Ða gemunde ic hu sio æ wæs ærest on Ebreisc-geðiode funden, ond eft, ða hie Creacas geliornodon, ða wendon hie hie on hiora agen geðiode ealle, ond eac ealle oðre bec. Ond eft Lædenware swæ same, siððan hie hie geliornodon, hie hie wendon ealla ðurh wise wealhstodas on hiora agen geðiode. Ond eac ealla oðra Cristena ðioda sumne dæl hiora on hiora agen geðiode wendon. For ðy me ðyncð betre, gif iow swæ ðyncð, ðæt we eac sume bec, ða ðe niedbeðearfosta sien eallum monnum to wiotonne, ðæt we ða on ðæt geðiode wenden ðe we ealle gecnawan mægen, ond gedon swæ we swiðe eaðe magon mid Godes fultume, gif we ða stilnesse habbað, ðætte eall sio gioguð ðe nu is on Angelcynne friora monna, ðara ðe ða speda hæbben ðæt hie ðæm befeolan mægen, sien to liornunga oðfæste (ða hwile ðe hie to nanre oðerre note ne mægen) oð ðone first ðe hie wel cunnen English gewrite arædan.
From King Alfred’s prose preface to his translation of Gregory the Great’s
Pastoral Care:
The I remembered how the law was first founded in the Hebrew-language, and afterward,
when the Greeks learned it, then they themselves turned it into their own language
and all other books. And afterwards the Latin-dwellers (Romans) the same, after
they had learned them, they turned them all through wise translators into their
own language. And also all the other Christian peoples turned some portion of
theirs into their own language. Therefore to me it seems better, if it seems
so to you, that we also turn certain books, those which are most necessary for
all men to know, into that language which we all may understand, and also do
so as quickly as we may with God’s help, if we have peace enough, so that
all that young free-born men now in England, those who are able to do so, may
be set to learning (as long as they are not needed in some other work) until
they can well read English writings with understanding.