en betpyx heomon al Engle-land. Dir rounen to one foruuandes her hi makeden and te halden þe king te eon!. and re bircop. te eonler. 7ncemen alle. Da par be conl undergangen at Win-cestre and et Lundene mid micel puntrcipe. and alle diden him man-ned. and ruopen he pair to halden. and hit pard sone suide god pair sua neuɲe par hene. Da par de king strengene panne he auert her par. 7 te cori ferde ouer sæ. yal Foic him luuede. For he dide god justise makede pair.

Nearly about this time, the following pieces of poetry feems to have been written, of which I have inferted only fhort fragments; the first is a rude attempt at the prefent measure of eight fyllables, and the fecond is a natural introduction to Robert of Gloucester, being compofed in the fame measure, which, however rude and barbarous it may feem, taught the way to the Alexandrines of the French poetry.

F

AUR in fee bi west spaynge.

If a lond hote cokaygne.
Der if lond under heuenriche.
Of wel of godnis hit iliche.
Doy paradif be mini and briýt.
Lokaygn if of fairir fiyt.
What if þer in paradif.

Bot graffe and flure and grenerif.
Doy per be 101 and gret dute.
Der nif met bote frute.
Der if halle bure no bench,

Bot watir man if þurfto quench.
Beb per no men but two.
Dely and enok also.
Clinglich may hi go.
Whar be: won men no mo.
In cokaygne if met and drink.
Wibute care how and swink.
De met if tre pe drink fo clere.
To none ruffin and sopper.
I figge for fob boute were.
Der nif lond on erbe if pere.
Under heuen nif lond: wife.
Of fo mochil 101 and blife.
Der if mani fwete fiyte.
Al if da ni per no nyte.
Der nif baret nefer itaf
Nif ber no deb ac euer hf.
Der nif lac of met no clop.
Der nif no man no woman wrop.
Der nil ferpent wolf no fox.
Dorf no capi, kowe no ox.
Der niffchepe no swine ne gote,
No non howýla god it wote.
No her haraze noper tode.
De land if ful of oper gode.
Nif her fici fie no lowie.

In clop in toune bed no houfe.
Der ni dunnir fere no hawle.
No non vile worme no fnawile.
No non ftorm rein no wide.
Dei nif ran no woman blinde.

In these fragments, the adulteration of the Saxon tongue, by a mixture of the Norman, becomes apparent; yet it is not fo much changed by the admixture of new words, which might be imputed to commerce with the continent, as by changes of its own forms and terminations: for which no reafon can be given.

Hitherto the language ufed in this island, however different in fucceffive time, may be called Saxon; nor can it be expected, from the nature of things gradually changing, that any time can be affigned when the Saxon may be faid to ceafe, and the English to commence. Robert of Gloucefter however, who is placed by the criticks in the thirteenth century, feems to have ued a kind of intermediate diction, neither Saxon nor English; in his work therefore we fee the transition exhibited, and, as he is the firft of our writers in rhyme, of whom any large work remains, a more extenfive quotation is extracted. He writes apparently in the fame measure with the foregoing author of St. Margarite, which polished into greater exactness, appeared

to

meriete

boru be biTop Alcfton and pet felc of Dorfete. Hii come & nyte an batayle, & pere, poru Goce's grace,

Je Deney's were al bynepe, & pe lond folc adde be place,

And more proweffe dude þo, þan þe kỷng mygte truore,

peroure gode londe men ne bep nogt al verlore. Je king was be boldore po, & agen hem þe more drou,

And ys foure godes fones woxe vafte y nou, Edbold and Adelbrygt, Edelred and Alfred. by was a ftalwarde tem, & of gret wyfdom & red,

And kynges were al foure, and defendede wel Fys lond,

An Deneys dude flame ynou, þat me volwel

vocd.

nome,

And fo vorp in to Sopereye, & flowe & brande vaste,

pere pe kyng and ys fom hem mette atte laste. bere was batayle ftrong yaou yfinyte in an prowe. pe godes kyngtes leye adoun as gras, wan medep

mowe.

Heueden, (þat were yunyte,) & oper lýmes alfo,

Flete in blode al fram þe grounde, ar þe batayle were ydo.

Wanne pat blod stod al abrod, vas þer gret wo y nou.

Nys yt reape vorto hure, þat me fo volc flou ? Ac our fuete Louerd atte lafte flewede ys fuete

grace.

And fende pe Cristyne Englyffe men þe maystrye in be place.

And be hepene men of Denemarch bynepe were echon.

Nou nas þer gut in Denemarch Cristendom non; þe kỷng her after to holy chyrche ys herte pe more drou,

And tepegede wel & al ys lond, as hii agte, wel y nou

Seyn Swythýn at Wỳnchestre byffop þo was, And Alcfton at Syrebourne, pat amendede muche bys cas.

be kyng was wel be betere man þoru her beyre red,

Tuenty wynter he was kyng, ar he were ded. At Wynchestre he waf ybured, as he gut iyb pere.

Hys tueye fones he gef ys lond, as he byget ham

Adelbrygt was kyng of Kent geres folle tene, And of Wellfex bote výue, po he deyed ých

wene.

ADELRED

pat wonder yt was, & namelyche vor þe weder was lo colde.

bo lyuede be god man wel, þat Syn Cutbert adde ftold.

In Deueny Tyre per after aryuede of Deneys pre and tuenty ffynuol men, all agen be peys, be kynge's broper of Denemarch duc of oft was. Oure kynge's men of Engelond mette hem bỷ

Kyag Alfred ys god ader was, & ybaptyfed ek ber were.

Fetty of her hexte dukes, and much of pat tole here

Kyng Alfred hem huld wÿþ hým tuelf dawes as be hende,

And fuppe he gef hem large gyftes, and let hym wende.

Hi, at nolde Criftyn be, of lande flowe po, And bygonde fee in France dude wel muche wo. the firewen come ogen, and muche wo here wrogie.

Ac pe kyng Alfred atte lafle to flame hem euere brogre

King Alfred be wyfoft kyng, þat long was byuore.

Vor bey me fegge pe lawes bep in worre tyme

verlore,

Nat nogt fo hiis daye, vor þey he in worre

peys.

And robbede and flowe opere, peruor he byuonde, þat þer were hondredes in eche contreye of ys lond.

And in ech toune of pe hondred a teþynge were alfo,

And þat ech man wypoute get lond in teþýnge were ydo

And þat ech man knewe ober þat in teþyne were, And wufte fomdel of her' ftat, gyf me þu vp bem

bere.

I'

N that lond, ne in many othere bezonde that, no man may fee the fterre transmontayne, that is clept the fterre of the fee, that is unmevable, and that is toward the Northe, that we clepen the lode fterre. But men feen another fterre, the contrarie to him, that is toward the Southe, that is clept Antartyk. And right as the fchip men taken here avys here, and governe hem be the lode fterre, right fo don fchip men bezonde the parties, be the fterre of the Southe, the which terre apperethe not to us. And this terre, that is toward the Northe, that wee clepen the lode fterre, ne apperethe not to hem. For whiche caufe, men may wel perceyve, that the lond and the fee ben of rownde fcapp and forme. For the partie of the firmament fchewethe in o contree, that fche wethe not in another contree. And men may well preven be experience and fotyle compaffement of wytt, that zif a man fond paffages be schippes, that wolde go to ferchen the world, men myghte go be fchippe alle aboute the world, and aboven and benethen. The whiche thing I prove thus, aftre that I have feyn. For I have been toward the parties of Braban, and beholden the Aftrolabre, that the terre that is clept the transmontayne, is 53 degrees highe. And more forthere in Almayne and Bewne, it

hathe