Fontes Anglo-Saxonici

Comment:: Octo.vitiis is a composite homily drawing mainly on Aelfric's work, but Lives of Saints 1 is probably not its source for these lines since they include the Latin form of 'temperantia mater virtutum' which is not in LS 1. They perhaps come from a lost work by Aelfric. No earlier (or later, except at PL 202, 902) parallel for identifying temperance as the mother of virtues has been found (though 'discretio' is often so identified). The Latin form of the passage, in both LS1 and Octo.vitiis, suggests the use of a Latin source by Aelfric. There is no equivalent to lines 162-4 in Boulougne MS.

Contributor:: M.R. Godden

Created:: 2002-05-20

How to cite

For referencing this record, please use the following:

M.R. Godden, Aelfric: Lives 1 (Nativity of Christ), Skeat 1881-1900, 2002-05-20, Fontes Anglo-Saxonici: World Wide Web Register, https://arts.st-andrews.ac.uk/fontes/, accessed 2026-09-12

Alternatively, please use the following information:

Contributor:	M.R. Godden
Text:	Aelfric: Lives 1 (Nativity of Christ)
Edition:	Skeat 1881-1900
Reference:	C.B.1.3.2
Created:	2002-05-20
Project Name:	Fontes Anglo-Saxonici: World Wide Web Register
Website:	https://arts.st-andrews.ac.uk/fontes/
Date Accessed:	2026-09-12