beorhtum gyrlum, axigende hwæs se weg wære pe hí beheoldon? Hi cwædon þæt hí nyston. pa cwæð se engel him to, "Dis is se weg de Godes dyrling, Benedictus, to heofenum on-astah."

His halga lichama weard da bebyriged to his sweoster líce Scolastican, swa swa he sylf bebead, binnon Iohannes cyrcan þæs halgan Fulluhteres, on dam munte Casino; ac he wæs sidðan æfter manegum gearum geferod to Francena rice, to pam mynstre de we hâtað Florege, on dære stowe his ban restað on micclum wurðmynte and on wundrum scinende, and his sawl symle gesælig rixað mid Gode on heofenum for godum geearnungum. Pæt scræf de he ærest on drohtnigende wæs, gyt oð dis on wundrum scínende ðurhwunað. Witodlice sum gemyndleas wíf ferde wōrigende geond wudas and feldas, and dær gelæg þær hí seo teorung gelette. Ɖa beeode heo sume dæge þurh nytennysse into dam scræfe þæs eadigan Benedictes, and þær hí gereste, and arás ðæs on merigen swa gewittig swilce heo næfre on nanre wodnysse nære, and swa siððan symle ðurhwunode. Hwá mæg on worulde ealle da wundra gereccan de se Elmihtiga Scyppend, ðurh disne ædelan wer, middanearde geswutelode? Sy him wuldor and lóf á on ecnysse, mid callum his halgum, sede ana is unasecgendlic God. Amen.

DOMINICA IN MEDIA QUADRAGESIME.

MEN da leofostan, we rædað nu æt Godes denungum ymbe gesetnysse pære ealdan : nu wylle we eow sume geswutelunge be dære Gecyonysse sceortlice secgan, þæt ge eallunge þæs andgites orhlyte ne syn; forðan de ure mæð nys þæt we eow be fullum andgite hí geopenian magon, ne ge eac nateshwōn hire deopan digelnysse fulfremedlice understandan ne magon.

bright garments, asking what way it was that they beheld? They said that they knew not. Then said the angel to them, "This is the way on which God's darling, Benedict, ascended to heaven."

His holy body was then buried by the corpse of his sister Scholastica, as he had himself commanded, within the church of John the holy Baptist, on the mount Cassino; but he was many years after conveyed to the realm of the Franks, to the mynster which we call Fleury, in which place his bones rest in great veneration, and shining with miracles, and his soul ever blessed reigns with God in heaven for its good deserts. The cave in which he first lived continues until now shining with miracles. For a witless woman went rambling through the woods and fields, and lay there where exhaustion had stopt her. She then in ignorance went one day into the cave of the blessed Benedict, and there rested, and arose the morning after as sensible as if she had never been in a state of madness, and so continued ever afterwards. Who can in the world relate all the wonders that the Almighty Creator hath manifested to the earth through this noble man? Be to him glory and praise ever to eternity with all his saints, who alone is unspeakable God. Amen.

MIDLENT SUNDAY.

MOST beloved men, we now read at God's services concerning the institute of the old law: we will now give shortly some illustration of the Testament, that ye may not be wholly ignorant of its sense; for it is not within our capacity to explain it to you in its full signification, nor also can ye by any means perfectly understand its deep obscurity.

pry timan sind on þyssere worulde: Ante legem, Sub lege, Sub gratia; þæt is, ær æ, under æ, under Godes gife. Se tíma is "ær æ," gecweden, pe was fram Adam buton æ oð Moysen, da gesette God æ ðurh Moysen; and se tíma wæs gecweden "under æ," oð Cristes to-cyme on menniscnysse, da awende Crist da ealdan æ to gastlicere getacnunge. Nu is se tíma fram Cristes drowunge gehâten "under Godes gife," forðan de his gifu gewissað da gecorenan symle to sodfæstnysse and to lifes bebodum, þæt hí da ding gastlice gehealdon de seo ealde & lichamlice bebead.

Abraham hatte se heahfæder, de ærest æfter dam micclum flode to Gode cydde hæfde: he was Godes gespreca, and his bebodum pearle gehyrsumode: pa forgeaf se Ælmihtiga God him and his ofspringe pone eard to búgienne pe is gehâten Iudealand, on dam is seo burh Hierusalem, de Crist on drowode, deah de heo nu on oðre wisan getymbrod sy. pa cwæð se Elmihtiga God to Abrahame, "Wite du þæt din cynn sceal ældeodig wunian on oðrum earde feower hund geara, and hí hí on deowte gebringad, and micclum swencað. Soðlice ic deme dam folce, and ðin mægð siððan mid micclum æhtum of dam lande færd, and on dam feorðan cneowe hí gecyrrað hider ongean." Abraham siððan gestrynde sunu Isaac, and se Isaac gestrynde twegen, Iacob and Esau. Se Iacob was Godes gecoren, and gestrynde twelf suna, da sind gehâtene twelf heahfæderas.

pa becom se mæsta hunger ofer eallum middanearde seofon gear tosomne, buton on Egypta-lande, on dam anum wæs corn, swa hit gecweden is, "Swa fela swa bið sand-ceosol on sæ." Da ferde se Iacob mid his twelf sunum and his suna sunum, ealles hund-seofontig manna, to Egypta-lande, þær dær hi bigleofan fundon; and þær eardodon feower hund geara, swa swa se Elmihtiga God Abraháme sæde. pa æt nextan aras Pharao, se Egyptisca cyning, and þæt Israhela folc eall on deowte gebrohte, het hi wyrcan his burhweallas,

There are three times in this world: Ante legem, Sub lege, Sub gratia; that is, Before the law, Under the law, Under God's grace. The time is called "before the law," which was from Adam without law till Moses, when God established the law through Moses; and the time was called "under the law" till the advent of Christ in humanity, when Christ changed the old law to a ghostly signification. Now the time from Christ's passion is called "under God's grace," because his grace always directs the chosen to truth and to the commandments of life, that they may spiritually hold those things which the old law enjoined bodily.

Abraham the patriarch was named, who first after the great flood had personal knowledge of God: he spake with God, and fervently obeyed his commandments: then the Almighty God gave to him and his offspring the land to inhabit which is called Judea land, in which is the city of Jerusalem, in which Christ suffered, though it is now built in another manner. Then said the Almighty God to Abraham, "Know thou that thy kin shall be a stranger in another country four hundred years, and they shall bring them into thraldom and greatly afflict them. But I will judge that people, and thy race shall afterwards go with great possessions from the land, and in the fourth generation they shall return hither again." Abraham afterwards begat a son, Isaac, and Isaac begat two, Jacob and Esau. Jacob was God's chosen, and begat twelve sons, who are called twelve patriarchs.

Then came the greatest of famines over all the earth, for seven years together, except in the land of Egypt, in which alone there was corn, as it is said, "As much as is the sand in the sea." Jacob, therefore, went with his twelve sons and his sons' sons, altogether seventy men, to the land of Egypt, where they found sustenance; and there dwelt four hundred years, as the Almighty God had said to Abraham. Then at last Pharaoh, the Egyptian king, arose, and brought all the people of Israel into thraldom, commanded them to make his

and hi by smorlice geswencte, and het acwellan ælc hys cild of dam cynne. Betwux disum asprang Moyses and his broder Aaron of dære ylcan mægde. To dam Moyse spræc se Ælmihtiga God pisum wordum, "Ic geseah mines folces geswinc on Egypta-lande, and heora hream ic gehyrde, and ic niðer-astah þæt ic hi ahredde of Egyptiscra manna handum, and ic hí gelæde of dam earde to gōdan lande and brádum, þæt de fleowo mid meolce and mid hunige." God cwæð þa to Moysen, "Far to dam cyninge Pharao, and beod him þæt he min folc forlæte of his leode faran." Moyses da and his broðor Aaron ferdon to Pharao mid ærende þæs Ælmihtigan Godes, and cwædon, "pus cwyd Drihten Israhela God, Forlæt min folc þæt hit me lac offrige on westene, swa ic him gewissige." Pharao him andwyrde, "Hwæt is se Drihten pæet ic his stemne gehyran sceole, and Israhel forlætan? Nat ic done Drihten, and ic Israhel ne forlæte." Ɖa sende se Ælmihtiga týn cynna wita ofer dam dwyran cyninge and ofer his leode, ærðan de he pæet folc forlætan wolde. Moyses, ðurh Godes mihte, awende eal heora wæter to readum blode, and he afylde eal heora land mid froggon, and siððan mid gnættum, eft mid hundes lusum, ða flugon into heora mude and heora næsðyrlum; and se Ælmihtiga done modigan cyning mid pam eaðelicum gesceaftum swa geswencte, sede mihte hine mid wildum berum and leonum gewyldan, gif he swa wolde: and nan dyssera geswencednyssa ne becom on dam ende pæs eardes de pæt Godes folc on eardode.

þæt fifte wite was cwealm on heora orfe, swa þæt on dam lande fornean nan orf ne belaf, buton Israheles pe ansund gestód. pæt sixte wite was, þæt mislice geswel and blædran asprungon on heora lichaman on eallum his folce. pæt seofode wite wæs, þæt swa micel dunor and hagol becom on dam leodscipe, þæt ælc ding was adyd þæt ûte wearð gemet, and ælc treow on dam earde tobærst. pæt eahtode wite wæs, þæt gærstapan ofereodon eall pæt land swilce swa næfre