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Her bigineð Sawles Warde: Si sciret paterfamilias qua hora fur uenturus esset, vigilaret utique et non sineret perfodi domum suam.

     Ure Lauerd i þe godspel teacheð us þurh a bisne hu we ahen wearliche to biwiten us seoluen wið þe unwiht of helle ant wið his wernches. "3ef þes lauerd wiste", he seið, "hwenne ant hwuch time þe þeof walde cume to his hus, he walde wakien, ne nalde he nawt þolien þe þeof forte breoken hire." Þis hus þe ure Lauerd spekeð of is seolf þe mon; inwið, þe monnes wit i þis hus is þe huse-lauerd, ant te fulitohe wif mei beon Wil ihaten; þet ga þe hus efter hire, ha diht hit al to wundre, bute Wit ase lauerd chasti hire þe betere, ant bineome hire muchel of þet ha walde; ant tah walde al hire hird folhin hire oueral, 3ef Wit ne forbude ham, for alle hit beoð untohene ant rechelese hinen, bute 3ef he ham rihte. Ant hncche beoð þeos hinen? Summe beoð wiðvten ant summe wiðinnen. Þeo wiþvten beoð þe monnes fif wittes -- sihðe ant herunge, smechunge ant smeallunge, ant euch limes felunge. Þeos beoð hinen vnder Wit, as under huse-lauerd, ant hwer se he is 3emeles, nis hare nan þe ne feareð ofte untoheliche ant gulteð ilome, oðer i fol semblant oder in vuel dede. Inwið beoð his hinen in se moni mislich þonc to cwemen wel þe husewif a3ein Godes wille, ant swerieð sometreadliche þet efter hire hit schal gan. Þah we hit ne here nawt, we mahen felen hare nurð ant hare untohe bere, aþet Wit cume forð ant ba wið eie ant wið luue tuhte ham þe betere. Ne bið neauer his hus for þeos hinen wel iwist, for hwon þet he slepe oðer ohwider fare from hame -- þet is hwen mon for3et his wit ant let ham inrðen. Ah ne bihoueð hit nawt þet tis hus beo irobbet, for þer is inne þe tre[sor] þet Godd 3ef himseolf fore -- þet is monnes sawle. Forte breoke þis hus efter þis tresor þet Godd bohte mid his deað ant lette lif o rode is moni þeof abuten, ba bi dei ant bi niht: vnseheliche gasttes wið alle unwreaste þeawes; ant a3ein euch god þeaw þe biwiteð i þis hus Godes deore chatel vnder Wittes wittunge þet is huse-lauerd is eauer hire unþeaw forte sechen in3ong abute þe wahes, to amurðrin hire þrinne. Þet heaued þrof is þe feont, þe meistreð ham alle. A3eines him ant his keis þe husebonde, þet is Wit, warneð his hus þus: vre Lauerd haueð ileanett him fowre of his dehtren, þet beoð to vnderstonden þe fowr heaued-þeawes. Þe earste is Warschipe icleopet, ant te oðer is ihaten Gastelich Strengðe, ant te þridde is Meað ; Rihtwisnesse þe feorðe.

     Wit þe husbonde, Godes cunestable, cleopeð Warschipe forð ant makið hire durewart, þe warliche loki hwam ha leote in ant ut, ant of feor bihalde alle þe cuminde -- hwuche beo wurðe in3ong to habben, oðer beon bisteken þrute. Strengðe stont nest hire, þet 3ef ei nle in Warschipes vnþonkes warni Strengðe fore, þet is hire suster, ant heo hit ut warpe. Þe þridde suster, þet is Meað, hire he makeð meistre ouer his willesfule hird þet we ear of speken, þet ha leare ham mete, þet me meosure hat, þe middel of twa uueles (for þet is þeaw in euch stude, ant tuht forte halden) ant hateð ham alle þet nan of ham a3ein hire nohwer wið vnmeað ne ga ouer mete. Þe feorðe suster, Rihtwisnesse, sit on hest as deme, ant beateð þeo þe agulteð, ant cruneð þeo þe wel doð, ant demeð euchan his dom efter his rihte. For dret of hire nimeð his hird, euch efter þet he is, warde to witene: þe ehnen hare, þe muð his, þe earen hare, þe honden hare, ant euch alswa of þe oþre wit, þet onont him ne schal nan unþeaw cumen in.

     As þis is ido þus, ant is al stille þrinne, Warschipe þet aa is waker, is offearet lest sum fortruste him, ant feole o slepe ant for3eme his warde, ant sent ham in a sonde þet ha wel cnaweð, of feorren icumen, forte offearen þeo þe beoð ouerhardi, ant þeo þe 3emelese beoð halden ham wakere. He is underuon in ant swiðe bihalden of ham alle, for lonc he is ant leane, ant his leor deaðlich ant blac ant elheowet, ant euch her þuncheð þet stont in his heaued up. Warschipe hat him tellen biuoren hwet he beo ant hweonene he comme ant hwet he þer seche. "Ne mei Ich," he seið, "nohwer speoken bute Ich habbe god lust. Lustnið me þenne: Fearlac Ich hatte, ant am Deaðes sonde ant Deaðes munegunge ant am icumen biuore hire to warnin ow of hire cume." Warschipe, þet best con bisetten hire wordes ant ec hire werkes, spekeð for ham alle, ant freineð hweonene ha cume ant hwuch hird ha leade. Fearlac hire ontswereð: "Ich nat nawt þe time, for ha ne seide hit me nawt; ah eauer lokið hwenne, for hire wune is to cumen bi stale ferliche ant unmundlunge hwen me least weneð. Of hire hird þet tu easkest, Ich þe ondswerie: ha lihteð hwer se ha eauer kimeð wið a þusent deoflen, ant euchan bereð a gret boc al of sunnen iwriten wið swarte smeale leattres, ant an unrude raketehe gledread of furc, forte binden ant to drahen into inwarde helle hwuch se he mei preouin þurh his boc, þet is on euch sunne enbreuet þet he wið wil oðer wið word oðer wið werc wrahtte in al his lif-siðe, bute þet he haueð ibet earþon wið soð schrift ant wið deadbote." At Warschipc hire easkeð: "Hweonene cumest tu, Fearlac, Deaðes munegunge ?" "Ich cume," he seið, "of helle." "Of helle ?" ha seið, Warschipe, "ant hauest tu isehen helle ?" "3e," seið Fearlac, "witerliche, ofte ant ilome." "Nu," seið þenne Warschipe, "for þi trowðe treoweliche tele us hwuch is helle ant hwet tu hauest isehen þrin." "Ant Ich," he seið, Fearlac, "o mi trowðe bluðeliche, nawt tah efter þet hit is -- for þet ne mei na tunge tellen -- ah efter þet Ich mei ant con, þer-towart Ich chulle reodien.