A young man speaks
And miððȳ færende wæs on wɶg fore arn sum ōðer cnēuo bēged fore hine bædd hine lā lārua gōd uel gōda huæd sceal ic dōa ꝥte līf ēce ic onfɶ̄?	17 And with fahrend was on way, for him some other knee begged for him bad him: lo! lord good, uel good what shall I do that life eternal I earn/enjoy?	Et cum egresus esset in uiam procurrens quidam genu flexo ante eum rogabat eum magister bone quid faciam ut uitam aeternam percipiam?
se Hǣlend uutedlīce cuɶð tō him huæt mec ðū cuoðas gōd? nǣnigmonn gōd būta āne God.	18 the Heiland witedly quoth to him what me thou quotest good? nonikman good but one, God	Iesus autem dixit ei quid me dicis bonum? nemo bonus nisi unus Deus.
ðā bebodo wāst ðū ꝥ ðū ne dernelic’ ꝥ ðū ne ofslāæ ꝥ ðū ne forstele uel ne forðīofe ꝥ ðū lēas gecȳðnise uel witnise ne cɶða ꝥ ðū fācen ne gedɶ̄ ārworðig fæder ðīn and mōder.	19 thou bidded was thou that thou not [?] that thou not slay that thou not steal uel not thieve that thou lies gecuthnise uel witness not quote that thou facen not gedo arworth father thine and mother	praecepta nosti né adulteris né occidas né fureris né falsum testimonium dixeris né fraudum feceris honora patrem tuum et matrem.
and hē onduearde cuɶð lā lārue ðās all ic gehēald from gigoðe mīnum,	20 and he answered quoth the lord[?] that all I held from youth mine	et ille respondens ait magister haec omnia obseruaui á iuuentúte mea.
se Hǣlend uutedlīce miððȳ behaldend hine lufade hine and cuɶð him ān ðē is forgeten geong suā huæt ðū hæbbe bebyg and sel ðorfendum and hæfis uel ðū scaelt habba gestrion in heofne and cym sɶ̄c uel fylg mec.	21 the Heiland witedly mitthy beheld him, lovede him and quoth him one there is forgetting going swa what thou have bebic and sell thorvendum and have uel thou shall have gestrion in heaven and come follow me	Iesus autem intuitus eum dilexit eum et dixit illi unum tibi deest uade [quae]cumque habes uende et dá pauperibus et habebis thesaurum in caelo et ueni sequere me.
sēðe miððȳ geunrōdsad wæs on word ēade seofende wæs forðon hæfde uel hæbbend ǣhto menig.	22 so the mitthy wondersad was in word eade seven was for then have uel having eto many	qui contristatus in uerbo abiit maerens erat enim habens possesiones multas.
and ymblōcade se Hǣlend cuɶð ðegnum his suīðe unēaða uel hefig ðāðe gestrīono habbað in rīc Godes inngāas uel inngeongað.	23 and emblocade the Heiland quoth thegnum his swith uneatha uel heavy that gestrion haveth in reich God’s ingoe uel ingoingeth	et circumspiciens Iesus ait discipulis suis quam difficile qui pecunias habent in regnum Dei introibunt,
ðā ðegnas uutedlīce forstyldton on wordum his sōð sæ Hǣlend aftersōna onduearde cuɶð tō him lēafa suno lā suīðe hefig is ðāðe gelēfeð in strīonum in rīc Goddes ꝥ hīa ingāe.	24 theta thegnas witedly forstydlton on word his sooth the Heiland aftersoon answered quoth to him leave suno la swithe hevig is that geleaveth in strionum in reich God’s that he ingo	discipuli autem obstupescebant in uerbis eius at Iesus rursus respondens ait illis filioli ó quam difficile est confidentes in pecuniis in regnum Dei introire.
ēaðor is camel (se micla dear) ðerh ðȳril uel ēgo nēdles oferfara ðonne se wælig uel ðe wlonca inngeonga in Goddes rīc.	25 Easier is camel there through uel eye needle’s overfahr than he will uel the wlonca ingoing in God’s reich	facilius est camelum per foramen acus transire quam diuitem introire in regnum Dei.
ðāðe suīðor gewundradon cuɶðende tō him seolfum and huā mæge hāl wuosa?	26 that swither gewondreth quothen to him seolfum and who may heil become?	qui magis admirabantur dicentes ad semet ipsos et quis potest saluus fieri?
and scēaude hīa se Hǣlend cuɶð mið monnum unmæhtig is ah ne is mið God alle forðon mæhto uel ēðelico sint mið God.	27 and showede hia the Heiland qouth mit men unmighty is, ah! not is with God, all forthen mighty uel easily sint mit God	et intuens illos Iesus ait apud homines impossibile est sed non apud Deum omnia enim possibilia sunt apud Deum.

You might ask: why is he saying this on this day? Well plough on…

It was the sinking of the Thai destroyer a week or so ago that provoked the thought, but it could have been any other of many recent and not so recent events. King David spoke in this way: Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business on great waters, they see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. For he commands and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up the waves of the sea to mount up to the heavens and go down again to the depths. Their souls melt because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like drunken men, and are at their wits’ end. Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brings them out of their distress. He calms the storm, so that its waves are still. Then they are glad because they are quiet; so he guides them to their desired haven. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! Let them exalt him also in the assembly of the people, and praise him in the company of the elders. (Psalm 107)

We often think of the old tars as a rum lot. Men can be shamed by the suggestion that their language is such as even a sailor would not use. And we shall leave aside any comment on their personal lives which are likely more chaotic than what is common place in Neighbours or East Enders.

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