CHAP. lix.
As hyt ys yknowe houȝ meny maner people buþ in þis ylond, þer buþ
also of so meny people longages and tonges. Noþeles Walschmen and
Scottes, þat buþ noȝt ymelled wiþ oþer nacions, holdeþ wel nyȝ
here furste longage and speche, bote ȝef Scottes, þat were som tyme
confederat and wonede {5} wiþ þe Pictes, drawe somwhat after here
speche. Bote þe Flemmynges þat woneþ in þe west syde of Wales habbeþ
yleft here strange speche, and spekeþ Saxonlych ynow. Also Englysch men,
þeyȝ hy hadde fram þe bygynnyng þre maner speche, Souþeron, Norþeron,
and Myddel speche in þe {10} myddel of þe lond, as hy come of þre maner
people of Germania, noþeles by commyxstion and mellyng, furst wiþ Danes
and afterward wiþ Normans, in menye þe contray longage ys apeyred, and
som vseþ strange wlaffyng, chyteryng, harryng, and garryng grisbittyng.
Þis apeyryng of þe {15} burþtonge ys bycause of twey þinges. On ys for
chyldern in scole, aȝenes þe vsage and manere of al oþer nacions,
buþ compelled for to leue here oune longage, and for to construe here
lessons and here þinges a Freynsch, and habbeþ suþthe þe Normans come
furst into Engelond. Also gentil men {20} children buþ ytauȝt for
to speke Freynsch fram tyme þat a buþ yrokked in here cradel, and
conneþ speke and playe wiþ a child hys brouch; and oplondysch men wol
lykne hamsylf to gentil men, and fondeþ wiþ gret bysynes for to speke
Freynsch, for to be more ytold of. {25}
[Þys manere was moche y-vsed tofore þe furste moreyn, and ys seþthe
somdel ychaunged. For Iohan Cornwal, a mayster of gramere, chayngede
þe lore in gramerscole and construccion of Freynsch into Englysch; and
Richard Pencrych lurnede þat manere techyng of hym, and oþer men of
Pencrych, so þat {30} now, þe ȝer of oure Lord a þousond þre hondred
foure score and fyue, of þe secunde kyng Richard after þe Conquest
nyne, in al þe gramerscoles of Engelond childern leueþ Frensch, and
construeþ and lurneþ an Englysch, and habbeþ þerby avauntage in on syde,
and desavauntage yn anoþer. {35} Here avauntage ys þat a lurneþ here
gramer yn lasse tyme þan childern wer ywoned to do. Disavauntage ys þat
now childern of gramerscole conneþ no more Frensch þan can here lift
heele, and þat ys harm for ham and a scholle passe þe se and trauayle in
strange londes, and in meny caas also. {40} Also gentil men habbeþ now
moche yleft for to teche here childern Frensch.] Hyt semeþ a gret wondur
houȝ Englysch, þat ys þe burþ tonge of Englysch men, and here oune
longage and tonge, ys so dyuers of soon in þis ylond; and þe longage of
Normandy ys comlyng of anoþer lond, and haþ on maner {45} soon among al
men þat spekeþ hyt aryȝt in Engelond. [Noþeles þer ys as meny dyuers
maner Frensch yn þe rem of Fraunce as ys dyuers manere Englysch in þe
rem of Engelond.]
Also of þe forseyde Saxon tonge, þat ys deled a þre, and ys abyde
scarslych wiþ feaw vplondysch men, and ys gret {50} wondur, for men of
þe est wiþ men of þe west, as hyt were vnder þe same party of heuene,
acordeþ more in sounyng of speche þan men of þe norþ wiþ men of þe
souþ. Þerfore hyt ys þat Mercii, þat buþ men of myddel Engelond, as hyt
were parteners of þe endes, vndurstondeþ betre þe syde {55} longages,
Norþeron and Souþeron, þan Norþeron and Souþeron vndurstondeþ eyþer oþer.
Al þe longage of þe Norþhumbres, and specialych at Ȝork, ys so
scharp, slyttyng, and frotyng, and vnschape, þat we Souþeron men may
þat longage vnneþe vndurstonde. Y trowe {60} þat þat ys bycause þat a
buþ nyȝ to strange men and aliens, þat spekeþ strangelych, and also
bycause þat þe kynges of Engelond woneþ alwey fer fram þat contray;
for a buþ more yturnd to þe souþ contray, and ȝef a goþ to þe norþ
contray, a goþ wiþ gret help and strengthe. {65}
Þe cause why a buþ more in þe souþ contray þan in þe norþ may be betre
cornlond, more people, more noble cytés, and more profytable hauenes.