We rædað on Cristes bec þæt þæt folc rædde be him, þæt hí woldon hine gelæccan, and ahebban to cyninge, þæt he wære heora heafod for worulde, swa swa he wæs godcundlice. Þaþa Crist ongeat ðæs folces willan, ða fleah hé anstandende to anre dúne, and his geferan gewendon to sǽ, and se Hælend wæs up on lande. Ða on niht eode se Hælend up on ðam wætere mid drium fotum, oðþæt he com to his leorning-cnihtum, ðær ðær hí wæron on rewute. He forfleah þone woruldlican wurðmynt, þaþa he wæs to cyninge gecoren; ac he ne forfleah na þæt edwit and ðone hosp, þaþa ða Iudeiscan hine woldon on rode ahón. He nolde his heafod befon mid gyldenum cynehelme, ac mid þyrnenum, swa swa hit gedon wæs on his þrowunge. He nolde on ðissum life rixian hwilwendlice, seðe ecelice rixað on heofonum. Nis ðeos woruld na ure eðel, ac is ure wræcsið; forði ne sceole we na besettan urne hiht on þissum swicelum life, ac sceolon efstan mid godum geearnungum to urum eðele, þær we to gesceapene wæron, þæt is to heofenan rice. Soðlice hit is awriten, "Swa hwa swa wile beon freond þisre worulde, se bið geteald Godes feond." Crist cwæð on sumere stowe, þæt "Se weig is swiðe nearu and sticol, seðe læt to heofonan rice; and se is swiðe rúm and smeðe, seðe læt to helle-wite." Se weig, seðe læt to heofenan rice, is forði nearu and sticol, forði þæt we sceolon mid earfoðnysse geearnian urne eðel. Gif we hine habban willað, we sceolon lufian mildheortnysse, and clænnysse, and soðfæstnysse, and rihtwisnysse, and eadmodnysse, and habban soðe lufe to Gode and to mannum, and dón ælmessan be ure mæðe, and habban gemet on urum bigleofan, and gehwilce oðere halige ðing began. Þas ðing we ne magon dón butan earfoðnyssum; ac gif we hí doð, þonne mage we mid þam geswincum, ðurh Godes fultum, astigan ðone sticolan weg þe us gelæt to ðam ecan life. Se weg seðe læt to forwyrde is forði brad and {164} smeðe, forði þe únlustas gebringað þone man to forwyrde. Him bið swiðe softe, and nan geswinc þæt he fylle his galnysse, and druncennysse, and gytsunge begange and modignysse, and ða unstrangan berype, and dón swa hwæt swa hine lyst: ac ðas unðeawas and oðre swilce gelædað hine butan geswince to ecum tintregum, buton he ær his ende yfeles geswice and gód wyrce. Dysig bið se wegferenda man seðe nimð þone smeðan weg þe hine mislæt, and forlæt ðone sticolan þe hine gebrincð to ðære byrig. Swa eac we beoð soðlice ungerade, gif we lufiað þa sceortan softnysse and ða hwilwendlican lustas to ðan swiðe, þæt hi us gebringan to ðam ecan pinungum. Ac uton niman þone earfoðran weg, þæt we her sume hwile swincon, to ðy þæt we ecelice beon butan geswince. Eaðe mihte Crist, gif he wolde, on þisum life wunian butan earfoðnyssum, and faran to his ecan rice butan ðrowunge, and butan deaðe; ac he nolde. Be ðam cwæð Petrus se apostol, "Crist ðrowode for us, and sealde us bysne, þæt we sceolon fyligan his fotswaðum;" þæt is, þæt we sceolon sum ðing þrowian for Cristes lufon, and for urum synnum.