What advice would a medieval king give on friendship, learning, peace, and success? The Maxims of King Aldfrith of Northumbria preserve dozens of sayings that offer a fascinating glimpse into medieval ideas about wisdom and good character.
King Aldfrith of Northumbria, who ruled from 685 to 704 or 705, was renowned for his learning. Later generations remembered him not only as a ruler but also as a scholar, and his name became attached to a collection of wise sayings known as The Maxims of King Aldfrith of Northumbria.
Whether Aldfrith himself composed these maxims is doubtful. Scholars generally believe that the text was written in the 10th century, probably in Ireland, where traditions of wisdom literature flourished during the medieval period. Nevertheless, the work reflects the values that medieval writers associated with wisdom, good leadership, and proper conduct.
The 78 maxims translated below cover a wide range of topics, including friendship, humility, learning, generosity, peace, and truth. Together, they offer a remarkable glimpse into how medieval people thought about living well and earning the respect of others.
How One Thing Results in Another
The first group of maxims explores how one quality, action, or circumstance leads to another. Together, these sayings reveal how medieval writers understood the causes and consequences of human behaviour.
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
These sayings offer direct advice on how a person should behave. Each maxim links a virtue or habit with the outcome it is expected to bring.
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?
This section looks at origins and first causes. The maxims identify the qualities and actions that medieval thinkers believed were the foundations of knowledge, wisdom, prosperity, and good conduct.
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?
The final group of maxims compares different qualities, choices, and circumstances. Through these comparisons, the text reveals what its author considered most valuable in life.
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
The concluding sayings focus on the value of learning and education. They reflect a medieval belief that knowledge can elevate a person in both this world and the next.
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.
More than a thousand years after they were written, these maxims still offer a fascinating glimpse into medieval ideas about wisdom, learning, friendship, and good conduct. Whether or not Aldfrith himself composed them, the sayings attributed to the Northumbrian king reveal the values that medieval writers believed were essential for a successful and honourable life.
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.
Top Image: British Library Cotton MS Claudius B IV fol. 84r
What advice would a medieval king give on friendship, learning, peace, and success? The Maxims of King Aldfrith of Northumbria preserve dozens of sayings that offer a fascinating glimpse into medieval ideas about wisdom and good character.
King Aldfrith of Northumbria, who ruled from 685 to 704 or 705, was renowned for his learning. Later generations remembered him not only as a ruler but also as a scholar, and his name became attached to a collection of wise sayings known as The Maxims of King Aldfrith of Northumbria.
Whether Aldfrith himself composed these maxims is doubtful. Scholars generally believe that the text was written in the 10th century, probably in Ireland, where traditions of wisdom literature flourished during the medieval period. Nevertheless, the work reflects the values that medieval writers associated with wisdom, good leadership, and proper conduct.
The 78 maxims translated below cover a wide range of topics, including friendship, humility, learning, generosity, peace, and truth. Together, they offer a remarkable glimpse into how medieval people thought about living well and earning the respect of others.
How One Thing Results in Another
The first group of maxims explores how one quality, action, or circumstance leads to another. Together, these sayings reveal how medieval writers understood the causes and consequences of human behaviour.
Be so that you may be
These sayings offer direct advice on how a person should behave. Each maxim links a virtue or habit with the outcome it is expected to bring.
What Is the Beginning?
This section looks at origins and first causes. The maxims identify the qualities and actions that medieval thinkers believed were the foundations of knowledge, wisdom, prosperity, and good conduct.
What Is Better?
The final group of maxims compares different qualities, choices, and circumstances. Through these comparisons, the text reveals what its author considered most valuable in life.
The Benefits of Learning
The concluding sayings focus on the value of learning and education. They reflect a medieval belief that knowledge can elevate a person in both this world and the next.
More than a thousand years after they were written, these maxims still offer a fascinating glimpse into medieval ideas about wisdom, learning, friendship, and good conduct. Whether or not Aldfrith himself composed them, the sayings attributed to the Northumbrian king reveal the values that medieval writers believed were essential for a successful and honourable life.
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.
Top Image: British Library Cotton MS Claudius B IV fol. 84r
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