# Bright's Anglo-Saxon Reader/The Nature of God

[From the Alfredian version of Boethius's De Consolatione Philosophiae, according to the Cotton MS.]
Ðā cwæð hē, 'For ðȳ wē sceoldon ealle mægene spyrian æfter Gode, þæt wē wissen hwæt hē wǣre. Ðēah hit ūre mǣð ne sīe þæt wē witen hwylc hē sīe, wē sculon þēah be þæs andgites mǣþ, for ðǣm wē ne magon ǣlc þing ongitan swylc swylce hit bið. Ǣlc gesceaft ðēah, ǣgðer ge gescēadwīs ge ungescēadwīs, þæt sweotolað þæt God ēce is. For ðǣm nǣfre swā manega gesceafta, on swā micla on swā fǣgra, hī ne underðīodden lǣssan gesceafte ond lǣssan anwalde þonne hī ealle sindon, nē furðum emne miclum.' Ðā cwæð ic, 'Hwæt is ēcnes?' Ðā cwæð hē, 'Þū mē āhsast micles earfoðes tō ongitanne. Gif þū hit witan wilt, ðū scealt habban ǣr þīnes mōdes ēagan clǣne ond hlūtor. Ne mæg ic ðē nāuht helan þæs þe ic wāt. Wāst þū þæt þrēo ðing sindon on þīs middangearde? Ān is hwīlendlīc, þæt hæfð ǣgðer ge fruman ge ende, ond nāt ðēah nān wuht ðæs ðe hwīlendlīc is, nāuðer nē his fruman nē his ende. Ōðer ðing is ēce, þæt hæfð fruman on næfð nǣnne ende, ond wāt hwonne hit onginð, ond wāt þæt hit nǣfre ne geendað, þæt sint englas, on monna sāula. Þridde ðing is ēce, būton end on būton anginne, þæt is God. Betweoh þǣm þrīm is swīðe micel tōscēad. Gif wit þæt eall sculon tōsmēagian, þonne cume wit late tō ende þisse bēc, oððe nǣfre. Ac ān þing ðū scealt nēde þǣr ǣr witan, for hwȳ God is gehāten sīo hēhste ēcnes.' Ðā cwæð ic 'Hwȳ?' Ðā cwæð hē, 'For ðon þe wē witon swīðe lȳtel ðæs ðe ǣr ūs wæs, būton be gemynde ond be geāscunge; ond gēt lǣsse þæs ðe æfter ūs bið. Þæt ān ūs is gewislīce andweard, þæt þe þonne bið; ac him is eall andweard, ge þæt þe ǣr wæs, ge þæt þe nū is, ge þæt þe æfter ūs bið; eall þæt is him andweard. Ne wexð his wela nā nē ēac nǣfre ne wanað. Ne ofman hē nǣfre nān wuht, for þǣm þe hē nǣfre nāuht ne forgeat. Ne sēcð hē nān wuht nē ne smēað, for ðǣm þe hē hit wāt eall. Ne sēcð hē nān wuht, for ðȳ hē nāan wuht ne forlēas. Ne ēht hē nānre wuhte, for ðȳ hine nān wuht ne mǣg flīon. Ne ondrǣt hē him nān wuht, for ðǣm hē næfð nǣnne rīcran, nē furðum nǣnne gelīcan. Simle hē bið gefende, ond ne wanað his nǣfre nāuht. Symle hē bið ælmihtig, for ðǣm hē symle wile good, ond nǣfre nān yfel. Nis him nānes þinges nēdþearf. Symle hē bið lōciende, nē nǣfre ne wyrð. Simle hē bið frīoh, nē bið hē tō nānum weorce genēded. For his godcundlīcum anwalde hē is ǣghwǣr andweard. His micelnesse ne mæg nān man āmetan; nis þæt ðēah ne līchomlīce tō wēnanne, ac gāstlīce, swā swā nū wīsdōm is ond rihtwīsnes, for ðǣm hē þæt is self. Ac hwæt ofermōdie gē þonne, oððe hwȳ āhebbe gē ēow wið swā hēane anwald? For ðǣm gē nāuht wið hine dōn ne magon. For ðǣm sē ēca ond sē ælmehtiga symle sit on þǣm hēan setle his anwaldes, þonan hē mæg eall gesīon, ond gilt ǣlcum swīðe rihte æfter his gewyrhtum. For ðǣm hit nis nō unnet þæt wē hopien tō Gode; for ðǣm hē is swīðe rūmmōd ond swīðe mildheort. Hebbað ēower mōd tō him mid ēowrum hondum, ond biddað þæs þe riht sīe ond ēower þearf sīe, for ðǣm hē ēow nele wyrnan. Hatiað yfel ond flēoð swā gē swīðost magen. Lufiað cræftas ond folgiað þǣm. Gē habbað micle nēdðearfe þæt gē symle wel dōn, for ðǣm gē symle beforan þǣm ēcan ond þǣm ælmihtigan Gode dōð eall þæt þæt gē dōð. Eall hē hit gesihð, ond eall hē hit forgilt.'