Seminar 2 – Middle English

Morphology

This is a later text of The Peterborough Chronicle. It continues to show some Old
English features (in word order for example, we see the inversion after þa, and the adjective
following the noun in Henri king), but there are a number of contrasts: the definite article is
now þe (also spelled as te or the), the accusative of he is now him, and in several places a
gloss is hardly needed because the word order is more familiar and the syntax moves along in
a more modern way – as in the sequence about arresting bishop Roger. Also, when we
examine the Chronicle as a whole, we find many signs of ongoing change – inconsistency in
the use of word endings and word order, and quite frequently a rather awkward manner of
expression, giving the impression of a writer trying to create an appropriate style using a new
set of linguistic resources.
One of the most notable features of this text is what hardly appears in it: French
vocabulary. The Normans had been in England for over 100 years by the time of this extract
and yet The Peterborough Chronicle as a whole has very few new French loanwords (about
30). Castle is indeed Old French, but that is a pre-conquer loan. We need to look carefully at
the meaning of such words not just at their form, before we assign a French origin. Castel is
derived from the Latin castellum, and it is found in the late West Saxon Gospels in the sense
of “village”; but in the Chronicle we see it used very definitely used in its Norman sense of
“fortress”, with references being made to castles being built. The only modernisms are
canceler, tresor, and iustise. However, it is not long before the French loanwords turn from a
trickle into a flood.
(David Crystal – “The Stories of English”)

1. Translate into Modern English the following excerpt from “The Peterborough
Chronicle”:

THE PETERBOROUGH CHRONICLE

Đis gære for þe king Stephne ofer sæ to Normandi and ther wes underfangen, forþi
ðæt hi uuenden ðæt he sculde ben alsuic alse the eom wes, and for he hadde get his tresor, ac
he to-deld it and scatered sotlice. Micel hadde Henri king gadered gold and syluer, and na god
ne dide me for his saule thar-of.
Þa þe king Stephene to Englelande com, þa macod he his gadering æt Oxeneford and
þar he nam þe biscop Roger of Sereberi, and Alexander biscop of Lincoln, and te canceler
Roger, hise neues, and dide ælle in prisum, til hi iafen up here castles. Þa the suikes under-
gæton ðæt he milde man was, and softe, and god, and na justice ne dide, þa diden hi alle
wunder. Hi hadden him manred maked and athes suoren, ac hi nan treuthe ne heolden: alle he
wæron forsworen and here treothes for-leoren; for ævric rice man his castles makede and
agænes him heolden, and fylden þe land ful of castles. Hi suencten suyðe þe uurecce men of
þe land mid castel-weorces. Þa þe castles uuaren maked, þa fylden hi mid deovles and yvele
men. Þa namen hi þa men þe hi wenden ðæt ani god hefden, bathe be nihtes and be dæies,
carl-men and wimmen, and diden heom in prison efter gold and sylver, and pined heom
utellendlice pining; for ne uuæren nævre nan martyrs swa pined, alse hi wæron. Me henged up
bi the fet and smoked heom mid ful smoke, me henged bi the þumbes, other bi the hefed, and
hengen briniges on her fet.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………..

1
 Mani þusen hi drapen mid hungær I ne can, i ne mai tellen alle þe wunder ne alle þe
pines ðæt hi diden wrecce men on þis land, and ðat lastede þa xix winter, wile Stephne
was king, and ævre it was uuærse and uuærse. Hi læiden gæildes on the tunes ævre umwile
and clepeden it tenserie. Þa þe uurecce men ne hadden nan more to given, þa ræveden hi and
brendon alle the tunes, ðæt wel þu myhtes faren all a dæis fare, sculdest thu nevre finden man
in tune sittende, ne land tiled. Þa was corn dære, and flec, and cæse, and butere; for nan
ne wæs o þe land. Wrecce men sturuen of hungær, sume ieden on ælmes þe waren sum
wile rice men, sume flugen ut of lande. Wes nævre gæt mare wreccehed on land, ne nævre
hethen men werse ne diden þan hi diden, for over sithen ne forbaren hi nouther circe, ne
cyrceiærd; oc namen al þe god ðæt þar-iune was, and brenden sythen þe cyrce and al
tegædere. Ne hi ne for-baren biscopes land, ne abbotes, ne preostes, ac reveden munekes and
clerekes, and ævric man other þe over myhte. Gif twa men oþer iii coman ridend to an tun, al
þe tunscipe flugæn for heom: wenden ðæt hi wæron ræveres, þe biscopes and lered men heom
cursede ævre, oc was heom naht þar-of; for hi uueron al for-cursæd, and for-suoren, and
forloren.

2. Use the OE version below to make a study of the changes that you can observe in
the language. Look particularly at the following words or phrases:

OE text. ic ne cann, ne ic ne mæg tellan ealle þa wundor ne ealle þa pinas þe hie dydon
wreccum mannum on þissum lande. 7 þæt læstede þa .xix. wintra þa hwile þe Stephne cyning
wæs 7 æfre hit wæs wyrsa 7 wyrsa.
Þa wæs corn deore. 7 flesc 7 cese 7 butere. for nan ne wæs on þæm lande.
wrecce menn sturfon of hunger.

OE Chronicle OE Chronicle
NPs and PrepPs Verbs
ic I ic ne mæg tellan I ne mai tellen
hit it hie dydon hi diden
hi/hie hi þæt læstede ðat lastede
nan nan Stephne wæs Stephne was
ealle þa wundor alle þe wunder hit wæs it was
ealle þa pinas alle þe pines corn wæs corn was
on þæm lande o þe land nan ne wæs nan ne wæs
on þissum lande on þis land menn sturfon men sturuen
þa .xix. wintra þa xix winter
wreccum mannum wrecce men
wrecce menn wrecce men
cyning king
corn (deore) corn (dære)
flæsc/flesc flec
cyse/cese cæse
butere butere
of hungre of hungær