In the bilingual dialogue of Ælfric,[194] written in Saxon and Latin late in the tenth century as an educational lesson, in the reply of the '_yrthling_' or ploughman to the question put as to the nature of his daily work, a touching picture is given of the work of a theow conscious of his thraldom:-- [p166] «Feelings of the theow.» Hwæt sægest þu yrþlinge? Hu begæst þu weorc þin? Eala leof hlaford þearle ic deorfe ic ga ut on dægræd þywende oxon to felda and iugie hig to syl. Nys hyt swa stearc winter þæt ic durre lutian æt ham for ege hlafordes mines ac geiukodan oxan and gefæstnodon sceare and cultre mit þære syl ælce dæg ic sceal erian fulne æþer (æcer) oþþe mare. Hæfst þu ænigne geferan? Ic hæbbe sumne cnapan þywende oxan mid gad isene þe eacswilce nu has ys for cylde and hreame. Hwæt mare dest þu on dæg? Gewyslice þænne mare ic do. Ic sceal fyllan binnan oxan mid hig and wæterian hig and sceasn (scearn) heora beran ut. hig hig micel gedeorf ys hyt geleof micel gedeorf hit ys forþam ic neom freoh. What sayest thou, plowman? How dost thou do thy work? Oh, my lord, hard do I work. I go out at daybreak driving the oxen to field, and I yoke them to the plough. Nor is it ever so hard winter that I dare loiter at home, for fear of my lord, but the oxen yoked, and the ploughshare and coulter fastened to the plough, every day must I plough a full acre, or more. Hast thou any comrade? I have a boy driving the oxen with an iron goad, who also is hoarse with cold and shouting. What more dost thou in the day? Verily then I do more. I must fill the bin of the oxen with hay, and water them, and carry out the dung. Ha! ha! hard work it is, hard work it is! because _I am not free_. Perhaps some day his lord will provide him with an outfit of oxen, give him a yard-land, and make him into a _gebur_ instead of a _theow_. This at least seems to be his yearning. IX. THE CREATION OF NEW MANORS. We have hitherto spoken only of the manors. Are we therefore to conclude that there was no land extra-manorial? «Folkland, or _terra regis_, included royal _hams_ or manors.» It may be asked whether 'folkland' was not extra-manorial. Now in one sense all that belonged to the ancient demesne of the Crown was folkland and extra-manorial. All estates with the villages and towns upon them, which had no manorial lord but the king, [p167] were in the demesne of the Crown, as also were the royal forests.