Page images
PDF
EPUB
[blocks in formation]

The hall gan to tumble,

And I tumbled to the ground, So that my right arm brake in pieces,

Then said Modred, "Have that!" Down fell the hall;

And Walwain gan to fall (was fallen),

And fell on the earth;

His arms both brake.

And I. grasped my dear (good) sword

With my left hand,

And smote of Modred his head,

So that it rolled on the field.
And the queen I "cut all in pieces
With my dear sword,

And afterwards I" set "her" down
In a black pit.

And all my good people

Set to flight,

So that I knew not under Christ,
Where (that) they were gone.
But myself I gan stand
Upon a weald,

"And I there gan to wander
Wide over the moors

There I saw gripes,

[ocr errors]

And grisly (wondrous) fowls!
Then approached a golden lion
Over the down;

"A beast most fair,

That our Lord made";

The (this) lion ran towards (quickly to) me,

And took "me" by the middle, And forth gan her move (he gan me carry),

And to the sea went.

"And I saw the waves

Drive in the sea"

[ocr errors]
[merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

22

OLD ENGLISH.

Of mine sweuene swithe ithoht;
For ich what to iwisse
Agan is all mi blisse;
For a to mine liue
Soryen ich not driye.

Wale that ich nabbe here

Wenhauer mine quene!

CHAP. I.

Of my dream much thought;
For I wot (all) with certainty,
Gone is all my bliss,

For ever in my life

Sorrow I must endure!

Alas! that I have (had) not here
Wenhaver, my queen!

5. The Ormulum. (Manual, p. 33.)

(Edited by Dr. White, Oxford, 1852.)

Nu, brotherr Wallterr, brotherr | Now, brother Walter, brother mine min

Affterr the flaeshes kinde;

After the flesh's kind (or nature);

Annd brotherr min i Crisstenn-And brother mine in Christendom (or Christ's kingdom)

dom

Thurrh fulluhht and thurrh trow- Through baptism and through

wthe;

Annd brotherr min i Godess hus,
Yet o the thride wise,

truth;

And brother mine in God's house,
Yet on (in) the third wise,

One rule-book to follow,

[both

Thurrh thatt witt hafenn takenn ba Though that we two have taken
An reghellboc to folghenn,
Unnderr kanunnkess had and lif,

Swa summ Sant Awwstin sette;
Ich hafe don swa summ thu badd
Annd forthedd te thin wille;

Ice hafe wennd inntill Ennglissh

Goddspelless hallghe lare,
Affterr thatt little witt tatt me
Min Drihhtin hafethth lenedd.

[blocks in formation]

C.-OLD ENGLISH, 1250-1350.

6. HENRY III.

Proclamation in A. D. 1258.

(From Marsh's Origin and History of the English Language, pp. 192, 193.)

Henr', thurg Godes fultume King on Engleneloande, lhoaverd on Irloand, duk' on Norm', on Aquitain', and eorl on Aniow, send igrètinge to all hise halde ilaerde and ilaewede on Huntendon'

schir'.

Henry, by the grace of God king in (of) England, lord in (of) Ireland, duke in (of) Normandy, in (of) Aquitaine, and earl in (of) Anjou, sends greeting to all his lieges, clerk and lay, in Huntingdonshire.

Thaet witen ge wel alle, thaet This know ye well all, that we we willen and unnen, thaet thaet will and grant that what our counure raedesmen alle other the moare cillors, all or the major part of dael of heom, thaet beoth ichosen them, who are chosen by us and thurg us and thurg thaet loandes | by the land's people in our king

folk on ure kuneriche, habbeth | dom, have done and shall do, to idon and schullen don in the worth- the honor of God and in allegiance nesse of Gode and on ure treowthe to us, for the good of the land, by for the freme of the loande thurg the ordinance of the aforesaid the besigte of than toforeniseide councillors, be steadfast and perredesmen, beo stedefaest and iles- manent in all things, time without tinde in alle thinge a buten aende, end, and we command all our and we hoaten alle ure treowe in lieges by the faith that they owe the treowthe, that heo us ogen, us, that they steadfastly hold, and thaet heo stedefaestliche healden swear to hold and defend the reguand swerien to healden and to lations that are made and to be werien the isetnesses, thaet beon made by the aforesaid councillors, imakede and beon to makien thurg or by the major part of them, as is than toforeniseide raedesmen other before said, and that each help thurg the moare dael of heom others this to do, by the same oath, alswo alse hit is biforen iseid, and against all men, right to do and to thaet aehc other helpe thaet for to receive, and that none take of land done bi than ilche othe agenes alle or goods, whereby this ordinance men rigt for to done and to may be let or impaired in any wise, foangen, and noan ne nime of and if any [sing.] or any [plural] loande ne of egte, where-thurg transgress here against, we will and this besigte muge beon ilet other command that all our lieges them iwersed on onie wise and gif oni hold as deadly foes, and because other onie cumen her ongenes, we we will that this be steadfast and willen and hoaten, thaet alle ure permanent, we send you these lettreowe heom healden deadliche ters patent sealed with our seal, to ifoan, and for thaet we willen, keep among you in custody. thaet this beo stedefaest and lestinde, we senden gew this writ open iseined with ure seel to halden amanges gew ine hord.

Witnesse usselven aet Lunden' thane egtetenthe day on the monthe of Octobr' in the two and fowertigthe geare of ure cruninge. And this wes idom aetforen ure isworene redesmen:

[here follow the signatures of several redesmen or councillors]

and aetforen othre moge.

And al on tho ilche worden is isend in to aeurihce othre shcire ouer al thaere kuneriche on Engleneloande and ek in tel Irelonde.

Witness ourself at London the eighteenth day in the month of October in the two and fortieth year of our coronation.

And this was done before our sworn councillors:

[Signatures]

and before other nobles [?]

And all in the same words is sent into every other shire over all the kingdom in (of) England and also into Ireland.

7. King Alisaunder. (Manual, p. 34.)

(From Guest's History of English Rhythms, vol. ii. p. 142.)

Averil is merry, and longith the April is merry, and length'neth

day;

Ladies loven solas and play;

Swaynes justes; knyghtis turnay;

the day;

Ladies love solace and play;
Swains the jousts; knights the

tournay;

Syngeth the nyghtyngale; gredeth | Singeth the nightingale; scream

theo jay;

The hote sunne chongeth the clay; As ye well yseen may.

eth the jay;

[blocks in formation]

8. Havelok. (Manual, p. 34.)

(From Guest's History of English Rhythms, vol. ii. pp. 142–145.)

Hwan he was hosled and shriven, | When he was housled and shriven, His quiste maked, and for him

[blocks in formation]

His bequests made, and for him

[blocks in formation]

Helm on heued, and leden ut here, Helm on head, and lead out host,

(In his hand a spere stark)

And king ben maked of Denmark.

(In his hand a sturdy spear)

And king of Denmark should be made.

1 This is clearly a mistake for here.

9. Robert of GLOUCESTER. (Manual, p. 33.)

Thuse come lo! Engelond into | Thus came lo! England into NorNormannes honde,

And the Normans ne couthe speke tho bote her owe speche, And speke French as dude atom, and here chyldren dude al so teche;

So that heymen of thys lond, that of her blod come, Holdeth alle thulke speche that hii

of hem nome.

[ocr errors]

mans'-hand.

And the Normans not could speak then but their own speech,

And spake French as (they) dic at home, and their children did all so teach:

So

that high men of this land, that of their blood come,

Hold all the same speech that they of them took;

Vor bote a man couthe French me For but a man know French men

tolth of hym wel lute;

tell (reckon) of him well little:

Ac lowe men holdeth to Englyss | But low men nold to English and and to her kunde speche yute. to their natural speech yet.

Ich wene ther ne be man in world I wen there not be man in world contreyes none

That ne holdeth to her kunde speche, bot Engelond one.

Ac wel me wot vor to conne both wel yt ys;

countries none

That not holdeth to their natural speech but England (al-) one. But well I wot for to know both well it is:

Vor the more that a man con, the For the more that a man knows,

[blocks in formation]
« ՆախորդըՇարունակել »