The Proverbs of Alfred

The Proverbs of Alfred is a collection of early Middle English sayings ascribed to King Alfred the Great (called "England's darling"), said to have been uttered at an assembly in Seaford, East Sussex. The collection of proverbs was probably put together in Sussex in the mid-12th century. Quotes For þe helder mon me mai of-riden,Betere þenne of-reden. One may out-ride the old manBetter than out-wit. Text II (Wright and Kemble) l. 641 (ed. Morris, 1872) Compare: Chaucer, The Knight's Tale, l. 1589 External links Richard Morris (ed.) An Old English Mscellany: Containing a Bestiary, Kentish Sermons, Proverbs of Alfred, Religious Poems of the Thirteenth Century, from Manuscripts in the British Museum, Bodleian Library, Jesus College Library, etc. (London, 1872) p. 136 Richard Morris (ed.) The Prologue, The Knightes Tale, The Nonne Preestes Tale: from The Canterbury Tales, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1872) p. 156 Category:Proverbs