Ælfred kyning hāteð grētan Wærferð biscep his wordum luflice ǫnd frēondlice; ǫnd ðē cȳðan hāte ðæt mē cōm swīðe oft ón gemynd, hwelce wiotan iū wǣron giond Angelcynn, ǣgðer ge godcundra hāda ge woruldcundra; ǫnd hū gesǣliglica tīda ðā wǣron giond Angelcynn; ǫnd hū ðā kyningas ðe ðone ónwald hæfdon ðæs folces on ðām dagum Gode ǫnd his ǣrendwrecum hērsumedon; ǫnd hū hīe ǣgðer ge hiora sibbe ge hiora siodo ge hiora ónweald innanbordes gehīoldon, ǫnd ēac út hiora ēðel gerȳmdon; ǫnd hū him ðā spēow ǣgðer ge mid wīge ge mid wīsdōme; ǫnd ēac ðā godcundan hādas hū giorne hīe wǣron ǣgðer ge ymb lāre ge ymb liornunga, ge ymb ealle ðā ðīowotdōmas ðe hīe Gode dōn scoldon; ǫnd hū man ūtanbordes wīsdōm ǫnd lāre hieder ón lǫnd sohte, ǫnd hū wē hīe nū sceoldon ūte begietan, gif wē hīe habban sceoldon. Swǣ clǣne hīo wæs oðfeallenu ón Angelcynne ðæt swīðe fēawa wǣron behionan Humbre ðe hiora ðēninga cūðen understǫndan ón Ęnglisc oððe furðum án ǣrendgewrit of Lædene ón Ęnglisc āręccean; ǫnd ic wēne ðætte noht mǫnige begiondan Humbre nǣren. Swǣ fēawa hiora wǣron ðæt ic furðum ānne ánlępne ne mæg geðęncean be sūðan Tęmese, ðā ðā ic tō rīce fēng. Gode ælmihtegum sīe ðǫnc ðætte wē nū ǣnigne ónstāl habbað lārēowa. Ǫnd for ðon ic ðē bebīode ðæt ðū dó swǣ ic gelīefe ðæt ðū wille, ðæt ðū ðē ðissa woruldðinga tō ðǣm geǣmetige, swǣ ðū oftost mæge, ðæt ðū ðone wīsdōm ðe ðē God sealde ðǣr ðǣr ðū hiene befæstan mæge, befæste. Geðęnc hwelc wītu ús ðā becōmon for ðisse worulde, ðā ðā wē hit nōhwæðer ne selfe ne lufodon, ne ēac ōðrum mǫnnum ne lēfdon: ðone naman ānne wē lufodon ðætte wē Crīstne wǣren, ǫnd swīðe fēawe ðā ðēawas.
Ðā ic ðā ðis eall gemunde, ðā gemunde ic ēac hū ic geseah, ǣr ðǣm ðe hit eall forhęrgod wǣre ǫnd forbærned, hū ðā ciricean giond eall Angelcynn stōdon māðma ǫnd bōca gefylda, ǫnd ēac micel męnigeo Godes ðīowa; ǫnd ðā swīðe lytle fiorme ðāra bōca wiston, for ðǣm ðe hīe hiora nānwuht óngiotan ne meahton, for ðǣm ðe hīe nǣron ón hiora āgen geðīode āwritene. Swelce hīe cwǣden: ‘Ūre ieldran, ðā ðe ðās stōwa ǣr hīoldon, hīe lufodon wīsdōm, ǫnd ðurh ðone hīe begēaton welan, ǫnd ús lǣfdon. Hēr món mæg giet gesīon hiora swæð, ac wē him ne cunnon æfter spyrigean, ǫnd for ðǣm wē habbað nú ǣgðer forlǣten ge ðone welan ge ðone wīsdōm, for ðǣm ðe wē noldon tō ðǣm spore mid ūre mōde ónlūtan.’
Ðā ic ðā ðis eall gemunde, ðā wundrade ic swīðe swīðe ðāra gōdena wiotona ðe giū wǣron giond Angelcynn, ǫnd ðā bēc ealla be fullan geliornod hæfdon, ðæt hīe hiora ðā nænne dæl noldon ón hiora āgen geðīode węndan. Ac ic ðā sōna ęft mē selfum andwyrde, ǫnd cwæð: ‘Hīe ne wēndon ðætte ǣfre męnn sceolden swǣ ręccelēase weorðan, ǫnd sīo lār swǣ oðfeallan; for ðǣre wilnunga hīe hit forlēton, ǫnd woldon ðæt hēr ðȳ māra wīsdōm ón lǫnde wǣre ðȳ wē má geðēoda cūðon.’
Ðā gemunde ic hū sīo ǣ wæs ǣrest ón Ebrēisc-geðīode funden, ǫnd ęft, ðā hīe Crēacas geliornodon, ðā węndon hīe hīe on hiora āgen geðīode ealle, ǫnd ēac ealle ōðre béc. Ǫnd ęft Lædenware swǣ same, siððan hīe hīe geliornodon, hīe hīe węndon ealla ðurh wīse wealhstodas ón hiora āgen geðīode. Ǫnd ēac ealla ōðra Crīstena ðīoda sumne dǣl hiora ón hiora āgen geðīode węndon. For ðȳ mē ðyncð bętre, gif īow swǣ ðyncð, ðæt wē ēac suma bēc, ðā ðe nīedbeðearfosta sīen eallum mǫnnum tō wiotonne, ðæt wē ðā ón ðæt geðīode węnden ðe wē ealle gecnāwan mægen, ǫnd gē dón swǣ wē swīðe ēaðe magon mid Godes fultume, gif wē ðā stilnesse habbað, ðætte eall sīo gīoguð ðe nū ís ón Angelcynne frīora mǫnna, ðāra ðe ðā spēda hæbben ðæt hīe ðǣm befeolan mægen, sīen tō liornunga oðfæste, ðā hwīle ðe hīe tō nānre ōðerre note ne mægen, oð ðone first ðe hīe wel cunnen Ęnglisc gewrit ārǣdan: lǣre món siððan furður ón Lædengeðīode ðā ðe món furðor lǣran wille, ǫnd tō hīerran hāde dón wille. Ðā ic ðā gemunde hū sīo lār Lædengeðīodes ǣr ðissum āfeallen wæs giond Angelcynn, ǫnd ðēah mǫnige cūðon Ęnglisc gewrit ārǣdan, ðā óngann ic óngemang ōðrum mislicum ǫnd manigfealdum bisgum ðisses kynerīces ðā bōc węndan ón Ęnglisc ðe is genęmned ón Læden Pastoralis, ǫnd ón Ęnglisc ‘Hierdebóc,’ hwīlum word be worde, hwīlum andgit of andgiete, swǣ swǣ ic hīe geliornode æt Plegmunde mīnum ærcebiscepe, ǫnd æt Assere mīnum biscepe, ǫnd æt Grimbolde mīnum mæsseprīoste, ǫnd æt Iōhanne mīnum mæssepreōste. Siððan ic hīe ðā geliornod hæfde, swǣ swǣ ic hīe forstōd, ǫnd swǣ ic hīe andgitfullicost āręccean meahte, ic hīe ón Ęnglisc āwęnde; ǫnd tō ǣlcum biscepstōle ón mīnum rīce wille āne onsęndan; ǫnd ón ǣlcre bið án æstel, sē bið ón fīftegum mancessa. Ǫnd ic bebīode ón Godes naman ðæt nān mónn ðone æstel frǫm ðǣre béc ne dó, ne ðā bóc frǫm ðǣm mynstre; uncūð hū lǫnge ðǣr swǣ gelǣrede biscepas sīen, swǣ swǣ nū, Gode ðǫnc, wel hwǣr siendon. For ðȳ ic wolde ðætte hīe ealneg æt ðǣre stōwe wǣren, būton se biscep hīe mid him habban wille, oððe hīo hwǣr tō lǣne sīe, oððe hwā ōðre bī wrīte.