Wisdom from a Medieval King

Are you looking for some wise advice? Perhaps the wisdom that came from King Aldfrith of Northumbria will offer you some answers.

The Maxims of King Aldfrith of Northumbria comes from a popular genre of medieval Irish literature. Known as Wisdom Texts, they date back to the seventh century, with some written for kings and others for a more general audience.

King Aldfrith (d.704/5) was a ruler in northern England for about 20 years. While he was known for his wisdom and interest in learning, it is somewhat doubtful that he actually wrote these maxims. They were written in a form of Middle Irish that dates to about the tenth century. Still, the 261 lines of moral advice inspired by the Northumbrian king can still very much be applied to the present day. Here are some of our favourite pieces of wisdom:

How one thing results in another

Generosity engenders wealth.
Willingness creates one who gives.
Good sense results in fair form.
Lechery leads to disgrace.
Foolishness results in crudity.
Repression results in greater repression.
Hatred engenders reproach.
Abandonment results in slander,
Reluctance leads to [reliance on] conjecture.
Love begets words.
Humility wins good favour.
Decorum results in reciprocal behaviour.
Stinginess is disparaged.
Inhospitability engenders niggardliness.
Wisdom begets fame.
Humility engenders gentleness.
Familiarity fuels strife.
A greedy person acquires possessions.
Arrogance produces disfavour.
Ale results in lechery.
A prostitute’s lot is uncertainty.
A timid person’s lot is uncertainty.
Desire begets perseverance.
Wisdom begets respect.
Age acquires renown.
Foolishness results in risk.

Be so that you may be

Be cautious so that you may not be burdened with debts.
Be thrifty so that you may not be grasping.
Be obliging so that you may be loved.
Be generous so that you may be renowned.
Be hospitable so that you may appear decorous.
Be grateful so that you may experience increase.
Be humble so that you may be exalted.

What is the beginning

Inquiry is the beginning of knowledge.
Reproach is the beginning of a quarrel.
Lending is the beginning of refusal.
A reproach is the beginning of slander.
Honour-price is the basis of dignity.
Tractability is the beginning of expertise.
Prudence is the basis of good fortune.
Amplitude is the basis of liberality.
Imitation is the basis of devotion.
Gentleness is the beginning of wisdom.
Vain speech is the beginning of evil.
Sickliness is the beginning of old age.
Drunkenness is the beginning of misfortune.
Soberness is the beginning of good fortune.
Gentle speech is the beginning of concord.
Bad association is the beginning of lowly status.
Weariness is the beginning of misery.
Misfortune is the beginning of infirmity.
False-witness is the beginning of a downfall.
A good wife is the beginning of good fortune.
A bad wife is the beginning of misfortune.
Prodigality is the beginning of bad management.
Conversely, moderation is good.

What is better

It is better to be poorly armed than unarmed,
Better good health than being satiated.
Good fortune is better than wealth.
Better forgiveness than vengeance.
Hospitality is worth more than cattle.
Forethought is better than afterthought.
Better an unfavourable situation than disadvantage.
Better a warm blush than heated passions.
Fame is better than any food.
Peace is better than a successful war.
A friend is better than ale.
Change is better than destruction.

The benefits of learning

Learning is a beneficial occupation.
It makes a king of a poor person.
It makes an accomplished person of a landless one.
It makes an exalted family of a lowly one.
It makes a wise person of a fool.
Its commencement is good.
Its end is better.
It is respected in this world.
It is precious in the next.

Old Irish wisdom attributed to Aldfrith of Northumbria: an edition of Briathra Flainn Fhina maic Ossu was edited and translated by Colin A. Ireland. You can read it through Archive.org or buy a copy from Amazon.com. You can also read a similar text, The Triads of Ireland, from the Corpus of Electronic Texts.