CHOICE SPECIMENS OF ENGLISH LITERATURE. CHAPTER I. ANGLO-SAXON, SEMI-SAXON, AND OLD ENGLISH LITERATURE. A.-ANGLO-SAXON. 1.- CAEDMON, A. D. 650. The Creation. (Manual, p. 26.) (From Guest's English Rhythms, vol. ii. p. 32.) Ne was her tha giet, nymthe heol- | Ne had there here as yet, save the vault-shadow, Aught existed; abyss but this wide Stood deep and dim-strange to its Lord, Idle 2 and useless. On it with eyes glanc'd The stalwart king, and the place beheld 1 Fremde has a double ending in the nominative-one vowel, the other consonantal. 2 Idel, A. S., barren, idle. Deserts idle.-- Othello. Idle pebbles. - Lear. 3 Seman is the active verb; semian, I believe, is always neuter. In Caedmon 4. 4 Wan, in the sense of dismal, was long known to our poetry: Min is the drenching in the sea so wan. Chaucer, Knightes Tale. 2. KING Alfred. Ohther's Narrative, in Translation of Boëthius. (Manual, p. 28.) (From Marsh's Origin and History of the English Language, pp. 125–128.) Fela spella him sædon tha Beor- Many things him told the Beormas, ægther ge of hyra agenum mas, both of their own land and of lande ge of thæm lande the ymb the land that around them about hy utan wæron; ac he nyste hwat were; but he wist-not what (of-) thæs sothes wær, forthæm he hit the sooth was, for-that he it self sylf ne geseah. Tha Finnas him not saw. The Finns him thought, thuhte, and tha Beormas spræcon and the Beormas spoke nigh one neah an getheode. Swithost he language. Chiefliest he fared thifor thyder, to-eacan thæs landes ther, besides the land's seeing, for sceawunge, for them hors-hwæl- the horse-whales, for-that they um, forthæm hi habbath swythe have very noble bones in their æthele ban on hyra tothum, tha teeth, these teeth they brought teth hy brohton sume thæm cy-some (to-) the king: and their hide nincge: and hyra hyd bith swythe is very good for ship-ropes. This god to scip-rapum. Se hwæl bith micle læssa thonne othre hwalas, ne bith he lengra thonne syfan elna lang; ac on his agnum lande is se betsta hwæl-huntath, tha beoth eahta and feowertiges elna lange, and tha mæstan fiftiges elna lange; thara he sæde that he syxa sum ofsloge syxtig on twam dagum. He was swythe spedig man on thæm æhtum the heora speda on beoth, that is on wild-deorum. He hæfde tha-gyt, tha he thone cyningc sohte, tamra deora unbebohtra syx hund. Tha deor hi hatath hranas, thara wæron syx stæl-hranas, tha beoth swythe dyre mid Finnum, for-thæm hy fod tha wildan hranas mid. whale is much less that other whales, not is he longer than seven ells long; but in his own land is the best whale-hunting, they are eight and forty ells long, and the largest fifty ells long; (of-) these he said that he (of-) six some slew sixty in two days. He was (a) very wealthy man in the ownings that their wealth in is, that is in wild-deer. He had yet, when he the king sought, (of-) tame deer unsold six hundred. These deer they hight reins, (of-) them were six stale-reins, these are very dear with (the) Finns, for-that they catch the wild reins with (them). 3. KING ALFRED. Translation of the Pastorale of St. Gregory. (Manual, p. 28.) (From Wright's Biographia Britannica Literaria, Anglo-Saxon period, p. 397.) Alfred the king greets affec Ælfred kyning hateth gretung Wulfsige bisceop his worthum tionately and friendly bishop Wulfluflice and freondlice, and the sige his worthy, and I bid thee cythan hate, that me com swithe know, that it occurred to me very oft on ge-mynd, hwylce witan geo often in my mind, what kind of wæron geond Angel-cyn, ægther wise men there formerly were ge godcundra hada ge world- throughout the English nation, as cundra, and hu ge-sæliglica tida well of the spiritual degree as of tha wæron geond Angle-cyn, and laymen, and how happy times hu tha cyningas the thone anweald there were then among the Enghæfdon thæs folces, Gode and his lish people, and how the kings æryndwritum hyrsumodon; and who then had the government of hu hi ægther ge heora sybbe ge the people obeyed God and his heora sydo, and ge heora anweald Evangelists, and how they both in innan borde gehealdon and eac ut their peace and in their war, and hira ethel rymdon; and hu him in their government, held them at tha speow, ægther ge mid wige ge home, and also spread their noblemid wisdome; and eac tha god- ness abroad, and how they then cundan hadas hu georne hi wæron flourished as well in war as in ægther ge ymbe lara ge ymbe leor- wisdom; and also the religious nunga, and ymbe ealle tha theow- orders how earnest they were both domas thi hy Gode sceoldon, and about doctrine and about learning, hu man ut on borde wisdome and and about all the services that they lare hider on land sohte, and hu owed to God; and how people we hi nu sceoldon ute begitan, gif abroad came hither to this land in we hi habban sceoldon. Swa search of wisdom and teaching, clæne heo was othfeallen on An- and how we now must obtain them gel-cynne that swithe feawa wæron from without if we must have them. beheonan Humbre the hira the- So clean it was ruined amongst nunge cuthon understandan on the English people, that there were Englisc, oththe furthon an ærend- very few on this side the Humber ge-writ of Ledene on Englisc arec- who could understand their service can; and ic wene that naht monige in English, or declare forth an be-geondan Humbre næron. Swa epistle out of Latin into English; feawa heora wæron, that ic fur- and I think that there were not thon anne ænlepne ne mæg ge- many beyond the Humber. thencan besuthan Thamise tha few such there were, that I cannot tha ic to rice feng. Gode ælmigh- think of a single one to the south tigum sy thane, that we nu ænigne of the Thames when I began to an steal habbath lareowa. For reign. To God Almighty be tham ic the beode, that thu do swa ic ge-lyfe that thu wille, that thu the thissa woruld thinga to tham ge-æmtige, swa thu oftost mæge, that thu thone wisdome the the God sealde thær thær thu hine befæstan mæge befæst. Gethenc hwilce witu us tha becomon for thisse world, tha tha we hit na hwæther ne selfe ne lufedon, ne So thanks, that we now have any teacher in stall. Therefore I bid thee that thou do as I believe thou wilt, that thou, who pourest out to them these worldly things as often as thou mayest, that thou bestow the wisdom which God gave thee wherever thou mayest bestow it. Think what kind of punishments shall come to us for this world, if eac othrum mannum ne lyfdon. we neither loved it ourselves nor Thone naman anne we Ïufdon left it to other men. We have that we Cristene wæron, and swithe feawa tha theawas. Tha ic this eal ge-munde, tha ge-mund ic eac hu ic ge-seah ær tham the hit eal for-heregod wære and forbærned, hu tha circan geond eal Angel-cyn stodon mathma and boca ge-fylled, and eac micel mæniu Godes theawa, and tha swithe lytle feorme thara boca wiston, for tham the hi hira nan thing ongitan ne mihton, for tham the hi næron on hira agenge theode awritene. Swilce hi cwadon ure yldran, tha the thas stowa ær heoldon, hi lufedon wisdome, and thurh thone hi begeton welan and us læfdon. loved only the name of being Christians, and very few the duties. When I thought of all this, then I thought also how I saw, before it was all spoiled and burnt, how the churches throughout all the English nation were filled with treasures and books, and also with a great multitude of God's servants, and yet they knew very little fruit of the books, because they could understand nothing of them, because they were not written in their own language; as they say our elders, who held these places before them, loved wisdom, and through it obtained weal and left it to us. B. SEMI-SAXON. 4. LAYAMON. Brut, 1150-1250. The Dream of Arthur. (Manual, p. 32.) (From Sir F. Madden's Edition, vol. iii. pp. 118-121.) To niht a mine slepe, Ther ich laei on bure, Mei maette a sweuen; Ther uore ich ful sari aem. Tha halle ich gon bestriden, Alle ich ther ouer sah. He bar an his honde. And tha postes for-heou alle Wimmonen leofuest me: To-night in my sleep (bed), Where I lay in chamber, Therefore I am "full" sorry. I dreamt that men raised (set) me The hall I gan bestride, As if I would ride; All the lands that I possessed All I there overlooked (them saw). He bare in his hand A "battle "-axe (most) strong; And the posts all hewed in pieces, There I saw Wenhaver eke (the "Dearest of women to me"; All the mickle hall roof |