to men, through the bignes therof. &c.

Also in an other place he confesseth the same of himselfe: whose wordes in the preface before his grammer be these. Ic Ælfric wolde þa listlan boc awendan to engliscum gereorde of ðam stæf cræfte ðe is gehaten grammatica . syþþan ic twa bec awende on hund eahtatigum spellum ; I Elfrike was desirous to turne into our English tongue from the arte of letters, called grammer, this little booke, Marginalia80. Sermons translated by Ælfricus into the English or Saxon tongue.after that I had translated the two bookes of fourescore sermons, &c.

[Back to Top]

Of his Epistles especially  

we read of foure,Marginalia4. Epistles written of Ælfricus in the Saxon or English tongue. which he wrote. One to the monkes of Egnesham. De consuetudine monachorum. An other to Wulfstane Arch. of Yorke, wherin is touched the matter of the Sacrament. The thirde, he wrote against priestes marriage, to one Sygeferth, with whom there was a certaine Anker abiding, which defended the marriage of priests, affirming it to be lawfull. The fourth, he wrote to Wulfsinus B. of Scyrburne, touching tho matter of the sacramēt. In the which epistle he taking occasion by a certaine abuse in his time, which was, that priests on Easter day filled their housel boxe, and so kept it for the space of the whole yeare, till Easter came againe, for sicke persons, writeth vppon that occasion, in these words as follow in his owne Saxons tongue.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaThe wordes of Ælfricus writtē to Wulfsine Bishop of Scyrburne, agaynst transubstātiatiō.  

Man sceal healdan þæt halige husel mid mycelre gymene & ne forhealdan hit . ac halgian oþer edniwe to sceocum mannum . a . embe vii. niht . oððe embe xiiii . niht þ^t hit huru fynig ne sy . forðon ðe eal swa halig bið þ^t husel ðe nu to dæg wæs gehalgod . swa þ^t ðe on easterdæg wæs gehalgod ; Ðæt husel is Cristes lichama na lichamlice ac gastlice . Na se lichama ðe he on ðrowode . ac se lichama ðe he embe spræc . ða ða he bletsode hlaf & win to husel anre nihte ær his ðrowunge . & cwæþ be þam gebletsode hlafe . ðis is min lichama . & eft be ðam halgan wine . ðis is min blode þe bið for manegum agoten on synna forgifenesse ; Vnderstandaþ nu þ^t se drihten ðe mihte awendon ðone hlaf ær his ðrowunge to his lichaman . and þ^t win to his blode gastlice . þæt se ylca dæhwamlice bletsaþ ðurh sacerda handa hlaf & win to his gastlican lichaman . and to his gastlican blode .

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaAn epistle of Ælfricke to Wulfsine.Men shal reserue more carefully that holy housell, & not reserue it to long, but halow other of new for sicke men alwayes within a week or a fortnight, that it be not so much as hory. For so holy is the housel which to day is halowed, as that which on Easterday was halowed, That housel is Christes body not bodily but ghostly. MarginaliaThe sacrament is the Lords bodye, not bodely, but ghostly.Not the body which he suffred in, but the body of which he spake, when he blessed bread and wine to housel the night before his suffring, and sayd by the blessed bread: this is my body, & agayn by the holy wine, this is my bloud, which is shed for many in forgiuenes of sinnes. Vnderstand now that the Lord, who could turne that bread before his suffering to his body, and that wine to his bloud ghostly, þ^t the selfe same Lorde blesseth daily through the priestes handes, bread and wine to his ghostly body, and to his ghostly bloud.

[Back to Top]

After this Epistle aboue prefixed of Elfricus, written to Wulfsinus B. of Shireburne, concerning the sacramental bread, how it is not Christes body, that is, bodily, or (as we terme it now) really: and also howe the same ought not to be ouerlong kept in þ^e pixe: here foloweth further an other epistle of the sayd Elfricus written to Wulfstane Archb. of Yorke, both reprehending þ^e said abuse aboue touched, and also conteining matter more at large against the bodily presence in the sacramental bread. The copy of his epistle, both in his owne Saxon, and in our English here followeth.  

[Back to Top]

SVme preostas gefyllað heora husel box on eastron . & healdað ofer twelf monaþ to intrumum mannum . swylce ðæt husel sy haligere ðonne oþer . Ac hi doþ unwislice . forðam hit wannað . oððe mid ealle forrotað on swa langum fyrste . and hi bið þonne scyldig swa swa us sægþ seo boc ; Se ðe husel forhylt . oððe hit forlyst . oððe mis eton . oððe oðre nytenu . sceawa þa pœnitentialem . hwæt he sægðe þisum ; Eal swa halig is ðæt husel ðe bið gehalgod to dæg . swa ðæt ðe bið gehalgod on ðam halgan easter dæge ; Healdaþ forþig ic bidde þone halgan Cristes lichaman mid maran wisdome to seocum mannum fram sunnan dæge to sunna dæge on swiþe clænum boxe . oððe be ðam mæstan feowertyne niht . and ðicgaþ hit þonne . & lecgað ðær oþer ; we habbaþ by sene be ðam on Moyses bocum . swa swa God sylf bebead on Moyses æ . ðæt se sacerd sceolde on ælcum sæternes dæge wettan twelf hlafas on ðam tabernaculo ealle niwe bacene . ða wæron gehatene Panes propositionis . and hig sceoldon ðær standan on ðam Godes getælde oð oþerne sæternes dæg . & etan hi ðonne ða sacerdas sylfe . & settan ðær oðre ; Sume preostas nellað ðicgan ðæt husel ðe hi halgiað ; Nu wille we eow secgan . hu seo boc segð be þam ; Presbyter missam celebrans . & non audens sacrificium accusante conscientia sua anathema est ; Se mæsse preost ðe mæssaþ . and ne dear ðæt husel ðicgan . wat hine scyldigne . se is amansumod ; Læsse pleoh is to digenne ðæt husel . ðonne to halgienne ; Se ðe tuwa halgað ane ofletan to husle . se bið þam gedwolan gelice . ðe an cild fullaþ tuwa ; Crist sylf gehalgod husel ær his ðrowunge . he bletsode ðone hlaf . & to bræc þus cweþende to his halgum apostolum . etaþ ðisne hlaf . hit is min lichama : and he eft bletsode ænne calic mid wine . and cwæþ heom ðus to . drincaþ ealle of ðisum . hit is min agen blode ðære niwan gecyðnysse . ðe bið for manegum agoten on synna forgyfenysse ; Se drihten þe halgode husel ær his ðrowunge . and cwæþ þ^t se hlaf wære his agen lichama . and þæt win wære witodlice his blod . se halgaþ dæghwamlice þurgh his sacerda handa hlaf to his lichaman . & win to his blod on gastlicere geryne . swa swa we rædaþ on bocum ; Nebiþ se liflica hlaf lichamlice swa þeah se ylca lichama . ðe Crist on ðrowode ; Ne ðæt halige win nis þæs hælendes blod þe for us agoten wæs on lichamlican þinge . ac on gastlicum andgyte ; Ægþer bið soþlice se hlaf his lichama . & þ^t win eac his blod swa swa se heofonlica hlaf wæs . ðe we hataþ manna . ðe feowertig geara afedde Godes folce . & þæt hlutre wæter wæs witodlice his blod . ðe arn of ðam stane on ðam wæstene ða ; Swa swa Paulus awræt on sumon his pistole : Omnes patres nostri eandem escam spiritualem manducauerunt : & omnes eundem potum spiritualem biberunt. &c. Ealle ure fæderas æton on ðam wæstene þone ylcan gastlican mete . & ðone gastlican drenc druncon ; Hi druncon of þam gastlican stane . & se stane wæs Crist ; Se apostol sæde swa swa ge nu gehyrdon þæt hi ealle æton ðone ylcan gastlican

[Back to Top]