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3. KING ALFRED. Translation of the Pastorale of St. Gregory. (Manual, p. 28.)

(From Wright's Biographia Britannica Literaria, Anglo-Saxon period, p. 397.) Elfred kyning hateth gretung Alfred the king greets affecWulfsige bisceop his worthum luflice and freondlice, and the cythan hate, that me com swithe oft on ge-mynd, hwylce witan geo wæron geond Angel-cyn, ægther ge godcundra hada ge woruldcundra, and hu ge-sæliglica tida tha wæron geond Angle-cyn, and hu tha cyningas the thone anweald hæfdon thæs folces, Gode and his æryndwritum hyrsumodon; and hu hi ægther ge hcora sybbe ge heora sydo, and ge heora anweald innan borde gehealdon and eac ut hira ethel rymdon; and hu him tha speow, ægther ge mid wige ge mid wisdome; and eac tha godcundan hadas hu georne hi wæron ægther ge ymbe lara ge ymbe leornunga, and ymbe ealle tha theowdomas thi hy Gode sceoldon, and hu man ut on borde wisdome and lare hider on land sohte, and hu we hi nu sceoldon ute begitan, gif we hi habban sceoldon. Swa clæne heo was othfeallen on Angel-cynne that swithe feawa wæron beheonan Humbre the hira thenunge cuthon understandan on Englisc, oththe furthon an ærendge-writ of Ledene on Englisc areccan; and ic wene that naht monige be-geondan Humbre næron. Swa feawa heora wæron, that ic furthon anne ænlepne ne mag gethencan besuthan Thamise tha tha ic to rice feng. Gode ælmightigum sy thane, that we nu ænigne an steal habbath lareowa. For tham ic the beode, that thu do swa ic ge-lyfe that thu wille, that thu the thissa woruld thinga to tham ge-æmtige, swa thu oftost mæge, that thu thone wisdome the the God sealde thær thær thu hine befæstan mæge befæst. Gethenc hwilce witu us tha becomon for thisse woruld, tha tha we hit na hwæther ne selfe ne lufedon, ne

tionately and friendly bishop Wulfsige his worthy, and I bid thee know, that it occurred to me very often in my mind, what kind of wise men there formerly were throughout the English nation, as well of the spiritual degree as of laymen, and how happy times there were then among the English people, and how the kings who then had the government of the people obeyed God and his Evangelists, and how they both in their peace and in their war, and in their government, held them at ́ home, and also spread their nobleness abroad, and how they then flourished as well in war as in wisdom; and also the religious orders how earnest they were both about doctrine and about learning, and about all the services that they owed to God; and how people abroad came hither to this land in search of wisdom and teaching, and how we now must obtain them from without if we must have them. So clean it was ruined amongst the English people, that there were very few on this side the Humber who could understand their service in English, or declare forth an epistle out of Latin into English; and I think that there were not many beyond the Humber. So few such there were, that I cannot think of a single one to the south of the Thames when I began to reign. To God Almighty be thanks, that we now have any teacher in stall. Therefore I bid thee that thou do as I believe thou wilt, that thou, who pourest out to them these worldly things as often as thou mayest, that thou bestow the wisdom which God gave thee wherever thou mayest bestow it. Think what kind of punishments shall come to us for this world, if

eac othrum mannum ne lyfdon. we neither loved it ourselves nor Thone naman anne we lufdon left it to other men. We have that, we Cristene wæron, and loved only the name of being swithe feawa tha theawas. Tha ic Christians, and very few the duties. this eal ge-munde, tha ge-mund ic When I thought of all this, then I eac hu ic ge-seah ær tham the hit thought also how I saw, before it eal for-heregod wære and for- was all spoiled and burnt, how the bærned, hu tha circan geond eal churches throughout all the EngAngel-cyn stodon mathma and lish nation were filled with treasboca ge-fylled, and eac micel ures and books, and also with a mæniu Godes theawa, and tha great multitude of God's servants, swithe lytle feorme thara boca and yet they knew very little fruit wiston, for tham the hi hira nan of the books, because they could thing ongitan ne mihton, for tham | understand nothing of them, bethe hi næron on hira agenge cause they were not written in theode awritene. Swilce hi cwæ- their own language; as they say don ure yldran, tha the thas stowa our elders, who held these places ær heoldon, hi lufedon wisdome, before them, loved wisdom, and and thurh thone hi begeton welan through it obtained weal and left and us læfdon.

it to us.

B. SEMI-SAXON.

4. LAYAMON. Brut, 1150-1250. The Dream of Arthur.

(Manual, p. 32.)

(From Sir F. Madden's Edition, vol. iii. pp. 118-121.)

To niht a mine slepe,

Ther ich laei on bure,

Mei maette a sweuen;

Ther uore ich ful sari aem.
Me imette that mon me hof
Uppen are halle.

Tha halle ich gon bestriden,
Swulc ich wolde riden
Alle tha lond tha ich ah

Alle ich ther ouer sah.
And Walwain sat biuoren me;
Mi sweord he bar an honde.
Tha com Moddred faren ther
Mid unimete uolke.
He bar an his honde
Ane wiax stronge.
He bigon to hewene
Hardliche swithe,
And tha postes for-heou alle
Tha heolden up the halle.
Ther ich isey Wenheuer eke,

Wimmonen leofuest me:
Al there muche halle rof
Mid hire honden heo to-droh.

To-night in my sleep (bed),

Where I lay in chamber,

I dreamt a dream,

Therefore I am "full" sorry.

I dreamt that men raised (set) me
Upon a hall;

The hall I gan bestride,

As if I would ride;

All the lands that I possessed
(had),

All I there overlooked (them saw).
And Walwain sate before me;

My sword he bare in hand.
Then approached Modred there,
With innumerable folk;
He bare in his hand

A "battle "-axe (most) strong;
He began to hew
Exceeding hardily;

And the posts all hewed in pieces,
That held up the hall.

There I saw Wenhaver eke (the
queen),

"Dearest of women to me";
All the mickle hall roof
With her hand she drew down;

Tha halle gon to haelden, And ich haeld to grunden, That mi riht aerm to-brac.

Tha seide Modred, Haue that!
Adun ueol tha halle
And Walwain gon to ualle,

And feol a there eorthe;
His aermes brekeen beine.
And ich igrap mi sweord leofe

Mid mire leoft honde,

And smaet of Modred is haft,
That hit wond a thene ueld;
And tha quene ich al to-smathde,
Mid deore mine sweorde,

And seodthen ich heo adun sette
In ane swarte putte.

And al mi uolc riche

Sette to fleme,

That nuste ich under Criste
Whar heo bicomen weoren.
Buten mi seolf ich gond atstonden
Uppen ane wolden

And ich ther wondrien agon
Wide yeond than moren.
Ther ich isah gripes
And grisliche fugheles.
Tha com an guldene leo
Lithen ouer dune.
Deoren swithe hende,
Tha ure Drihten make.
Tha leo me orn foren to,

And iueng me bi than midle, And forth hire gun yeongen

And to there sae wende.
And ich isaeh thae vthen
I there sae driuen;
And the feo i than ulode
Iwende with me seolue.
Tha wit i sae comen,
Tha vthen me hire binomen.
Com ther an fisc lithe,

And fereden me to londe.
Tha wes ich al wet,
And weri of soryen, and seoc.

Tha gon ich iwakien
Swithe ich gon to quakien;
Tha gon ich to binien
Swule ich al fur burne.
And swa ich habbe al niht

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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,

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";

And the lion in the flood
Went with myself.

When we came in the sea,
The waves took her from me;
But there approached (came swim-
ming) a fish,

And brought me to land;
Then was I all wet,
"And" weary

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"from sorrow," and

(very) sick. When I gan to wake,

Greatly (then) gan I to quake; "Then gan I to tremble

As if I all burnt with fire." And so (thus) I have all night

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!

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

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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.

Under canonic's (canon's) rank

and life,

So as St. Austin set (or ruled);
I have done so as thou bade
And performed thee thine will
(wish);

I have wended (turned) into Eng-
lish

Gospel's holy lore,

After that little wit that me
My Lord hath lent.

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 igretinge to all hise halde ilaerde and ilaewede on Huntendon'

schir'.

Thaet witen ge wel alle, thaet we willen and unnen, thaet thaet ure raedesmen alle other the moare dael of heom, thaet beoth ichosen thurg us and thurg thaet loandes

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 Hunting

donshire.

This know ye well all, that we will and grant that what our councillors, all or the major part of them, who are chosen by us and by the land's people in our king

the ordinance of the aforesaid councillors, be steadfast and permanent in all things, time without end, and we command all our lieges by the faith that they owe us, that they steadfastly hold, and swear to hold and defend the regulations that are made and to be made by the aforesaid councillors, or by the major part of them, as is before said, and that each help others this to do, by the same oath, against all men, right to do and to receive, and that none take of land or goods, whereby this ordinance may be let or impaired in any wise, and if any [sing.] or any [plural] transgress here against, we will and command that all our lieges them hold as deadly foes, and because we will that this be steadfast and permanent, we send you these letters patent sealed with our seal, to keep among you in custody.

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 besigte of than toforeniseide redesmen, beo stedefaest and ilestinde in alle thinge a buten aende, and we hoaten alle ure treowe in the treowthe, that heo us ogen, thaet heo stedefaestliche healden and swerien to healden and to werien the isetnesses, thaet beon imakede and beon to makien thurg than toforeniseide raedesmen other thurg the moare dael of heom alswo alse hit is biforen iseid, and thaet aehc other helpe thaet for to done bi than ilche othe agenes alle men rigt for to done and to foangen, and noan ne nime of loande ne of egte, where-thurg this besigte muge beon ilet other iwersed on onie wise and gif oni other onie cumen her ongenes, we willen and hoaten, thaet alle ure treowe heom healden deadliche ifoan, and for thaet we willen, 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
day;

Ladies loven solas and play;
Swaynes justes; knyghtis turnay;

April is merry, and length'neth

the day;

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

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