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The Sources of Standard English.
fast to the Infinitive in enn, which had been dropped at Peterborough. If we wish to relish his metre, every syllable must be pronounced; thus, Herode takes an accent on all three vowels alike.
THE EAST MIDLAND DIALECT OF 1200.
ORMULUM, I. — Page 280.
Herode king maʓʓ swiþe a wel | a right | |
þe laþe b gast bitacnenn; | b loathsome | |
forr all hiss werrc and all hiss will | ||
wass ifell gast full cweme, c | c pleasing to | |
and onn himm sellfenn wass inoh d | d enow | |
his aʓhenn e sinne sene; | e own | |
for well biforenn þatt he swallt f | f died | |
wass himm þatt wa g bigunnenn | g woe | |
þatt he shall dreʓhenn h aʓʓ occ aʓʓ | h suffer | |
inn helle wiþþ þe deofell; | ||
forr he warrþ i seoc, and he bigann | i became | |
to rotenn bufenn k eorþe, | k above | |
and tohh l he toc wiþþ mete swa | l yet | |
þatt nan ne mihhte himm fillenn, | ||
and swa he stannc þatt iwhillc m mann | m every | |
was himm full laþ to nehhʓhenn;n | n approach | |
and all himm wærenn fet and þeos o | o thighs | |
tobollenn p and toblawenn. | p swollen | |
þa læchess þatt himm comenn to | ||
and himm ne mihhtenn hælenn | ||
he sloh, and seʓʓde þatt teʓʓ q himm | q they | |
ne kepptenn r nohht to berrʓhenn. | r heeded not to protect him | |
and he toe iwhillc hæfedd s mann | s head | |
off all hiss kineriche,t | t kingdom | |
and let hemm stekenn u inn an hus, | u had them shut | |
and haldenn swiþe fasste, | ||
and badd tatt mann hemm shollde slæn | ||
son summ x he shollde deʓenn. | x as soon as |