Gramma on grêcisc is littera on lêden and on englisc stæf,
and grammatica is stæfcræft. se cræft geopenað and gehylt
lêdensprǣce, and nân man næfð lêdenbôca andgit befullon,
bûton hê þone cræft cunne. se cræft is ealra bôclîcra cræfta
ordfruma and grundweall. grammaticus is, sê ðe can ðone
cræft grammatican befullan. and se cræft hæfð þrîtig tôdâl.
(I) Þæt forme tôdâl is uox stemn, (ii) þæt ôðer littera
stæf, (iii) þæt þridde is sillaba stæfgefêg. be þisum ðrîm
tôdâlum wê âwriton on forewerdre þyssere bêc. æfter ðisum wê
tellað octo partes orationis, þæt synd þâ eahta dǣlas
lêdensprǣce, be ðâm þe þêos bôc is geset, ac wê secgað hêr,
þæt fêower ðǣra dǣla synd declinabilia, þæt is
declinigendlîce. þâ ðrŷ man gebîgð on casum: nomen and
pronomen and participium. uerbum bið gebîged in modis, þæt
is on gemetum oððe on ðǣre sprǣce wîson. þâ ôðre fêower:
aduerbium, coniunctio, praepositio, interiectio, sindon
indeclinabilia, þæt is undeclinigendlîce. hêr synd nû
geteald endlufan tôdâl.
(XII) Sume tôdâl sindon pedes, þæt synd fêt, and þǣra fôta
is fela: mid ðâm setton poetae, þæt sind gelǣrede sceopas,
heora lêoðcræft on bôcum.
(XIII) Sum tôdâl is accentus, þæt is swêg, on hwilcum
stæfgefêge ǣlc word swêgan sceal.
(XIIII) Sume sind positurae, þâ sind on ôðre wîson gehâtene
distinctiones, þæt sind tôdâl, hû man tôdǣlð þâ fers on
rǣdinge. se forma prica on þâm ferse is gehâten media
distinctio, þæt is on middan tôdâl. se ôðer hâtte
subdistinctio, þæt is undertôdâl. se þridda hâtte distinctio
oððe periodos, sê belŷcð þæt fers. distinctio is tôdâl, and
periodos is clŷsing oððe geendung þæs ferses.
(XV) Sum ðǣra dǣla is gehâten nota, þæt is mearcung. þǣra
mearcunga sind manega and mislîce gesceapene ǣgðer gê on
sangbôcum gê on lêoðcræfte gê on gehwylcum gesceâde.
scêawige, sê ðe wylle.
(XVI) Sum is gecweden ortographia on grêcisc, þæt is on
lêden recta scriptura and on englisc riht gewrit. ic cweðe
nû gewislîcor. sê þe wrît ad, gif hê byð praepositio, þonne
sceal hê settan d æfter þâm a, and, gif hit bið at
coniunctio, wrîte hê t tô ðâm a. eft apud praepositio sceal
habban d on æfteweardan, and caput hêafod sceal habban t.
haud aduerbium, þæt is on englisc nâtes hwôn, sceal habban h
on forewerdan and d on æfteweardan, and aut coniunctio nimð
t on æfteweardan and nânne h ætforan. fedus fûllîc næfð
nǣnne o, and foedus wedd nimð o ætforan þâm e and ealswâ
poena wîte and foenum gærs and moenia weallas. pene forneân
aduerbium næfð nǣnne o. hora tîd hæfð h, and ora læppa oððe
ende næfð nǣnne. ealswâ honor wurðmynt nimð h, and onus
byrðen gebyrað bûtan h. quid hwæt hæfð d, and of ðâm worde
queo ic mæg (quis ðû miht) quit hê mæg scel geendjan on t.
sed coniunctio geendað on d, and word geendjað on t: cum
esset ðâ þâ hê wæs, cum amasset ðâ ðâ hê lufode et cetera.
(XVII) Sum ðǣra dǣla hâtte analogia on grêcisc, þæt is on
lêden similium rerum comparatio and on englisc gelîccra
ðinga wiðmetenys. gif ðû nâst sumne lêdennaman, hwilces
cynnes hê sŷ on ðâm cræfte, þonne scêawa þû be sumum ôðrum,
ðe him gelîc sŷ, and þû wâst þonne, gyf ðû smêast þonne,
hwylces cynnes hê sŷ. funis râp, þonne bið panis hlâf him
gelîc on declinunge, and hî begen synd masculini generis and
swâ gehwylce ôðre.
(XVIII) Sum þǣra hâtte ethimologia, þæt is namena ordfruma
and gesceâd, hwî hî swâ gehâtene sind. rex cyning is
gecweden a regendo, þæt is fram recendôme, forðan ðe se
cyning sceal mid micelum wîsdôme his lêode wissjan and
bewerjan mid cræfte. homo mann is gecweden fram humo, þæt is
fram moldan, forþan ðe sêo eorðe wæs þæs mannes antimber;
and swâ gehwylce ôðre.
(XVIIII) Sum ðǣra is glossa, þæt is glêsing, þonne man glêsð
þâ earfoðan word mid êðran lêdene. faustus is on ôðrum
lêdene beatus, ðæt is êadig. fatuus is on ôðrum lêdene
stultus, þæt is stunt; and swâ gehwylce ôðre.
(XX) Sum ðǣra is differentia, þæt is tôdâl betwux twâm
þingum. ic cweþe nû rex cyning, þæt is sê ðe gemetfæstlîce
his folc gewissað. gif hê þonne mid his rîccetere hî ofsit,
þonne bið hê tyrannus, þæt is rêðe oððe wælhrêow.
(XXI) Sum ðǣra is barbarismus, þæt is ânes wordes
gewemmednyss, gif hit byð miswriten oððe miscweden of þâm
rihtan cræfte.
(XXII) Sum ðǣra is solocismus, þæt is miscweden word on
endebyrdnysse þǣre rǣdinge of ðâm rihtan cræfte. barbarismus
bið on ânum worde, and solocismus bið sum lêas word on ðâm
ferse. swâ ðêah ne gebyrjað þâs twegen dǣlas tô ðâm cræfte,
ac hî becumað of þâm sâmlǣredum lêaslîce geclypode oððe
âwritene.
(XXIII) Sume sind gecwedene uitia, þæt synd leahtras on
lêdensprǣce on manegum wîsum miswritene oððe miscwedene. þâm
eallum wê sceolon wiðcweðan, gyf wê cunnon þæt gesceâd.
(XXIIII) Sum þǣra dǣla is metaplasmus, þæt is âwend sprǣc tô
ôðrum hiwe hwîlon for fægernysse, hwîlon for nêode, swâswâ
is audacter dyrstelîce: hit sceolde bêon audaciter, gyf hit
môste; and swâ gehwilce ôðre.
(XXV) Sume sind gehâtene scemata, þæt sind mislîce hiw and
fægernyssa on lêdensprǣce, hû hêo betst gelôgod bêo.
(XXVI) Sume sind gehâtene tropi, þæt sind mislîce getâcnunga
oððe wîsan on lêdensprǣce âbrodene of heora âgenre
getâcnunge tô ôðre gelîcnysse, swâswâ is gecweden fluctuare
segetes, gemmare uites, þæt æceras ŷðjað and wîntrêowa
gimmjað, forðan ðe æceras farað on sumera, swâswâ sǣ
ŷðigende, and wîntrêowa blôstman bêoð gimmum gelîce. ealswâ
floridam iuuentutem et lacteam caniciem ðâ blôstmbǣran
juguðe and þâ meolchwîtan hârunge.
(XXVII) Sum ðǣra is prosa, þæt is forðriht lêden bûton
lêoðcræfte gelencged and gelôgod.
(XXVIII) Sume sind gehâtene metra on grêcisc, ðæt is on
lêden mensurae and on englisc gemetu. ðâ gemetu gebyrjað tô
lêdenum lêoðcræfte. se cræft is swâ âmeten, þæt ðǣr ne môt
bêon furðon ân stæf ofer getel, ac bêoð ealle þâ fers
geemnytte be ânum getele, gif hit âht bêon sceal.
(XXIX) Sume synd gehâtene fabulae, þæt synd îdele spellunga.
fabulae synd þâ saga, þe menn secgað ongeân gecynde, þæt ðe
nǣfre ne gewearð nê gewurðan ne mæg.
(XXX) Sum ðǣra is gehâten historia, þæt is gerecednyss. mid
þǣre man âwrît and gerehð þâ ðing and þâ dǣda, þe wǣron
gedône on ealdum dagum and ûs dyrne wǣron.