GLOUCESTERSHIRE.
(About A.D. 1300.)
Þus come, lo! Engelond into Normannes honde.
And þe Normans ne couþe speke þo bote her owe speche,
And speke French as dude atom, and here chyldren dude also teche.
So þat heymen of þys lond, þat of her blod come,
Holdeþ alle þulke speche, þat hii of hem nome.
Vor bote a man couþe French, me tolþ of hym wel lute.
Ac lowe men holdeþ to Englyss, and to her kunde speche ʓute.
Ich wene þer ne be man in world countreyes none,
Þat ne holdeþ to her kunde speche, bote Engelond one.
Ac wel me wot vorto conne bothe wel yt ys,
Vor þe more þat a man con, þe more worþ he ys.[1]
THE ENGLISH PALE IN IRELAND.
(About A.D. 1310.)
Jhesu, king of heven fre,
Ever i-blessid mot thou be!
Loverd, I besech the,
to me thou tak hede.
From dedlich sinne thou ʓem me,
while I libbe on lede;
The maid fre, that here the
so swetlich under wede.
Do us to se the Trinité,
al we habbeth nede.
- ↑ Hearne's Robert of Gloucester, I. 364.
