# Bright's Anglo-Saxon Reader/The Conversion of Edwin

[From the Anglo-Saxon version of Bede's Ecclesisatical History. The text follows the Tanner MS. (= Tanner 10, Bodl. Lib.), except at the middle part of the extract, where the reading of O (= MS. 279 Corp. C. C. Camb.) is introduced. The variants are from C (= MS. Cotton, Otho B. xi. Brit. Mus.), Ca (= MS. Kk. 3. 18, Camb. Univ. Lib.) and B (= MS. 41 Corp. C. C. Camb.).]
Mid þȳ hē þā Paulīnus sē biscop Godes word bodade ond lǣrde, ond se+ cyning elde þā gȳt tō gelȳfanne, ond þurh sume tīde, swā swā wē ǣr cwǣdon, gelimplīcum āna sæt, ond geornlīce mid him seolfum smēade ond þōhte hwæt him sēlest tō dōnne wǣre hwylc ǣfæstnes him tō healdanne wǣre, þā wæs sume dæg sē Godes wer ingongende tō him þǣr hē āna sæt, ond sette his þā swīðran hond him on þæt hēafod, ond hine āhsode hwæðer hē þæt tācen ongytan meahte. Þā oncnēow hē hit sōna sweotole, ond wæs swīðe forht geworden, ond him tō fōtum fēoll; ond hine sē Godes monn ūp hōf ond him cūðlīce tō spræc, ond þus cwæð: Ono hwæt, þū nū hafast þurh Godes gide þīnra fēonda hond beswīcade, þā ðū ðē ondrēde, ond þū þurh his sylene ond gife þǣm rīce onfēnge þe ðū wilnadest. Ac gemyne nū þæt þū þæt þridde galǣstest þæt þū gehēte, þæt þū onfō his geleāfan ond his bebodu healde, sē ðe þē from wīlwendlecum earfeðum generede ond ēac in āre wīlwendlīces rīces āhōf. Ond gid ðū forð his willan hēarsum bēon wilt, þone hē þurh mē bodað ond lǣreð, hē þonne þē ēac from tinttregum
genereð ēcra yfela, ond þec dǣlneomende gedēð mid him þæs ēcan rīces in heofonum.
Þā sē syning þā þās word gehȳrde, þā ondswarode hē him, ond cwæð, þæt hē ǣghwæþer ge wolde ge sceolde þǣm gelēafan onfōn þe hē lǣrde; cwæð hwæþere, þæt hē wolde mid his frēondum ond mid his wytum gesprec ond geþeaht habban, þæt gif hī mid hine þæt geþafian woldan, þæt hī ealle ætsomne on līfes willan Crīste gehālgade wǣran. Þā dyde sē cyning swā swā hē cwæð, ond sē bisceop þæt geþafade.
Þā heafde hē gesprec ond geþeaht mid his witum, ond syndriglīce wæs from him eallum frignende hywlc him þūhte ond gesawen wǣre þēos nīwe lār ond þǣre godcundnesse bīgong þe þǣr lǣred wæs. Him þā ondswarode his ealdorbisceop, Cēfi wæs hāten: 'Geseoh þū, cyning, hwelc þēos lār sīe þe ūs nū bodad is. Ic þē sōðlīce andette, þæt ic cūðlīce geleornad hæbbe, þæt eallinga nāwiht mægenes nē nyttnesse hafað sīo ǣfeastnes þe wē oð ðis hæfdon ond beēodon. For þon nǣnig þīnra þegna nēodlīcor nē gelustfullīcor hine sylfne underþēodde tō ūra goda bīgange þonne ic; ond nōht þone lǣs monige syndon þā þe māran wefe ond fremsumnesse æt þē onfēngon þonne ic, ond eallum þingum māran gesynto hæfdon, þonne woldan hīe mē mā fultumian, for þon ic him geornlīcor þēodde ond hȳrde. For þon mē þynceð wīslīc, gid þū gesēo þā þing beteran ond strangran þe ūs nīwan bodad syndon, þæt wē þām onfōn.'
Þæs wordum ōþer cyninges wita ond ealdormann geþafunge sealde, ond tō þǣre sprǣce fēng ond þus cwæð:
'Þyslīc mē is gesewen, þū cyning, þis andwearde līf manna on eorðan tō wiðmetenesse þǣre tīde, þe ūs uncuð is, swylc swā þū æt swǣsendum sitte mid þīnum ealdormannum ond þegnum on wintertīde, ond sīe fȳr onǣlæd ond þīn heall gewyrmed, ond hit rīne & snīwe ond styrme ūte; cume ān spearwa ond hrædlīce þæt hūs þurhflēo, cume þurh ōþre duru in þurh ōþre ūt gewīte. Hwæt hē on þā tīd, þe hē inne bið, ne bið hrinen mid þȳ storme þæs wintres; ac þæt bið ān ēagan bryhtm ond þæt lǣsste fæc, ac hē sōna of wintra on þone winter eft cymeð. Swā þonne þis monna līf tō medmiclum fæce ætȳweð; hwæt þǣr foregange, oððe hwæt þǣr æfterfylige, wē ne cunnun. For ðon gif þēos lār ōwiht cūðlīcre ond gerisenlīcre brenge, þæs weorþe is þæt wē þǣre fylgen.' Þeossum wordum gelīcum ōðre aldormen & ðæs cyninges geþeahteras sprǣcan.
Þā gēn tōætyhte Cēfi and cwæð, þæt hē wolde Paulīnus þone bisceop geornlīcor gehȳran be þām Gode sprecende þām þe hē bodade. Þā hēt sē cyning swā dōn. Þā hē þā his word gehȳrde, þā clypode he ond þus cwæð: 'Geare ic þæt ongeat, þæt ðæt nōwiht wæs þæt wē beēodan; for þon swā micle swā ic geornlīcor on þām bīgange þæt sylfe sōð sōhte, swā ic hit lǣs mētte. Nū þonne ic openlīce ondette, þæt on þysse lāre þæt sylfe sōð scīneð, þæt ūs mæg þā gyfe syllan ēcre ēadignesse ond ēces līfes hǣlo. For þon ic þonne nū lǣre, cyning, þæt þæt templ ond þā wigbedo, þā ðe wē būton wæstmum ǣnigre nytnisse hālgodon, þæt wē þā hraþe forlēosen ond fȳre
forbærne. Ono hwæt, hē þā sē cyning openlīce ondette þām biscope ond him eallum, þæt hē wolde fæstlīce þām deofolgildum wiðsacan ond Crīstes gelēafan onfōn.
Mid þȳ þe hē þā sē cyning from þǣm foresprecenan biscope sōhte ond āhsode heora hālignesse, þe hēo ǣr biēodon, hwā ðā wīgbed ond þā hergas þāra dēofolgilda mid heora hegum, þe hēo ymbsette wǣron, hēo ǣrest āīdligan & tōweorpan scolde, þā ondsworede hē: 'Efne ic. Hwā mæg þā nū ēað, þā þe ic longe mid dysignesse beēode, tō bȳsene ōðerra monna gerisenlecor tōweorpan, þonne ic seolfa þurh þā snytro þe ic from þǣm sōðan Gode onfeng?' Ond hē ðā sona from him āwearp þā īdlan dysignesse, þe hē ǣr beēode, ond þone cyning bæd þæt hē him wǣpen sealde ond stōdhors, þæt hē meahte on cuman ond dēofolgyld tōweorpan. For þon þam biscope heora hālignesse ne wæs ālȳfed, þæt hē mōste wǣpen wegan, nē elcor būton on mȳran rīdan. Þā sealde sē cyning him sweord, þæt hē hine mid gyrde; ond nōm his spere on hond ond hlēop on þæs cyninges stēdan, ond tō þǣm dēofulgeldum fērde. Þā ðæt folc hine þā geseah swā gescyrpedne, þā wendon hēo þæt hē teola ne wiste, ac þæt hē wedde. Sōna þæs þe hē nēalēhte tō þǣm herige, þā scēat hē mid þȳ spere þæt hit sticode fæste on þǣm herige, ond wæs swīðe gefēonde þǣre ongytenesse þæs sōðan Godes bigonges. Ond hē ðā heht his gefēran tōweorpan ealne þone herig ond þā getimbro ond forbærnan. Is sēo stōw gȳt ætēawed gū ðeara dēofulgilda, nōht feor ēast from Eoforwīcceastre begeondan Deorwentan þǣre ēa, ond gēn tō dæge is nemned Godmundingaham,
þǣr sē biscop þurh þæs sōðan Godes inbryrdnesse tōwearp ond fordyde þā wīgbed, þe hē seolfa ǣr gehālgode.
Ða onfeng Ēadwine cyning mid eallum þǣm æðelingum his þēode ond mid micle folce Crīstes gelēafan ond fulwihte bæðe þȳ endlyftan gēare his rīces. Wæs hē gefulwad from Paulīni, þǣm biscope his lārēowe, in Eoforwīcceastre þȳ hālgestan Ēastordæge in Scē. Pētres cirican, þæs apostoles, þā hē þǣr hræde geweorce of trēo cirican getimbrode. Siðþan hē gecrīsnad wæs, sylce ēac his lārēowe ond biscope Paulīni biscopseðl forgeaf. Ond sōna þæs þe hē gefulwad wæs, hē ongon mid þæs biscopes lāre māran cirican ond hȳrran stǣnenne timbran ond wyrcan ymb þā circan ūtan þe hē ǣr worhte. Ac ǣr þon hēo sēo hēannis þæs wealles gefylled wǣre ond geendad, þæt hē sē cyning mid ārlēasre cwale ofslegen wæs, ond þæt ilce geweorc his æfterfylgende Ōswalde forlēt tō geendianne. Of þǣre tīde Paulīnus, sē biscop, syx gēr ful, þæs is ōð ende þæs cyninges rīce, þæt hē mid his fultome in þǣre mǣgðe Godes word bodade ond lǣrde; ond men gelȳfdon ond gefulwade wǣron, swā monige swā fortēode wǣron tō ēcum līfe.