come from hn’œgan (flectere). The poet, speaking of a mere, says, ‘Feower noked he is’ (II. page 500). There are some other common words, which he is the first English writer to use. Thus he has taken gyves (catenæ) from the Welsh gevyn; and cutte (secare) from the Welsh cwtt, a little piece: this has almost driven out the Old English carve. He employs sturte (started), akin to the Old Dutch storten; and has a new verb talk, springing from tale. Bal (our ball), draf, picchen (pangere), and rif (largus) are akin to the Dutch or German words bal, draf, picken, rîf. Rucken is found both in Dutch and in Layamon's work; twenty years after his time it appears as rock (agitare). He has also halede (duxit), the Frisian halia; as often happens in English, the word hale remains, and by its side the corruption haul, which cropped up ninety years after this time. Layamon says, ‘weoðeleden his fluhtes,’ his flights became weak (I. page 122): the verb has a High German brother, and from this may come our verb wobble.
About the year 1200, the Legend of St. Margaret seems to have been compiled.[1] It has forms akin to the Worcester manuscript printed by Sir Thomas Phillipps, and in other particulars it resembles a well-known Dorsetshire work. But it touches the East Midland in its forms beon and aren (sunt); and its Participles end sometimes in ende, sometimes in inde. The Past Participle islein (page 11) resembles what we find in the Peterborough Chronicle. On the whole, Oxford seems
- ↑ Early English Text Society.
