Great Britain -- History -- Anglo-Saxon period, 449-1066; Middle Ages -- Sources
given to you, as if you were an illustrious and learned teacher, to
oppose the force of so violent a torrent, and keep the charge committed
to you against such a series of inveterate crimes which has spread far
and wide, without interruption, for so many years? Hold thy peace: to do
otherwise, is to tell the foot to see, and the hand to speak. Britain
has rulers, and she has watchmen: why dost thou incline thyself thus
uselessly to prate?" She has such, I say, not too many, perhaps, but
surely not too few: but, because they are bent down and pressed beneath
so heavy a burden, they have not time allowed them to take breath. My
senses, therefore, as if feeling a portion of my debt and obligation,
preoccupied themselves with such objections, and with others yet more
strong. They struggled, as I said, no short time, in a fearful strait,
whilst I read, "There is a time for speaking, and a time for keeping
silence." At length, the creditor's side prevailed and bore off the
victory: if (said he) thou art not bold enough to be marked with the
comely mark of golden liberty among the prophetic creatures, who enjoy
the rank as reasoning beings next to the angels, refuse not the
inspiration of the understanding ass, to that day dumb, which would not
carry forward the tiara'd magician who was going to curse God's people,
but in the narrow pass of the vineyard crushed his loosened foot, and
thereby felt the lash; and though he was, with his ungrateful and
furious hand, against right justice, beating her innocent sides, she
pointed out to him the heavenly messenger holding the naked sword, and
standing in his way, though he had not seen him.]
Wherefore in zeal for the house of God and for his holy law, constrained
either by the reasonings of my own thoughts, or by the pious entreaties
of my brethren, I now discharge the debt so long exacted of me; humble,
indeed, in style, but faithful, as I think, and friendly to all Christ's
youthful soldiers, but severe and insupportable to foolish apostates;
the former of whom, if I am not deceived, will receive the same with
tears flowing from God's love; but the others with sorrow, such as is
extorted from the indignation and pusillanimity of a convicted
conscience.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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