#Manuscript:# Cotton Vespasian A 22, British Museum. It is composite; a
second MS., 224 × 153 mm. in two columns, begins at f. 54 with the
pieces printed in OEH i. 217-45. It is written in a small and crabbed
hand unlike that of a professed scribe. The use of the contraction marks
is unsystematic and the readings are sometimes uncertain. The other
articles bound up with this MS. before and after are historical and
largely connected with Rochester Monastery.
#Editions:# Morris, R., Old English Homilies, i, pp. 231-41 (with
translation), and Specimens of Early English.
#Literature:# Vollhardt, W., Einfluss der lateinischen geistlichen
Litteratur auf einige kleinere Schöpfungen der englischen
Übergangsperiode, Leipzig, 1888; Lauchert, F., Englische Studien, xiii.
83; Heuser, W., Anglia, xvii. 82.
#Phonology:# #a# is _a_, fram 38, maniȝe 54, lange 83, sandon 30, but
_o_ in longe 155, sonden 161. #æ# wavers between _e_ (28 times), feder
42, hwet 17, stef creft 89, þes 72, &c., wes 1, 94, 96, and _a_ (16),
fader 40, hwat 49, þas 43, was 19, 27, water 46. #e# is regularly _e_,
engel 41, menn 31, but _æ_ in ængles 166 (#ængel#), mæn 22, 78, næmmie
112, and _a_ in anglene 139, angles 146, man, _pl._ 23, 76. #i# is _i_,
for which _y_ is written in cyldren 42, cyrce 108, scyft 117: it is _e_
in ȝeðe (= iþe) 165, þeser 74, þeses 113, repen 169 (= #ripon#), swepen
13; _u_ in swupen 132. #o# is _o_, but a, an 4, &c. (= on), þann 120,
þáleð 123 (comp. the dialectic taal, Dan. _taale_, EDD). #u# is _u_, but
_o_ in come 7, icome 115, sonne 46, all associated with _m_ or _n_. #y#
is regularly _e_, berie 7, ded 73, drench 46, euel 41, ferst 167, gelty
153, senne 91, 95, 151, but _i_ in þrimsettles 36, (dier)chin 45; _y_ in
cyme 87 (? #cime#); _o_ in formest 50, 72. #mycel# is represented by
mucele 129, 137, moche 90: king 1, drihte 52 have _i_, as often.
#ā# is mostly _a_, fa 25, na 55, þa 106; but _o_ in anon 12, cofe 27,
cofer 17, gefo 22, go 22, more 97, 120, non 38, soriȝe 104, to 147, þo
140. clone 15, an isolated form, represents #clāne#. #ǣ{1}# is mostly
_e_, arerde 80, clene 103, elc 112 (3), er 117, geð 157, helendes 87
(4), þer 139 (4); the traditional _æ_ appears in ælc 91, 152, ær 18, 99,
æer 21, ærst 69, ærndraches 16, 69; but it is _a_ in halende 93, lat
124, stanene 81, þar 19 (7), unwraste 23; _ea_ in unwreaste 79, 100,
104, 130, and _eo_ once in leorde 109 (#lǣrde#) between _l_ and _r_.
#ǣ{2}# is uniformly _e_, adredeð 147, letes 129. #ē# is regularly _e_,
but dieð 51 (= #deð#). #ī# is _i_; written _y_ in tyme 77: gescung 54 is
apparently #gītsung#. #ō# is _o_ without exception. #ū# is _u_; but
uncoðe 22. #ȳ# is normally _e_, ceðen 16, 70, 113, fer 46, 143, 155,
scred 42; but litl 160, leoðre 169.
#ea# before #r# + cons. is _a_ in arme 51, barn 60, middenard 39 (5),
widerwardnesse 24; _ea_ in bearn 50, 159, ȝearceon 6, ȝearnede 27; _æa_,
gæarced 156; _æ_ in ærfeð 3, and _e_ in merchestowe 124. #ea# before #l#
+ cons. is regularly _a_, alle 4 (21), manifald 79; but manifeald 46,
90. The _i_-umlaut of #ea# is represented by weregede 131 (#wiergod#).
#eo# before #r# + cons. is _eo_ in eorðe 36 (4), heorte 72,
leorninchnihtes 106; _e_ in sterren 47; _æ_ in ærlen 20. In the #wur#
group, _wur_ is written in wurð 143, otherwise _wr_ = _wur_, derewrlice
10, wrð 77, 123, wrðeð 108, wrhmint 65, 93. The _i_-umlaut is
represented by birne 154, abernð 143, sterfeð 163, werpð 45 (#wierpð#),
werpeð 142, ?stiarne 13 (#stierne#). #eo# before #l# + cons. is seen in
self 61 (7), sielfe 48. #eo#, _u_-umlaut of #e# is _e_ in heuene 107,
163, hefenen 36, but heofene 171; _å_-umlaut is seen in fele 83; #eo#,
umlaut of #i#, is _e_ in clepeien 49, ȝeclepien 6, lefede 102, 155,
lefie 155, seþe 51, 76, 170; _eo_ in neowelnesse 36; _i_ in silure 92
(#silofr#); _u_ after _w_ in cwuce 162, wude 47. Here also belong tolie
44, #teolian# and hare 85, 172, hares 56 from #heora# through #heara#,
both with shifted accent. #ea# after palatals is _a_ in gat 13, 117; _e_
in scel 135; _eo_ in sceol 147, _ea_ in ȝesceafte 93, _ia_ in ȝiaf 97;
scandlice 151 is #sceandlice#, before nasal, ȝescepe 56 is #gesceapen#.
#ie# after #g# is _i_ in gife 86, ȝife 88, 109; _ie_ in gief 98, ȝief
119, ȝiefe 11, forȝiet 60, underȝeite 4; _e_ in forȝeten 59, 61, bigeten
55; #scieppend# gives sceappend 65, 93, sceppend 40, 41. The conj. #gif#
is gief 12 (EWS. #gief#), ȝief 60, gif 63, ȝef 9. #eo# after #g# is seen
in iunglenges 107 (#geongling#); #eo# after #sc# in sceolde 7, 25, 87,
sceolden 12, 160; #heom# is ham 18, 55, heom 5; #eom# is am 162, ham 63.
#ēa# is _ea_ in bread 162 (4), lean 135, deade 115, deaþe 123 (4),
abreað 83; _a_ in admoded 104, brad 29 (4), ȝecas 81, grate 6, hafed 51,
hafedmen 108; _e_ in eðelice 124; _æ_ in ære 166. niatt 45 represents
#nēat#, ȝie 49, #gēa#. The _i_-umlaut of #ēa# is represented by
unhersamnesse 84. #ēo# medial is _eo_ in beoð 108, &c., ibeoð 70, beon
69, bitweone 9, underþeod 6, 66, underþeoden 3, 17, leoem 45 written for
leome (#lēoma#); _e_ in betwenen 169, befel 3, 4, ȝede 95, fend 5 (8),
frend 5 (9), frenden 28, 157, lefe 96, prestes 111; _ie_ in bieð 54, 65,
bienn 135, to bienne 43, diefles 95, dierchin 45, frienden 21, lief 59,
underþiede 137; _io_ in þiode 91. Final #ēo# is _i_, hi 50 (4), ibi 135,
isi 55 (4), si 50 (6), þri 99, 101, and _ie_, besie 14 (#besēon#). The
_i_-umlaut of #ēo# is seen in dierewurð 20, istriened 96, þiestre 53,
þiesternesse 14; but derewrþe 138, derewrlice 10, fendes 133, aþestreð
144, þesternesse 27. #īe# gives _ie_ in giet 53, ȝeiet 56, ȝie 24, 26.
#ēo# from #ō# after #sc# is _eo_, ȝesceod 8, toȝesceodeð 117, ȝesceop
33, 39; but ȝescod 74, ȝescop 54.
#a# + #g#, #h#, is _ag_, lage 71, &c.; muȝe 49 has _u_ by imitation of
other pret. presents. #æ# + #g# is _ei_, deie 126, 137, meide 139,
meiden 141, meidenes 166, neiles 146, seið 158, seieð 153; _eȝ_ in deȝe
108, isegd 27, seȝð 163; _eiȝ_ in seigd 34; _e_ in sede 117, 119, seden
69, 160 (= #sǣdon#), ȝesed 114, mede 94 (= #mæden#); _ai_ in mai 152,
maie 148. The peculiar spellings dȝeie 68, dȝeies 52, dȝei 134 show the
development of a _y_ sound, but deȝie 7, 8, 116, maȝie 59, maȝi 34
appear to be for deiȝe, maiȝe, maiȝ. #e# + #g# is _ei_, þeinen 21, rien
47, written for rein: þenið 142, þeninge 46 go back to #þēnian#,
#þēnung#: #ongegn# is represented by aȝen 101, aȝenes 24. A _y_ sound
has developed in ȝeie 43, 142 (#ege#); aȝeie 64 seems to have been
influenced by OWScand. _agi_. #ig# is preserved in niȝen 138; #ih# in
dihte 39, 41: exceptional is forðteh 42 (#forðtihþ#). #o# + #g# is seen
in abroden 134, 156, abruden 27; heretoche 80; #u# + #g# in ȝebugon 25;
#y# + #h# in drihte 52. #ā# + #g#, #h# give oge 59, ogen 60, oȝeð 64,
aȝen 88, ah 43, fa 5. #ǣ{1}# + #h#, echte 55, tehten 110: #ō# + #h#,
brochte 101, ibrocht 146, innoh 152: #ū# + #h#, þuhte 11.
#ea# + #h#, #ht# is _ea_ in leahtrum 79, _a_ in wax 81; miht, niht have
uniformly _i_. #eo# + #ht# is _i_ in cnihten 20: the _i_-umlaut is
represented in isecgð 148, iseȝð 150 (= #siehð#), ȝesecðe 134, 156
(#gesiehð#). #ēa# + #g#, #h# is _ag_, _ah_, hagefaderen 140, hahes 171,
þah 112, þahhweðer 60. #ēo# + #h# is _e_ in wex 168; _ih_ in
rihtwisnesse 40, richtwise 147, 148, brictnesse 145, with _ct_ for _ht_:
lichte 50, 53; loht 45 is #lēoht# with shifted accent: #īe# + #h# gives
nixtan 73. #ā# + #w#, daw 47, ȝesawen 165, sawe 44, sawle 42 &c., but
feawe 96, scewie 22: ahte 122, nahte 33, ahct 49 come from #āht#,
#nāht#. #ǣ{1}# + #w# occurs in ȝecnowe 71: #ēa# + #w# in unþeawes 132:
#ēo# + #w# in ableow 42, bleowu 168, treowe 92, fierðe 105 (#fēowerða#),
ȝeu 24, 113, ȝehw 119, ȝiu 117, ȝiure 52.
The vowels of the inflections are generally levelled to _e_, but a few
remain from the scribe’s original; _inf._ wunian 159; _pr. s._ blissið
50, _pr. pl._ þenið 142; cwaciað 147; _pt. pl._ arerdon 85; _pl._ dunan
37, lagan 70, sandon 30; _s. d._ nixtan 73; _pl. d._ leahtrum 79; buton
38, 72, 95, bufon 149. Among vowels of minor stress are noteworthy _ie_
in laðienge 6 (#laðung#), ȝelaðieres 82 (*#laðere#); _a_ for #e#, þina
37; _æ_ for #e#, anæ 6, ȝæarced 156; _e_ for #æ#, rigtleceden 86, 103;
_e_ for #i#, iunglenges 107; _e_ for #o#, hefenen 36, 107, sicernesse
128; _i_ for #e#, adiligde 79, 84; _eo_ for #ie#, ȝearceon 6; _ei_ for
#i#, clepeien 49. ableow 42 possibly represents #onblēow#. _e_ is lost
in ærndraches 16 (4), witȝin 89, and added in seneȝeden 153: seneȝden
154 is for senȝeden. The prefix #ge#, once written ge, gelest 2, is
largely retained, but it is reduced to _i_ in _pp._ ibroht, icome 115,
idon, imaced, isent, istriened; _inf._ ibite, isi; ibruce 25, ibeoð 70,
isecgð 148, iseȝð 150, innoh 152, uniredlice 131, iwiss 37; noteworthy
is unitald 47.
#w# is lost in sa 54, se 86, alse 115; it represents _wu_ in the #wur#
group, wrð 77, wrhmint 65, derewrlice 10 &c., and similarly wlcne 145:
_u_ is written for it in uin 160, _wu_ in bleowu 168, hwu 99. #l# is
lost in swice 75, wic 142: final #ll# often becomes _l_, befel 3, bispel
31, ful 102. #mm# is simplified in wiman 59. The loss of final #n# in
inflections is characteristic: it occurs also in bine 90 (#binnan#),
bitweone 9, bute 17, morȝe 119, to fore 138, to for 22, upe 132: #n# is
assimilated to _m_ in næmmie 112, it is added in hesne 98, doubled in
bienn 135, sennenn 132, þann 120 &c. #on# is weakened to a 126 (an 153).
#bb# is simplified to _b_ in habe 161; it is _u_ in sweueð 53, perhaps
influenced by Scand. _svefja_. For #f# the scribe writes þ in sielþe 48,
selþ 61, 149, which perhaps represents an individual pronunciation. The
voiced sound between vowels is represented by _f_, not _u_. The added
#t# in mistlice is found in OE., that after _n_ in berient, melstanent
170 is local, as sarment, suddent, varmint in the SE. modern dialects:
#t# is doubled in fett 14; #ts# is _s_ in milsi 59, _c_ in milce 102. In
an 130 #d# is lost (and 145), as in hlafor 21: it is written for þ in
dierewurd 20, had 152, hafd 56, sede 170. For #þ#, _f_ is written in of
11, 15, 108, _ft_ in oft 134, 136; _t_ in to 36 (?), 147 after ⁊ = ant:
#æt þǣre# is eter 13, 117: it is lost after _h_ in forðteh 42, and
intrudes before _h_ in awiðhst 37. #sc# is [š] in biscopes 111, sceolde
7, scandlice 151; _ss_ is written for it in wasse 10, 123. #c# is
palatalized in cheðen 70 (ceðen 16), dierchin 45 (fiscynn 46),
ærndraches 16, machede 41 (macede 91). #c# is doubled in accenned 94.
#g# is lost in witien 140 and final in almihti 32, ȝegen 156, leornin
(ch[n]ihtes) 106: it is _ch_ in heretoche 80, _c_ in strencþe 97. The
scribe generally uses ȝ for #ġ#: exceptions are gelest 2, gife 86, gief
98, gif 63, bigeten 55, iunglenges 107. The development of a _y_ sound
is seen in ȝeðe (= #iþe#), ȝeie 43; ȝ in ȝeu 24, ȝiu 117, ȝehw 119 has
been adopted from the nom. #ȝe#. Initial #h# before a vowel is often
omitted, abben 160, afeð 150, alste 36, is 28 &c., us 167; before
consonants, laford 12, 61, wa 4, wat 24 (hwet 17), wic 142, wile 82: it
is added in her 160, his 128 &c., hofne 170, hur 65, hure 44, hus 43,
and hwe 69, which helps to the understanding of ȝehw 119. For #ht#,
_cht_ is written in echte 55, ibrocht 146, lichte 50, richtwise 147:
ahct 49 is for acht (= #āht#); _ct_ in brictnesse 145.
#Accidence:# Strong decl. of _m._ and _neut._ nouns. _Sing. n._ halende
93, helende 109, 163, sceppende 41 with participial terminations
(sceppend 40), endedeie 118, gate 117 have added _e_: tacne 145 is
#tacen#; drihte 52 has lost _n._ _Gen._ -es. _Dat._ -e: exceptions,
anginn 115, bearn 50, barn 60, fer 155, gat 13 (gate 117), ȝegen 156,
innoð 60, godspel 161 (godspelle 165), hlaford 65, licht 53 (lichte 50),
mancyn 99, sceappend 65 (sceappende 93), þing 53. _Acc._ as _nom._:
accennende 103, a participle used as noun, fultume 47 with added _e_.
_Plur. n. m._ -es: deade 115 has adj. term., wude 47 (#wuda#); _neut._
wlcne 145. _Dat._ -en, as apostlen 139, bearnen 159, bredene 81, cnihten
20, aldren 20, esten 158, kingen 32, martiren 140, melstanent 170,
þeinen 21: exceptions, had 139 (= #hādum#), leahtrum 79, meiden 141,
neiles 146, write 85, and ME. repples 13. The accent on hlafordé 32 may
be a contraction mark. _Acc. m._ -es: _neut._ folc 68, niatt 45, þing
33, 101, 109; þrimsettles 36 has masc. form. Weak are anglene 139, _pl.
g._, esten 159 _pl. n._, hefenen 36 _s. g._ comp. hefene 163. Strong
decl. of _fem._ nouns: blisse 125, eorðe 45, lare 90, mihte 38, þiode
91, underþiede 137 (treated as compound of #þēod#), witnisse 149 have
added _e_ in the _nom. sing._: ȝefered 138 has lost _en_; its _dat._ is
ȝeferede 20. The other cases sing. and pl. which occur end in _e_, as
merche (stowe) 124, rode 145, _s. g._; echte 55 (possibly _pl._), gife
86, 88, 109, _s. d._; hesne 98, laðienge 6, lage 80, _s. a._; senne 80,
91, 151, _pl. d._; ahte 122, _pl. a._ Exceptions are wrldes 77, a masc.
form, berient 170 (= #byrgenne#), ȝescung 54, gief 98 (possibly for
gife), hand 37, nicht 53, _s. d._; wrhmint 65 (wrhminte 93), _s. a._;
ceðen 16, 70, 113, underþeoden 17, _pl. d._; hand 14, _pl. a._
underþeod, 6 is adj. used as noun. Weak forms are dunan 37, _pl. a._,
lagan 70, _pl. n._, sennenn 132, _pl. a._, underþeoden, _pl. n._ 3.
Weak declension: _Sing. nom._ halege 126, mone 47, sonne 46, tyme 77,
witiȝe 35: _d._ ære 166, heorte 72, heretoche 80, time 84, witie 57,
uuantruce 122, _acc._ deme 148, lichame 41, 126: leoem 45 is probably
for leome. _Plur. nom._ ȝeferen 15, sterren 47, 144; _dat._ swepen 13,
swupen 132, witȝin 89, witien 140; _acc._ witiȝe 85, ȝefo 22. ærndraces
69, _pl. n._, 16, _pl. a._ have adopted a strong inflection: nixtan 73,
_s. d._ is adj. used as noun.
Minor declensions: burh 166, berie 7, _s. d._; fader 40, 44, feder 42,
_s. n._, feder 48, _s. d._, hagefaderen 140, _pl. d._; fett 14, _pl.
a._; frienden 21, 28, 157, _pl. d._; mannes 72, 118, _s. g._; man 76,
_s. d._, 41, _s. a._; menn 31, hafedmen 108, man 23, 76, _pl. n._;
mannen 153, _pl. d._, 159, _pl. g._; mæn 22, mænn 78, _pl. a._
Adjectives: Remnants of the strong decl. linger in ecer 128, _s. d. f._,
soðe 65, grate 6, _s. a. f._; and perhaps hage(faderen) 140
(= #hēagum#); of the weak decl. in fulle 127, gode 121, _s. n. m._, lefe
96, _s. n. f._, mucele 137, _s. d. m._, 129, _s. d. f._, richtwise 148,
soriȝe 104, _s. a. m._, unwreaste 104, _s. a. neut._ hahes 171 is a
strong form for weak; haliȝe 102 a strong fem. qualifying lif, _neut._
The _pl._ inflection in all cases is -e, so ȝeredie 131, stanene 81.
Longer words are often uninflected, as manifald 79, 90, dierewurd 20
(derewrþe 138), wrldlic 55; also ful 54, gelty 153, hali 122, 140.
Adjectives used as nouns are senfulle 147, _s. n._; fa 25, fo 156, latst
8, 69, nixtan 73, _s. d._; innoh 152, _s. a._; richtwise 147, _pl. n._
Pronouns: Noteworthy are hwe 69, ȝie 24, 26 (ȝe 116); ȝeu 24, 113, ȝiu
117, 160, ȝehw 119. The pronoun of the third person is, _Sing. n._ he,
_m._ hi 50, 51, 59, 60, _f._; hit, _neut._; _d._ him, _m._; _a._ hine 10
&c., him 14, _m._ hit, _n._ _Plur. n._ hi, i in combinations icome 17,
ibeoð 70, mihti 55; _d._ heom 5, ham 18, 55, 147; _a. m._ hi 117. From
*seo _f._ are his 81 _s. a. f._ (= is) and his 117, _pl. a. m._ (= is),
es in letes 129, _pl. a. n._, for which forms see Anglia, Beiblatt vii.
331, xi. 302. The dat. _s. pl._ with self uninflected occurs as
definitive adj. 61, 81, 149; _s._ and _pl._ with selfe as reflexive, 55,
91, 151, 152; us sielfe 48. Possessives are mine 64, mi 63, _s. n. m._,
mine 25, 156, _s. d. m._, mire 24 (with rice _neut._) 26, 154, mine in
other cases; þina 37, _s. d. f._; ure, hure, ur, hur 65, with ures 87,
106, _s. g. m._; is, his, hire; ȝiure 52, ȝeur 153; hare 85, 172, hares
56, _s. g. m._ his 21, 29, _pl. d._ is used as noun, his men. The def.
article is, _Sing. n. m._ se, once seo 66; _f._ si, with _neut._ tacne
145, but rode is _fem._, gate 117; _neut._ þat 143: _g. m._ þes, with
wrldes 77, ses 87, by analogy from #se#; _neut._ þes: _d. m._ þa, þe,
(to) ðe 22; _f._ þare 93, with _neut._ gate 129, þar 19, þer 139, (i)þer
123, with _m._ 141, with _neut._ 13, 117; _neut._ þam, þan 118, 158, þe
50, 145, (i)þe 161, ȝeðe 165, þa 110, probably for þa{n}: _a. m._ þann
120; _f._ þa 54 &c., _neut._ þat 168. _Pl. n. m._ þa, þe, (⁊) to 147;
_d. m._ þa, þo: _a. m._ þe 85. Used pronominally si 83, _s. n. f._; þat
97, _s. n. neut._; þa 26, _pl. n. m._; þan 141, _pl. d. m._ The compound
demonstrative is, _Sing. n. m._ þes; _f._ þes; _neut._ þis: _d. m._ þese
48; _f._ þisser, þesser, þeser; _neut._ þese 118, 163: _a. f._ þas 80;
_neut._ þis. _Pl. n._ þes, þas: _g._ þeses: _d._ þesen: _a._ þes.
Exceptional is þas 43, _s. n. neut._ (OE. occasional #þæs#). The
relative is þe 26, 32, 97; wam 48, 96, _s. d._; introducing dep.
questions, wa 4, 66, hwa 67: interrogatives, hwat, hwet, wat 24, wic
142: indefinites are _n. m._ an 1; _d. m._ ane 68, _neut._ ane 164, ene
7, an 53; _a. m._ ænne 7, _f._ anæ 6, _neut._ a 57; _n. m. f._ ælc, elc;
_g. m._ elces 118; _a. m._ elce 116; swice, _pl. n. m._; nahte 33,
_s. d. n._ Sum 17, _s. n._ has oblique cases in _e_ 56, 82, but sum 92,
_pl._: fele 83, maniȝe 54, 109 are plurals: oðre (once oðere) is
constant: #eall# is _sing. n._ all, al; _d. f._ alle 66, _neut._ 4, 24
(rice is regarded as _fem._); _a. f._ alle 96, _neut._ all, al 47. The
plural is alle; but all 15, al 141.
The infinitive of verbs ends mostly in _e_, fandie 130: noteworthy are
besie 14, isi 55: ȝief 119 has lost _e_ before him. wunian 159 is a
survival; others in _n_ are ȝearceon 6, ȝeclepien 6, clepeien 49, don
88, finden 173, forȝeten 59, abben 160. _Dat. inf._ with inflection,
bienne 43, donne 152; without inflection abiden 11, bigeten 55, don 51,
fulforðie 98, ȝelaðie 17, 78, isi 137, sawe 44, tolie 44. _Pres. s._ 1.
forȝete 61, lefie 155, nell(ic) 60; 2. awiðhst 37, belocest 37, halst
36; 3. blisseð 52 and 8 others, but contracted forms predominate, abernð
143, belimpð 128, cumþ 114, 121, 129, ett 163, fett 42, fet 171, ȝemet
133, ȝestrenð 112 (#gestrengeþ#), isecgð 148, iseȝð 150 (#siehð#), lat
124 (#lǣdeþ#), sit 138 and 9 others. Exceptional are blissið 50, had 152
(#hæfð#), scred 42 (#scrȳt#), scyft 117, forðteh 42 (#tyhð#).
_Subjunctive pr. s._ forȝiet[e] 60, habbe 74, letes 129 (lete + es),
milsi 59, underfo 126. _Pres. pl._ 1. habbeþ 48, siggeð 114, wene (we)
49; 3. adredeð 147, aþestreð 144 &c.; but cwaciað 147, þenið 142 (Archiv
lxxxix, 160-6). _Subj. pr. pl._ næmmie 112, scewie 22. _Imp. pl._
understandeð 31, 99, witeð 155, wite (ȝe) 125. Past of Strong Verbs:
_Sing._ I a. cweð 21, et 28, ȝiaf 97; I b. com 19, nam 5; I c. dranc 28,
ȝelamp 1; II. astah 162, wratẹ 81 (#wrāt#); III. abreað 83, ȝecas 81;
IV. ȝesceop 33; V. ableow 42, bleowu 168, befel 3, wex 168. _Pl._ I a.
cweðe 18, 1. _pl._; I b. come 9; I c. sturfe 28; II. repen 169; III.
ȝebugon 25. _Subjunctives_ are I b. come 12, 20; V. ȝewold[e] 55. _Pp._
I b. icome 115; I c. abruden 27, abroden 134, 156; II. begripe 95; III.
belocen 16; IV. ȝescepe 56, understande 116; V. beswapen 151, ȝesawen
165, ȝewasse, uniwasse 123. _Past_ of Weak Verbs ends in -de, -ede,
arerde 80, clensede 103 &c.: diht 41, gelest 2, send 78, sett 72 have
dropped final _e_. _Pl._ -den; once arerdon 85: sede 117, 119, lefede
155, acolede 90, ȝearnede 27 have lost _n_. The _pp._ ends in -ed, -d,
-t; once acende 101, beside accenned 94: unwemmede 94, weregede 131 are
inflected. Minor groups: wat 54, _pr. s._; ah 43, _pr. s._, oȝeð 64
(#āgon#), 1 _pr. pl._; scel 135, sceol 147, _pr. s._, scule 26 &c., _pr.
pl._, once sculen 161, sceolde 87, _pt. s._, sceolde 7, sceolden 12,
160, _pt. pl._; mai 152, _pr. s._, but maȝi 34, maie 148, maȝie 59, _pr.
s._ are subjunctive in form; muȝe (we) 49, 1 _pr. pl._, mihtí (mihte hi)
55, mihten 86, _pt. pl._; am 162, ham 63, 1 _pr. s._, his 33 &c., is 36,
_pr. s._, beoð 70, 108, 146, bieð 54, 65, _pr. pl._, beon 69, bienn 135,
_pr. pl. subj._, was 19, wes 1 &c., _pt. s._, were 99 &c., wer 69, 75,
_pt. pl._, were 5, 10 &c., _pt. s. subj._, 8, 15, 16 &c., _pt. pl.
subj._, ibi 135 (*#gebion#), _pp._; don 72, 73, _pr. s. subj._ but
plural in form, ded[ė] 73, _pt. s._; to gað 145, _pr. pl._, go 22, 1
_pr. pl. subj._
Accents are used extensively, but on no consistent principle, so láge
79, lage 80; arerde 80, arérdon 85; áȝenes 34, aȝénes 24. They are
mostly placed over long vowels, but they are used to indicate separate
pronunciation of the vowels in méé 158, bethléem 167, besíé 14.
Similarly they show that a vowel is not to be slurred in belocést 37,
clénséde 103, macéde 91, ?Æér 21; that _i_ is to have its full vowel
value (not _y_) in ȝeclepíen 6, ȝelaðíe 17, halíe 85, 107, halíȝe 140,
maníȝe 54, 109, witíe 57, 62, witíge 85; and that final _e_ is to be
pronounced in forté 137, mihté 38. Sometimes the accent has been
exchanged with a contraction mark, as hlafordé 32, acénde 101. It is
only a diacritic, answering to the printed dot, in íunglenges 107,
ímaced 164, þenínge 46 &c., and over _y_ written for _i_ in scýft 117,
cýme 87, týme 77. In diphthongs it marks the stressed element, séo 66,
unterþéod 6, líef 59, níatt 45; in leóem 45 it shows shifted accent (as
in loht 45), so feáwe 96, ?bleówu 168, ?leórde 109: sónne 46, féce 7 are
hard to understand. In unwēmmed 139, the contraction mark has been kept,
although _m_ has been added; hīne 133 is curious.
#Dialect:# There is a considerable survival of older spellings from the
West-Saxon original. The scribe’s language is South-Eastern strongly
affected by Kentish, a mixed dialect such as might be current on the
south-eastern border of Kent, or used by a southern man, not of Kentish
extraction, but resident in the county, possibly at Rochester.
#Introduction:# This piece, like its predecessor in the MS., which is a
transcription of Ælfric’s De Initio Creaturae, is, at least in part, an
adaptation of an older, probably pre-Conquest homily, as is shown by the
occurrence of archaic inflections and constructions (comp. to 8, hungre
28, hatrede 24, &c.; the extensive use of the subj. mood), and by its
OE. vocabulary (þrimsettles 36, hagefaderen 140 &c.) almost free from
any foreign element. Vollhardt suggested as its source the 46th chapter
of the Liber de S. Anselmi Similitudinibus, a collection of parables and
sayings of S. Anselm recorded by his biographer Eadmer, probably after
the death of his master in 1109 A.D. This is printed in Anselmi Opera,
ed. Gerberon, App. 161; Migne, P. L. clix., 625 and Vollhardt, 25. That
the two versions are related cannot be doubted, but a consideration of
dates compels the conclusion that they have a common source, or that the
Latin is not S. Anselm’s.
The parable and its application is in the Latin brief and direct, in
marked contrast to the vivacity, fullness of detail, and diffuseness
(comp. 3. 19, 136) of the English. The latter has also expanded the
application of the parable by much extraneous matter: i. The Creation
Theme, 31-66; ii. The Five Ages of the World; iii. The Doomsday Theme,
136-156; iv. The Living Bread, 160-173, all of which is wanting in the
Latin.
For filii 58 read filio, and for descendit 162, descendi.
There is no title in the MS.: Rex Suos Judicans is from Anselm’s title.
2. #gelest#, extended; probably the earliest example of the word in this
sense. OE. #gelǣstan#, to accomplish, follow, last. With #wide ⁊ side#,
spacious, extensive, comp. ‘Ðu leof cyningc leod-scipas ðine wide and
side þu hætst,’ Ælf. Lives, i. 496/145; ‘⁊ ta wass Romess kinedom | Full
wid ⁊ sid onn eorþe,’ Orm 173.
3. #ærfeðtelle#, difficult to number; comp. ‘earueðhealde,’ 48/311;
‘Earfoðfynde,’ Ælf. Lives, i. 492/82; ‘arueðwinne,’ OEH ii. 49/14. OE.
#earfoðe#, #ēaðe#, #unēaðe# are usually followed by the _dat._ of the
infinitive, ‘earfoðe is ænegum men to witanne,’ Cura Past. 51/5, to
which corresponds, ‘Hit is arfeð to understonden,’ OEH ii. 205/14; but
they are also associated with a kind of verbal noun having a _dat._
termination in _e_, in imitation of the Latin supine in _u_, as
earfoðlǣre, ēaþlǣre, unēaþlǣce, and the two words come to be treated as
a compound adjective. For the _acc._ inf. comp. ‘Ac þe ben swo fele ꝥ
hie ben arfeð tellen,’ OEH ii. 201/30.
4. #ꝥ--befell#, lit. that it occurred to him in purpose, that he formed
a resolution: comp. ‘Ich wilnie a mine þo{n}ke[;] to walden al Rome,’ L
25091; ‘þat him wes on þonke,’ id. 13258.
5. #nam him to rede#, lit. took to himself for counsel, adopted the
plan: comp. 110/298; ‘nam him to ræde,’ Ælf. Lives, i. 64/230; ‘let him
to ræde,’ id. 506/319; ‘hwæt him to ræde þuhte,’ id. 244/113; ‘him to
ræde fand,’ BH 201/25. See Minot vi, 68 note. For omission of subject
after ꝥ, see 6/18 note.
7. #berie# was meant to supersede #curt#, but the scribe forgot to put
dots under the latter. He uses berie regularly afterwards. With ꝥ comp.
‘& swa he nom enne dai[;] þat come heore drihtlice folc,’ L 2550.
8. #be þe latst#, at the latest; so 14/69. #to#, at: comp. 14/68; ‘to
þan dæie heo comen,’ L 13187.
9. #mistlice#, variant of mislice (Bülbring § 535). It means, diversely,
of different sorts, friends and foes. But note fastlice, 16/114.