THE COMING OF CHRISTIANITY TO ENGLAND, 627 A.D.
words spoken to Edwin, King of Nothumbria
words spoken to Edwin, King of Nothumbria
The present life of men upon earth, O King, appears to me, in comparison with that which is unknown to us, like to the swift flight of a sparrow through your hall, where you, with your *ealdormen and thanes, sit by the fire, at supper, in winter. The hall is warmed; without are storms of wind and rain and winter's snow. The sparrow passes swiftly in at one door and out at another, gaining awhile a short safety from the wintry blast; but soon after a little calm he flies once more into the unknown, passing from winter to winter again. So this life of ours appears for a moment, but whence or whither we are wending we know not. If, therefore, this new faith can teach us aught more sure, it seems truly to deserve to be followed.
*eal·dor·man (ôl'dər-mən)
n. The chief magistrate of a district in Anglo-Saxon England
image from flickr
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