Proverbs of Alfred

(ca. 1150–1180)

   The Proverbs of Alfred are a collection of 35 early MIDDLE ENGLISH maxims compiled in a 600-line poem and attributed, imaginatively, to King ALFRED THE GREAT. The poem survives in three 13thcentury manuscripts, but appears to have been composed somewhat earlier, probably in the late 12th century. The poem begins with a discussion of Alfred himself, and then provides a list of sayings, each of which begins with the formula “Thus quath Alfred.” The verses are written in imitation of the ALLITERATIVE VERSE of OLD ENGLISH poetry, though they do not follow the classical rules of Anglo-Saxon verse and are quite irregular. The proverbs deal with a wide variety of topics. Some are simply kernels of popular wisdom. Some are maxims that have a strongly Christian element, while others are precepts of conduct that a parent might pass along to a child. Still others, concerning women and marriage, embody the sort of antifeminist attitude prevalent among late medieval clerical writers.

   The sources for the Proverbs seem to be chiefly the wisdom books of the Old Testament and the very popular Latin text called the Distichs of Cato. They also seem in line with the native English tradition of GNOMIC VERSE that would have been known in King Alfred’s time. However, there is no actual connection between the proverbs and King Alfred himself. It seems clear that Alfred, like King Solomon of biblical times, had achieved such a reputation for wisdom during his reign that his countrymen for generations attributed wise sayings to him.No collection of Alfred’s proverbs exists in Old English, but Alfred’s reputation for wise sayings is alluded to in the well-known Middle English poem The OWL AND THE NIGHTINGALE (ca. 1200) as well as other places. It would have been natural, therefore, to assign such a collection to Alfred.

   Bibliography

   ■ Arngart,O. S., ed. The Proverbs of Alfred: An Emended Text. Lund: LiberLäromedel-Gleerup, 1978.

   ■ Pearsall, Derek, ed. Old English and Middle English Poetry. London: Routledge, 1977.

   ■ South,Helen Pennock. The Proverbs of Alfred: Studied in the Light of the Recently Discovered Maidstone Manuscript. 1931.New York:Haskell House, 1970.