lfric(?),Deinfantibus1

lfricofEynsham(?),Deinfantibus[DOEshorttitleHomU51]Thisshort,unpleasanttextsurvivesinthreemanuscripts.Theversionofferedbelowisadaptedfromtheonlyprintingavailable,atranscriptionbyA.S.NapierfromtheeleventhcenturymanuscriptOxford,BodleianLibrary,Hatton115(EinaltenglischesLebendesheiligenChad,Anglia10(1888):13156,inanAppendixatpp.1545).TheattributionofthepiecetolfrictheHomilistwasbrieflybutinfluentiallyarguedbyJohnC.PopeinhisHomiliesoflfric:ASupplementaryCollection,EETSO.S.25960(London:OxfordUniversityPress,19678),1:556.Buttheevidenceisentirelycircumstantial.ApartfromPopesbriefdiscussion,thereis,sofarasIamaware,nobodyofscholarlycommentonthisveryinterestingtext(thoughAaronKleistisreportedtohaveaneweditioninhand).IhaveexpandedtheabbreviationsinNapiersprintedtextandinsertedsentencenumberswheretheDOECorpusdoes.Somespellingshavebeenslightlyregularizedandsetinitalics.Ihavealsoadjustedthecapitalizationandpunctuationinafewplaces.C.A.J(1)WebiddaeowmenandbeodaonGodesnamantgewislicorandwrlicor

donymbeeowrehenancildonnegeo1isdydon,tswafelasawlaGodene

losienswaswaherdobetweoxeow.(2)NubiddeweeowonGodesnamant

geeowrecildltenfullianswahraeswahiacennedebeo,foraneunasthis

lifgewisomergen.2(3)Andudestinumcildemycelnehearmgifuhimurh

inegymeleasteheofonanricesmyrhebenimstandhitbesencstonhellegrund

mideallumdeoflumonecnysse.(4)umihtinegymeleastewigodgebetanac

amcildenebecym3nfreintoheofonanricebecuman.(5)Nucwee4summan

thewilecepanhimgodrafreondamidhiscildeandabit5shwilumtolange

foraneussegthaligegodspelltGodesgramawunaoferone

henanandbeterebiamhenancildethitnimeanlmesmanonnehit

nbbeaecanmyrheandhbbeaecanwitu.

1o:MSof,whichtheDOECorpusleavesunemended.2gewisomergen:Cf.lfric,CatholicHomiliesI,24(377.197):Behreowsiendummannumhemiltsa:achenebehetamlcygendumgewislifomerigen.3acamcildenebecym:impersonalconstruction,translatableasbutitwillnothappenthatthechild;thecloselyfollowingrepetitionofbecumanasthecomplementaryinfinitivemusthaveadifferentsensereach,arriveat.4cwee3sg.pres.subj.Themanuscripthasonlytheabbreviatedformcwwithasuspensionmarkabove.TheDOEeditorsexpandcw(3sg.pret.indic.);Iexpandasapotentialsubjunctive(afterthecommonLatinleadinDicatquis).5abit=3sg.pres.indic.

lfric(?),Deinfantibus2

(6)Nuiseftoeringedysigewifdo:lecgaheoracildbetwuxhimand

oflicgahitonnehionslpebeo,foraneseslpendamannathwthede.6

(7)Andwesecgatseomodor,gifheotoamunwrbi,midhirebreoste

mgtcildacwellan.Gifheohitlt7sucanandwyronneonslepe,onne

ofli8tbreostscildesfnstothitbiforsmorodforanehitnecann

hitaweigdon;onnebiheohireagenescildesbana.(8)Warnigeeacseomodor,

onneheomidcildeg,theomidnanrehigeleastehitneamyrre,nemid

nanumhefenemidnanumpleganoemidradeoemidungerade,9forame

hitscealleftofdeaearisanondomesdggifhitrcwicuwsinnanre

moder,andhfonnehellewitegifhithenacwyl.10

6Itshouldbenotedthattheauthorneednotbereferringtoactualinstancesofsuchfoolishness.Referencestowomenaccidentallysmotheringtheirchildrenarefairlycommoninmedievalpenitentialmanuals,includingthoseinOldEnglish:cf.Conf3.1.2(RaithX)2:Gifhwaonslpehisbearnoflicgethitdeadwyre,fsteIIIgear,angearonhlafe&onwtere,&aIIreodagasonwucan,&gifhiturhdruncengewyre,beteedeopporswahisscrifttce&behreowsigehitfre;similarlyConf.4(Fowler)25.279.7lt3sg.pres.indic.