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tiia Confeffor, however, who had lived long in France, in a little Mixture of the DialcS
..light, pcffibly, bring of that Country.
But William I, and his Norman!, having got Pofleffion of England, an Alteration was foon attempted: The Conqueft was not compleat, unlefs the Conqueror's Lan- ouaee, the French, or Franco Gallic, were introduced; and accordingly all his A3s, Diploma's, Edicts, Pleadings, and other Judicial Matters, were written, &c. in that Tongue. See French.
But his Attempts prov'd unfucccfsful ; the Number or was turnd thus: Normans he brought over, heing very fmall, in comparifon of the Englifi with whom they were incorporated, they lofl or forgot their own Language, fooner than they could make any Change in the Englifi. This, however, did not hinder, but by the Endeavours of the Conqueror, Abundance of French Words, tho' many of them of Lathi Original, crept into the Englifi: And many Englifi Words by degrees grew out of Ufe.
Hence, as to the Origin and Etymology of many of our Words, Dr. Wallis lays it down, that fuch Words of Ger- man Original as we have in common with the French, are to be reckoned on as our own, rather than borrowed from them ; and that the old Gaulifi. Words, common to the French and the Welch, which are found in our Lan- guage, have been likewife taken from the Welch rather tht French. See Etymology.
Hence, alfo, the fame Author accounts, why the Names of the divers Sorts of Cattle are Saxon, as Ox, Cow, Calf, Sheep, Hog, Boar, Deer, fge. And yet that their Flefh, when prepared for Food, is French ; as Beef, Veal, Mutton, Pork, Brawn, Venifon, &c. The Norman Sol- diers, forfooth, not concerning themfclves with Paflures, Parks, and the like Places, where fuch Creatures are fed and kept ; fo much as with Markets, Kitchins, Fcafts, and Enter- tainments, where the Food was either prepared, fold, or eaten.
Under Henry II. Dr. Swift obferves, the French made a flill greater Progrefs; by reafon of the large Territories he poffefled on that Continent, both from his Father and his Wife, which occafioned frequent Joumies thither, with numerous Retinues, (Sic. And for fome Centuries after, there was a conftant Intercourfe between France and England, by the Dominions we poffefs'd there, and the
About the Year 11*0, under Henry II. it was thus rert-> der'd by Pope Adrian, an Englifiman, in Rhime.
Conquefts we made ; fo that the Language,
' Ure fadyr in Heaven rich,
' Thy Name be halyed every lkh,
' Thou bring us thy michell bliffe :
' Als hit in Heaven y-doe
' Evar in Yearth be it alfo, iSc.
About 100 Tears after, in the Time of Henry III,
' Fadir that art in Heaven blifTe, ' Thin Helge nam it wurth the blifi, • Cumen & mot thy Kingdom, ' Thin Holy Will be it all don ' In Heaven and in Erdh alio, &c.
200 Tears after, under Henry VI. it was render'd thus:
- Our Fadir that art in Hevenes, halewid be thi
' Name, thi Kingdom come to thee, be thi Will done ' in Eerthe, as in Hevene —
An extraordinary Specimen of the Englifi, as fpoke in the Tear 1385, Dr. Hicks furnifhes us withal, in his I'hefaur. Liter. Seften. which we Ihall the rather entertain the Reader withal, as it is on this very Subject the Englifi Tongue, and contains not only the Hiftory, but the Rea- fons, of the Changes and Differences therein.
' As it is knowe how meny maner people beeth in this ' Lond; there beeth alfo fo many dyvers Longages and ' Tonges. Nothelcs Walfcbe Men and Scots that beeth ' nought medled with other Nations, hoideth wel nyh hit ' firlle Longage and Speche; but yif the Scottes that ' were fometime confederat and woned with the fiQes < drawe fomewhat after hir Speche ; but the Flemynges ' that woneth in the Wefte Side of Wales, haveth left her ' ftrange Spech, and fpeketh Sexonliche now. Alfo En- ' glifie Men, they had from the bygynnynge thte maner ' Speche: Northeme, Sowtherne, and middel Speche in ' the middel of the Londe, as they come of three maner ' of Peple of Germania : Notheles by Commyxtion and
hundred Tears ago, feems to have had more French than at prcfent.
Bcfides this Alteration from the Conquerors, the Lan- guage, in Procefs of Time, underwent divers others ; and came to have numerous Words and Phrafes of foreign Dialecfs, ingrafted into it; in lieu whereof the antient Saxon, ones gave Way : particularly by means of Nego- tiations, and Commerce with other Nations ; by the Mar- riages of Royal Families ; by the Affeflation of many Writers in moft Ages, who are fond of coining new Words and altering the ufual Forms of Speech, for the greater Delica- cy • and by the Neceflity of framing or borrowing new Words, according as new Things and Inventions turn up. And by fuch Means was the old Anglo Saxon converted into the prcfent Englifi Tongue.
Having traced the Rife and Progrefs of our Language hiftorically • we think it may be no uncurious Amufement o reprefen't by aflual Examples, the feveral fucceffive Changes and Stages it has pafs'd thro', to arrive at its prefent Perfection : In order to which we (hall make Ule of the Colleaions of the ingenious Mr. Greenwood.
From the Saxon Invafion in 440, we have no Memorial extant of the Language for 250 Years : The oldeft Saxon Writino extant, is a Glofs on the Evangehfts, written in the Year 700, by Eadfride Bifhop of Holy IJland : In which the three firft Articles of the Lord's Prayer run thus.
' Uren Fader thic arth in Heofnas, fie gehalgud Our Father who art in Heaven, be hallowed
' thin Noma, fo cymeth thin Ric. Sic thin Willa
thy Name, come thy Kingdom, be thy Will
' fue is Heofnas, and in Eortho, iSc. fo as in Heaven, and in Earth.
200 Tears after, in the Tear 500, the fame was ren- der'd thus :
1 Thu ure Fader the Eart on Hcofenum, fi thin Nam;
or three ' mellynge firft with Danes, and
afterwards with Nor- ' mans, il meny the contrary Longage is apayred [cor- ' rupted]. This appayrynge of the burthc of the Tunge ' is becaufe of tweie Thynges, oon is for Children in ' Scole agenft the Ufage and Maner of all other Nations, ' beeth compelled for to leve hire own Longage, and for ' to conftrue hir Lcffons and here Things in French, and ' fo they haveth fethe Normans come firft into Engelond. ' Alfo Gentlemen Children beeth taught to fpeke Frenfche ' from the Tyme that they beeth rokked in here Cradel, ' and kunneth fpeke and play with a Childes Broche; ' and uplondifsche Men will likne himfelf to Gentilmen, ' and fondeth with great Befyneffe for to fpeake Frenfche
' to be told of. Hit feemeth a greet Wonder how
' Englifche Men and her own Longage and Tonge, is fo ' dyverfe of Sown in this oon Ilond; and the Langage ' of Normandie is comlynge of another Land, and hath ' oon manner foun amonge alle Men that fpeketh hit ' arigt in Engelond. — Alfo of the forefaid Saxon Tonge ' that is deled [divided] a three, and is abide fcarceliche ' with fewe uplondifsche Men is greet Wonder. For Men ' of the Efi, with Men of the Weft, is, as it were, under ' the fame Partie of Hevene acordcth more in fownynge ' of Speche, than Men of the North, with Men of the ' South. Therefore it is that Mercii, that beeth Men of ' myddel Engelond, as it were Parteners of the Endes, 1 underftonderh bettre the Side Longages Northeme and ' Soatheme, than Northeme or Southerne underftondeth ' either other. — AH the Longage of the Northumbers, ' and fpecialliche at Tork, is fo fcharp, flitting and ' frotynge, and unfehape, that we Southerne Men may that ' Langage unnethe underftonde. I trow that that is by ' caufe that they beeth nyh to ftrange Men and Nations, ' that fpeketh ftrongliche, and alfo bycaufe that the ' Kinges of Engelond wonneth alwey fer from that Cun- ' try, &c.
How the Englifi flood about the Year 1400, may be feen in Chancer, who refined and improved it very con- fiderably ; tho' he is charged with the Affectation of
schaleod Cume, thin Rice, fi thin Willa on Eorthen. mixing too many French, and Latin Words with his
' fwa, fwa on Heofenum,
In the following Age it was turn'd thus in the Saxon Homilies, faid to 'be tranflated by King Alfred.
' Faider ure thu the Earth on Hcofenum, fi thin ' nama Gehalgod to be come thin Rice, Gcwurthe • thin willa on Eorthan fwa fwa on Heofnum, £?f.
Englifi, and by that Means altering and corrupting the primitive Language.
In the Year 1537, the Lord's Prayer was printed ac- cording to the following Verfion:
' O Oure Father which arte in Heven, halowed be thy ' Name: Let thy Kingdome come, thy Will be fulfiled ' as well in Erth as 'it is in Heven, he.
Pp * Wher?
