RICHARD ROLLE DE HAMPOLE.
(About A.D. 1340. North Country Dialect.)

THE PRICKE OF CONSCIENCE.

DEATH.

Four skilles1 I fynd writen in som stede,2
Why men suld specialy drede the dede;
Anses for the dede stoure1 swa felle5
That es mare payne than man can telle,
The whilk ilk man sal fele within,
When the body and the saule salle twyn.7
Another es for the sight that he sal se
Of devels, that about hym than salle be.
The threds es for the acount that he sal yheld
Of alle his lyf, of yhouthe and elde.
The ferth es, for he is uncertayne
Whether he sal wend til ioy or payne.

First aght men drede the ded in hert,
For the payn of the dede that es swa smert,
That es the hard stour at the last ende,
When the saule sal fra the body wende;
A doleful partyng es that to telle,
For thai luf ay togyder to duelle;
Nouther of tham wald other forga,
Swa mykel 10 lof es bytwen than twa;
And the mare that twa togyder lufes,
Als a man and his wyfe oft pruves,
The mare sorow and murnying

By-hoves be at thair departyng.

Bot the body and the saul with the lyfe
Lufes mare samen11 than man and his wyfe,
Whether thai be in gude way or ille,

And that es for many sere12 skylle.

ROBERT OF GLOUCESTER. Circa A.D. 1300.

(From the Legend of Gilbert à Becket, father of Thomas à Becket. Southern Dialect.)

And nameliche1 thurf2 a maid
That this Gilbert lovede faste,
The Prince's douchter admiraud
That hire hurte al upe3 him caste.

And eschte him of Engelonde,
And of the manere there,
And of the lyf of Cristene men,
And what here bileve were.
The manere of Engelonde
This Gilbert hire tolde fore,
And the toun het5 Londone
That he was inne ibore,7
And the bileve of Cristene men
This blisse withouten ende,
In hevene shall here medis beo,
Whan hi9 schulle henne10 wende.
'Ich wole' heo" seide 'al mi lond
Leve for love of the,

And Cristene womman become,
If thu wolt spousi me.'

BRUT OF LAYAMON.

(From a Manuscript of the thirteenth Century. Southern

Na man him ne faht1 with,
no he ne makede nan unfrid,2
ne mihte nauere3 nan man
bi-thenchen1 of blissen,
that weoren in ai theode5
mare han i thisse.

ne miht nauere mon cũne7
nan swa muchel wunne, 8
swa wes mid Arthure,

and mid his folke here.

A PROCLAMATION OF HENRY III.

9

A.D. 1258. Henry, thurg Godes fultome, king on Engleneloande, Lhoaurd on Yrloand, Duke on Normand, on Acquitain, Eorl on Anjou, send I greting to alle hise holde,10 ilaerde11 and ilewerde12 on Huntingdonschiere. That witen ge well alle, thaet we willen and unnen1s thaet ure raedesmen11 alle other, the moare del of heom, that beoth15 ichosen thurg us and thurg thaet laendesfolk on our Kuneriche,16 habbith idon,17 und schullen18 don, in the worthnes of God and ure threowthe,19 for the freme20 of the loande, thurg the besigte21 of than toforen22 iseide raedesmen, beo stedefæst and ilestinde23 in all thinge a butan2 ænde.

17

DEDICATION OF THE ORMULUM. A.D. 1229. (Called so after Orm, or Ormin, the writer. Northern Dialect.*)

Nu, brotherr Wallterr, brotherr min
Afftter the flaeshess kinde;

And brotherr min in Chrisstenndom

* The spelling of this work should be noted. The double consonants are intended to show that the preceding vowel is short; whereas, before a single consonant the vowel was pro

Thurrh falluhht1 and thurrh trowwthe;
& brotherr min in Godess hus,

Yet o2 the thride wise,3

Thurrh thatt witt hafenn takenn ba5
An reghellboc to folghenn,"

Unnderr Kanunnkess had9 and lif,
Swa summ10 Sannt Awwstin sette;
Ice hafe don swa summ thu badd
& forthedd11 te thin wille,
Icc hafe wennd 12 inntill Ennglissh
Goddspelless hallghe13 láre,
Affterr thatt little witt tatt me
Min Drihhtin14 hafethth lenedd.15

Thu thohhtesst tatt it mihhte wel

Till mikell frame16 turrnenn,

Yiff Ennglissh follk, forr lufe off Crist,

Itt wollde gerne lernenn,

& follghenn itt, & fittenn itt

Withth thohtht, withth word, withth dede.

EXTRACTS FROM SAXON CHRONICLE. Circa 1154.

Hi swencten17 the wrecce men of the land mid18 castelweorces. Thá the castles waren maked, thá fylden hi mid yvele men. Thá namen hí thá men the19 hí wenden20 thæt aní god hefden,21 bathe be nihte and be dæics. Me22 henged (they) up bi the fét, and smoked heom mid ful23 smoke : me

nounced long. Attention to this fact will more easily enable the student, in pronouncing old English, to arrive at the meaning of the words.