Robert of Gloucester, c.1300

1. Robert of Gloucester, c.1300 Þus com lo engelond in to nomandies hond.& þe normans ne couþe speke þo bote hor owe speche& speke frensch as hii dude atom, & hor children dude also teche;So þat heiemen of þis lond þat of hor blod comeHoldeþ alle þulke speche þat hii of hom nome.Vor bot a man conne frenss me telþ of him lute.Ac lowe men holdeþ to engliss & to hor owe speche ute.Ich wene þer ne beþ in al þe world contreyes none Þat ne holdeþ to hor owe speche bote engelond one.Ac wel me wote vor to conne boþe wel it is,Vor þe more þat a mon can, þe more wurþ he is.

2. Trevisa 1385 This apayrynge of þe burþe tunge is bycause of tweie þinges; oon is for children in scole a enst þe vsage and manere of alle oþere naciouns beeþ compelled for to leue hire owne langage, and for to construe hir lessouns and here þynges in Frensche, and so þey haueþ seþ þe Normans come first in to Engelond.

3. Also gentil men children beeþ i-tau t to speke Frensche from þe tyme þet þey beeþ i-rokked in here cradel, and kunneþ speke and playe wiþ a childes broche; and vplondisshe men wil likne hym self to gentil men, and fondeþ wiþ greet besynesse for to speke Frensce, for to be i-tolde of.

4. Þis manere was moche i-vsed to fore þe firste moreyn and is siþþe sumdel i-chaunged; for Iohn Coruwaile, a maister of grammer, chaunged þe lore in gramer scole and construccioun of Frensche in to Englische; and Richard Pencriche lerned þat manere techynge of hym and oþere men of Pencrich;

5. so þat now, þe ere of oure Lorde a þowsand þre hundred and foure score and fyue, and of þe secounde kyng Richard after þe conquest nyne, in alle þe gramere scoles of Engelond, children leueþ Frensche and construeþ and lerneþ an Englische, and haueþ þerby auauntage in oon side and disauauntage in anoþer side;

6. here auauntage is, þat þey lerneþ her gramer in lasse tyme þan children were i-woned to doo; disauauntage is þat now children of gramer scole conneþ na more Frensche þan can hir lift heele, and þat is harme for hem and þey schulle passe þe see and trauaille in straunge landes and in many oþer places. Also gentil men haueþ now moche i-left for to teche here children Frensche.

7. Northern: Gawayne and the Grene Knight Þis kyng lay at Camylot vpon kryst-masse, With mony luflych lorde, lede of þe best, Rekenly of þe rounde table alle þo rich breþer, With rych reuel ory t, & rechles merþes; Þer tournayed tulkes bi-tyme ful mony, Iusted ful iolilé þise gentyle kni tes, Syþen kayred to þe court, caroles to make. For þer þe fest wat ilyche ful fiften dayes, With alle þe mete & þe mirþe þat men couþe a-vyse; Such glaumande gle glorious to here, Dere dyn vp-on day, daunsyng on ny tes,

8. Northern: Gawayne and the Grene Knight (2) Al wat hap vpon he e in halle & chambre , With lorde & ladies, as leuest him þo t; With all þe wele of þe worlde þay woned þer samen, Þe most kyd kny te vnder kryste seluen, & þe louelokkest ladies þat euer lif haden, & he þe comlokest kyng þat þe court haldes; For al wat3 þis fayre folk in her first age, on sille; Þe hapnest vnder heuen, Kyng hy est mon of wylle, Hit were now gret nye to neuen So hardy a here on hille.

9. Southern: The Owl and the Nightingale Al so þu dost on þire side vor wanne snou liþ þick & wide an alle wi3tes habbeð sor3e þu singest from eve fort amor3e Ac ich alle blisse mid me bringe ech wi3te is glad for mine þinge & blisseth hit wanne ich cume & hi3teþ a3en mine kume þe blostme ginneþ spinge and sprede boþe inet tro & eke on mede þe lilie mid hire faire wlite welcumeþ me þat þu hit wite bit me mid hire faire blo þat ich shulle to hire flo

10. Southern: Langland’s Piers Ploughman In a somer sesoun whanne soft was the sonne ....... ac on a May mornyng, on Malvern hulles me bifel a ferly – of fairy, methoughte

11. Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote the droghte of Marche hath perced to the rote, and bathed every veyne in swich licour of which vertuengendred is the flour; whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth inspired hath in every holt and heeth the tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne hath in the ram his halve cours yronne, and smale fowles maken melodye, that slepen al the nyght with open ye (so priketh hem nature in hir corages); thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, and palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, to ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; and specially from every shires ende of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende, the hooly blisful martir for to seke, that hem hath holpen whan that they were seke.

12. Nu sculon herigean     heofonrices weard, meotodes meahte     and his modgeþanc, weorc wuldorfæder,     swa he wundra gehwæs, ece drihten,     or onstealde. He ærest sceop     eorðan bearnum heofon to hrofe,     halig scyppend; þa middangeard     moncynnes weard, ece drihten,     æfter teode firum foldan,     frea ælmihtig. Nu scylun hergan     hefaenricaes uard, metudæs maecti     end his modgidanc, uerc uuldurfadur,     sue he uundra gihuaes, eci dryctin,     or astelidæ. He aerist scop     aelda barnum heben til hrofe,     haleg scepen; tha middungeard     moncynnæs uard, eci dryctin,     æfter tiadæ firum foldu,     frea allmectig.