Page:The Sources of Standard English.djvu/200

THE EAST MIDLAND DIALECT.

(About A.D. 1280).^[1]

THE HAVELOK. — Page 38.

On þe nith, als Goldeborw lay,
Soiy and sorwful was she ay,
For she wende she were biswike,a		a tricked
Þat sh[e w]ere yeven unkyndelike.b		b unnatu­rally
O nith saw she þer-inne a lith,
A swiþe c fayr, a swiþe bryth,		c very
Al so brith, al so shir,d		d clear
So it were a blase of fir.
She lokede no(r)þ, and ek south,
And saw it comen ut of his mouth,
Þat lay bi hire in þe bed:
No ferlike e þou she were adred.		e wonder
Þouthe she, ‘wat may this bimene?
He beth f heyman yet, als y wene.		f will be
He beth heyman g er he be ded.’		g nobleman
On hise shuldre, of gold red
She saw a swiþe noble croiz,
Of an angel she herde a voyz,
‘Goldeborw, lat þi sorwe be.
For Havelok, þat haveþ spuset þe,
He [is] kinges sone, and kinges eyr,
Þat bikenneth h þat croiz so fayr.		h betokens
It bikenneth more, þat he shal
Denemark haven, and Englond al.
He shal ben king strong and stark
Of Engelond and Denemark.[2]
Þat shal þu wit þin eyne sen,i		i see
And þo shalt quen and levedi ben.’

1. In this poem nith stands for night, and other words in the same way.
2. This way of pronouncing all the three vowels alike of the word Engelond had not died out in Shakespere's time.