NOTES.

Note 1, p. viii.-" Ælfred Kuning pær pealhrtod dirre bec." "King Alfred was translator of this book."-Although this preface is written in the third person, yet there is no doubt that Alfred himself was the writer, for he explains his method of translating, alludes to "the various and manifold occupations which often busied him both in mind and body," beseeches the reader to " pray for him, and not to blame him if he should more rightly understand it than he could ;" and finally, offers the apology that " every man must, according to the measure of his understanding, and according to his leisure, speak that which he speaks, and do that which he does." The style of this preface is very similar to the one which Alfred prefixed to his version of Pope Gregory's Pastoral, and also to that which he prefixed to the Anglo-Saxon version of Pope Gregory's Dialogues, which was written, under his direction, by Werefrith, Bishop of Worcester. Note 2, p. 2, 1. 2.—“Rædgora and Callepica."-The invasions of Radagaisus and Alaric took place early in the fifth century, and, after many years of desolating wars, Theodoric, an Ostrogoth, said to be the fourteenth in lineal descent of the royal line of Amala, acquired possession of Rome. Theodoric was a Christian, but had been educated in the tenets of Arius. For many years he gave the fullest toleration to the profession of the Catholic Faith, and went so far as to behead one of his officers for becoming an Arian, saying, "If thou couldst not continue true to thy God, how canst thou prove faithful to me who am but a man?" At length, however, apprehending danger to his throne, and suspecting the Catholics to be in league with his enemies, he withheld the toleration he had granted, and became a persecutor of the orthodox faith. The oppressions which he beheld, roused the patriotism of Boethius, a noble Roman, distinguished for his many and varied accomplishments. He entered into a correspondence with the Emperor Justin, at Constantinople, and this being discovered, Theodoric caused him to be imprisoned in Ticinum, and whil there, he composed this treatise.

Note 3, p. 2, 1. 8.-Literally, "that they might be worthy of their ancient rights;" "heopa ealdpihta pýpþe beon."-It may here be observed that the compound words which occur so frequently in Anglo-Saxon are, for the most part, compounded from substantives and adjectives. The adjective is frequently found in composition with its substantive, and remains uninflected through all its cases. Thus the adjective "eald," in composition with the substantive "piht," makes "ealopihta," and "ealdpihtum" in the genitive and dative and ablative plural; and in

composition with the substantive "hlafond," makes "ealdhlafond," and "ealbhlaropdum" in the dative and ablative plural. Two substantives are often compounded, the first having an adjective power. Thus "populd" compounded with the substantives "beap" and "rælo," respectively makes "populd þeapum" and "populd rælbum" in the dative and ablative plural. This kind of composition is not limited to two words. The compound eald-hlafond," ,"considered as one word, may again be compounded, as in the present chapter, with the substantive "cyn." The latter word "cyn" only is then subject to inflection, "eald" and "hlafond" remaining invariable. Accordingly we find "eald-hlafond-cýnner” in the genitive singular; and a similar inflection will be found in many other words.

Note 4, p. 2, 1. 11.-John, the first Pope who bore that name, was sent on an embassy by Theodoric to the Emperor Justin, at Constantinople, and on his return, Theodoric confined him in a dungeon at Ravenna, where he died of want.

Note 5, p. 2, 1. 20.—“Sende þa digellice ærendgeppitu.” “He therefore privately sent letters."-The verb Sende is here used without a nominative case being expressed, which, however, is to be understood, and sought for in the preceding sentence.

Note 6, p. 4, 1. 22.-"Se pirdom."-In several parts of this work the reader will meet with inconsistencies resulting from the grammatical accident of gender. In Anglo-Saxon many substantives are neuter, but the far greater number, though denoting objects undistinguished by sex, are considered, grammatically, as either masculine or feminine. These distinctions are for the most part regulated by terminations, but are occasionally arbitrary. As a rule, words ending in a are masculine, and those ending in e are feminine; thus Mona, the moon, is masculine; and Sunne, the sun, is feminine; while pir, wife, or woman, is neuter. In the Latin version of Boethius, Philosophy is described as a female, the word Philosophia being grammatically of the feminine gender, but Alfred generally translates it by pirdom, which is invariably masculine. Hence we find him applying masculine articles, pronouns and adjectives, to pisdom, who is perhaps in the same page described as the foster modor of Boethius. In a few places Philosophia is rendered by Lerceadpirner, Reason, and is then feminine. In one instance, c. iii. § 3, the words pirdom and Lerceadpirner are used conjointly to designate Philosophy, with a verb in the plural number; and yet the author immediately reverts to the singular, and says, þa ongan he efʊ sppecan cрæð.-Although the dialogue should properly be carried on between Philosophy and Boethius, yet Alfred frequently makes "the mind"-i.e. the mind of Boethius-one of the interlocutors, instead of Boethius himself; and Mod, the mind, is a substantive of the neuter gender.

Note 7, p. 7, 1. 23.-This opinion of Plato was powerfully enforced by him in his dialogue De Republicâ; and it is a truth which will find an echo in every well-ordered mind.

Note 8, p. 10, 1. 15.-The Cottonian. MS., which has been wonderfully restored by the gentlemen mentioned in the preface, commences with the word "unclænan;" the preceding portion being too much injured to be deciphered. The variations in the readings of the Cottonian MS., which

occur before this word, were observed by Junius before the MS. was injured by fire, and are given on his authority; all the subsequent ones are the result of the editor's own collation.

Note 9, p. 23, 1. 10.-This was Croesus, King of Lydia, who, having been taken captive by Cyrus, King of Persia, and placed on a pile to be burned, is said to have been delivered from his danger by a shower of rain, which Apollo sent at his earnest entreaty.-Herod. i. 87.

Note 10, p. 26, 1. 13.-This chapter ends abruptly, and is evidently incomplete.

Note 11, p. 36, 1. 22.-"Foppam de Lpire eandað on þæpe dene eadmodnerre." "For Christ dwells in the vale of humility."-Whatever allusions to the Christian religion occur in this work, are introduced by Alfred.

Note 12, p. 47, 1. 32.-Cantabit vacuus coram latrone viator.—Juv. Sat. x. 22.

Note 13, p. 52, 1. 19.-King Alfred evidently mistook the epithet "Liberum" for a proper name. The individual alluded to was probably Anaxarchus, a philosopher of Abdera. Nicocreon, King of Salamis, in Cyprus, having been offended by the philosopher's freedom, caused him to be cruelly tormented; and when at length the tyrant, finding he could not subdue the spirit of his victim, threatened to cut off his tongue, Anaxarchus bit it off, and spit it into the tyrant's face.-Cic. in Tusc. ii. 21.

Note 14, p. 53, 1. 30.—Busiris, King of Egypt, said to have been the son of Neptune, and altogether a mythical personage, sacrificed to Jupiter all strangers whom he could seize; and when Hercules visited Egypt, Busiris caused him to be bound and laid upon the altar. Hercules, however, soon disentangled himself, and sacrificed the tyrant and his son on the altar, where he had slain his victims. The whole statement, however, is contradicted by Herodotus.

Note 15, p. 53, 1. 39.-Regulus was a Roman consul during the first Punic war, and, after gaining several victories over the Carthaginians, was at length overcome by Xanthippus, and taken prisoner. He was sent to Rome by the Carthaginians to sue for peace, but so far was he from desiring peace, that he exhorted his countrymen to persevere in the war, as it would be greatly for their advantage; and on his return to Carthage he was cruelly put to death.

Note 16, p. 58, 1. 29.-Lpæft. Literally, craft.-Perhaps no word in the Anglo-Saxon language is used in a greater variety of senses. It denotes art, trade, profession, practice, employment, workmanship, skill, talent, ability, power, strength, faculty, virtue, excellence, endowment, and many other good qualities; and it is also used, though rarely, in a bad sense, for cunning, contrivance, artifice.

Note 17, p. 62, 1. 32. —Peopa, spræc is todæled on tpa 7 hund reofontig. Their language is divided into seventy-two.-This calculation of the number of languages occurs again in c. xxxv. § 4. It is also mentioned by Elfric, De Test. Vet.; and the passage is thus translated by Lisle: "Now the history telleth us concerning Noe's posterity, that his sons begot seuenty and two sons, who began to build that wonderfull citie and high tower, which in their foolish imagination should reach up to heaven. But God himselfe came thereto, and beheld their worke, and gave

them every one a sundry language, that they understood not each other what they said: so they quickly surceased the building; and then went they to sundry forrein lands, with as many languages as leaders."

Note 18, p. 64, 1. 8.-Cicero shows in his "Somnium Scipionis" that the Romans occupied a comparatively small part of the earth, and that, therefore, the glory of the Roman name was very limited in its extent.

Note 19, p. 64, 1. 15.—“ þe ge þæɲ ymbe spincað." "Which ye labour about."- 66 bæn," ," "there," is frequently redundant in Anglo-Saxon as in modern English.

Note 20, p. 66, 1. 7.-" ten burend pintɲa." "Ten thousand winters." -Northern nations reckon their years by winters, and the shorter divisions of time by nights. The latter mode of computation is still very common in this country, as, instead of seven days, we say "se'nnight;" and, instead of fourteen days, we say a fortnight."

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Note 21, p. 68, 1. 34.-Hor. Carm. lib. i. carm. 4.

Note 22, p. 70, 1. 1.—“ Dpæt sint nu þær fonemæpan and þær piran goldrmider ban pelonder." "What are now the bones of the celebrated and the wise goldsmith, Weland?"-This passage is grounded on the following remark of Boethius,

"Ubi nunc fidelis ossa Fabricii jacent ?"

In c. xvi. § 2, Alfred mistook an epithet for a proper name, and here, instead of mentioning the name of Fabricius, the opponent of Pyrrhus, he seems to have been led by a singular association of ideas to substitute that of Weland, the Vulcan of northern mythology. Although there is a remarkable change of persons, the argument to prove the worthlessness of earthly reputation is not affected by it.

Note 23, p. 70, 1. 7.-"Se apæda Rompapa heretoga, se pæs hatan Brutus, o ne naman Larriur." "The patriotic consul of the Romans, who was called Brutus, by another name Cassius."-This is a very singular mistake of Alfred's. Brutus and Cassius are here confounded, and considered as one person!

Note 24, p. 72, 1. 5.—“ƒpa þær pindes ýst.” "As the wind's storm." -For this reading we are indebted to Mr. Cardale; the reading in the Cottonian MS. being rpa þæp pinder þýr, and in the Bodleian spæ þeɲ pinder byr; both of which are evidently erroneous, and there cannot be a doubt that Mr. Cardale has happily restored the original reading.

Note 25, p. 72, 1. 6.—" Styping," which is here rendered "experience," means a stirring, or agitation, or any kind of tumult.

Note 26, p. 76, 1. 32.—“Spipe rpete to bealcetenne," which is here translated "6. very pleasant to the stomach," could not be rendered more literal in English, the expression being "dulcis eructando."

Note 27, p. 80, 1. 10.- ir bonne Lod. That is, then, God.-The Latin of Boethius is, Id autem est bonum. That God is the supreme good is not formally stated by Boethius until after a long train of reasoning, which is followed by his address to the Deity. It first occurs in the part of lib. iii. prosa 10, which corresponds with c. xxxiv. § 2, of the present work. But in this, and some other passages, the construction shows that Alfred meant to put God, instead of good. In Anglo-Saxon the word god denotes both God and good, so that there can be no other guide to its meaning, independently of the context, than the introduction of a capitai