The Grammar of English Grammars eBook

Goold Brown
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 4,149 pages of information about The Grammar of English Grammars.

The Grammar of English Grammars eBook

Goold Brown
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 4,149 pages of information about The Grammar of English Grammars.

57. Example from the Saxon Chronicle, written about 1160.

“Micel hadde Henri king gadered gold & syluer, and na god ne dide me for his saule thar of.  Tha the king Stephne to Engla-land com, tha macod he his gadering aet Oxene-ford, & thar he nam the biscop Roger of Seres-beri, and Alexander biscop of Lincoln, & te Canceler Roger hife neues, & dide aelle in prisun, til hi jafen up here castles.  Tha the suikes undergaeton that he milde man was & softe & god, & na justise ne dide; tha diden hi alle wunder.”  See Johnson’s Hist. of the Eng.  Language, p. 22.

58. Reign of Stephen, 1154 to 1135.—­Example written about this time.

   “Fur in see bi west Spaygne. 
    Is a lond ihone Cokaygne. 
    There nis lond under heuenriche. 
    Of wel of godnis hit iliche. 
    Thoy paradis be miri and briyt. 
    Cokaygne is of fairer siyt. 
    What is ther in paradis. 
    Bot grasse and flure and greneris. 
    Thoy ther be ioi and gret dute. 
    Ther nis met bot aenlic frute. 
    Ther nis halle bure no bench. 
    Bot watir manis thurst to quench.” 
                ANON.:  Johnson’s Hist.  Eng.  Lang., p. 23.

59. Reign of Henry I, 1135 to 1100.—­Part of an Anglo-Saxon Hymn.

   “Heuene & erthe & all that is,
      Biloken is on his honde. 
    He deth al that his wille is,
      On sea and ec on londe.

    He is orde albuten orde. 
      And ende albuten ende. 
    He one is eure on eche stede,
      Wende wer thu wende.

    He is buuen us and binethen,
      Biuoren and ec bihind. 
    Se man that Godes wille deth,
      He mai hine aihwar uinde.

    Eche rune he iherth,
      And wot eche dede. 
    He durh sighth eches ithanc,
      Wai hwat sel us to rede.

    Se man neure nele don god,
      Ne neure god lif leden,
    Er deth & dom come to his dure,
      He mai him sore adreden.

    Hunger & thurst, hete & chele,
      Ecthe and all unhelthe,
    Durh deth com on this midelard,
      And other uniselthe.

Ne mai non herte hit ithenche,
Ne no tunge telle,
Hu muchele pinum and hu uele,
Bieth inne helle.

Louie God mid ure hierte,
And mid all ure mihte,
And ure emcristene swo us self,
Swo us lereth drihte.” 
ANON.:  Johnson’s Hist.  Eng.  Lang., p. 21.

IX.  ANGLO-SAXON OF THE ELEVENTH CENTURY, COMPARED WITH ENGLISH.

60. Saxon,—­11th Century.[50]

LUCAE, CAP.  I.

“5.  On Herodes dagum Iudea cynincges, waes sum sacred on naman Zacharias, of Abian tune:  and his wif waes of Aarones dohtrum, and hyre nama waas Elizabeth.

6.  Sothlice hig waeron butu rihtwise beforan Gode, gangende on eallum his bebodum and rihtwisnessum, butan wrohte.

7.  And hig naefdon nan bearn, fortham the Elizabeth waes unberende; and hy on hyra dagum butu forth-eodun.

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The Grammar of English Grammars from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.