Lēofan męnn, gecnāwað þæt sōð is: ðēos woruld is on ōfste, and hit nēalǣcð þām ęnde; and ðȳ hit is on worulde ā swā lęng swā wyrse, and swā hit sceal nȳde for folces synnan fram dæge tō dæge ǣr Antecrīstes tōcyme yfelian swȳðe; and hūru hit wyrð þænne ęgeslic and grimlic wīde on worulde.
Understandað ēac georne þæt dēofol þās þēode nū fela gēara dwęlode tō swȳðe, and þæt lytle getrȳwða wǣron mid mannum, þēah hī wel spǣcan; and unrihta tō fela rīcsode on lande, and næs ā fela manna þe smēade ymbe þā bōte swā georne swā man scolde; ac dæghwāmlice man īhte yfel æfter ōðrum, and unriht rǣrde and unlaga manege ealles tō wīde gynd ealle þās ðēode. And wē ēac for ðām habbað fela byrsta and bismra gebiden; and gyf wē ǣnige bōte gebīdan sculan, þonne mōte wē þæs tō Gode earnian bęt þonne wē ǣr ðison dydon. For ðām mid miclan earnungan wē geearnodon þā yrmða þe ūs on sittað, and mid swȳðe miclan earnungan wē þā bōte mōtan æt Gode gerǣcan, gyf hit sceal heonan forð gōdiende wurðan. Lā hwæt wē witan ful georne þæt tō myclan bryce sceal mycel bót nȳde, and tō miclum bryne wæter unlytel, gif man þæt fȳr sceal tō āhte ācwæncan. And mycel is nȳdþearf ēac manna gehwylcum þæt hē Godes lage gȳme heonan forð georne bęt þonne hē ǣr dyde, and Godes gerihta mid rihte gelǣste.
On hǣðenum þēodum ne dearr man forhealdan lytel ne mycel þæs þe gelagod is tō gedwolgoda weorðunge: and wē forhealdað ǣghwǣr Godes gerihta ealles tō gelōme. And ne dearr man gewanian on hǣðenum þēodum inne ne ūte ǣnig þǣra þinga þe gedwolgodan broht bið and tō lācum betǣht bið: and wē habbað Godes hús inne and ūte clǣne berȳpte [ǣlcra gerisena]. And ēac syndan Godes þēowas mǣþe and munde gewelhwār bedǣlde; and sume męnn sęcgað þæt gedwolgoda þēnan ne dearr man misbēodan on ǣnige wīsan mid hǣþenum lēodum, swā swā man Godes þēowum nū dēð tō wīde, þǣr Crīstene scoldan Godes lage healdan and Godes þēowas griðian.
Ac sōð is þæt ic sęcge, þearf is þǣre bōte, for þām Godes gerihta wanedan tō lange innan þysan earde on ǣghwylcum ęnde, and folclaga wyrsedan ealles tō swȳðe syððan Ēadgār geęndode, and hālignessa syndon tō griðlēase wīde, and Godes hūs syndon tō clǣne berȳpte ealdra gerihta and innan bestrȳpte ǣlcra gerisena, [and godcunde hādas wǣron nū lange swīðe forsewene]; And wydewan syndon wīde fornȳdde on unriht tō ceorle, and tō mænige foryrmde and gehȳnede swȳðę, and earme męnn sindon sāre beswicene and hrēowlice besyrwde [ge æt fręme ge æt fóstrę ge æt féo ge æt feore ealles tō gelōme,] and ūt of ðisan earde wīde gesealde swȳðe unforworhte fręmdum tō gewealde, and cradolcild geþēowode þurh wælhrēowe unlaga for lytelre þȳfðe wīde gynd þās þēode; and frēoriht fornumene, and ðrælriht genęrwde, and ælmesriht gewanode. [Frīge męnn ne mōtan wealdan heora sylfra, ne faran þār hī willað, ne āteon heora āgen swā swā hī willað; ne þrǣlas ne mōton habban þæt hī āgon on āgenan hwīlan mid earfeðan gewunnen, ne þæt þæt heom on Godes ēst gōde męnn geūðon, and tō ælmesgife for Godes lufan sealdon; ac ǣghwilc ælmesriht þe man on Godes ēst scolde mid rihte georne gelǣstan ǣlc mann gelitlað oððe forhealdeð. For ðām unriht is tō wīde mannum gemǣne and unlaga lēofe,] and raðost is tō cweþenne Godes laga lāðe and lāra forsewene; and ðæs wē habbað ealle þurh Godes yrre bysmor gelōme, gecnāwe sē ðe cunne, and se byrst wyrð gemǣne, þēah man swā ne wēne, ealre þisse þēode, būtan God gebeorge.
For ðām hit is on ūs eallum swutol and gesȳne þæt wē ǣr þisan oftor brǣcon þonne wē bēttan, and ðȳ is þisse þēode fela onsǣge. Ne dohte hit nū lange inne ne ūte, ac wæs hęre and hunger, bryne and blōdgyte on gewelhwylcon ęnde oft and gelōme; and ūs stalu and cwalu, strīc and steorfa, orfcwealm and uncoðu, hōl and hęte and rȳpera rēaflāc dęrede swȳðe þearle, and ūs ungylda swȳðe gedręhton, and ūs unwedera for oft wēoldan unwæstma.
For þām on þisan earde wæs, swā hit þincan mæg, nū fela gēara unrihta fela and tealte getrȳwða ǣghwǣr mid mannum. Ne bearh nū for oft gesibb gesibbum þe mā þe fręmdan, ne fæder his bearne, ne hwīlum bearn his āgenum fæder, ne brōðor ōðrum. Ne ūre nǣnig his līf ne fadode swā swā hē scolde, ne gehādode regollice ne lǣwede lahlice; ac worhtan lust ūs tō lage ealles tō gelōme, and nāðor ne hēoldon ne láre ne lage Godes ne manna swā swā wē scoldan. Ne ǣnig wið ōþerne getrēowlice þohte swā rihte swā hē scolde, ac mǣst ǣlc swicode and ōðrum dęrede wordes and dǣde; and hūru unrihtlice [and unþegenlice] mǣst ǣlc ōþerne æftan hēaweð mid scandlican onscytan and mid wrohtlācan: dō máre gyf hē mæge.
For þām hēr syn on lande ungetrȳwða micle for Gode and for worulde, and ēac hēr syn on earde on mistlice wīsan hlāfordswican manege. And ealra mǣst hlāfordswice sē bið on worulde þæt man his hlāfordes sāule beswīce and ful mycel hlāfordswice ēac bið on worulde þæt man his hlāford of līfe forrǣde oððon of lande lifigendne drīfe; and ǣgðer is geworden innan þissan earde. Ēadwęrd man forrǣdde and syððan ācwealde, and æfter þām forbærnde [and Æþelred man drǣfde ūt of his earde]. And godsibbas and godbearn tō fela man forspilde wīde gynd þās þēode, tōēacan ōðran ealles tō manegan þe man unscyldige forfór ealles tō wíde. And ealles tō manege hālige stōwa wīde forwurdan þurh þæt þe man sume męnn ǣr þām gelōgode swā man nā ne scolde, gif man on Godes griðe mǣðe witan wolde. And crīstenes folces tō fela man gesealde ūt of þisan earde nū ealle hwīle; and eall þæt is Gode lāð, gelȳfe sē ðe wille. * * * Ēac wē witan [ful] georne hwǣr sēo yrmð gewearð þæt fæder gesealde [his] bearn wið weorðe, and bearn his mōdor, and brōðor sealde ōþerne fręmdum tō gewealde ūt of ðisse þēode; and eall þæt syndon micle and ęgeslice dǣda, understande sē ðe wille. And gyt hit is māre and ēac mænigfealdre þæt dęreð þisse þēode. Mænige syndan forsworene and swȳðe forlogene, and węddd synd tōbrocene oft and gelōme; and þæt is gesȳne on þisse þēode þæt ūs Godes yrre hętelice on sitt, gecnāwe sē ðe cunne.
And lā hū mæg māre scamu þurh Godes yrre mannum gelimpan þonne ūs dēð gelōme for āgenum gewyrhtum? Ðēah þrǣla hwylc hlāforde æthlēape, and of crīstendōme tō wīcinge weorðe, and hit æfter þām ęft geweorðe þæt wǣpngewrixl weorðe gemǣne þegene and þrǣle; gyf þrǣl þæne þegen fullice āfylle, licge ǣgylde ealre his mǣgðe, and gyf se þegen þæne þrǣl þe hē ǣr ahte fullice āfylle, gylde þegengylde. Ful earhlice laga and scandlice nȳdgyld þurh Godes yrre ūs syn gemǣne, understande sē ðe cunne, and fela ungelimpa gelimpð þysse þēode oft and gelōme. Ne dohte hit nū lange inne ne ūte, ac wæs hęre and hęte on gewelhwilcum ęnde oft and gelōme, and Ęngle nū lange eall sigelēase, and tō swȳðe geyrgde þurh Godes yrre, and flotmęnn swā strange þurh Godes geþafunge þæt oft on gefeohte ān fȳseð tȳne, [and twęgen oft twęntig,] and hwīlum lǣs, hwilum má, eall for ūrum synnum. * * * And oft þrǣl þæne þegen þe ǣr wæs his hlāford cnytt swȳðe fæste, and wyrcð him tō þrǣle þurh Godes yrre. Wālā ðǣre yrmðe and wālā þǣre woruldscame þe nū habbað Ęngle eall þurh Godes yrre! Oft twęgen sǣmęnn oððe þrȳ hwīlum drīfað þā drāfe crīstenra manna fram sæ tō sæ ūt ðurh þās þēode gewēlede tōgædere ús eallum tō woruldscame, gyf wē on eornost ǣnige [scame] cūðan, oððon wē woldan ā riht understandan. Ac ealne þæne bysmor þe wē oft þoliað wē gyldað mid weorðscype þām þe ūs scęndað: wē him gyldað singāllice, and hȳ ūs hȳnað dæghwāmlice. Hȳ hęrgiað and hȳ bęrnað, rȳpað and rēafiað, and tō scipe lǣdað; and lā hwæt is ǣnig ōðer on eallum þām gelimpum būtan Godes yrre ofer þās þēode swutol and gesēne?
Nis ēac nān wundor, þēah ūs mislimpe, for ðām wē witan ful georne þæt nū fela gēara męnn nā ne rohton for oft hwæt hȳ worhtan wordes oððe dǣde; ac wearð þes þēodscype, swā hit þincan mæg, swȳðe forsyngod þurh mænigfealde synna and þurh fela misdǣda, þurh morðdǣda and ðurh mándǣda, þurh gītsunga and ðurh gīfernessa, þurh stala and þurh strūdunga, þurh mannsylena and ðurh hǣðene unsida, þurh swicdōmas and ðurh searocræftas, þurh lahbrycas and ðurh æswicas, þurh mǣgrǣsas and ðurh mannslihtas, þurh hādbrycas and ðurh ǣwbrycas, þurh sibblegeru and ðurh mistlice forligru. And ēac syndan wīde, swā wē ǣr cwǣdan, þurh āðbrycas and ðurh węddbrycas and ðurh mistlice lēasunga forloren and forlogen mā þonne scolde, and frēolsbricas and fæstenbricas wīde geworhte oft and gelōme. And ēac hēr syn on earde [Godes wiðersacan] apostatan ābroðene, and cyrichatan hętole, and lēodhatan grimme ealles tō manege, and oferhogan wīde godcundra rihtlaga and crīstenra þēawa, and hōcorwyrde dysige ǣghwǣr on þēode oftost on ðā þing þe Godes bodan bēodað, and swȳðost on þā þing þe geornost tō Godes lage gebyriað mid rihte.
And þȳ is nū geworden wīde and sīde tō ful yfelan gewunan þæt męnn swȳðor scamað nū for gōddædan þonne for misdǣdan; for ðām tō oft man mid hōcere gōddæda hyrweð and gōdfyrhte lęhtreð ealles tō swȳðe, and swȳðost man tǣleð and mid olle gegrēteð ealles tō gelōme þā ðe riht lufiað and Godes ęge habbað be ǣnigum dǣle. And ðurh þæt þe man swā dēð þæt man eall hyrweð þæt man scolde hęrian, and tō forð lāðað þæt man scolde lufian, þurh þæt man gebringeð ealles tō manege on yfelan geðance and on undǣde, swā þæt hȳ ne scamað ná, þēah hȳ syngian swȳðe, and wið God sylfne forwyrcan hī mid ealle; ac for īdelan onscytan hȳ scamað þæt hȳ bētan heora misdǣda swā bēc tǣcan, gelīce þām dwǣsan þe for heora prȳtan līfe nellað beorgan ǣr hȳ nā ne mágan, þēah hȳ eall willan.
Hēr syndan þurh synnlēawa, swā hit þincan mæg, sāre gelēwede tō manege on earde. Hēr syndan, swā wē ǣr sǣdon, mannslagan and mǣgslagan and sacerdbanan and mynsterhatan and hlāfordswican and ǣbere apostatan, and hēr syndan mánswaran and morðorwyrhtan, and hēr syndan hádbrecan and ǣwbrecan, and ðurh sibblegeru and ðurh mistlice forligeru forsyngode swȳðe, and hēr syndan myltestran and bearnmyrðran and fūle forlegene hōringas manege, and hēr syndan wiccan and wælcerian, and hēr syndan rȳperas and rēaferas and woruldstrūderas and ðēofas and þēodscaðan and węddlogan and wǣrlogan, and hrædest is tō cweþenne mána and misdǣda ungerīm ealra.
And þæs ūs ne scamað ná, ac þæs ūs scamað swȳðe þæt wē bōte āginnan, swā swā béc tǣcan, and þæt is gesȳne on þisse earman forsyngodan þēode. Ēalā mycel magan manege gyt hēr-tōēacan ēaþe beðęncan þæs ðe án mann ne mihte on rǣdinge āsmēagean hū earmlice hit gefaren is nū ealle hwīle wīde gynd þās ðēode. And smēage hūru georne gehwā hine sylfne, and ðæs nā ne latige ealles tō lange; ac on Godes naman utan dón swā ūs nēod is, beorgan ūs sylfum swā wē geornost magan, þī lǣs wē ætgædere ealle forweorðan.
Ān þēodwita wæs on Brytta tīdum, Gildas hātte, sē āwrāt be heora misdǣdum, hū hī mid heora synnan swā oferlice swȳðe God gegræmedon þæt hē lēt æt nȳhstan Ęngla hęre heora eard gewinnan, and Brytta duguðe fordōn mid ealle. And þæt wæs geworden, þæs þe hē sǣde, þurh gelǣredra regolbryce and ðurh lǣwedra lahbryce, þurh rīcra rēaflāc, and ðurh gītsunge wōhgestrēona, ðurh lēoda unlaga, and ðurh wōhdōmas, ðurh bisceopa āsolcennesse and unsnotornesse, and ðurh lyðre yrhðe Godes bydela, þe sōðes geswugedan ealles tō gelōme, and clumedan mid cēaflum þǣr hȳ scoldan clypian, ðurh fūlne ēac folces gǣlsan, and ðurh oferfylla and mænigfealde synna heora eard hȳ forworhton, and sylfe hī forwurdan.
Ac utan dōn swā us þearf is, warnian ús be swilcan; and sōð is þæt ic sęcge, wyrsan dǣda wē witan mid Ęnglum sume gewordene þonne wē mid Bryttan āhwār gehȳrdan; and ðȳ ūs is þearf micel þæt wē ūs beþęncan, and wið God sylfne þingian georne. And utan dōn swā ūs þearf is, gebūgan tō rihte, and be suman dǣle unriht [āscunian and] forlǣtan, and bētan swȳðe georne þæt wē ǣr brǣcan. Uton crēopan tō Crīste, and bifigendre heortan clipian gelōme, and geearnian his mildse; and utan God lufian and Godes lagum fyligean, and gelǣstan swȳðe georne þæt þæt wē behētan þā wē fulluht underfēngan oððon þā þe æt fulluhte ūre forespecan wǣron. And utan word and weorc rihtlice fadian, and ūre inngeðanc clǣnsian georne, and āð and wędd wærlice healdan, and sume getrȳwða habban ūs betwēonan būtan uncræftan, and utan gelōme understandan þone miclan dōm þe wē ealle tō sculan, and beorgan ūs georne wið þone weallendan bryne hęlle wītes, and geearnian ūs þā mǣrða and ðā myrhða þe God hæfð gegearwod þām ðe his willan on worulde gewyrcað. God ūre helpe. Amen.