Wulfstan (d. 1023) was Bishop of London until 1002 and then Bishop of Worcester and Archbishop of York (the two titles had been held by the same person since 972 because York under the viking kings was barely a functional see). He was an advisor to Æthelræd during the later years of his reign and wrote several of that king's law codes; he also wrote law codes for Cnut. Wulfstan was not primarily a writer of homilies; he wrote many fewer than his contemporary and correspondent Ælfric (see Bethurum 1957). The Sermo Lupi ad Anglos, however, reveals him as a writer of extraordinary power. As you read, notice the strong binary rhythms, the many rhymes and alliterations, and the chains of grammatically parallel words and phrases.
For editions of this homily, see Bethurum 1957, pp. 255-75 (which presents three different versions) and Whitelock 1963 (especially valuable for its very full annotations) In this text, -an is often written for -um and -on, and the -o- of class 2 weak verbs often appears as -e-.
Sermo Lupi ad Anglos, quando Dani maxime persecuti sunt eos, quod fuit anno millesimo xiiii ab incarnatione Domini nostri Iesu Cristi
[1] Lēofan men, ġecnāwað þæt sōð is. [2] Ðēos worold is on ofste, and hit nēalǣċð þām ende, and þȳ hit is on worolde aa swā lenġ swā wyrse. [3] And swā hit sceal nȳde for folces synnan ǣr antecristes tōcyme yfelian swȳþe, and hūru hit wyrð þænne eġesliċ and grimliċ wīde on worolde. [4] Understandað ēac ġeorne þæt dēofol þās þēode nū fela ġēara dwelode tō swȳþe, and þæt lȳtle ġetrēowþa wǣran mid mannum, þēah hȳ wel spǣcan, and unrihta tō fela rīcsode on lande. [5] And næs ā fela manna þe smēade ymbe þā bōte swā ġeorne swā man scolde, ac dæġhwāmlīċe man īhte yfel æfter ōðrum and unriht rǣrde and unlaga maneġe ealles tō wīde ġynd ealle þās þēode. [6] And wē ēac for þām habbað fela byrsta and bysmara ġebiden, and ġif wē ǣniġe bōte ġebīdan scylan, þonne mōte wē þæs tō Gode earnian bet þonne wē ǣr þysan dydan, [7] for þām mid miċlan earnungan wē ġeearnedan þā yrmða þe ūs onsittað, and mid swȳþe miċelan earnungan wē þā bōte mōtan æt Gode ġerǣċan ġif hit sceal heonanforð gōdiende weorðan. [8] Lā hwæt, wē witan ful ġeorne þæt tō miċlan bryċe sceal miċel bōt nȳde, and tō miċlan bryne wæter unlȳtel, ġif man þæt fȳr sceal tō āhte ācwenċan. [9] And miċel is nȳdþearf manna ġehwilċum þæt hē Godes lage ġȳme heonanforð ġeorne and Godes ġerihta mid rihte ġelǣste. [10] On hǣþenum þēodum ne dear man forhealdan lȳtel ne miċel þæs þe ġelagod is tō ġedwolgoda weorðunge, and wē forhealdað ǣġhwǣr Godes ġerihta ealles tō ġelōme. [11] And ne dear man ġewanian on hǣþenum þēodum inne ne ūte ǣniġ þǣra þinga þe ġedwolgodan brōht bið and tō lācum betǣht bið, and wē habbað Godes hūs inne and ūte clǣne berȳpte, and Godes þēowas syndan mǣþe and munde ġewelhwǣr bedǣlde. [12] And ġedwolgoda þēnan ne dear man misbēodan on ǣniġe wīsan mid hǣþenum lēodum, swā swā man Godes þēowum nū dēð tō wīde þǣr Cristene scoldan Godes lage healdan and Godes þēowas griðian.
[13] Ac sōð is þæt iċ secge: þearf is þǣre bōte, for þām Godes ġerihta wanedan tō lange innan þysse þēode on ǣġhwylċan ænde, and folclaga wyrsedan ealles tō swȳþe, and hāliġnessa syndan tō griðlēase wīde, and Godes hūs syndan tō clǣne berȳpte ealdra ġerihta and innan bestrȳpte ǣlċra ġerisena. [14] And wydewan syndan fornȳdde on unriht tō ċeorle, and tō mæneġe foryrmde and ġehȳnede swȳþe, and earme men syndan sāre beswicene and hrēowlīċe besyrwde and ūt of þysan earde wīde ġesealde, swȳþe unforworhte, fremdum tō ġewealde, [15] and cradolċild ġeþēowede þurh wælhrēowe unlaga for lȳtelre þȳfþe wīde ġynd þās þēode, and frēoriht fornumene and þrǣlriht ġenyrwde and ælmæsriht ġewanode; and, hrædest is tō cweþenne, Godes laga lāðe and lāra forsāwene. [16] And þæs wē habbað ealle þurh Godes yrre bysmor ġelōme, ġecnāwe se ðe cunne; and se byrst wyrð ġemǣne, þēh man swā ne wēne, eallre þysse þēode, būtan God beorge.
[17] For þām hit is on ūs eallum swutol and ġesēne þæt wē ǣr þysan oftor brǣcan þonne wē bēttan, and þȳ is þysse þēode fela onsǣġe. [18] Ne dohte hit nū lange inne ne ūte, ac wæs here and hunger, bryne and blōdgyte on ġewelhwylċan ende oft and ġelōme. [19] And ūs stalu and cwalu, strīċ and steorfa, orfcwealm and uncoþu, hōl and hete and rȳpera rēaflāc derede swȳþe þearle, and ūs unġylda swȳþe ġedrehtan, and ūs unwedera foroft wēoldan unwæstma. [20] For þām on þysan earde wæs, swā hit þinċan mæġ, nū fela ġēara unriht fela and tealte ġetrȳwða ǣġhwǣr mid mannum. [21] Ne bearh nū foroft ġesib ġesibban þe mā þe fremdan, ne fæder his bearne, ne hwīlum bearn his āgenum fæder, ne brōþor ōþrum; ne ūre ǣniġ his līf ne fadode swā swā hē scolde, ne ġehādode regollīċe, ne lǣwede lahlīċe. [22] Ac worhtan lust ūs tō lage ealles tō ġelōme, and nāþor ne hēoldan ne lāre ne lage Godes ne manna swā swā wē scoldan. [23] Ne ǣniġ wið ōþerne ġetrȳwlīċe þōhte swā rihte swā hē scolde, ac mǣst ǣlċ swicode and ōþrum derede wordes and dǣde, and hūru unrihtlīċe mǣst ǣlċ ōþerne æftan hēaweþ sceandlican onscytan, dō māre ġif hē mæġe.
[24] For þām hēr syn on lande unġetrȳwþa miċle for Gode and for worolde, and eac hēr syn on earde on mistliċe wīsan hlāfordswican maneġe. [25] And ealra mǣst hlāfordswice se bið on worolde þæt man his hlāfordes sāule beswīce, and ful miċel hlāfordswice ēac bið on worolde þæt man his hlāford of līfe forrǣde oððon of lande lifiendne drīfe; and ǣġþer is ġeworden on þysan earde: [26] Ēadweard man forrǣdde and syððan ācwealde and æfter þām forbærnde. [27] And godsibbas and godbearn tō fela man forspilde wīde ġynd þās þēode tōēacan ōðran ealles tō manegan þe man unscyldiġe forfor ealles tō wīde. [28] And ealles tō maneġe hāliġe stōwa wīde forwurdan þurh þæt þe man sume men ǣr þām ġelōgode, swā man nā ne scolde ġif man on Godes griðe mǣþe witan wolde. [29] And Cristenes folces tō fela man ġesealde ūt of þysan earde nū ealle hwīle; and eal þæt is Gode lāð, ġelȳfe se þe wille. [30] And scandliċ is tō specenne þæt ġeworden is tō wīde, and eġesliċ is tō witanne þæt oft dōð tō maneġe þe drēogað þā yrmþe, þæt scēotað tōgædere and āne cwenan ġemǣnum ċēape bicgað ġemǣne, and wið þā āne fȳlþe ādrēogað, ān æfter ānum and ǣlċ æfter ōðrum, hundum ġelīccast þe for fȳlþe ne scrīfað, [31] and syððan wið weorðe syllað of lande fēondum tō ġewealde Godes ġesceafte and his āgenne ċēap þe hē dēore ġebohte.
[32] Ēac wē witan ġeorne hwǣr sēo yrmð ġewearð þæt fæder ġesealde bearn wið weorþe and bearn his mōdor, and brōþor sealde ōþerne fremdum tō ġewealde; and eal þæt syndan miċle and eġeslīċe dǣda, understande se þe wille. [33] And ġīt hit is māre and ēac mæniġfealdre þæt dereð þysse þēode. [34] Mæniġe synd forsworene and swȳþe forlogene, and wed synd tōbrocene oft and ġelōme, and þæt is ġesȳne on þysse þēode þæt ūs Godes yrre hetelīċe onsit, ġecnāwe se þe cunne.
[35] And lā, hū mæġ māre scamu þurh Godes yrre mannum ġelimpan þonne ūs dēð ġelōme for āgenum ġewyrhtum? [36] Ðēh þrǣla hwylċ hlāforde ætlēape and of Cristendōme tō wīċinge weorþe, and hit æfter þām eft ġeweorþe þæt wǣpnġewrixl weorðe ġemǣne þeġene and þrǣle, ġif þrǣl þæne þeġen fullīċe āfylle, licge ǣġylde ealre his mǣġðe. [37] And ġif se þeġen þæne þrǣl þe hē ǣr āhte fullīċe āfylle, ġylde þeġenġylde. [38] Ful earhlīċe laga and scandlīċe nȳdġyld þurh Godes yrre ūs syn ġemǣne, understande se þe cunne, and fela unġelimpa ġelimpð þysse þēode oft and ġelōme. [39] Ne dohte hit nū lange inne ne ūte, ac wæs here and hete on ġewelhwilċan ende oft and ġelōme, and Engle nū lange eal siġelēase and tō swȳþe ġeyriġde þurh Godes yrre, and flotmen swā strange þurh Godes þafunge þæt oft on ġefeohte ān fēseð tȳne and hwīlum lǣs, hwīlum mā, eal for ūrum synnum. [40] And oft tȳne oððe twelfe, ǣlċ æfter ōþrum, scendað tō bysmore þæs þeġenes cwenan and hwīlum his dohtor oððe nȳdmāgan þǣr hē on lōcað þe lǣt hine sylfne rancne and rīċne and ġenōh gōdne ǣr þæt ġewurde. [41] And oft þrǣl þæne þeġen þe ǣr wæs his hlāford cnyt swȳþe fæste and wyrċð him tō þrǣle þurh Godes yrre. [42] Wā lā þǣre yrmðe and wā lā þǣre woroldscame þe nū habbað Engle, eal þurh Godes yrre. [43] Oft twēġen sǣmen oððe þrȳ hwīlum drīfað þā drāfe Cristenra manna fram sǣ tō sǣ ūt þurh þās þēode ġewelede tōgædre, ūs eallum tō woroldscame, ġif wē on eornost ǣniġe cūþon āriht understandan. [44] Ac ealne þæne bysmor þe wē oft þoliað wē ġyldað mid weorðscipe þām þe ūs scendað. [45] Wē him ġyldað singallīċe, and hȳ ūs hȳnað dæġhwāmlīċe. [46] Hȳ hergiað and hȳ bærnað, rȳpaþ and rēafiað and tō scipe lǣdað; and lā, hwæt is ǣniġ ōðer on eallum þām ġelimpum būtan Godes yrre ofer þās þēode, swutol and ġesǣne?
[47] Nis ēac nān wundor þēah ūs mislimpe, for þām wē witan ful ġeorne þæt nū fela ġēara menn nā ne rōhtan foroft hwæt hȳ worhtan wordes oððe dǣde, ac wearð þes þēodscipe, swā hit þinċan mæġ, swȳþe forsyngod þurh mæniġfealde synna and þurh fela misdǣda: [48] þurh morðdǣda and þurh māndǣda, þurh ġitsunga and þurh ġīfernessa, þurh stala and þurh strūdunga, þurh mannsylena and þurh hǣþene unsida, þurh swicdōmas and þurh searacræftas, þurh lahbryċas and þurh ǣswicas, þurh mǣġrǣsas and þurh manslyhtas, þurh hādbryċas and þurh ǣwbryċas, þurh sibleġeru and þurh mistliċe forliġru. [49] And ēac syndan wīde, swā wē ǣr cwǣdan, þurh āðbriċas and þurh wedbryċas and þurh mistliċe lēasunga forloren and forlogen mā þonne scolde, and frēolsbriċas and fæstenbryċas wīde ġeworhte oft and ġelōme. [50] And ēac hēr syn on earde apostatan ābroþene and ċyriċhatan hetole and lēodhatan grimme ealles tō maneġe, and oferhogan wīde godcundra rihtlaga and Cristenra þēawa, and hocorwyrde dysiġe ǣġhwǣr on þēode - oftost on þā þing þe Godes bodan bēodaþ and swȳþost on þā þing þe ǣfre tō Godes lage ġebyriað mid rihte. [51] And þȳ is nū ġeworden wīde and sīde tō ful yfelan ġewunan, þæt menn swȳþor scamað nū for gōddǣdan þonne for misdǣdan, for þām tō oft man mid hocere gōddǣda hyrweð and godfyrhte lehtreð ealles tō swȳþe; [52] and swȳþost man tǣleð and mid olle ġegrēteð ealles tō ġelōme þā þe riht lufiað and Godes eġe habbað be ǣnigum dǣle. [53] And þurh þæt þe man swā dēð þæt man eal hyrweð þæt man scolde herian and tō forð lāðet þæt man scolde lufian, þurh þæt man ġebringeð ealles tō maneġe on yfelan ġeþance and on undǣde, swā þæt hȳ ne scamað nā þēh hȳ syngian swȳðe and wið God sylfne forwyrċan hȳ mid ealle, [54] ac for īdelan onscytan hȳ scamað þæt hȳ bētan heora misdǣda, swā swā bēċ tǣċan, ġelīċe þām dwǣsan þe for heora prȳtan lēwe nellað beorgan ǣr hȳ nā ne magan, þēh hȳ eal willan.
[55] Hēr syndan þurh synlēawa, swā hit þinċan mæġ, sāre ġelēwede tō maneġe on earde. [56] Hēr syndan mannslagan and mǣġslagan and mæsserbanan and mynsterhatan; and hēr syndan mānsworan and morþorwyrhtan; and hēr syndan myltestran and bearnmyrðran and fūle forleġene hōringas maneġe; and hēr syndan wiċċan and wælcyrian; and hēr syndan rȳperas and rēaferas and woroldstrūderas and, hrædest is tō cweþenne, māna and misdǣda unġerīm ealra. [57] And þæs ūs ne scamað nā, ac þæs ūs scamað swȳþe þæt wē bōte āġinnan swā swā bēċ tǣċan, and þæt is ġesȳne on þysse earman forsyngodon þēode. [58] Ēalā, miċel magan maneġe ġȳt hērtōēacan ēaþe beþenċan þæs þe ān man ne mehte on hrædinge āsmēaġan, hū earmlīċe hit ġefaren is nū ealle hwīle wīde ġynd þās þēode. [59] And smēaġe hūru ġeorne ġehwā hine sylfne and þæs nā ne latiġe ealles tō lange. [60] Ac lā, on Godes naman wutan dōn swā ūs nēod is, beorgan ūs sylfum swā wē ġeornost magan þe lǣs wē ætgædere ealle forweorðan.
[61] Ān þēodwita wæs on Brytta tīdum, Gildas hātte. [62] Se āwrāt be heora misdǣdum hū hȳ mid heora synnum swā oferlīċe swȳþe God ġegræmedan þæt hē lēt æt nȳhstan Engla here heora eard ġewinnan and Brytta dugeþe fordōn mid ealle. [63] And þæt wæs ġeworden, þæs þe hē sǣde, þurh rīċra rēaflāc and þurh ġītsunge wōhgestrēona, ðurh lēode unlaga and þurh wōhdōmas, ðurh biscopa āsolcennesse and þurh lȳðre yrhðe Godes bydela þe sōþes ġeswugedan ealles tō ġelōme and clumedan mid ċeaflum þǣr hȳ scoldan clypian. [64] Þurh fūlne ēac folces gǣlsan and þurh oferfylla and mæniġfealde synna heora eard hȳ forworhtan and selfe hȳ forwurdan. [65] Ac utan dōn swā ūs þearf is, warnian ūs be swilċan; and sōþ is þæt iċ secge, wyrsan dǣda wē witan mid Englum þonne wē mid Bryttan āhwār ġehȳrdan. [66] And þȳ ūs is þearf miċel þæt wē ūs beþenċan and wið God sylfne þingian ġeorne. [67] And utan dōn swā ūs þearf is, ġebūgan tō rihte and be suman dǣle unriht forlǣtan and bētan swȳþe ġeorne þæt wē ǣr brǣcan. [68] And utan God lufian and Godes lagum fylġean, and ġelǣstan swȳþe ġeorne þæt þæt wē behētan þā wē fulluht underfēngan, oððon þā þe æt fulluhte ūre forespecan wǣran. [69] And utan word and weorc rihtlīċe fadian and ūre inġeþanc clǣnsian ġeorne and āð and wed wærlīċe healdan and sume ġetrȳwða habban ūs betwēonan būtan uncræftan. [70] And utan ġelōme understandan þone miċlan dōm þe wē ealle tō sculon, and beorgan ūs ġeorne wið þone weallendan bryne hellewītes, and ġeearnian ūs þā mǣrða and þā myrhða þe God hæfð ġeġearwod þām þe his willan on worolde ġewyrċað. [71] God ūre helpe. Amen.