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THE

HISTORY

OF THE

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

THOUGH

H the Britains or IVelsh were the first possessors of this island whose names are recorded, and are therefore in civil history always considered as the predecessors of the present inhabitants; yet the deduction of -the English language, from the earliest times of which we have any knowledge to its present state, requires no mention of them: for we have so few words which can with any probability be referred to British roots that we justly regard the Saxons and Welsh as nations totally distinct. It has been conjectured, that when the Saxons seized this country, they suffered the Britains to live among them in a state of vassalage, employed in the culture of the ground, and other laborious and ignoble services, But it is scarcely possible, that a nation, however depressed, should have been mixed with another in considerable numbers, without some communication of their tongue, and therefore, it may, with great reason, be imagined, that those, who were not sheltered in the mountains, perished by the sword.

The whole fabrick and scheme of the English language is Gothick or Teutonick: it is a dialect of that tongue, which prevails over all the northern countries of Europe, except those where the Sclavonian is spoken. Of these languages Dr. Hickes has thus exhibited the genealogy.

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Of the Gothick, the only monument remaining is a copy of the gospels somewhat mutilated, which, from the silver with which the characters are adorned, is called

the silter book. It is now preserved at Upsal, and having been twice published before, has been lately reprinted at Oxford, under the inspection of Mr. Lye, the editor of Junius. Whether the diction of this venerable manuscript be purely Gothick, has been doubted: it seems however to exhibit the most ancient dialect now to be found in the Teutonick race; and the Saxon, which is the original of the present English, was either derived from it, or both have descended from some common parent.

What was the form of the Saxon language, when, about the year 450, they first entered Britain, carmot now be known. They seem to have been a people without learning, and very probably without an alphabet; their speech, therefore, having been always cursory and extemporaneous, must have been artless and unconnected, without any modes of transition or involution of clauses; which abruptness and inconnection may be observed even in their later writings. This barbarity may be sup posed to have continued during their wars with the Britains, which for a time left them no leisure for softer studies; nor is there any reason for supposing it abated till the year 570, when Augustine came from Rome to convert them to christianity. The christian religion always implies or produces a certain degree of civility and learning; they then became by degrees acquainted with the Roman language, and so gained, from time to time, some knowledge and elegance, till in three centuries they had formed a language capable of expressing all the sentiments of a civilised people, as appears by king Alfred's paraphrase or imitation of Boethius, and his short preface, which I have selected as the first specimen of ancient English.

CAP. I.

ON dære ride pe Lozan of Siððin mægþe piþ Romana rice gepin upahofon. mip heopa cyningum. Rædgora and Eallenica pæɲon hazne. Romane búrig abræcon. and eall Italia nice pir berpux þam munum Sicilia Jam ealonde in anpald gerehron. pa ægten þam Fonerprecenan cyungum Deodric peng zo pam ilcan ɲice. re Deodnic par Amulinga. he pær Lrirzen. peah he on pam Annamrcan gedpolan dunhpunode. be geher Romanum hir freondreipe. rpa hi morzan heora ealdrihta pynde beon. Ac he pa zehar rpide уpele gelærre. ppide prape geendode mid manegum mane. per to eacan oprum unanimedum yflum. pe Iohanner pone papan het oprlean. Da pær rum conrul. pe hereroha harap. Boetiur pær haten. re pær in boccræftum on ponuld peapum re nihtpirerta. Se da ongeat pa manigrealban yfel þe re cyning Deodnic pip þam Lrirtenandome pip pam Romanircum præum dyde. he pa zemunde dana epnerra para calonihta de hi under dam Larenum hardon heopa ealdhlafordum. Da ongan he smeagan leornigan on him relpum hu he nice dam unpihepiran cyninge arennan mihte. on ryht gelearfulna and on nihτpirra anpalo gebringan. Sende pa digellice ærendgeprizu zo pam Larene to Lonrrantinopolim. pæn ir Lneca heah bung heona cynerrol. For pam re Larene par heopa ealdhlafond cynner. bædon hine pær he him to heoɲa Eristendome to heora ealonihzum gefultumede. Dap ongeat re pælhneopa cyning Deodric. da her he hire gebringan on canceɲne pan inne belucan. Da hiz da gelomp re anpynda pær on rpa micelɲe eananerre becom. þa pær he rpa micle rpidon on hir Mode gedrefed. гpa hir Mod ær spidon to pam populo ræ pum ungepos per. he da nanie Frone be innan þam canceɲne ne gemunde. ac he geneoll nipol of dune on pa plon. hine artɲehte rpipe unɲot. and ormod hine relyne rongan pepan þur ringende cpep.

CA P. II.

DA ho pe ic precca geo lurzbærlice rong. ic rèeal ru heoprende ringan. y mid sei ungeradum pordum gerettan. þeah ic geo hpilum gécoplice Funde. ac ic nu pepende i pisciende of geradna porda misfo. me ablendan þar únger

neopan populo ralpa. me pa poplezan spa blindne on pir dimme hol. Ɖa bepeapodon ælcene lurtbænnerre pa da ic him ære berst trupode, da pendon hi me heona bæc to and me mid ealle Fromgepitan. To phon rceoloan la mine Friend reggan þær ic gerælig mon pære. hu mæg re béon geralig re de on dam zerælpum dunhpuman ne mot:

CA P. III.

DA ic þa dir leop. cpæd Boerius. geomriende arungen hærde. da com dær gan in to me heofencund þirdom. min munnende Mod mid bir pordum gegrette. þur cрæþ. þu ne eant pu re mon be on minne rcole pære afed gelæneo. Ac hponon punde pu mio pirrum populo rongum þur spipe gerpenced, buzon ic par pu hærre dana papna to hɲape Fongiten de ic pe an realde. Da elipode re piroom 7 cpap. Lepizap nu apingede ponuld ronga of miner þegener Mode. Fonpam ze sind þa mærran rceapan. Læraþ hme eft hpeonpan to minum lanum. Da code re hisdom nean. cpæp Boetius. minum breopriendan gepohte. 7 hit rpa mopoll hpær hpega upanæde. adrigde þa minener Moder eagan, and hit fran bliþum pordum. hipæper hit oncneope hir forrermodor. mid dam pe da p Mod pip hepende. da gecneop hur spipe rpeotele hir agne modor. P pær re pirdom þe hit lange æn zyde lænde. ac hit ongear hir lane pipe rozonenne rpipe tobnocenne mio oyrigna hondum. hune pa Fran hugepunde. Da andrpynde re birdom him ræde. plur ingran hardon hine rpa totoɲenne. þær þæn hi zeohhooon hi hine callue habban rceoloon. ac hi gegaderia monipéalo dýrig on pæne foreɲupunga. on þam gilpe butan heona hpelc eft zo hýne bote gecirre:.

This may perhaps be considered as a specimen of the Saxon in its highest state of purity, for here are seareely any words borrowed from the Roman dialects.

Of the following version of the gospels the age is not certainly known, but it was probably written between the time of ilfred and that of the Norman conquest, and therefore may properly be inserted here.

Translations seldom afford just specimens of a language, and least of all those in which a scrupulous and verbal interpretation is endeavoured, because they retain the phraseology and structure of the original tongue; yet they have often this convenience, that the same book, being translated in different ages, affords opportunity of marking the gradations of change, and bringing one age into comparison with another. For this purpose I have placed the Saxon version and that of Wickliffe, written about the year 1380, in opposite columns, because the convenience of easy collation seems greater than that of regular chronology.

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11 Da æzypbe him Drihener engel rrandende on þær peofoder spiðлan healfe.

12 Da jear Zacharias gedrefed gereonde. him ege onhpear:

13 Da cpæd re engel him to. Ne ondræd þu de Zachariar. Fonpam pin ben ir gehyped. 7 pin pif Elizabeth pe runu cend, and pu nemre hýr naman Iohanner.

14 he by þe to gefean to blirre. manega on hyj acennednerre gefagnað:

15 Soolice he by mare befoлan Drihtne. and he ne spinc pin ne beon. 7 he bid gefyello on haligum Larre. Jonne gýr of hur modor in

node.

16 And manega Irnahela beanna he gecýnd za Drihtne hyna Lode.

17 And he gæð roforan him on garte Eliar mihte. he fædeɲa heopran to hyna beannum gecyrne. ungeleafFulle to nihepirna gleaprcype. Drihtne Fulpremeo Folc ge

gearpian:.

18 Da cpæ Zachariar zo þam engele. ppanun par ic pir. ic com nu eald, and min prif on hyne dagum fordeode:.

19 Da and parode him je engel. le eom Gabriel. ic pe rrande befopan Lode, and ic com arend pið þe ƒpƒe. can. þe pir bodian.

20 And nu þu bist supigende. J bu гprecan ne mih od pone dæg þe par ping gepunðað. Fonþam þu minum portum ne zelyrdest. þa beod on hýna ziman geryllede:·

21 And Fole par Zachariam geanbidigende. and punopodon phe on pam temple lær pær:.

2 An bothe weren juste bifore God: goynge in alle the maundementis and justifyingis of the Lord withouten playnt.

3 And thei hadden no child, for Elizabeth was bareyn and bothe weren of greet age in her dayes.

4 And it bifel that whanne Zacarye schould do the office of presthod in the ordir of his course to fore God.

5 Aftir the custom of the presthod, he wente forth by lot and entride into the temple to encensen.

6 And al the multitude of the puple was without forth and preyede in the our of encensying.

7 And an aungel of the Lord apperide to him: and stood on the right half of the auter of encense.

S And Zacarye seynge was afrayed : and drede fel upon him.

9 And the aungel sayde to him, Zacarye drede thou not: for thy preier is herd, and Elizabeth thi wif schal bere to thee a sone and his name schal be clepid Jon.

10 And joye and gladyng schal be to thee and manye schulen have joye in his natyvyte.

11 For he schal be great bifore the Lord: and he schal not drinke wyn ne sydyr, and he schal be fulfild with the holy gost yit of his modir wombe.

12 And he schal converte manye of the children of Israel to her Lord God.

13 And he schal go bifore in the spiryte and vertu of Helye: and he schal turne the hertis of the fadris to the sonis, and men out of beleeve: to the prudence of just men, to make redy a perfyt puple to the Lord.

14 And Zacarye seyde to the aungel : wherof schal Y wyte this? for Y am old and my wyf hath gon fer in hir dayes.

15 And the aungel answerde and seyde to him, for Y am Gabriel that stonde nygh before Gyd, and y am sent to thee to speke and to evangelise to thee these thingis, and lo thou schalt be doumbe.

16 And thou schalt not mowe speke, till into the day in which these thingis schulen be don, for thou hast not beleved to my wordis, whiche schulen be fulfild in her tyme.

17 And the puple was abidynge Zacarye: and thei wondriden that he taryede in the temple.

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