þæs pe pa preo ge-ferscipas be-hófiad: ne mag he bútan pissum þás tól ge-healdan, ne bútan þissum tólum nán þára þinga wyrcan be him be-boden is tó wyrcanne. For-pý ic wilnode and-weorces pone an-weald mid to ge-reccenne, þæt míne cræftas and an-weald ne wurden for-gitene and for-holene (1); forþám æle craft and ælc an-weald býd sona forealdod (*) and for-swígod (3), gif he býð bútan Wísdóme; for-pám-pe hwæt-swa (*) purh dysige (5) ge-dón býð, ne mæg hit nán mon næfre tó cræfte ge-reccan. Pæt is nú hrađost tó secganne pæt ic wilnode weord-ful-líce (6) tó lybbanne pá-hwíle-pe ic lyfode, and æfter mínum life pám monnum tó læfanne pe æfter me wæren mín ge-mynd (7) on gódum weorcum.

Cap. xxxiv. 10.

A free translation of part of prosa ii. lib. III. pá cwæd ic: Ne mag ic náne cwice wuht on-gitan pára þe wíte (8) hwæt hit (9) wille odde hwæt hit nille, be un-ge-néd (10) lyste for-weordan.. For-pám ælc wuht wolde beón hál and lybban pára þe me cwice

(1) For-belan (II. 2.) to hide ; G. ver-hehlen.

(3) For-ealdian to wear out, perish from old age.

(3) For-swígian to pass in silence; G. ver-schweigen; here and above mark the force of for..

(*) Usually swá-hwæt-swá.

(5) Folly; dysig foolish, absurd; hence dissy.

(*) Worthily, honorably.

(7) II. 1. memory, mind.

(3) Wíte singular agreeing with wuht and not with þúra þe; see p. 78.

(*) Hit neut. while wuht is fem.

(10) Nédan=nýdan.

pincd, bútan ic nát be treówum, and be wyrtum (1), and be swylcum ge-sceaftum (2) swylce (3) náne sáwle nabbad. þá smearcode (*) he and cwad: Ne pearft þú nó (5) be þám (6) ge-sceaftum tweógan (7), pe má be (8) be pam óðrum. Hú ne miht þú ge-seón þæt ale wyrt and ælc wudu (9) wile weaxan on þám lande sélost (10) pe him betst ge-ríst, and him gecynde (1) býđ and ge-wune-líc (1o), and þær þær hit ge-fret (13), pæt hit hradost weaxan mæg, and latost wealcwigan (14)? Sumra wyrta odde sumes wuda eard býð on dúnum (15), sumra on merscum (16), sumra on mórum (17), sumra on cludum (18), sumra on barum (19) sondum (2o). Nim ponne swá wudu swa

(1) Wyrt (II. 3.) herb, wort.

(*) Ge-sceaft (II. 3.) creation, creature.

(*) Swylo—swylc answers to L. talis—qualis.

(*) Smearcian to smirk, smile.

(*) See p. 30.

(") N6=ná.

(7) Tweógan, tweón (III. 3. See p. 60.) to doubt, from twá; comp. dola-Lei, L. du-bitare, G. zwei-foln, from doua (dvo), duo, zwei.

(*) Any more than.

(10) Best: sél good, excellent.

(9) III. 2. wood; D. woud.

(") Kind, kindly, natural: ge-cynd (II. 3.) nature, kind.

(12) Common, usual ; G. ge-wöhnlich.

(13) Where it takes root, draws nourishment, lit. bites: fretan (II. 1.)

(G. fressen) to eat, devour, fret.

(") Fade; G. ver-welken, P. welk.

(") Dún (II. 3.) down, hill, mountain; hence don in local names: G.

düne, D. duin, F. dune is a sand-hill near the sea.

(16) Mersc (II. 2.) marsh; P. mesh.

(17) Mór (II. 2.) moor; D. moer.

(19) Bær (II.) bare; G. bar.

(1) Clud (II. 2.) rock, cliff

(*) Sand, sond (II. 2.) sand

wyrt, swá-hwader-swá þú wile of pare stówe pe his eard and ædelo (') býď on to weaxanne, and sete on un-cyndre (2) stówe him, ponne ne ge-gréw₫ hit þær náuht, ac for-searad (3); for-pám alces landes ge-cynd is, pæt hit him ge-líce wyrta and ge-lícne wudu tydrige (*); and hit swa déd, fridad(5), and fyrdrad (6) swide georne (7), swá longe swá heora gecynd býð, þæt hí grówan móton. Hwat wenst þú for-hwý ale sæd (®) grówe innon þá eorđan, and tó cidum (9) and tó wyrt-rumum (10) weorde on pare eordan, búton for-pý-pe hí teóhhiad (") þæt se stemn (12) and se helm (13) móte pý fæstor and þý leng standan? Hwý ne miht þú on-gitan, þeáh þú hit ge-seón ne mæge, þæt eal se dal, se-pe pæs treówes on twelf mondum ge-weaxed, þæt he onginnd of þám wyrt-rumum, and swá úp-weardes gréwd od pone stemn, and síð-pán and-lang þæs piđan (14), and and-lang þære rinde (15) od pone helm, and síð-pán æfter (16) þám bogum (17), od-pæt hit

(') Nature.

(3) Un-cynde (I.) un-kind, unnatural.

(3) For-searian to fade, become sear.

(*) Tydrian to produce, bring forth, from tudor, tudr (II. 2.) offspring,

rogeny.

(*) Friðian to make flourish, grow well; frið II. 2. peace, G. fricde.

(*) Fyrðrian to further, forward, assist, from forð.

(7) Willingly, readily, earnestly; G. gerne.

(®) Sád (II. 1.) seed; G. saat, D. zaad. (°) Cið (II. 2.) shoot, sprout.

(10) Wyrt-ruma root.

(13) Stem, trunk. (4) Piða pith; D. pit.

(") Teóbbian to resolve, endeavour.

(13) Crown, head, top, helm-et.

(1) Rind (II. 3.) rind, bark; G. rinde. (18) Along; like L. secundum.

(17) Boh (II. 2.) bough.

N

út-a-spring (1) on leáfum (*), and on blostmum (3), and on blædum (*)? Hwý ne miht þú on-gitan þætte ælc wuht cwices býð innan-weard hnescost (5), and útan-weard heardost? Hwat þú miht ge-seón hú þæt treów býð útan ge-scyrped (6), and be-wæfed (7) mid pære rinde wid pone winter, and wid pa stearcan (8) stormas, and eac wid pære sunnan háto on sumera (9). Hwá mæg þæt he ne wundrige swylcra gesceafta úres Sceoppendes (10), and huru (1) pas Sceoppendes? And peáh we his nú wundrien, hwylc úre mæg a-reccan (12) medem-líce (13) úres Sceoppendes willan, and an-weald, hú his ge-sceafta weaxad and eft waniad (1) ponne pas tíma (15) cymd, and of heora sæde weorðað eft ge-ed-níwade (16), swylce hí ponne wurdon tó ed-sceafte (17) ?

(1) Ut-a-springan (III. 1.) to spring, shoot out.

(*) Leaf (II. 1.) leaf; G. laub.

(*) Blostm (II. 2.) blossom; D. bloessem.

(*) Blæd (II. 3.) fruit, branch; G. blatt, D. blad leaf, blade.

(*) Hnesc (I.) soft, tender, nesh.

(*) Ge-scyrpan (I. 2.) to scarf, cover; sceorp (II. 1.) scarf.

(7) Be-wæfan (I. 2.) to clothe; wæfels garment.

(*) Stearc (I.) stark, strong, violent; G. stark.

(9) See p. 15.

(10) Sceoppend or Scyppend (p. 5.) Creator; scyppan to create; G.

schaffen, schöpfen, D. scheppen.

(") At least, at all events.

(13) Fitly, worthily; medeme middling, moderate, meet.

(14) Wanian to wane, from wana want.

(12) Reckon, tell up.

(") Ed-sceaft (II. 3.) new creation: as if they then became newly created.

CHAPTER IX.

VERSE EXTRACTS.

I.-Narrative Verse.

Anglo-Saxon Poetry is of various kinds, distinguished by rime, by alliteration, or by both; the commonest however only, termed Narrative Verse, will be here described. Its chief characteristic is Alliteration ('), or the correspondence of the first letters of a certain number of the most important words in each line of a couplet, two called sub-letters riming thus together in the first line, and answering to a third called the chief letter in the second. The first line has often but one sub-letter and never more than two; the second never more than one chief letter. The length of the lines varies much, each however must contain at least two emphatic or root syllables, with one or more unemphatic, that is prefixes, terminations, &c.: few lines have less than four syllables, two emphatic, and two unemphatic, and some

(') Alliteration is found in the Latin poetry of the middle ages, sometimes combined with line and final rime, and syllabic metre; it was used more or less in England along with other kinds of rime till a late period, and is still usual in the Scandinavian tongues. The Vision of Piers Ploubman (1350) is a long and regular specimen of English alliterative poetry, on the above rules. For a full account of the A. S. versification, see Rask's Grammar, pp. 136-68.