V |
B |
H |
O |
| hyt byþ ȝehæled | wanting | ⁊ shuca hyt byð ȝehæled 166 | |
| oþ ꝥ | fort 1620 | ||
| hraðe by fleoð onweȝ fram him |
raðe se flewsa from hym ȝe- witeð 202 | ||
| oþ ꝥ | fort 209 | ||
| se wifman se þe | se wifman þat 2024. |
It will be noticed that there are but few differences between V and BH. The latter texts having, as far as they go, none of the omissions pointed out above, it would be tempting to infer that while there is no necessary connection between VBH and O, there is to say the least a possible one between V and BH. This, however, is a mere hypothesis.
With regard to the dates to which the mss. may be ascribed, the date about 1050 given by Cockayne[1] for V seems fairly correct and there is apparently no reason either to dispute the other dates given by him[2], viz. about the same date for B and a little later for H. Ms. 0, on the other hand, though preserving many characteristics of OE.[3], can safely be ascribed to about a century later. This is supported by the following considerations:
10. There are frequent cases of weakening and confusion of the unaccented syllables, cf. p. XXVI;
20. OE. y, whether «fast» or «unfast», is often represented by u: fot-swulan 125, blod-rune 146 1411, hure 826, cuse 1613 1615 1616–also ylcan 103;
30. OE. æ is often preserved, but a is also frequently substituted. The phonetics shows examples þas, habbe etc.;
