Alfred the Great's Preface to His Translation of Pope Gregory's Cura Pastoralis
Original Text
Ælfred kyning hateð gretan Wærferð biscep his wordum luflice ond freondlice; ond ðe cyðan hate ðæt me com swiðe oft on gemynd, hwelce wiotan iu wæron giond Angelcynn, ægðer ge godcundra hada ge woruldcundra; ond hu gesæliglica tida ða wæron giond Angelcynn; ond hu ða kyningas ðe ðone onwald hæfdon ðæs folces Gode ond his ærendwrecum hiersumedon; ond hie ægðer ge hiora sibbe ge hiora siodu ge hiora onweald innanbordes gehioldon, ond eac ut hiora eðel rymdon; ond hu him ða speow ægðer ge mid wige ge mid wisdome; ond eac ða godcundan hadas, hu giorne hie wæron ægðer ge ymb lare ge ymb liornunga, ge ymb ealle ða ðiowotdomas ðe hie Gode don scoldon; ond hu man utanbordes wisdom ond lare hieder on lond sohte; ond hu we hie nu sceoldon ute begietan, gif we hie habban sceoldon. Swæ clæne heo wæs oðfeallenu on Angelcynne ðæt swiðe feawa wæron behionan Humbre ðe hiora ðeninga cuðen understondan on Englisc, oððe furðum an ærendgewrit of Lædene on Englisc areccean; ond ic wene ðætte noht monige begiondan Humbre næren. Swæ feawa hiora wæron ðæt ic furðum anne anlepne ne mæg geðencean be suðan Temese ða ða ic to rice feng. Gode ælmihtegum sie ðonc ðætte we nu ænigne onstal habbað lareowa. Ond for ðon ic ðe bebiode ðæt ðu do swæ ic geliefe ðæt ðu wille, ðæt ðu ðe ðissa woruldðinga to ðæm geæmetige swæ ðu oftost mæge, ðæt ðu ðone wisdom ðe ðe God sealde ðær ðær ðu hiene befæstan mæge, befæste. Geðenc hwelc witu us ða becomon for ðisse worulde, ða ða we hit nohwæðer ne selfe ne lufodon ne eac oðrum monnum ne lefdon! Ðone naman ænne we lufodon ðætte we Cristne wæren, ond swiðe feawa ða ðeawas.

	Ða ic ða ðis eall gemunde, ða gemunde ic eac hu ic geseah, ær ðæm ðe hit eall forhergod wære ond forbærned, hu ða ciricean giond eall Angelcynn stodon maðma ond boca gefylda, ond eac micel mengeo Godes ðiowa; ond ða swiðe lytle fiorme ðara boca wiston, for ðæm ðe hie hiora nanwuht ongietan ne meahton, for ðæm ðe hie næron on hiora agen geðiode awritene. Swelce hie cwæden: "Ure ieldran, ða ðe ðas stowa ær hioldon, hie lufodon wisdom, ond ðurh ðone hie begeaton welan ond us læfdon. Her mon mæg giet gesion hiora swæð, ac we him ne cunnon æfter spyrigean. Ond for ðæm we habbað nu ægðer forlæten ge ðone welan ge ðone wisdom, for ðæm ðe we noldon to ðæm spore mid ure mode onlutan."

	Ða ic ða ðis eall gemunde, ða wundrade ic swiðe swiðe ðara godena wiotena ðe giu wæron giond Angelcynn, ond ða bec ealla be fullan geliornod hæfdon, ðæt hie hiora ða nænne dæl noldon on hiora agen geðiode wendan. Ac ic ða sona eft me selfum andwyrde ond cwæð: "Hie ne wendon ðætte æfre menn sceolden swæ reccelease weorðan ond sio lar swæ oðfeallan; for ðære wilnunga hie hit forleton, ond woldon ðæt her ðy mara wisdom on londe wære ðy we ma geðeoda cuðon."

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Word-by-Word [Nearly] Translation

Ælfred King bids be greeted Wærferth Bishop by his words loving and friendly; and thee to know I bid that to me comes very often to mind, what wise ones there previously were throughout Angledom, both of godly offices and secular; and how blissful times then were throughout Angledom; and how the kings who the rulership of the people had, God and his representatives heeded; and they both their peace and their morality and their power within their borders held, and also outward their patria expanded; and how to them then [it] availed both with war and with wisdom; and also then the holy orders, how they eager were both about lore and about learning, and about all the services which they to God give should; and how one outside our borders wisdom and knowledge hither in our land would seek; and how we those now must from outside (our land) get, if we them have would.  So clean it was downfallen in Angledom that very few were before the Humber who their masses could understand as English, or even a jotting of Latin to English translate; and I wene that not many beyond the Humber neither were.  So few of these there were that even one single not may I think of to the South of the Thames when I to the Kingdom took.  God Almighty be thanked that we now any store have of teachers.  And therefore I thee bid, that thou do as I would love that you will, that thou thee from these worldly things to that free [yourself], as thou oftest may, that thou that wisdom which thee God gave, there where thou plant [it] may, plant [it].  Bethink what punishments us then befell of this world, when then we it neither ourselves not loved, nor yet to other men not left; the name only we loved that we Christians were, and very few of the habits.  
	When I then this all recalled, then remembered I too how I saw, before that it all raided was and burnt, how the churches through all Angledom stood of treasures and of books filled, and also of greatly many of God's servants; and they very little use of those books knew, because they of them no whit get not could, because they not were in their own language written.  [It's] as though they quoth: "Our elders, they who these places before held, they loved wisdom, and through it they begot weal and us left [it], but we them not can after follow.  And therefore we have now surrendered both the weal and the wisdom, because we not would to that path with our minds incline."  
	When I then this all recalled, then wondered I so very much of the good wise ones who previously were through Angledom, and the books all to the full [they] learned had, that they of them then not any part not would into their own language translate.  But I then soon again myself answered, and quoth: "They not weened that ever men should so reckless turn and that knowledge so down-fall: purposely they it left [so], and would that the more wisdom in the land there would be, the we more languages knew.  

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Fluent Translation

Ælfred King bids Wærferth Bishop be greeted by his loving and friendly words; And I bid you to know that it comes very often into my mind, what wise people there used to be among us, both of the religious and the secular; And how blissful the times were then throughout England; And how the kings who held the people's rulership heeded God and his representatives, and they maintained both peace, and right, and order within their borders, and also expanded their rule outwards; And how they succeeded and prospered both in might and in understanding; And how the clergy were eager both for learning and for lore, and eager too in all the services which it was right they render unto God; And how, if anyone desired knowledge and learning, they would come to us, and seek it here in our land; And how now we must go out from here and seek them abroad, if we would have those things at all.  So completely had everything fallen in England that there were awfully few among us South of the Humber who could understand their masses [as well as if they were in ?] English, or even a brief jotting of Latin translate, and I suspect that there weren't many beyond the Humber, neither.  So few had even this little bit of learning that I can't think of even a single one who was South of the Thames when I took office.  Thank God we have any teachers at all now.  For all this, then, I would ask that you do what I would love for you to do, and free yourself, as often as you can, from worldly things, and wherever you might plant the wisdom which God gave to you, plant it.  Remember what punishments came upon us in this world, when we neither loved it ourselves, nor preserved it for others.  Of being "Christian", we loved only the name, and very few of the habits.  
	When all this recalled itself to me, then I remembered too how I saw, before it all pillaged was and burnt down, how the churches throughout England stood full of treasures and books, and also of so many of God's servants; And yet they so awfully little use of those books ever found, because they couldn't get a whit from them, just because they weren't written in their own language.  It's as if they said: "Our elders -- they who held these places before us -- loved wisdom, and through it they made for themselves prosperity, and left it to us, but we are unable to follow after them, and therefore we have now surrendered both the weal and the wisdom, because we would not incline ourselves to the path they followed."  
	When all these thoughts came to me, then I wondered greatly about the good wise people who used to be within England, and all the books that they had learned to the full, that they wouldn't any part of them translate into their own language.  But then, immediately I answered myself back again and said: "It never occurred to them -- they never imagined -- that people could become so reckless, and that knowledge should fall down so low: they purposely left these texts, wishing that there would be the more wisdom in our land, the more languages that we knew."