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King Alfred bids greet Bishop Waerferth with his words lovingly and with friendship. I let it be known to thee that it has very often come into my mind what wise men there formerly were throughout England, both church and lay folk, and how happy times there were then throughout England, and how the kings who had power over the nation in those days obeyed God and His ministers, and preserved peace, morality, and order at home, and at the same time enlarged their territory abroad, and prospered both in war and in wisdom: and how zealous were God’s ministers in teaching and in learning, and in all the services they owed Him: and how men came from oversea in search of wisdom and instruction, which we should now have to get from thence if we would have them. So far has it fallen in England that few there are on this side Humber who understand the English of their service or can translate a letter from Latin, nor are there many, I know, beyond Humber more learned. There were so few of them that I cannot remember one south of Thames 2 when I first began to reign. God Almighty be thanked that we have any teachers among us now. And therefore I command thee, as I believe thou wouldst, to free thyself from worldly matters and apply the wisdom which God has given thee as thou art able. Consider what punishment shall fall upon us for the sake of this world, if we have neither loved wisdom ourselves nor suffered other men to obtain it, if we have loved the name of Christian only, and very few of us its duties.
When I considered all this I remembered how I had seen, before the land had been ravaged and burnt, how its churches stood filled with treasures and books, and with a multitude of His servants, but they had very little knowledge of the books, and could not understand them, for they were not written in their own language. As who should say: ‘Our forefathers who before us held these places, loved wisdom, and through it they obtained wisdom, and left it to us. Here may we still see their footprints, but we cannot follow them up and therefore have we lost both wealth and wisdom, since we would not incline our hearts to their example.’ When I remembered all this, I much marvelled that the good and wise men who were formerly all over England, and had perfectly learnt all these books, did not wish to translate 3 them into their own tongue. But soon I answered myself and said: ‘They weened not that men should be so reckless and that learning would so decay, in that mind they forbore it, wishing that wisdom in this land might increase with our knowledge of languages.’ Then I remembered how the Law was first known in Hebrew, and after, when the Greeks had learned it, they translated it whole into their tongue, and all other books as well. And the Latins in turn when they had learned it, translated the whole by learned interpreters into their own speech, and also all other Christian nations translated some part into their own language. Therefore it seems well to me, if ye think so, for us also to translate the books most needful for all men to know into the speech which all men know, and, as we are well able if we have peace, to make all the youth in England of free men rich enough to devote themselves to it, to learn while they are unfit for other occupation till they are well able to read English writing: and let those be afterwards taught Latin who are to continue learning and be promoted to higher rank.
When I remembered how Latin-learning had decayed in England, and yet many could read English, I began during the various and manifold troubles of this realm to translate into English the 4 book which is called in Latin Cura Pastoralis, and in English Shepherd’s Book sometimes word for word, and sometimes according to the sense, as I had learned it from Plegmund my archbishop, and Asser my bishop, and Grimbold and John my mass-priests. And when I had learned it as I could best understand and most clearly interpret it, I translated it into English; and I will send a copy to every bishopric in my kingdom; and on each there is a clasp worth 50 mancus. And I command in God’s name that no man take the clasp from the book or the book from the minster; it is uncertain how long there may be such learned bishops as now are, thanks be to God, nearly everywhere. Therefore I wish them always to remain in their place, unless the bishop wish to take them with him, or they be lent out anywhere, or any one make a copy from them.
1. Alfred the Great to Bishop Waerferth (890). West Saxon, from his version of Gregory’s Pastoral Care. The letter is a preface to the translation, and copies of it are known addressed to other bishops. A mancus was the equivalent of a mark — containing 7s. 6d worth of gold, and in purchasing power equivalent now to perhaps forty times as much.