. (60)
But on account of idle attacks they are
ashamed to repent for their misdeeds, just as
the books teach, like those foolish men who on
account of their pride will not protect them-
selves from injury before they might no longer
do so, although they all wish for it.
(61) Here in the country, as it may appear, too
many are sorely wounded by the stains of sin.
(62) Here there are, as we said before, man-
slayers and murderers of their kinsmen, and
murderers of priests and persecutors of monas
hlafordswican & bere apostatan, & her syn-
dan mansworan & mororwyrhtan, & her syn-
dan hadbrecan & aewbrecan, & urh siblegeru
& urh mistlice forligeru forsyngode swye, &
her syndan myltestran & bearn myrrah & fule
forlegene horingas manege, & her syndan
wiccan & wlcyrian, & her syndan ryperas &
reaferas & woruldstruderas & eofas &
eodscaan, & wedlogan & wrlogan &
hrdest is to cweenne mana & misdda un-
gerim ealra: (63) & s us ne scama na, ac
s us scama swye t we bote agennan,
swa swa bec tcan, & t is gesyne on ysse
earman forsyngodan eode. (64) Ea la! Micel
magan manege git hertoeacan eae beencan
s e an man ne mehte on hrdinge
asmeagan, hu earmlice hit gefaren is nu ealle
hwile wide gynd as eode. (65) & smeage
huru georne gehwa hine sylfne, & s na ne
latige ealles to lange. (66) Ac la, on Godes
naman, utan don swa us neod is, beorgan us
sylfum swa we geornost magan, e ls we
tgdere ealle forweoran.
(67) An eodwita ws on Brytta tidum, Gildas
hatte. (68) Se awrat be heora misddum, hu hy
mid heora synnum swa oferlice swye God
gegrmedan, t He let t nyhstan Engla here
heora eard gewinnan, & Brytta dugee foron
mid ealle. (69) & t ws geworden s e
he sde, urh gelredra regolbryce & urh
lwedra lahbryce, urh ricra reaflac & urh
gitsunge wohgestreona; urh leode unlaga &
urh wohdomas, urh biscopas asolcennesse &
unsnotornesse, & urh lyre yrhe Godes
bydela, e soes geswugedan ealles to gelome
& clumedan mid ceaflum r hy scoldan
clypian. (70) urh fulne eac folces glsan &
urh oferfylla & mnigfealde synna heora
eard hy forworhtan & selfe hy forwurdan. (71)

Ac wutan don swa us earf is warnian us be
HS OE Prose - Wulfstan, Sermo Lupi ad Anglos - page 8
teries, and traitors and notorious apostates, and
here there are perjurers and murderers, and
here there are injurers of men in holy orders
and adulterers, and people greatly corrupted
through incest and through various fornica-
tions, and here there are harlots and infanti-
cides and many foul adulterous fornicators,
and here there are witches and sorceresses, and
here there are robbers and plunderers and pilf-
erers and thieves, and injurers of the people
and pledge-breakers and treaty-breakers, and,
in short, a countless number of all crimes and
misdeeds. (63) And we are not at all ashamed
of it, but we are greatly ashamed to begin the
remedy just as the books teach, and that is
evident in this wretched and corrupt nation.
(64) Alas, many a great kinsman can easily
call to mind much in addition which one man
could not hastily investigate, how wretchedly
things have fared now all the time now widely
throughout this nation. (65) And indeed let
each one examine himself well, and not delay
this all too long. (66) But lo, in the name of
God, let us do as is needful for us, protect
ourselves as earnestly as we may, lest we all
perish together.
(67) There was a historian in the time of the
Britons, called Gildas, (68) who wrote about
their misdeeds, how with their sins they
infuriated God so excessively that He finally
allowed the English army to conquer their
land, and to destroy the host of the Britons
entirely. (69) And that came about, just as he
said, through breach of rule by the clergy and
through breach of laws by laymen, through
robbery by the strong and through coveting of
ill-gotten gains, violations of law by the people
and through unjust judgments, through the
sloth of the bishops and folly, and through the
wicked cowardice of messengers of God, who
swallowed the truths entirely too often and
they mumbled through their jaws where they
should have cried out; (70) also through foul
pride of the people and through gluttony and
manifold sins they destroyed their land and
they themselves perished. (71) But let us do as
is necessary for us, take warning from such;
 HS OE Prose - Wulfstan, Sermo Lupi ad Anglos - page 9

swilcan, & so is t ic secge, wyrsan dda and it is true what I say, we know of worse
we witan mid Englum, sume gewordene onne deeds among the English than we have heard
we mid Bryttan hwar gehyrdan. (72) & y us of anywhere among the Britons; (72) and
is earf micel t we us beencan & wi God therefore there is a great need for us to take
thought for ourselves, and to intercede eagerly
sylfne ingian georne. (73) & utan don swa us with God himself. (73) And let us do as is
earf is gebugan to rihte & be suman dle necessary for us, turn towards the right and to
unriht forltan, & betan swye georne t we some extent abandon wrong-doing, and eager-
ly atone for what we previously transgressed;
r brcan. (74) & utan God lufian & Godes (74) and let us love God and follow God's
lagum fylgean, & gelstan swye georne t laws, and carry out well that which we
t we behetan a e fulluht underfengan, promised when we received baptism, or those
oon a e t fulluhte ure forespecan wran, who were our sponsors at baptism; and let us
& utan word & weorc rihtlice fadian, & ure in order words and deeds justly, and cleanse our
geanc clnsian georne, & a & wed wrlice thoughts with zeal, and keep oaths and pledges
healdan, & sume getrywa habban us betweo- carefully, and have some loyalty between us
nan butan uncrftan. (75) & utan gelome without evil practice. (75) And let us often
understandan one miclam Dom e we ealle to reflect upon the great Judgment to which we
sculon & beorgan us georne wi one all shall go, and let us save ourselves from the
weallendan bryne helle wites, & geearnian us welling fire of hell torment, and gain for
a mra & a myrha e God hf ourselves the glories and joys that God has
gegearwod am e his willan on worolde prepared for those who work his will in the
gewyrca. (76) God ure helpe, Amen. world. (76) God help us. Amen.