Page:The Sources of Standard English.djvu/137

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108
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