that have lately arisen throughout the land in a style unknown to Earl Godwine. The riders are accosted by a crowd of beggars and bedesmen, who put forth all their little stock of French: ‘Lady Countess, clad in ermine and sabeline, look from your palfrey. Be large of your treasure to the poor and feeble; of your charity bestow your riches on us rather than on jogelours. We will put up our orisons for you, after the manere and custom of our religion. For Christ's passion, ease our poverty in some measure; that is the best penance, as your chaplain in his sermon says. By all the Confessors, Patriarchs, and Virgins, show us mercy.’ Another speech would run thus: ‘Worthy Baron, you have honour at Court; speak for my son in prison. Let him have justice; he is no robber or lecher. The sergeants took him in the market; these catchpoles have wrought him sore miseise. So may Christ accord you peace at the day of livreison!’ Not one of these forty French words were in English use before the battle of Hastings; but we find every one of them set down in writing within a century after that date, so common had they then become in English mouths.[1] Those of the needy, who knew but little French, must have learnt at least how to bawl for justice, charity, mercy, on seeing their betters. The first letter of the word justice shows that a new French sound was taking root in England. The words Emperice and mercy, used in these times, brought in new hissing sounds; the s in English came already quite often enough.
- ↑ They may be found in the Saxon Chronicle and in the First Series of Homilies (Early English Text Society).
