Of Ælfric's part in these Homilies, whether, as it would seem from his preface, it was that of a mere translator from the several works he therein names[3], or whether he drew aught from his own stores, my pursuits do not enable me to speak, though it seems that no one of his homilies is, generally speaking, a mere translation from any one given Latin original, but rather a compilation from several. Be this, however, as it may, his sermons in either case equally exhibit what were the doctrines of the Anglo-Saxon church at the period in which they were compiled or translated, and are for the most part valuable in matter, and expressed in language which may be pronounced a pure specimen of our noble, old, Germanic mother-tongue. Of those doctrines it would not be consistent with the object of the Society, nor am I qualified to hazard an opinion: my labour has, {vii} consequently, been limited to that of a faithful transcription of what I believe to be the most complete manuscript, and to a conscientiously correct translation of that transcript, as literal as my acquaintance with the language and my notions of good taste permitted[4]; and I venture to hope that such a translation, though unattended by a commentary, will be regarded with interest by the members of each of the great communities into which the Christian world is divided. Besides the Homilies, the chief works attributed to our Ælfric are,-- I. A Grammar of the Latin tongue, printed at the end of Somner's Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, with a Glossary of Anglo-Saxon words[5]. II. A short astronomical treatise, entitled De Temporibus Anni[6]. III. An abridgment in Anglo-Saxon of the {viii} Pentateuch, the book of Joshua, and the book of Judges, printed by Thwaites[7]. IV. A Treatise on the Old and New Testaments[8]. V. Excerpta ex Libro Æthelwoldi de Consuetudine Monachorum[9]. VI. A Latin Dialogue, with an interlinear Anglo-Saxon gloss[10]. VII. Ecclesiastical Canons, addressed to Wulsine, bishop of Sherborne. VIII. A Pastoral Epistle, written by command of archbishop Wulfstan. IX. An Epistle entitled "Quando dividis Chrisma[11]." {ix} X. A Collection of Homilies on the Saints' days observed by the Anglo-Saxon Church. Though the present is the first edition of these most ancient sermons in any of the Germanic tongues, it may be interesting to some readers to be informed that two attempts at publishing them were made in the early part of the last century by Mrs. Elizabeth Elstob, which failed through want of encouragement, a few leaves only having been printed[12].