IX. ANCRENE
WISSEManuscripts:i. Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, 402 (A);
on vellum, 215 × 150 mm. The fly-leaf fastened down has the mark S. 15,
then follow three leaves with writing in a seventeenth-century hand (?
Joscelin), mostly a translation of the piece beginning in Morton, p. 6,
‘Nan ancre bi mi read,’ then 117 folios, on the first of which is a
marginal rubric, J þe feaderes ⁊ i þe sunes | ⁊ i þe hali gastes nome |
her biginneð ancrene | wisse, as at the beginning of SJ (139/1) and SM
in MS. Bodley 34. On the lower margin of f. 1 r in a fourteenth-century
hand is Liber ecclesie sanctiJacobi de Wygemore:
quemJohannes Purcel dedit | eidemecclesie
ad instanciamfratris Walteri de Lodelawesenioris tunc precentoris. The Abbey of Wigmore was
dedicated to S. James (Dugdale, vi. 344). There are glosses in red
pencil and words underlined in red. The revival ofAnglo-Saxon studies under Archbishop Parker, partly prompted by the
desire to use in defence of the Reformation the evidences as to the
tenets of the early Church in England, caused such books as this to be
carefully read. William L’isle extracted from it some of the prayers (in
Morton, 26, 28, 30) and, treating them as debased Anglo-Saxon, turned
them into the latter speech as he understood it. His efforts are
recorded in MS. Laud Misc. 201; they have led Dr. Heuser (Anglia, xxx.
103) to conclude that the Ancren Riwle is not a ME. but an OE.
document.The MS. belongs to the second quarter of the thirteenth century. It
cannot be earlier than 1225A.D., for
it mentions the Dominicans and Franciscans, and it is probably later
than 1230. It is the most correct, but it has additions to the original,
such as 62/46-64/62, 64/73-78. See further A Descriptive Catalogue of
the MSS. in the Library of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, by
M. R. James, vol. ii, pp. 267, 8.ii. Caius College, Cambridge, 234 (B); on vellum, 124 × 93 mm.; 368
pages; late thirteenth century. Pages 1-185 consist of extracts from the
AR, but not in the order of the other manuscripts (ES iii. 536). It is
addressed to ‘friends’ 55/1, not sisters, and the second passage printed
here is not in this MS. The contents of the manuscript are given in A
Descriptive Catalogue of the MSS. in the Library of Gonville and Caius
College, by M. R. James, vol. i, p. 298.iii. Cotton Nero A 14, British Museum (N); on vellum, 146 × 114 mm.;
written in the second quarter of the thirteenth century. Its contents
are ff. 1-120 r, the Ancren Riwle; 120 v-123 v, The Orison, printed at
pp. 132-7 of this book; 123 v-131 v, the pieces printed in OEH i, pp.
200-17. It forms the text of Morton’s edition.iv. Cotton Titus D
18, British Museum (T); on vellum, 158 × 120 mm.; 148 folios in
double columns, written from f. 14, where AR begins, to the end, about
1220A.D.Its relationship to two
other manuscripts in respect to their contents is shown by the following
table:Manuscripts.SKSJSMSawlesWardeHMWohungeARRoyal 17 A 27————Bodley 34 .—————Titus D 18 .—————For the Royal and Bodleian MSS. see the introduction to No. xvi.v. Cotton CleopatraC 6, British Museum (C), on vellum, 196 × 140
mm.; 196 folios of 19 to 26 lines to a page in a peculiar angular hand,
written about 1240A.D.The scribe,
after finishing the book, had access to another manuscript, either A or
one closely resembling it, and interlined or put on the margin passages
from it which were not in the first exemplar. C was presented to Legh
Abbey, Co. Devon, by Matilda de Clare, by whom the Abbey was converted
into a Nunnery about 1285A.D.(Dugdale, vi. 333).vi. The Vernon MS. of the Bodleian Library (V), a very large book,
written in two columns of eighty lines to the column, has a
fourteenth-century version of the AR, which begins at folio 371
v2. It contains our first extract, but only a fragment of the
second.vii. Another version of portions of the AR, written at the end of the
fourteenth century, discovered by Miss Paues, exists under the title of
the Recluse in the Magdalene College MS., Cambridge, Pepys
2498 (P).viii. A fragment in a hand of 1330-40, corresponding to p. 138, l. 25
&c. of Morton’s edition, was described by Napier in the Journal of
Germanic Philology, ii. 199-202.ix. Magdalen College, Oxford, 67 (M). A Latin version in writing of
the end of the thirteenth century; on f. 1 r it begins, Hic incipit
prohemiumvenerabilis patris Magistri Simo|nis de
Gandauo episcopi sarumin librumde uita solitaria | quem
scripsit sororibus suis Anachoritis apu`d´ tarente. It ends on f. 95 r,
Explicit liber septimus de uita solitaria: Octauus omnino
taceatur:—with the addition in a later hand, eterna taciturnitate.
The second extract is therefore not represented in this version.x. Cotton Vitellius E 7 (L): fragments of a Latin version rescued
from the fire of 1731, said by Macaulay to be the same as the Magdalen
MS. version, but with the addition of the eighth part. In Smith’s
Catalogue (1696) it is said to have had the note, Regulae vitae
Anachoretarum utriusque sexus scriptae per Simonem de Gandavo, Episcopum
Sarum in usum suarum sororum. Hunc librum Frater Robertus de Thorneton,
quondam prior, dedit claustralibus de Bardenay. Bardney Abbey is in
Lincolnshire (Dugdale, i. 623).xi. Cotton Vitellius F 7 (F). A French version, written about 1300A.D., but retaining many forms of the
considerably older manuscript from which it was copied. This manuscript
also suffered in the fire; the top half of the folios is scorched and
shrunken, and a line or two is lost on each page: it consists of 164
folios in double columns. In Smith’s Catalogue it is described as, La
Reule de femmes Religieuses et Recluses; sive de vita solitaria &
anachoretica per Simonem de Gandavo, Episcopum Sarisburiensium in usum
sororum ipsius.Facsimiles:Of T. Palaeographical Society; Second Series,
plate 75. Of C. Ibid., plate 76. Of P. The Recluse, ed. J. Påhlsson.
Lund, 1911.Editions:The Ancren Riwle, edited and translated by James
Morton, B.D. Camden Society, no. lvii, London, 1853. Mätzner, E.,
Altenglische Sprachproben, ii. 8-41 (the second part of AR with
introduction and notes). Shorter extracts in Sweet’s First Middle
English Primer, 19-41, Emerson and Kluge. The text of all the preceding
is from MS. N. Heuser, W., Anglia, xxx. 108-10 (passage from MS. A).
Påhlsson, Joel, The Recluse, Lund, 1911.Literature:Bramlette, E. E., Anglia, xv. 478-98 (the
original language of AR); Brock, E., Philological Society, 1865, 150-67
(Accidence in N); Dahlstedt, A., The Word-Order of the AR, Sundsvall,
1903; Heuser, W., Anglia, xxx. 103-22; Kölbing, E., ES iii. 535, 6; ix.
115-17; xxiii. 306; Lemcke’s Jahrbuch, xv. 179-97 (collations and
dialect); Landwehr, M., Das grammatische Geschlecht in der AR,
Heidelberg, 1911; *Macaulay, G. C., The ‘Ancren Riwle’, Modern
Language Review, ix. 63-78, 145-60, 324-31, 463-74 (collation of A and
general discussion);Mühe, T., Über den im MS. Cotton Titus D. xviii
enthaltenen Text der AR, Göttingen, 1901; Anglia, xxxi. 399-404; Napier,
A. S., Modern Language Review, iv. 433-6; Ostermann, H., Lautlehre
des germanischen Wortschatzes in der von Morton herausgegebenen
Handschrift der Ancren Riwle. Bonner Beiträge, xix, Bonn, 1905;
Påhlsson, J., ES xxxviii. 453, 4; Paues, A. C., ES xxx. 344-6;
Redepenning, H., Syntaktische Kapitel aus der ‘Ancren Riwle’, Berlin,
1906; Williams, Irene F., Anglia, xxviii. 300-4 (language of C); Wülker,
R., Paul-Braune, Beiträge, i. 209-39; Zupitza, J., Anglia, iii. 34.Sources and Illustrations:Ælredi Regula, in Lucae
Holstenii Codex Regularum Monasticorum et Canonicorum, Augustae
Vindelicorum, 1759, vol. i, p. 420; also as Ailredi Rhievallensis de
Vita Eremitica ad Sororem, in S. Augustini Opera, Antwerp, 1700, vol. i,
p. 640; English version of ch. xxi-lxxviii from the Vernon MS. in ES
vii, pp. 304-44; Vita S. Gileberti Confessoris: Institutiones beati
Gileberti in Supplement to vol. vi, pt. 2, of Dugdale, W., Monasticon
Anglicanum, London, 1830; Eckenstein, Lina, Woman under Monasticism,
Cambridge, 1896; Cutts, E. L., Scenes and Characters of the Middle
Ages, London, 1872.Phonology:(1)of A.Oralaisa, calices b 17, cat b 2;abefore nasals and
lengthening groups iso, dronc 21, gomen 83, brondes b 161,
wombe, 97; þen, þenne, hwen, hwenne, selthwenne b 195 are the usual
forms, but once hwon b 116:andis ant 26 &c.,man,
indefinite, me 16.æis usuallye, bres 103, ed b 121,
efter b 12, gedereð 87 (gæderian), hetterb 28, oðerhwet b 177, neppes 94, þet b 126, wes b 3, wicchecreftes 7,
esken 79, 85 (æsce), weschen b 145, vesscheð b 112
(wæscan), butea, an EME. writing foræin bearuot
b 39, bleasie b 162 (blæse,sb.), feader b 173, b 231,
feaste b 42 (3), gleadliche b 186, measse b 83, readliche b 94,
noðeleater b 169, weater b 94, inohreaðe 43 (hræþe), andain awakenet 24, awakenið b 61, b 91 (awacenian), blac b 23,
warliche b 148 (flexion forms), cappen b 45: habbe 25 &c., nabben b
130 descend from LWS. forms ina: quoð b 76 (cwæþ) is due
to loss of stress.eis regularlye, bedde b 25, bereð 64
(but beore b 136), spekeð b 57 (but speoke b 132); before lengthening
groups, ende 100, englene 76. Betweenw—f,eis
rounded toeoin tweolue b 112; before a palatal it is raised toiin rikenin 25, rikeneres 82: stude b 171, sullen b 12, 14,
swuch b 18 are due to OE. forms iny.iis regularlyi, bidde b 237, binimeð b 221 (but neome b 34 &c.); before
lengthening groups, blod binde b 69 (binde), bringen 49, child
22, butuin wule 72
and other forms ofwillan, nute
b 130 (nyte).ois normallyo, biuoren 57, hosen b
39, word 65, butain an(an) b 87; nalde 90, walden 42, iwraht b
24 are Anglian.uisu, cume b 90, cuppe 103, sunderliche
24, wunder b 63, butiin kimeð 94, b 200 (cymeð;
Bülbring, Ablaut, 74).yisu, brune b 160, sundreð b 161,
sungið b 191, butiin pilche clut 68:mycelis muchel b
91, muche 82; sturne b 195 representsstyrne.āis regularlya, are b 229; before two consonants,
gast b 231; length is indicated by doubling in aa, b 162, b 234: man b 8
is *mān.eaforāappears in eanes b 34, b 189,
easkin b 181, easki b 78, easkeð b 118, b 203, wreaðfule 32, 63, coming
from forms inǣ.āisoin cop b 142 (cōp),ein se b 67 &c., but swa 73.ǣ1is, as a
rule (41 times),ea, ageasten 58, arearen b 159, asneasen 69,
eani 8; before two consonants, eauer 54 &c., leafdi b 235, wreaððe b
153, b 166, butein þer b 155, and before two consonants in
flesch b 26, flesches b 91, fleschlich b 78, fleschliche b 75, leste b
37, b 54 (beside leasse 61(4),leaste b 188), andabefore two consonants in
attri 12, attreð b 80 (? analogy ofāttor).ǣnigis mostly
ei 8 (possibly shortening of eiðer,—Holthausen);ǣlcis
euch 34 &c.ǣ2ise(32 times), dreden b
196, her b 141, neddre 31, wepmen b 22, buteoin leote b 131, b
19, feorle 100.eaappears only in ileanet 16, read b 13, b 37,
reade b 2 (but reden b 188, redeð b 223, b 224, b 228, ired b 235): þear
41 is probably a scribal error for þer, but comp. þiar 39/165. The
difference in the representation ofǣ1, asea,
rarelye, andǣ2, ase, rarelyea, is also found in the Katherine group, and is Anglian (Stodte,
p. 31).ēis alwayse;ī,i, but wummon b
21 (5) afterw;ōiso;ū,u;ȳis
regularlyu, fur b 160, hudest b 57; before two consonants, cuððe
b 144, fulðe b 113, butiin schriden b 85, beside schruden
90.eabeforer+ cons. isea, bearm 71, nearewe b
204; before lengthening groups, bearnes 75, heard b 44, butain
scharp 64, 65, 67 and always afterw, warde b 231,-wardas in frommard b 165, inward 36, toward b 89,
utward 37, warm b 23, warneð 11.eain chearre b 238, wearien b 6
representsæ,i-umlaut of unbroken (Anglian)a.eabeforel+ cons. is regularlya(Anglian), alle
7 &c., falleð 6, halden b 193. Thei-umlaut hasea=æfrom unbrokena, ealde b 124, healden b 197, both before
a lengthening group.eobeforer+ cons. is regularlyeo, heorte 51, keorue b 34; before length. groups, eorðe 85,
sweord 65, Beornard b 219, but Anglian smoothing is seen in werkes b 62,
b 67, b 81. To thewurgroup belong wurðen 88, forwurðen 23,
forwurðe b 95: warpere 64, warpeð 66 are Scandinavian; WS. forms areweorpere,wierpð. Thei-umlaut is wanting in
heordemonne b 6, iheortet 31;wier, wyrwords haveu,
vnwurðe b 108, b 219, wurse 16, 56, b 37, iwurset b 191.eobeforel+ cons. iseoin seolf 59, seoluen b 204 &c.ea, theu- andå-umlaut ofa, is seen in
eateliche 58, 69, eawles 67 (awul), meaðeleð 73, 96, streapeles b
42, vnsteaðeluest 5; fearen b 197, misfearen 13, and analogically
(Bülbring § 228 anm.), feareð 79, b 120, forfearinde 29, gleadie b
232, heatien b 141, ?peaðereð 81, ?skleatteð 53. This umlaut is
specifically Mercian.eo,u-umlaut ofe, gives
heouene 3, b 185, but world 40, worldliche b 79 &c.:eo,å-umlaut ofe, beoden b 124, b 206, b 237, breoken b 20,
eoten 99,ȝeouenb 71 (from Mercianġefan), and analogically,
beore b 31, b 136, forbeoren b 149, breoke b 216, eote b 127, eoten b
150, ȝeoue b 131, b 173, b 233, forȝeoued b 200 (but ȝef 102), speoke b
132, speoken b 138: an Anglian feature.eo,u- andå-umlaut ofi, is seen in cleopede 9, 11, bicleopet b 192,
leoðeliche b 28 (liþig, OWScand. liðugr), neomen b 72, b 174,
neome b 34, neomen b 189, neomunge 7, seoue 21, seouene 4, seolc b 69,
seoluer 84, sweoke b 160, teolunges 6, but hare 5 &c. is the regular
representative ofheora, suster b 4 &c., of WS.sweostor, Anglian wike b 189, of WS.wucan(*wiucu).eaafter palatals isa, schal 42 &c.,
ischauen b 101, schape b 146, butein ȝeten b 128 (WS.gatu),eobefore nasal, scheome b 51: schapieð b 70 is a
ME. formation.ieafterġise(Mercian
monophthong), ȝef 102, 104, ȝeueð b 68, ȝelden 15, b 7, forȝelde b 175,
ȝelp 37; thisewithå-umlaut gives forms ineo,
ȝeouen &c. as above.ȝef, EWS.gief, is ȝef 9.eoafterġisu, ȝungre b 132; aftersc,
schule 99, schulde 22 &c. (Anglian).eomis am b 236
(Anglian),heom, ham 4 &c.ēais regularlyea, beate b 31, deade 41, eadmode b
119, greatluker b 157, reaflac 15, butein chepeð b 12, chepilt
b 11, cwedschipe b 93, eð b 214, edscene b 147, andain chaffere
b 11, chapmon b 12, shorteningdue to stress on following syllable: itsi-umlaut ise(Anglian), bemen 39, 76, bemere 42, bemin 43, dremen b 206, ȝeme b 190,
ȝemeles 10 &c., ȝemeð 16, ȝemen b 98, iȝemen b 90, ihereð 53, leue b
174, b 207, leue b 36, misleue b 182, lefunge 7; but greattre b 67 isgrēatra.ēoiseo, beon 4, cneon b 150, feondes 92,
feorðe 21, butein seke b 108, secnesse b 111, beforec.
The absence of itsi-umlaut is Anglian, deore 71, feonds. d.34 &c., neod b 1, neodeð 88, istreonede 23;ein nedlunge b 8, tene b 112. Absence of palatalization,
characteristic of Mercian, afterġ,sćis seen in ȝer b
101, schende b 52 (Bülbring § 289), schon b 38, but scheos b 39,
ischeoed b 40.ȝīetis ȝet b 193, the
second element in edscene b 147, isgesīene.a+gisah, dahes b 105, drahe b 53, draheð 36,
mahen 50 &c.; isleine 33 isgeslegen; seið 46, 89,sægð; dreaieð b 233 (comp. dreaien 147/153, dreihen, 146/122)
descends from *dreagaþ, form withå-umlaut (WS.dragaþ).æ+gis regularlyei, deies b 21,
feier b 123, heiward b 6, mei 4 &c., meiden b 96, seide 46, b 117,
iseid 26: mahe b 148, b 180 comes from LWS.mage.e+gis alsoei, abreiden 75, aȝein 5 (ongegn),
toȝeines b 56, eie b 18, eili b 9, leið b 152, pleien 67, b 139, b 146,
pleieð 64, but plohien b 218 which descends with shifted accent from
*pleoganwithå-umlaut (comp.pleogedein a SW.
Mercian text of Bede, ed. Miller, ii. 82). The MS. has in other places
pleien as above, but the noun in Morton’s text pleowe 184/4, pleouwe
218/8 is in MS. A regularly plohe, in MS.Cploȝe.i+g,h, pliht b 97, ipliht 18, sihðe b 61, onsihðe b 55, wriheles b
49, but sygaldren 6: lið 71, b 93 islīþ
Manuscripts:i. Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, 402 (A);
on vellum, 215 × 150 mm. The fly-leaf fastened down has the mark S. 15,
then follow three leaves with writing in a seventeenth-century hand (?
Joscelin), mostly a translation of the piece beginning in Morton, p. 6,
‘Nan ancre bi mi read,’ then 117 folios, on the first of which is a
marginal rubric, J þe feaderes ⁊ i þe sunes | ⁊ i þe hali gastes nome |
her biginneð ancrene | wisse, as at the beginning of SJ (139/1) and SM
in MS. Bodley 34. On the lower margin of f. 1 r in a fourteenth-century
hand is Liber ecclesie sanctiJacobi de Wygemore:
quemJohannes Purcel dedit | eidemecclesie
ad instanciamfratris Walteri de Lodelawesenioris tunc precentoris. The Abbey of Wigmore was
dedicated to S. James (Dugdale, vi. 344). There are glosses in red
pencil and words underlined in red. The revival ofAnglo-Saxon studies under Archbishop Parker, partly prompted by the
desire to use in defence of the Reformation the evidences as to the
tenets of the early Church in England, caused such books as this to be
carefully read. William L’isle extracted from it some of the prayers (in
Morton, 26, 28, 30) and, treating them as debased Anglo-Saxon, turned
them into the latter speech as he understood it. His efforts are
recorded in MS. Laud Misc. 201; they have led Dr. Heuser (Anglia, xxx.
103) to conclude that the Ancren Riwle is not a ME. but an OE.
document.The MS. belongs to the second quarter of the thirteenth century. It
cannot be earlier than 1225A.D., for
it mentions the Dominicans and Franciscans, and it is probably later
than 1230. It is the most correct, but it has additions to the original,
such as 62/46-64/62, 64/73-78. See further A Descriptive Catalogue of
the MSS. in the Library of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, by
M. R. James, vol. ii, pp. 267, 8.ii. Caius College, Cambridge, 234 (B); on vellum, 124 × 93 mm.; 368
pages; late thirteenth century. Pages 1-185 consist of extracts from the
AR, but not in the order of the other manuscripts (ES iii. 536). It is
addressed to ‘friends’ 55/1, not sisters, and the second passage printed
here is not in this MS. The contents of the manuscript are given in A
Descriptive Catalogue of the MSS. in the Library of Gonville and Caius
College, by M. R. James, vol. i, p. 298.iii. Cotton Nero A 14, British Museum (N); on vellum, 146 × 114 mm.;
written in the second quarter of the thirteenth century. Its contents
are ff. 1-120 r, the Ancren Riwle; 120 v-123 v, The Orison, printed at
pp. 132-7 of this book; 123 v-131 v, the pieces printed in OEH i, pp.
200-17. It forms the text of Morton’s edition.iv. Cotton Titus D
18, British Museum (T); on vellum, 158 × 120 mm.; 148 folios in
double columns, written from f. 14, where AR begins, to the end, about
1220A.D.Its relationship to two
other manuscripts in respect to their contents is shown by the following
table:Manuscripts.SKSJSMSawlesWardeHMWohungeARRoyal 17 A 27————Bodley 34 .—————Titus D 18 .—————For the Royal and Bodleian MSS. see the introduction to No. xvi.v. Cotton CleopatraC 6, British Museum (C), on vellum, 196 × 140
mm.; 196 folios of 19 to 26 lines to a page in a peculiar angular hand,
written about 1240A.D.The scribe,
after finishing the book, had access to another manuscript, either A or
one closely resembling it, and interlined or put on the margin passages
from it which were not in the first exemplar. C was presented to Legh
Abbey, Co. Devon, by Matilda de Clare, by whom the Abbey was converted
into a Nunnery about 1285A.D.(Dugdale, vi. 333).vi. The Vernon MS. of the Bodleian Library (V), a very large book,
written in two columns of eighty lines to the column, has a
fourteenth-century version of the AR, which begins at folio 371
v2. It contains our first extract, but only a fragment of the
second.vii. Another version of portions of the AR, written at the end of the
fourteenth century, discovered by Miss Paues, exists under the title of
the Recluse in the Magdalene College MS., Cambridge, Pepys
2498 (P).viii. A fragment in a hand of 1330-40, corresponding to p. 138, l. 25
&c. of Morton’s edition, was described by Napier in the Journal of
Germanic Philology, ii. 199-202.ix. Magdalen College, Oxford, 67 (M). A Latin version in writing of
the end of the thirteenth century; on f. 1 r it begins, Hic incipit
prohemiumvenerabilis patris Magistri Simo|nis de
Gandauo episcopi sarumin librumde uita solitaria | quem
scripsit sororibus suis Anachoritis apu`d´ tarente. It ends on f. 95 r,
Explicit liber septimus de uita solitaria: Octauus omnino
taceatur:—with the addition in a later hand, eterna taciturnitate.
The second extract is therefore not represented in this version.x. Cotton Vitellius E 7 (L): fragments of a Latin version rescued
from the fire of 1731, said by Macaulay to be the same as the Magdalen
MS. version, but with the addition of the eighth part. In Smith’s
Catalogue (1696) it is said to have had the note, Regulae vitae
Anachoretarum utriusque sexus scriptae per Simonem de Gandavo, Episcopum
Sarum in usum suarum sororum. Hunc librum Frater Robertus de Thorneton,
quondam prior, dedit claustralibus de Bardenay. Bardney Abbey is in
Lincolnshire (Dugdale, i. 623).xi. Cotton Vitellius F 7 (F). A French version, written about 1300A.D., but retaining many forms of the
considerably older manuscript from which it was copied. This manuscript
also suffered in the fire; the top half of the folios is scorched and
shrunken, and a line or two is lost on each page: it consists of 164
folios in double columns. In Smith’s Catalogue it is described as, La
Reule de femmes Religieuses et Recluses; sive de vita solitaria &
anachoretica per Simonem de Gandavo, Episcopum Sarisburiensium in usum
sororum ipsius.Facsimiles:Of T. Palaeographical Society; Second Series,
plate 75. Of C. Ibid., plate 76. Of P. The Recluse, ed. J. Påhlsson.
Lund, 1911.Editions:The Ancren Riwle, edited and translated by James
Morton, B.D. Camden Society, no. lvii, London, 1853. Mätzner, E.,
Altenglische Sprachproben, ii. 8-41 (the second part of AR with
introduction and notes). Shorter extracts in Sweet’s First Middle
English Primer, 19-41, Emerson and Kluge. The text of all the preceding
is from MS. N. Heuser, W., Anglia, xxx. 108-10 (passage from MS. A).
Påhlsson, Joel, The Recluse, Lund, 1911.Literature:Bramlette, E. E., Anglia, xv. 478-98 (the
original language of AR); Brock, E., Philological Society, 1865, 150-67
(Accidence in N); Dahlstedt, A., The Word-Order of the AR, Sundsvall,
1903; Heuser, W., Anglia, xxx. 103-22; Kölbing, E., ES iii. 535, 6; ix.
115-17; xxiii. 306; Lemcke’s Jahrbuch, xv. 179-97 (collations and
dialect); Landwehr, M., Das grammatische Geschlecht in der AR,
Heidelberg, 1911; *Macaulay, G. C., The ‘Ancren Riwle’, Modern
Language Review, ix. 63-78, 145-60, 324-31, 463-74 (collation of A and
general discussion);Mühe, T., Über den im MS. Cotton Titus D. xviii
enthaltenen Text der AR, Göttingen, 1901; Anglia, xxxi. 399-404; Napier,
A. S., Modern Language Review, iv. 433-6; Ostermann, H., Lautlehre
des germanischen Wortschatzes in der von Morton herausgegebenen
Handschrift der Ancren Riwle. Bonner Beiträge, xix, Bonn, 1905;
Påhlsson, J., ES xxxviii. 453, 4; Paues, A. C., ES xxx. 344-6;
Redepenning, H., Syntaktische Kapitel aus der ‘Ancren Riwle’, Berlin,
1906; Williams, Irene F., Anglia, xxviii. 300-4 (language of C); Wülker,
R., Paul-Braune, Beiträge, i. 209-39; Zupitza, J., Anglia, iii. 34.Sources and Illustrations:Ælredi Regula, in Lucae
Holstenii Codex Regularum Monasticorum et Canonicorum, Augustae
Vindelicorum, 1759, vol. i, p. 420; also as Ailredi Rhievallensis de
Vita Eremitica ad Sororem, in S. Augustini Opera, Antwerp, 1700, vol. i,
p. 640; English version of ch. xxi-lxxviii from the Vernon MS. in ES
vii, pp. 304-44; Vita S. Gileberti Confessoris: Institutiones beati
Gileberti in Supplement to vol. vi, pt. 2, of Dugdale, W., Monasticon
Anglicanum, London, 1830; Eckenstein, Lina, Woman under Monasticism,
Cambridge, 1896; Cutts, E. L., Scenes and Characters of the Middle
Ages, London, 1872.Phonology:(1)of A.Oralaisa, calices b 17, cat b 2;abefore nasals and
lengthening groups iso, dronc 21, gomen 83, brondes b 161,
wombe, 97; þen, þenne, hwen, hwenne, selthwenne b 195 are the usual
forms, but once hwon b 116:andis ant 26 &c.,man,
indefinite, me 16.æis usuallye, bres 103, ed b 121,
efter b 12, gedereð 87 (gæderian), hetterb 28, oðerhwet b 177, neppes 94, þet b 126, wes b 3, wicchecreftes 7,
esken 79, 85 (æsce), weschen b 145, vesscheð b 112
(wæscan), butea, an EME. writing foræin bearuot
b 39, bleasie b 162 (blæse,sb.), feader b 173, b 231,
feaste b 42 (3), gleadliche b 186, measse b 83, readliche b 94,
noðeleater b 169, weater b 94, inohreaðe 43 (hræþe), andain awakenet 24, awakenið b 61, b 91 (awacenian), blac b 23,
warliche b 148 (flexion forms), cappen b 45: habbe 25 &c., nabben b
130 descend from LWS. forms ina: quoð b 76 (cwæþ) is due
to loss of stress.eis regularlye, bedde b 25, bereð 64
(but beore b 136), spekeð b 57 (but speoke b 132); before lengthening
groups, ende 100, englene 76. Betweenw—f,eis
rounded toeoin tweolue b 112; before a palatal it is raised toiin rikenin 25, rikeneres 82: stude b 171, sullen b 12, 14,
swuch b 18 are due to OE. forms iny.iis regularlyi, bidde b 237, binimeð b 221 (but neome b 34 &c.); before
lengthening groups, blod binde b 69 (binde), bringen 49, child
22, butuin wule 72
and other forms ofwillan, nute
b 130 (nyte).ois normallyo, biuoren 57, hosen b
39, word 65, butain an(an) b 87; nalde 90, walden 42, iwraht b
24 are Anglian.uisu, cume b 90, cuppe 103, sunderliche
24, wunder b 63, butiin kimeð 94, b 200 (cymeð;
Bülbring, Ablaut, 74).yisu, brune b 160, sundreð b 161,
sungið b 191, butiin pilche clut 68:mycelis muchel b
91, muche 82; sturne b 195 representsstyrne.āis regularlya, are b 229; before two consonants,
gast b 231; length is indicated by doubling in aa, b 162, b 234: man b 8
is *mān.eaforāappears in eanes b 34, b 189,
easkin b 181, easki b 78, easkeð b 118, b 203, wreaðfule 32, 63, coming
from forms inǣ.āisoin cop b 142 (cōp),ein se b 67 &c., but swa 73.ǣ1is, as a
rule (41 times),ea, ageasten 58, arearen b 159, asneasen 69,
eani 8; before two consonants, eauer 54 &c., leafdi b 235, wreaððe b
153, b 166, butein þer b 155, and before two consonants in
flesch b 26, flesches b 91, fleschlich b 78, fleschliche b 75, leste b
37, b 54 (beside leasse 61(4),leaste b 188), andabefore two consonants in
attri 12, attreð b 80 (? analogy ofāttor).ǣnigis mostly
ei 8 (possibly shortening of eiðer,—Holthausen);ǣlcis
euch 34 &c.ǣ2ise(32 times), dreden b
196, her b 141, neddre 31, wepmen b 22, buteoin leote b 131, b
19, feorle 100.eaappears only in ileanet 16, read b 13, b 37,
reade b 2 (but reden b 188, redeð b 223, b 224, b 228, ired b 235): þear
41 is probably a scribal error for þer, but comp. þiar 39/165. The
difference in the representation ofǣ1, asea,
rarelye, andǣ2, ase, rarelyea, is also found in the Katherine group, and is Anglian (Stodte,
p. 31).ēis alwayse;ī,i, but wummon b
21 (5) afterw;ōiso;ū,u;ȳis
regularlyu, fur b 160, hudest b 57; before two consonants, cuððe
b 144, fulðe b 113, butiin schriden b 85, beside schruden
90.eabeforer+ cons. isea, bearm 71, nearewe b
204; before lengthening groups, bearnes 75, heard b 44, butain
scharp 64, 65, 67 and always afterw, warde b 231,-wardas in frommard b 165, inward 36, toward b 89,
utward 37, warm b 23, warneð 11.eain chearre b 238, wearien b 6
representsæ,i-umlaut of unbroken (Anglian)a.eabeforel+ cons. is regularlya(Anglian), alle
7 &c., falleð 6, halden b 193. Thei-umlaut hasea=æfrom unbrokena, ealde b 124, healden b 197, both before
a lengthening group.eobeforer+ cons. is regularlyeo, heorte 51, keorue b 34; before length. groups, eorðe 85,
sweord 65, Beornard b 219, but Anglian smoothing is seen in werkes b 62,
b 67, b 81. To thewurgroup belong wurðen 88, forwurðen 23,
forwurðe b 95: warpere 64, warpeð 66 are Scandinavian; WS. forms areweorpere,wierpð. Thei-umlaut is wanting in
heordemonne b 6, iheortet 31;wier, wyrwords haveu,
vnwurðe b 108, b 219, wurse 16, 56, b 37, iwurset b 191.eobeforel+ cons. iseoin seolf 59, seoluen b 204 &c.ea, theu- andå-umlaut ofa, is seen in
eateliche 58, 69, eawles 67 (awul), meaðeleð 73, 96, streapeles b
42, vnsteaðeluest 5; fearen b 197, misfearen 13, and analogically
(Bülbring § 228 anm.), feareð 79, b 120, forfearinde 29, gleadie b
232, heatien b 141, ?peaðereð 81, ?skleatteð 53. This umlaut is
specifically Mercian.eo,u-umlaut ofe, gives
heouene 3, b 185, but world 40, worldliche b 79 &c.:eo,å-umlaut ofe, beoden b 124, b 206, b 237, breoken b 20,
eoten 99,ȝeouenb 71 (from Mercianġefan), and analogically,
beore b 31, b 136, forbeoren b 149, breoke b 216, eote b 127, eoten b
150, ȝeoue b 131, b 173, b 233, forȝeoued b 200 (but ȝef 102), speoke b
132, speoken b 138: an Anglian feature.eo,u- andå-umlaut ofi, is seen in cleopede 9, 11, bicleopet b 192,
leoðeliche b 28 (liþig, OWScand. liðugr), neomen b 72, b 174,
neome b 34, neomen b 189, neomunge 7, seoue 21, seouene 4, seolc b 69,
seoluer 84, sweoke b 160, teolunges 6, but hare 5 &c. is the regular
representative ofheora, suster b 4 &c., of WS.sweostor, Anglian wike b 189, of WS.wucan(*wiucu).eaafter palatals isa, schal 42 &c.,
ischauen b 101, schape b 146, butein ȝeten b 128 (WS.gatu),eobefore nasal, scheome b 51: schapieð b 70 is a
ME. formation.ieafterġise(Mercian
monophthong), ȝef 102, 104, ȝeueð b 68, ȝelden 15, b 7, forȝelde b 175,
ȝelp 37; thisewithå-umlaut gives forms ineo,
ȝeouen &c. as above.ȝef, EWS.gief, is ȝef 9.eoafterġisu, ȝungre b 132; aftersc,
schule 99, schulde 22 &c. (Anglian).eomis am b 236
(Anglian),heom, ham 4 &c.ēais regularlyea, beate b 31, deade 41, eadmode b
119, greatluker b 157, reaflac 15, butein chepeð b 12, chepilt
b 11, cwedschipe b 93, eð b 214, edscene b 147, andain chaffere
b 11, chapmon b 12, shorteningdue to stress on following syllable: itsi-umlaut ise(Anglian), bemen 39, 76, bemere 42, bemin 43, dremen b 206, ȝeme b 190,
ȝemeles 10 &c., ȝemeð 16, ȝemen b 98, iȝemen b 90, ihereð 53, leue b
174, b 207, leue b 36, misleue b 182, lefunge 7; but greattre b 67 isgrēatra.ēoiseo, beon 4, cneon b 150, feondes 92,
feorðe 21, butein seke b 108, secnesse b 111, beforec.
The absence of itsi-umlaut is Anglian, deore 71, feonds. d.34 &c., neod b 1, neodeð 88, istreonede 23;ein nedlunge b 8, tene b 112. Absence of palatalization,
characteristic of Mercian, afterġ,sćis seen in ȝer b
101, schende b 52 (Bülbring § 289), schon b 38, but scheos b 39,
ischeoed b 40.ȝīetis ȝet b 193, the
second element in edscene b 147, isgesīene.a+gisah, dahes b 105, drahe b 53, draheð 36,
mahen 50 &c.; isleine 33 isgeslegen; seið 46, 89,sægð; dreaieð b 233 (comp. dreaien 147/153, dreihen, 146/122)
descends from *dreagaþ, form withå-umlaut (WS.dragaþ).æ+gis regularlyei, deies b 21,
feier b 123, heiward b 6, mei 4 &c., meiden b 96, seide 46, b 117,
iseid 26: mahe b 148, b 180 comes from LWS.mage.e+gis alsoei, abreiden 75, aȝein 5 (ongegn),
toȝeines b 56, eie b 18, eili b 9, leið b 152, pleien 67, b 139, b 146,
pleieð 64, but plohien b 218 which descends with shifted accent from
*pleoganwithå-umlaut (comp.pleogedein a SW.
Mercian text of Bede, ed. Miller, ii. 82). The MS. has in other places
pleien as above, but the noun in Morton’s text pleowe 184/4, pleouwe
218/8 is in MS. A regularly plohe, in MS.Cploȝe.i+g,h, pliht b 97, ipliht 18, sihðe b 61, onsihðe b 55, wriheles b
49, but sygaldren 6: lið 71, b 93 islīþ
Manuscripts:i. Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, 402 (A); on vellum, 215 × 150 mm. The fly-leaf fastened down has the mark S. 15, then follow three leaves with writing in a seventeenth-century hand (? Joscelin), mostly a translation of the piece beginning in Morton, p. 6, ‘Nan ancre bi mi read,’ then 117 folios, on the first of which is a marginal rubric, J þe feaderes ⁊ i þe sunes | ⁊ i þe hali gastes nome | her biginneð ancrene | wisse, as at the beginning of SJ (139/1) and SM in MS. Bodley 34. On the lower margin of f. 1 r in a fourteenth-century hand is Liber ecclesie sanctiJacobi de Wygemore: quemJohannes Purcel dedit | eidemecclesie ad instanciamfratris Walteri de Lodelawesenioris tunc precentoris. The Abbey of Wigmore was dedicated to S. James (Dugdale, vi. 344). There are glosses in red pencil and words underlined in red. The revival ofAnglo-Saxon studies under Archbishop Parker, partly prompted by the desire to use in defence of the Reformation the evidences as to the tenets of the early Church in England, caused such books as this to be carefully read. William L’isle extracted from it some of the prayers (in Morton, 26, 28, 30) and, treating them as debased Anglo-Saxon, turned them into the latter speech as he understood it. His efforts are recorded in MS. Laud Misc. 201; they have led Dr. Heuser (Anglia, xxx. 103) to conclude that the Ancren Riwle is not a ME. but an OE. document.
The MS. belongs to the second quarter of the thirteenth century. It cannot be earlier than 1225A.D., for it mentions the Dominicans and Franciscans, and it is probably later than 1230. It is the most correct, but it has additions to the original, such as 62/46-64/62, 64/73-78. See further A Descriptive Catalogue of the MSS. in the Library of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, by M. R. James, vol. ii, pp. 267, 8.
ii. Caius College, Cambridge, 234 (B); on vellum, 124 × 93 mm.; 368 pages; late thirteenth century. Pages 1-185 consist of extracts from the AR, but not in the order of the other manuscripts (ES iii. 536). It is addressed to ‘friends’ 55/1, not sisters, and the second passage printed here is not in this MS. The contents of the manuscript are given in A Descriptive Catalogue of the MSS. in the Library of Gonville and Caius College, by M. R. James, vol. i, p. 298.
iii. Cotton Nero A 14, British Museum (N); on vellum, 146 × 114 mm.; written in the second quarter of the thirteenth century. Its contents are ff. 1-120 r, the Ancren Riwle; 120 v-123 v, The Orison, printed at pp. 132-7 of this book; 123 v-131 v, the pieces printed in OEH i, pp. 200-17. It forms the text of Morton’s edition.
iv. Cotton Titus D 18, British Museum (T); on vellum, 158 × 120 mm.; 148 folios in double columns, written from f. 14, where AR begins, to the end, about 1220A.D.Its relationship to two other manuscripts in respect to their contents is shown by the following table:
For the Royal and Bodleian MSS. see the introduction to No. xvi.
v. Cotton CleopatraC 6, British Museum (C), on vellum, 196 × 140 mm.; 196 folios of 19 to 26 lines to a page in a peculiar angular hand, written about 1240A.D.The scribe, after finishing the book, had access to another manuscript, either A or one closely resembling it, and interlined or put on the margin passages from it which were not in the first exemplar. C was presented to Legh Abbey, Co. Devon, by Matilda de Clare, by whom the Abbey was converted into a Nunnery about 1285A.D.(Dugdale, vi. 333).
vi. The Vernon MS. of the Bodleian Library (V), a very large book, written in two columns of eighty lines to the column, has a fourteenth-century version of the AR, which begins at folio 371 v2. It contains our first extract, but only a fragment of the second.
vii. Another version of portions of the AR, written at the end of the fourteenth century, discovered by Miss Paues, exists under the title of the Recluse in the Magdalene College MS., Cambridge, Pepys 2498 (P).
viii. A fragment in a hand of 1330-40, corresponding to p. 138, l. 25 &c. of Morton’s edition, was described by Napier in the Journal of Germanic Philology, ii. 199-202.
ix. Magdalen College, Oxford, 67 (M). A Latin version in writing of the end of the thirteenth century; on f. 1 r it begins, Hic incipit prohemiumvenerabilis patris Magistri Simo|nis de Gandauo episcopi sarumin librumde uita solitaria | quem scripsit sororibus suis Anachoritis apu`d´ tarente. It ends on f. 95 r, Explicit liber septimus de uita solitaria: Octauus omnino taceatur:—with the addition in a later hand, eterna taciturnitate. The second extract is therefore not represented in this version.
x. Cotton Vitellius E 7 (L): fragments of a Latin version rescued from the fire of 1731, said by Macaulay to be the same as the Magdalen MS. version, but with the addition of the eighth part. In Smith’s Catalogue (1696) it is said to have had the note, Regulae vitae Anachoretarum utriusque sexus scriptae per Simonem de Gandavo, Episcopum Sarum in usum suarum sororum. Hunc librum Frater Robertus de Thorneton, quondam prior, dedit claustralibus de Bardenay. Bardney Abbey is in Lincolnshire (Dugdale, i. 623).
xi. Cotton Vitellius F 7 (F). A French version, written about 1300A.D., but retaining many forms of the considerably older manuscript from which it was copied. This manuscript also suffered in the fire; the top half of the folios is scorched and shrunken, and a line or two is lost on each page: it consists of 164 folios in double columns. In Smith’s Catalogue it is described as, La Reule de femmes Religieuses et Recluses; sive de vita solitaria & anachoretica per Simonem de Gandavo, Episcopum Sarisburiensium in usum sororum ipsius.
Facsimiles:Of T. Palaeographical Society; Second Series, plate 75. Of C. Ibid., plate 76. Of P. The Recluse, ed. J. Påhlsson. Lund, 1911.
Editions:The Ancren Riwle, edited and translated by James Morton, B.D. Camden Society, no. lvii, London, 1853. Mätzner, E., Altenglische Sprachproben, ii. 8-41 (the second part of AR with introduction and notes). Shorter extracts in Sweet’s First Middle English Primer, 19-41, Emerson and Kluge. The text of all the preceding is from MS. N. Heuser, W., Anglia, xxx. 108-10 (passage from MS. A). Påhlsson, Joel, The Recluse, Lund, 1911.
Literature:Bramlette, E. E., Anglia, xv. 478-98 (the original language of AR); Brock, E., Philological Society, 1865, 150-67 (Accidence in N); Dahlstedt, A., The Word-Order of the AR, Sundsvall, 1903; Heuser, W., Anglia, xxx. 103-22; Kölbing, E., ES iii. 535, 6; ix. 115-17; xxiii. 306; Lemcke’s Jahrbuch, xv. 179-97 (collations and dialect); Landwehr, M., Das grammatische Geschlecht in der AR, Heidelberg, 1911; *Macaulay, G. C., The ‘Ancren Riwle’, Modern Language Review, ix. 63-78, 145-60, 324-31, 463-74 (collation of A and general discussion);Mühe, T., Über den im MS. Cotton Titus D. xviii enthaltenen Text der AR, Göttingen, 1901; Anglia, xxxi. 399-404; Napier, A. S., Modern Language Review, iv. 433-6; Ostermann, H., Lautlehre des germanischen Wortschatzes in der von Morton herausgegebenen Handschrift der Ancren Riwle. Bonner Beiträge, xix, Bonn, 1905; Påhlsson, J., ES xxxviii. 453, 4; Paues, A. C., ES xxx. 344-6; Redepenning, H., Syntaktische Kapitel aus der ‘Ancren Riwle’, Berlin, 1906; Williams, Irene F., Anglia, xxviii. 300-4 (language of C); Wülker, R., Paul-Braune, Beiträge, i. 209-39; Zupitza, J., Anglia, iii. 34.
Sources and Illustrations:Ælredi Regula, in Lucae Holstenii Codex Regularum Monasticorum et Canonicorum, Augustae Vindelicorum, 1759, vol. i, p. 420; also as Ailredi Rhievallensis de Vita Eremitica ad Sororem, in S. Augustini Opera, Antwerp, 1700, vol. i, p. 640; English version of ch. xxi-lxxviii from the Vernon MS. in ES vii, pp. 304-44; Vita S. Gileberti Confessoris: Institutiones beati Gileberti in Supplement to vol. vi, pt. 2, of Dugdale, W., Monasticon Anglicanum, London, 1830; Eckenstein, Lina, Woman under Monasticism, Cambridge, 1896; Cutts, E. L., Scenes and Characters of the Middle Ages, London, 1872.
Phonology:(1)of A.Oralaisa, calices b 17, cat b 2;abefore nasals and lengthening groups iso, dronc 21, gomen 83, brondes b 161, wombe, 97; þen, þenne, hwen, hwenne, selthwenne b 195 are the usual forms, but once hwon b 116:andis ant 26 &c.,man, indefinite, me 16.æis usuallye, bres 103, ed b 121, efter b 12, gedereð 87 (gæderian), hetterb 28, oðerhwet b 177, neppes 94, þet b 126, wes b 3, wicchecreftes 7, esken 79, 85 (æsce), weschen b 145, vesscheð b 112 (wæscan), butea, an EME. writing foræin bearuot b 39, bleasie b 162 (blæse,sb.), feader b 173, b 231, feaste b 42 (3), gleadliche b 186, measse b 83, readliche b 94, noðeleater b 169, weater b 94, inohreaðe 43 (hræþe), andain awakenet 24, awakenið b 61, b 91 (awacenian), blac b 23, warliche b 148 (flexion forms), cappen b 45: habbe 25 &c., nabben b 130 descend from LWS. forms ina: quoð b 76 (cwæþ) is due to loss of stress.eis regularlye, bedde b 25, bereð 64 (but beore b 136), spekeð b 57 (but speoke b 132); before lengthening groups, ende 100, englene 76. Betweenw—f,eis rounded toeoin tweolue b 112; before a palatal it is raised toiin rikenin 25, rikeneres 82: stude b 171, sullen b 12, 14, swuch b 18 are due to OE. forms iny.iis regularlyi, bidde b 237, binimeð b 221 (but neome b 34 &c.); before lengthening groups, blod binde b 69 (binde), bringen 49, child 22, butuin wule 72 and other forms ofwillan, nute b 130 (nyte).ois normallyo, biuoren 57, hosen b 39, word 65, butain an(an) b 87; nalde 90, walden 42, iwraht b 24 are Anglian.uisu, cume b 90, cuppe 103, sunderliche 24, wunder b 63, butiin kimeð 94, b 200 (cymeð; Bülbring, Ablaut, 74).yisu, brune b 160, sundreð b 161, sungið b 191, butiin pilche clut 68:mycelis muchel b 91, muche 82; sturne b 195 representsstyrne.
āis regularlya, are b 229; before two consonants, gast b 231; length is indicated by doubling in aa, b 162, b 234: man b 8 is *mān.eaforāappears in eanes b 34, b 189, easkin b 181, easki b 78, easkeð b 118, b 203, wreaðfule 32, 63, coming from forms inǣ.āisoin cop b 142 (cōp),ein se b 67 &c., but swa 73.ǣ1is, as a rule (41 times),ea, ageasten 58, arearen b 159, asneasen 69, eani 8; before two consonants, eauer 54 &c., leafdi b 235, wreaððe b 153, b 166, butein þer b 155, and before two consonants in flesch b 26, flesches b 91, fleschlich b 78, fleschliche b 75, leste b 37, b 54 (beside leasse 61(4),leaste b 188), andabefore two consonants in attri 12, attreð b 80 (? analogy ofāttor).ǣnigis mostly ei 8 (possibly shortening of eiðer,—Holthausen);ǣlcis euch 34 &c.ǣ2ise(32 times), dreden b 196, her b 141, neddre 31, wepmen b 22, buteoin leote b 131, b 19, feorle 100.eaappears only in ileanet 16, read b 13, b 37, reade b 2 (but reden b 188, redeð b 223, b 224, b 228, ired b 235): þear 41 is probably a scribal error for þer, but comp. þiar 39/165. The difference in the representation ofǣ1, asea, rarelye, andǣ2, ase, rarelyea, is also found in the Katherine group, and is Anglian (Stodte, p. 31).ēis alwayse;ī,i, but wummon b 21 (5) afterw;ōiso;ū,u;ȳis regularlyu, fur b 160, hudest b 57; before two consonants, cuððe b 144, fulðe b 113, butiin schriden b 85, beside schruden 90.
eabeforer+ cons. isea, bearm 71, nearewe b 204; before lengthening groups, bearnes 75, heard b 44, butain scharp 64, 65, 67 and always afterw, warde b 231,-wardas in frommard b 165, inward 36, toward b 89, utward 37, warm b 23, warneð 11.eain chearre b 238, wearien b 6 representsæ,i-umlaut of unbroken (Anglian)a.eabeforel+ cons. is regularlya(Anglian), alle 7 &c., falleð 6, halden b 193. Thei-umlaut hasea=æfrom unbrokena, ealde b 124, healden b 197, both before a lengthening group.eobeforer+ cons. is regularlyeo, heorte 51, keorue b 34; before length. groups, eorðe 85, sweord 65, Beornard b 219, but Anglian smoothing is seen in werkes b 62, b 67, b 81. To thewurgroup belong wurðen 88, forwurðen 23, forwurðe b 95: warpere 64, warpeð 66 are Scandinavian; WS. forms areweorpere,wierpð. Thei-umlaut is wanting in heordemonne b 6, iheortet 31;wier, wyrwords haveu, vnwurðe b 108, b 219, wurse 16, 56, b 37, iwurset b 191.eobeforel+ cons. iseoin seolf 59, seoluen b 204 &c.ea, theu- andå-umlaut ofa, is seen in eateliche 58, 69, eawles 67 (awul), meaðeleð 73, 96, streapeles b 42, vnsteaðeluest 5; fearen b 197, misfearen 13, and analogically (Bülbring § 228 anm.), feareð 79, b 120, forfearinde 29, gleadie b 232, heatien b 141, ?peaðereð 81, ?skleatteð 53. This umlaut is specifically Mercian.eo,u-umlaut ofe, gives heouene 3, b 185, but world 40, worldliche b 79 &c.:eo,å-umlaut ofe, beoden b 124, b 206, b 237, breoken b 20, eoten 99,ȝeouenb 71 (from Mercianġefan), and analogically, beore b 31, b 136, forbeoren b 149, breoke b 216, eote b 127, eoten b 150, ȝeoue b 131, b 173, b 233, forȝeoued b 200 (but ȝef 102), speoke b 132, speoken b 138: an Anglian feature.eo,u- andå-umlaut ofi, is seen in cleopede 9, 11, bicleopet b 192, leoðeliche b 28 (liþig, OWScand. liðugr), neomen b 72, b 174, neome b 34, neomen b 189, neomunge 7, seoue 21, seouene 4, seolc b 69, seoluer 84, sweoke b 160, teolunges 6, but hare 5 &c. is the regular representative ofheora, suster b 4 &c., of WS.sweostor, Anglian wike b 189, of WS.wucan(*wiucu).eaafter palatals isa, schal 42 &c., ischauen b 101, schape b 146, butein ȝeten b 128 (WS.gatu),eobefore nasal, scheome b 51: schapieð b 70 is a ME. formation.ieafterġise(Mercian monophthong), ȝef 102, 104, ȝeueð b 68, ȝelden 15, b 7, forȝelde b 175, ȝelp 37; thisewithå-umlaut gives forms ineo, ȝeouen &c. as above.ȝef, EWS.gief, is ȝef 9.eoafterġisu, ȝungre b 132; aftersc, schule 99, schulde 22 &c. (Anglian).eomis am b 236 (Anglian),heom, ham 4 &c.
ēais regularlyea, beate b 31, deade 41, eadmode b 119, greatluker b 157, reaflac 15, butein chepeð b 12, chepilt b 11, cwedschipe b 93, eð b 214, edscene b 147, andain chaffere b 11, chapmon b 12, shorteningdue to stress on following syllable: itsi-umlaut ise(Anglian), bemen 39, 76, bemere 42, bemin 43, dremen b 206, ȝeme b 190, ȝemeles 10 &c., ȝemeð 16, ȝemen b 98, iȝemen b 90, ihereð 53, leue b 174, b 207, leue b 36, misleue b 182, lefunge 7; but greattre b 67 isgrēatra.ēoiseo, beon 4, cneon b 150, feondes 92, feorðe 21, butein seke b 108, secnesse b 111, beforec. The absence of itsi-umlaut is Anglian, deore 71, feonds. d.34 &c., neod b 1, neodeð 88, istreonede 23;ein nedlunge b 8, tene b 112. Absence of palatalization, characteristic of Mercian, afterġ,sćis seen in ȝer b 101, schende b 52 (Bülbring § 289), schon b 38, but scheos b 39, ischeoed b 40.ȝīetis ȝet b 193, the second element in edscene b 147, isgesīene.
a+gisah, dahes b 105, drahe b 53, draheð 36,
mahen 50 &c.; isleine 33 isgeslegen; seið 46, 89,sægð; dreaieð b 233 (comp. dreaien 147/153, dreihen, 146/122)
descends from *dreagaþ, form withå-umlaut (WS.dragaþ).æ+gis regularlyei, deies b 21,
feier b 123, heiward b 6, mei 4 &c., meiden b 96, seide 46, b 117,
iseid 26: mahe b 148, b 180 comes from LWS.mage.e+gis alsoei, abreiden 75, aȝein 5 (ongegn),
toȝeines b 56, eie b 18, eili b 9, leið b 152, pleien 67, b 139, b 146,
pleieð 64, but plohien b 218 which descends with shifted accent from
*pleoganwithå-umlaut (comp.pleogedein a SW.
Mercian text of Bede, ed. Miller, ii. 82). The MS. has in other places
pleien as above, but the noun in Morton’s text pleowe 184/4, pleouwe
218/8 is in MS. A regularly plohe, in MS.Cploȝe.i+g,h, pliht b 97, ipliht 18, sihðe b 61, onsihðe b 55, wriheles b
49, but sygaldren 6: lið 71, b 93 islīþ Unstressedswāis se 15 &c., but swa 73:aoccurs
foroin anan b 87;eforoin streapeles b 42,
sunderliche 24, vnsteaðeluest 5;iforein drihtines 41,
b 206;uforiin dimluker 43, greatluker b 157, monluker
b 110, as in the Katherine group;eis lost in earst b 52,
meidnes b 106, b 183, added in luðere 32, ȝiuere 92;ois lost in
unbischpet 19. The prefixgeisi;ǣr,earin earunder b 209;ætis ed b 178;þǣris syncopated in
þrin, þrinne, þrof, þron, þrefter, þruppe, forms characteristic of the
Katherine group, found also in MSS. C, T, but not in N. wis assimilated in frommard b 165; isehen b 62 descends fromgesegen, not fromgesewen. Metathesis ofris seen
in iwraht b 24 (late North.wroht).llis simplified in
druncwile 105;mmin grim 62.nis lost in earunder b 209,
and often in iþe 1, i 25 forin, o 7 foron;nnis
simplified in monluker b 110.pis inserted in nempneð b 48:bbis simplified in neb b 54.fis regularlyubetween vowels, or vowel and liquid, biuoren 94, heaued 8, froure b 221,
bearuot b 39, underueð 74, vnsteaðeluest 5, but lefunge 7; oncevappears initially, vet b 42, but notu.tis doubled in
hetter b 28, lost in best b 43, olhnin b 6;dfortoccurs
in ed b 121 &c., edhalden 13, b 73 (but ethalt 87), prude 30:tis assimilated in ȝisceunge 14, 16 (gītsung), ȝiscere
79: milce b 182 ismilts, milci b 175miltsie:ttis simplified in cat b 2.dhas disappeared in mungunge b 52; it
is doubled in foddre b 5:tfordappears in ontfule 31,
worltlich 36, b 107, b 108 (but worldliche b 139): mið 53 is Anglian for
mid:ddis simplified in bidest b 238. Initialþoften
becomestaftert,d, te 5, 32, b 178, b 216, tis
83, teo b 179, ter b 196, but þe b 43, b 171, þah b 196, þat b 215; it
is lost in forfearinde 29,dis written for it in edscene b 147,
ladlich b 7,tin leste b 37. Fors,ceappears in
ȝisceunge 14, 16; ȝiscere 79 isgītsere:sćis regularlysch, schrift 19, schende b 52, weschen b 145, butsschin
dissches 93. The stopcis commonly writtenkbeforee,i, kemese b 83, kene 69, kimeð 94, awakenet 24, lokeð b
215, makien 48, rikenin 25, stikeð 92, andckafter another
consonant in þonckið b 228, also in easkeð b 203, esken 79; in other
positionsc, cat b 2, com b 74, cumeð 41, locunge b 143,exceptions are kues b 5, kun b 72: ah 25 is Anglianah, WS.ac:kis inserted as a glide sound in skleatteð 53; see
Archiv cxxxi. 305.čisch, chearre b 238, cwencheð b 165,
brech b 41, iþench b 237, kealche 103, swuch b 18, but keorue b 34,
keoruinde 65, conformed tocurfon, corfen.ččiscchin wicche(creftes) 7; isticchet b 142 is a ME. formation
descending from OE.stiče; contrast stikeð 92 (Bülbring
§ 499, anm. 5).cwis usually preserved, cwide 13,
forecwidderes 57, but quoð b 76. Palatalgis regularly writtenȝ, biȝete 12, ȝemeð 16;his written forgin
murhðe b 221, orhel 38, teoheði 12;gis lost in sygaldren 6;čǧisgg, liggen b 28, seggen b 72. Initialhis
lost in lahheð 97, lahtre 50, lud 38, lust 54, ring b 64;hhis
simplified in laheð 83 andhdoubled in crohhe 94
(crōh). (2)Of B.The principal divergences
from A are noted. Some of them are due to the scribe’s inexperience; his
handling of the consonants in particular is confused.eoin
eondfule 48 forofromabefore length. group is a French
writing; similar is neolden 89.æisain bras 103,
inohraþe 42, hwat 9, nappes 94, þat 16, craftes 7. cwude 12 is fromcwyde; liki 50 is a mistake for loki;uisoin
open 64 (uppan);yisiin mint 97. In leouerð 49,
eo is forofromā; ea 53 representsā, ever; comp.
nea L 1552, 1555.ǣ1isain agastan 57, ilad
4, 19,ein asnesen 68, hest 17, lesse 60, wredfule 32,ae(= æ) in aetri 31,eain eawer 72, 99:ǣnigis ai 8,
15, ei 7.ǣ2isein ilened 15, as generally
in A. eabeforer+ cons. isain barm 70,ein
bernes 74, sherpe 64, but sharpe 63, 66:eobeforer+
cons. ise, swerd 64, but sweordes 68. There is noå-umlaut in ateliche 57 (but eateliche 68), vnstaþelfast 5, fared
78, forfarinde 29, paþered 80, as in A: skletteð 53 is OWScand. sletta.seofonis sewe 28.ēaise, drem 37, 75, reflac 14;ēois alsoein strenes 28, thehewen 12:giefis
gif 9.æ+ggives mai 4, 25;ā+w, out 51,
slauwe 70, slaþ 11 miswritten for slaw;ǣ1+w,
areawe 32, slauþe 20, slouþe 10;ēo+w, trouþe 17. In
syllables of minor stressaappears fore, bemares 36,
galnasse 23, warpare 63;eforæ, ethalden 12,iforu, neominge 7;eforō, te 15 &c.,
tegederes 79:onis a 74.eis often inserted medially
between consonants, bolehed 85, iboregen 41, deoueles 42, deouelen 57,
iugelurs 46, wigeled 96. Forw,uis written in uule 72.lis lost in
fundes 12,nin cunen 46, druch 20. Forp,bis
written in unbischbed 17:fmedial occurs in bifore 39, biforen
60, vnstaþelfast 5, but biuoren 62 as in A, deoules 70 andwforuin biworen 94, eawer 72, 99, giwere 105, keorwinde 64, 69,
kniwes 62, underweng 73. Fort,dappears in bihald 82,
blend 80;tsisssin gissere 78, gissunge 14, but
giscunge 13;dis lost in an 25 (but and 86 and consequently ⁊ þe
31, 73); it is unaltered in ondfule 31, wondrede 76, worldlich35, where A hast:tis written fordin hont 60,
lauert 95,ðford, leouerð 49;dis often written
forð, beod 19 &c., drahed 35, gemed 15, libbed 33, puffed
36, serued 34, shuled 52, slead 30, tutelid 71, wid 2, wredfule 32,
wigeled 96, wurden 87;tforþ, fondet 29, gat 2,wforþ, thehewen 12, warwið 89.scis regularlysh,
dishes 93, shal 87, shruden 90, &c.: etheliche 76 is miswritten for
echeliche; in richkeneres 81,kwas added above as a correction
ofchnot deleted;cwisquin forquiddares 56.gis used forġ, agein 5, bigete 11, ge 1.chtforhtis frequent, drichtines 40, iplicht 17, richte 14;þforhoccurs in þwitel 89,thforhin þothten 38,
fortin thehewen 12. (3)Of N.For an account dealing with
the whole of Morton’s text see Ostermann: the examples given in the
following summary illustrate such differences as exist between N and A.
Oralaisa, blasie 143 (blase,sb.),
wasshen 124, wassheð 95; gledie 204 is influenced byglæd:abefore nasals and length. groups iso; hwon 6, 87,
seldwhonne 179 are the usual forms, but þeonne 5, 144, 181 by influence
of heonne.æis regularlye, keppen 38, veder 154, ueste
37, gledliche 168; occasionallyea, heater 29, readliche 77;ain hateren AR 104/24, later 151, was 3 (Bülbring, Ablaut 62),
water 76, and the flexion forms baruot 34, warliche 127.eise, blodbendes 64; raised toibefore a palatal, sigge 110,
130, siggen 152 (South-Eastern and Kentish);uin stude 153,
sullen 12, swuche 18 &c.iisi, butuin
hwuder 103, wute 138, nute 107.oiso:uisu, kumeð 184:y,u, drunch 187, wurcheð 70.āis regularlyo, anon 69, boðe 105, mone 8, more 196, butoain moare 154, woanes 19 (comp. woaning 2/15, 2/25);eoin beoðe 173, 182, andain lates 127 (Scand. lát).ǣ1is regularlye, clene 22, eni 93, geð 100,
wreððe 133, buteain arearen 140, unweawed 119, heale 193.ǣ2is mostlye, leten 108, lete 19, buteain heare 36, readeð 208, weaden 125, andain hwarse
95, hwarto 126. The representation ofǣ1andǣ2is therefore practically identical.ēise;ī,i, butuin hwule 71, 198, ihwulen 73,
swuðe 197, wummen 171:ōiso;ū,u;ȳ,u, hure 167, schruden 67, butui, expressing
length, in huire 6, 164, 205. eabeforer+ cons. is mostlye, hermes 7,
hermie 9, neruwure 189; before length. groups, herde 28, herdure 189,
anda, afterw,
urommard 146, warme 25; in other
conditions occasionallya, sparke AR 296/13, orea,
schearpe AR 82/11;ain warien 6 is to be explained aseain wearien 60/6.eabeforel+ cons. isa, halue
174, beforelength.groupso, holden 177; thei-umlaut is seen in elde 100,
helden 181.eobeforer+ cons. is mostlyeo,
heorden 28, leornen 79, butein hercnen 73, werc, werke 70,
werkes 62; to thewurgroup belongs forwurðen 77;wyrwords are iwursed 174, wurðe AR 38/17: thei-umlaut is wanting in
heordemonne 6.eobeforel+ cons. isuin sulf 32, suluen 189.
Theu- andå-umlauts ofaare not represented.eo,u-umlaut ofe, occurs in heouene 167, but
worlde 206, worldliche 90, 115;eo,å-umlaut ofe,
in beoden 100, ueole 33:eo,u- andå-umlaut ofi,
in bicleoped 175, seolke 64, but hore 105, sustren
1, wike 172.eaafter palatals isa, schal 27, 181,
ischauen 84,eain ȝeate 105, scheape 125, but oftene,
ȝet AR 74/12; schepieð 65 is fromsćeppan.ieafterġisi, ȝiue 155, 205, uorȝiueð 185,ein ȝelden 7,
forȝelde 156:gefis ȝif 20 &c.eoafterġisu, ȝungre 108; aftersć, schule 66, schulde 72.eomis am 210,heom, ham 188.ēais regularlyea,
cheapeð 13, cheapild 12, cweadschipe 75, butein chepmon 13,
cheffare 11, gretluker 137, gretture 62; itsi-umlaut isein ȝeme 173, ȝemen 80, ȝemeleaste 175, leue 156, 193, misleue 165, buteain dreamen 192.ēois regularlyeo, butein seke 91, secnesse 93; thei-umlaut hasein nedeadv.9, but neode 20, neodeð 26. Palatalization afterġ,sćis absent in ȝere 83, schon 33.gīetais ȝete 176;gesīeneis represented in eðcene 126. a+gisaw, dawes 88: auh 54 is the equivalent
of Anglianah, WS.ac.æ+ggivesei, deie 94, feir 100; muwe 163 is LWS.mugefor earliermæge.e+gis alsoei, eilie 9, weie 100:
seihtnesse 139 issæhtness.o+g, bitowen 198:o+h, iwrouhte 25.u+g, muwen 37, 67.ā+g, owen 167, owune 67, 190:ā+h, ouh
10, 80, ouhte 163, louh 121, lowe 118, louwe 131, nouhwuder 103.ǣ1+h, eihte 3, 8.ī+g, iueied
149, iheid 206.ō+g, inouh 36, 210, þouht 10.ea+h, muhte 116.ie+h, nihtes 22, isihð 23, 71,
140: lauhwen 115 corresponds to lahhen in A.eo+h, rihte
136.ēa+g, deih 56, eien 54, heie 168, 176:ēa+h, neih 72, heie 118, but þauh 7 &c., as if from þah >
*þĕah.ēo+g, drieð 205.īe+h,
nexst 27.ā+w, nout 10, nouhtunge 145, nouðer 112, 159,
but drawe 11, itauwed 25 (forms from the scribe’s exemplar), iseie 116.ō+w, touward 71, 112, 199.ēa+w,
þeaufule 89.ēo+w, four 83, our 91, ower 175, seouweð
65. Swāis so 62 &c., once se 187, and in composition hwo se
29, hwer se 60. Fore,ais written in demare 176, foronin akneon 129; foro,ein strapeles 37;eis added in heuede 197, sunegeð 174, ȝeorneliche 177,uin gretture 62, herdure, neruwure 189: in contrast with A, syncope is
rare. The suffix-lēasis unchanged in wimpelleas 37. wis assimilated in urommard 146, uppard AR 216/28. iwrouhte
25, corresponding to iwraht in A, has metathesis ofr.llis simplified in griðfulnesse 4; forl,rappears in
irspiles 30. Finalnis lost in iðe 83, o 141, but it is
otherwise very regularly retained; it is simplified in monluker 93.fis kept in the combinationsfd,ff,fs,ft, lefdi 208, cheffare 11, ofte 19, lufsumere 54; as a final,
strif 134; initially after a word ending in a voicelesssound, foddre 5, fondunge 74, forwurðen 77 (with exceptions at 54, 90,
150, 172); also beforeu, ful 36, fur 142, 146, þeaufule 89, to
avoiduu. Otherwise it isu,v, at the beginning of
a sentence, Vor 5, Uorði 23; after a syntactical pause, vor 72, 94;
after a word ending in a voiced sound, uet 37, ueond 69, or a liquid,
uor 69, ueste 124, uere 110; or medially, iuestned 10, luuien 180. Butfis exceptionally written sometimes afterd, for 14, four
83, especially after and 147, 156, 204, 209, where the exemplar had ant,
as well as in flesshes 74:ofis shortened to o 195, 208;wis written foruin unweawed 119.tsiscin milce 157, 165.þis assimilated in ette 160, but and te 189
is due to ant te in the scribe’s exemplar;þisdin
lodlich 7. Fors,cis written in eðcene 126:sćis
initiallysch, schal 27, schon 33, mediallysshin
flesshes 74, wasshen 124, but fleshe 27.c[k] iscbefore
consonants, clene 22, hercnen 73, but akneon 129, iknotted 36, iknowed
185;kis regular before e and i, keppen 38, makien 129, and as
frequent ascbefore other vowel sounds, kat 2, kom 75, kume 102.čisch, but ecchenesse 207: istihd 119 is miswritten for
istichd. Palatalgis regularly writtenȝ;rgisrwin midmorwen 162;ngisncin strencðe 18;čǧisgg, liggen 29, sigge 110.hsis writtenxsin nexst 27. (4)Of T and C.According to the
careful investigation ofMühe, MS. T exhibits a varying mixture of Anglian and
Southern forms, the former being predominant. MS. C differs in no main
feature from A. As in the Lambeth MS. of the PM (317/6)chforhis frequent, olchni 6, þocht, nawicht 10, iwracht 25, þach 53,
echnen 54; noteworthy is the interpolated y sound in muchȝen 67
(mugon), sechȝe 116, lachȝe, hechȝe 118, iueiȝet 149 &c. Accidence:(1)of A.Strong
declension ofmasc.andneut.nouns. In thes. n.sune b 231 representssunu.Gen.-es, gastes b 165, bearnes 75:d.-e, bedde b 25, bure b 186, chearre b 238, hame
b 122 (WS.hām), but the inflection is wanting in more than half
the instances, clað b 23, hus b 148, &c. Thepl. n. a.of masculines ends in-es, bemeres 36,
brondes b 161, but scheos b 39, and schon b 38, a weak form: neuters,
with the exception of word 65, have taken the masc. termination, felles
b 24, b 31, gomenes b 218, þinges b 140, werkes 62, wordes 96, &c.,
or have joined the weak declension, beoden b 124, b 206, deoflen 58, 67,
sygaldren 6: wa b 186,pl. a.is indeclinable: genitives are
cunne b 30, englene 39, 76, þinge b 200; datives have mostly-es, breres b 32, streones 5 and 19 others, but beoden
b 237, cneon b 150 (Merciancnēom), ȝeten b 128, siðen b 19, b
101; mel b 177, þing b 129 areacc.in form. Thefem.nouns of the strong declension have-ein
thes. n., fulðe b 113, hure b 184, neode b 17, b 202,
þuftene b 123; exceptions are heast 18, b 115 (hǣs),neod b 1, b 20, b 217, þuften b 119; theacc.also has-e.Gen.-e, helle 76, heorte 86:dat.-e, honde b 121, worlde b 234, sawle b 175, b 176, but
uninflected half 40, 52, help b 75, hond 34, 95, luft 52, world 40, b
234.Pl. n.are teolunges 6, esken 85, weden b 146;d.,
esken 79, honden b 14, sunnen 21, talen b 106, wunden b 198, sawles b
176;a.ahte b 3, kemese b 83, leasunges b 140, secnesses b 36,
glouen b 65, honden b 29, spechen b 139, sunnen 24, talen b 137. The
extension of the weak declension at the expense of the strong is
Southern. Nouns of the weak declension have-ein all cases of the singular; exception, leafdis. a.b 235.Pl. n.are neddren, tadden 88, ancres b
188, leafdis b 46, b 79;pl. d.bemen 39, 76, cappen b 45, earen
b 206, ehnen 48, b 63, heorden b 27, hosen b 39, nomen 25;pl. a.earen 54, b 136, blodbinde, huue b 69, teone b 187 (Anglian absence of
n). The minor declensions are represented by vets. d.b 42;
wummons. n.b 41, monness. g.b 58, wepmonnes
b 56, mons. d.b 220, chapmon b 12, wummon b 47,s. a.b 21, cunnesmon b 144, menpl. n.99, monnepl. g.b 15, b 70, wummone b 194, heordemonne b 5, wepmenpl.
d.b 97; bocs. d.b 223, (o)boke b 134; brechpl.
a.b 41; kuess. g.b 5; nihtpl. n.b 215;
feaders. n.b 173; broðers. n.b 75, breðers. d.b 76; moders. n.21; dohters. n.b 52, dehtrenpl. n.b 15; susters. n.b 4, sustrenpl. n.b 1, b 232, sustres ?pl.
g.b 208; childs. n.22, godchilds. a.20,
childrenepl. g.b 96; feondess. g.92, feonds. d.34, 63, b 159; hettrenpl. a.b 70
(hæteru): hetters. d.b 28 is a ME. formation. Adjectives which in OE. end in e retain that termination in all
cases, as cleane b 21, softe b 198, swete b 43. Instances of weak
inflections ares. n.eadmode b 119, fleschliche b 75, hehe
b 185, swote b 43;g.sunfule b 51;d.dredfule 76,
grurefule 40, hehe b 192, wide 103;a.greate 97, ondfule 50,
rihte 15: a solitary strong inflection is linnenes. a. m.b 26. All other adjectives are uninflected in
the singular, as ful b 93, heh b 186, riht 51. Those in-iglose
g, almihti b 231, attri 12; druncwile 105 representsdruncwillen;
lute b 116,lȳtel;mycelis mostly muche, buts. n.muchel b 18 (3);d.muchele 60, b 225;a.b 226;pl. a.80:āgengivess. n.ahne b 61;g.ahnes b 207;d.ahne b 205;pl. n.57. Thepl.ends in e, bĭsie b 121, idele b 137; exceptions are
hāli b 14, idel b 87. OE.ānais ane b 2 &c.;ānis
an, a;s. g.anes 14:nānis nan, na;s. g.nanes 51;pl. a.nane b 68, b 137, b 218.
Adjectives used as nouns are inflected, ass.gode b 238, idele
74, nearewe b 204, slawe 71, wide b 205, wreaðfule 63, wurse 56;pl.neodfule 90, ontfule 31, prude 30, wreaðfule 32; exceptions
are ȝemeles (predicative) 10, 12, god 53, 73: feorle 100 representsfǣrlic. Comparatives end regularly in e, lufsumre b 64, except
dimluker 43, greatluker b 157: of superlatives only leaste b 188 is
inflected. The personal pronouns are ich, me, us, þu, þe, ȝe, ow b 37, b 196.
The pron. of the third person iss. n.hem.66, haf.b 4 &c., heo b 127, hitneut.5;d.himm.88;a.himm.69, hiref.b 89, hitneut.b 2;pl. n.ha 33, 51, 53, b 147, b 191, heo b 143,
b 149;d.ham 4;a.58 &c. Reflexives are ow b 106, ow
seoluen b 85, him 27, him seolf 81, b 208, him seoluen b 234, hire b 30,
b 33, hire seolf b 32, ham b 166, b 170, ham seolf b 138, b 194:
definitive is ham seolf 59: possessives are mis.b 91, minepl.99, b 1, b 232, þin b 162, ure b 173, ower b 1 &c., his
11, hire b 9, harepl.5 &c. The definite article is mostly
þe, te after t; inflected forms are þets. a. neut.b 205,
þers. d. f.b 155, þens. d. neut., in ear
þen b 126. Þet is used demonstratively 52, 53, 54, b 152, þet ilke b
152, b 153, b 161: the article is also used pronominally in þeo þe,
those who b 86, which 25, þeo, that one b 122, teo, those b 179: þer
buten, without that, b 103. The compound demonstrative is þess. n. m.74, þeoss. n. f.b 117, þis
82, þiss. n. neut.b 158,s. d. f.b 223,s. a. neut.b 188, tis 83, þespl. n.81, þeos 20,
56, þeosepl. d.28, 43, b 115,pl. a.97. The relatives
are þe, þet b 126; þe sometimes means he who 11, she who 21, b 103.
Interrogative is hwuch 9; its correlative is swuch b 18, b 65, b 146;ilcais ilke b 152;þyllic, þullich 104, þullichepl.3, 20. Indefinites are hwa se 15, hwam sed.73, hwet
se b 183; me 16, b 7; sum 27, summepl.47, b 46; eiðer 53
&c.; oðress. g.14, oþers. d.8, 47, oþre
66, b 239,pl. n.26, oðerpl. g.b 15; oðerhwet b 177;
euch 34, euches. d.b 188, b 223;ǣnigis mostly ei
8 &c., but eani 8, b 111, b 213; nowðer b 48; eawt 52, nawt b 15, b
89; moniepl.80, b 168; als. n. a.82, 72,
alles. g.b 207,s. d.b 149,pl. n.20,d.7,a.24, mid alle b 20. Three-fourths of the infinitives end in-en; those of the second weak conjugation mostly in-ien, as makien, þolien; with-inare bemin 43, grennin 59, hungrin 99, lokin 51, b
145, rikenin 25, 82, schawin 38 and the ME. niuelin 59, olhnin b 6,
toggin b 145, wimplin b 51; with-i,
teoheði 12; with-e, cume b 90, drahe b
53, forwurðe b 95, habbe b 2, teache 19, wrenche 48; contract verbs are
underuon b 100, wreon b 50. Thedat. inf.is inflected in forte
donne b 227, to witene 17. Presents ares.1. bidde b 237, hopie
b 224; 2. hudest, sist b 57; 3. attreð b 80, bodeð 66, forms in-iðare þreatið 97, winkið 51, contract verbs,
sið b 89, b 159, sleað 30, contracted forms, being about one-fifth of
the total number of 3rd presents, bihalt 83, 97, ethalt 87, blent 82,
buð b 11, b 187, hat b 135, leið 72, b 152, lið 71, b 93, punt b 6, seið
89, send b 127, understont 83, went b 204;pl.2. dreheð b 233,
feleð b 111, makieð b 80; 3. bihateð b 201, bodieð 57, makieð 38, in-ið, awakenið b 61, leornið 61, sungið b
46, b 191; also seoð b 22:subjunctive s.3. arise b 55, beate b
31; in-i, biblodgi b 32,binetli b 33, easki b 78, eili b 9, frouri b 232, hearmi b 9, milci b
175; in-ie, bleasie b 162, gleadie b 232,
makie b 18, b 155, b 217, trukie b 183; from contract verbs, seo b 143,
wreo b 54;pl.cussen b 156, dreden b 196, heatien b 141, makien
b 150, plohien b 218, þolien b 43; in-in,
bemin b 206, lokin b 147; with apocope of n, ȝeoue b 131, segge b 172,
ticki b 219; from contract verb, underuon b 151, underuo b 130:imperative s.2. ȝef 104, ȝeot 103, loki b 9;pl.2.
ariseð 40, schurteð b 106, schapieð b 70, seowið b 70, talkið b 105,
þonckið b 228, forȝeoued b 200, driue ȝe b 11, fondi(n), leue ȝe b 36,
makie ȝe b 67, b 80, wite ȝe b 15, gruchesi ȝe b 177. Past of Strong
Verbs: I a.s.3. quoð b 76;subj. s.3. sehe b 139: I b.s.3. com b 74, b 93: I c.s.3. dronc 21, swonc b 236: V.pl.2. edheolden, underuengen b 73. Participles present: I c.
keoruinde 65, 69, singinde b 124: II. bitinde b 199: III. lutinde b 152:
IV. drahinde 45, forfearinde 29: V. wallinde 103; past: I a. isehen b
62: I b. iboren b 213, ibroken b 21, utnumeadj.b 221: I c.
iborhen 42, icoruen b 141, fordrunkeadj.96, ilumpen b 19: II.
iwritene 28: II, III. bitohe b 225: III. bilokene 26: IV. ischauen b
101, isleine 33: V. edhalden b 215, ileten b 103, ilete b 104. Past of
Weak Verbs:s.1. cleopede 9, hefde b 225, seide b 117; 3.
schende b 52, gulte b 157, tahte b 75, ondswerede b 76;pl.3.
liueden b 14, þohten 39. Participles present: suhinde b 199, wundrinde b
76; past: awakenet 24, biburiet b 76 and 28 others in-t, ilead 4, igurd b 28, istreonede 23, iturnde b 147,
ontende b 168 and six others in-d. Minor
Groups: nat 1pr. s.3, watpr. s.b 7, nat 10, witepr. s. subj.b 226, nute b 130, witenpr. pl.subj.b 158; ahpr. s.17, ahenpr. pl.b 184, ahtept. s.b 181
(with present meaning); duheninf.b 59, dehpr. s.b 66;
conpr. s.b 134, cunnenpr. pl.47, b 171; schalpr.
s.42, schulen 2pr. pl.b 28, schule 99, b 105, b 191,
schulenpr. pl.58, 89, schule ȝe 2s. imp.b 71, schulde
1pt. s.b 90,pt. s.22; meipr. s.4, mahen 2pr. pl.b 29, b 85 (4),pr. pl.50, b 79, mahepr. s.
subj.b 148, b 180, muhen 2pr. pl. subj.b 44, mahtept.
s.25, b 140, b 213; motpr. s.b 5, motepr. s. subj.b 208; beoninf.4 (9), beo b 4 (4), to beonnedat. inf.b
195, beonne b 74, forte beon 41, am 1pr. s.b 236, ispr.
s.2, nis 5, beoð 2pr. pl.b 104, b 223,pr. pl.3,
20, 26, beopr. s. subj.b 9 (9), beon 2pr. pl. subj.b
203,pr. pl. subj.b 38 (5), beoð 2pl. imp.b 45 (3), beo
ȝe b 86, wespt. s.b 3, werept. s. subj.b 96; wulepr. s.b 53, b 160, wulleð 2pr. pl.b 101, b 113, b 205,
wulepr. s. subj.72, b 27, wullen 2pr. pl. subj.b 45,
naldept. s.90, waldenpt. pl.42; doninf.b
22 (3), do b 226, forte donnedat. inf.b 227, to fordonne 30, dest
2pr. s.b 60, deðpr. s.50 (3), doð 2pr. pl.b
67, b 227,pr. pl.38, 82, dopr. s. subj.b 154, donpr. pl. subj.b 180, b 205, dudept. s.22, idonpp.b176;ganinf.19, b 39, geaðpr. s.b 124, gað 2pr. pl.1, 2pl. imp.b 210, gapr. s. subj.b 124,
b 126, b 129, aga b 160. (2)Of B.This differs from A in
being somewhat more fully inflected: divergences from A are noted. londe
2, schrifte 18 have dative inflection; domes 40 is probably a mistake
for dome; sunnen 26, earen 71 ares. d.: þes 82, 92 iss. g. m.of the article, þen 103s. d. m., 32pl. d.: ha 60 is probably
miswritten for hare. In the inflection of the verbs i is occasionally
found, skirmininf.66, seruin 46, seruidpr. s.48,
tutelidpr. s.71, shuliinf.47, liki (loki) 50: other
noteworthy forms are agastan 57, a survival, maken 47inf.of the
second weak conjugation, ablent 84 contractedpr. s., bitahted 15pp. (3)Of N.The inflections are
generally better preserved than in A. Strong masculine and neuter nouns
have-ein the dat. sing., deie 94, weie
100 &c.; exceptions are cloð, drunch 187: mele 158, þinge 90 arepl. d., blodbendes 64,pl. a.Of the strong femininesn. s.are neode 20, seihtnesse 139;s. d.ȝemeleaste 175, halue 174, hwule 198;s. a.hwule 21, 71,
leasunge 117, ?mone 8;pl. d.soulen 157;pl. a.eihte 3:
weak is ancrenn. pl.171. In the minor declensions ueonde 139 iss. d.,monne 9, 109, 124,pl. d.The adjectives godere 182, heie 168 ares. d. f., sorie 91,pl. n., worldliche 90,pl. d.ānis on, o 138,g.ones 193,d.one
94, 208, on 29,a.one 22;nān, non 27, no 23,g.none[s] weis 3,a. m.nenne 20, 23, 108, no 27,a. f.none 11, 101,a. neut.no 11;pl. d.none 9, 109, 124:āgenis represented by owunes. d.67, 190. Then. s. f.of the pronoun of the third
person is heo: possessive mine 73 isa. s. f.:ēoweris our 91, ower 175,heora, hore 105. Inflections of
the article ares. n.þem., þef., þetneut.140,d.þerf.130, 170,a.þenem.6 (4), þeof.21, 71;pl. a.þeo 88. The
compound demonstrative hass. d. f.þisse 195, 208,s. a. f.þeos 209. The relative is þet; swuche 18, 92,
125 iss. d., sume 140,s. a. f., 90,pl. d.; ueolepl. a.33; eueriche 195,s. d. m.;ǣnigis eni 8, 93. Infinitives end in-en, those of the
second weak conjugation mostly in-ien,
but loken 124; forms in-in,-iare absent. An inflected infinitive is forto donne
199, in other cases the simple form is preceded by uorto, uorte, for to,
except to schruden 67. Inflected forms with-iare not found in any part of the verb. The contract
verbsēongives isihðpr. s.23, 71, 140: contracted forms
of thepr. s.occur about as frequently as in A: thepr.
pl.ends in-eð, drieð 205, sunegeð
174, but iseoð 23; thepr. subj.ends in-e,-en, eilie 9, gledie
204, hermie 9, milce 157, sigge 130, siggen 152, but iseo 119. Past of
Strong Verbs: I a. iseiesubj. s.3. 116: II. wrots.3.
209. Participles present: I c. singinde 100: II. bitinde183:III. lutende 131;
past: I a. iseien 53: I b. ikumen 19: II, III. bitowen 198. Past of Weak
Verbs:heuede 1pt. s.197. Inflected past participles are isettea. s. f.164, iwrouhtepl.25. Minor Groups: wotpr. s.198, wat 7, wute ȝeimp. pl.138 (Anglian); ouhpr. s.10, 80, owenpr. pl.167, ouhtept. s.163;
deihpr. s.56; schullen 2pr. pl.29, schulen 87, 175;
muwepr. s. subj.163, muwen 2pr. pl. subj.37, 67, muhtept. s.116; beoninf.4,pr. pl. subj.24, to beondat. inf.179, waspt. s.3; uorto dondat. inf.199, don 2pr. pl. subj.62; uorto gondat. inf.34, geðpr. s.100, gopr. s. subj.100 (4). (4)Of T: mainly a statement of
divergences from A. In the strong declension ofmasc.andneut.nouns, wedes. n.125 represents OE.gewǣde; heordes 6 iss. g.As in A, thedat.sing. is mostly uninflected, but ȝate 105, hame 98, rihte 164, tune 109.
schon 33 is a weakn. pl., beodesn. pl.192,a.
pl.100 hasmasc.termination, þinge 184 ispl. g.;
datives have mostly-es,-s, cneos 129, 135, giltes 150, wahes 19, but siðe 19,
83, þinge 117; meal 158, þing 106, 188 areacc.in form. Strong
declension offem.nouns: somentalen. s.139
represents-talu;dat.-e,
lokinge 18, but uninflected are hond 97 (hond), rest 92;acc.-e, without exception:
fondinges 74pl. n.has masc. termination, tales 89 ispl.
d.,acc.are gloues 56, leasinges 117, speches 115, tales
114, ahte 3. Nouns of the weak declension ares. g.ancres
8 (4), chirches 66, schirches 32 (= chirches),d.deme 176,
eare 192, fere 110, anker 165, lauedi 155, lafdi 112;pl. n.ancres 171,d.ehne 54, hose 35, heordes 28,a.cappes 38,
eares 112. The tendency to substitute the terminations of the strong
declension for those of the weak is Midland. In the minor declensions
namon 9 iss. d.; sustre 204,pl. n.; childrene 78,pl. g. An adjective inflected in thesing.is hehe 176: plurals have-e, with the exception of bisi 97, idel
69, sari 91:pl. a.is nane 115. Beside ich 86 (3), i occurs 72
as pers. pronoun. Then. s. f.andn. pl.of the
pronoun of the third person is ho 4, 122; hom 167 is miswritten for ho;heorais hare 125, 127, hore 126. The relative pronoun is þat:
the demonstrativeþā, those, is seen in (⁊) ta 68, 161: the
indef. is mon 8 (5); hwat as noun occurs at 145, 159;āwihtis
oht 208; alle iss. d.128,pl. d.116. Infinitives are divided equally between-enand-e; those in-ienare hatien 117, þolien 87, 169, in-ie, werie 27, but loke 124; forms with-in,-iare
absent. Dative infinitives are for to biginnen 199, for to puffen 143,
to habben 56, with four others in-en; to
breke 20, to haue 11, to lose 94, to reare 140. The 3rdpr. s.ends in-es, askes 188, blawes 190, and 32
others, none being contracted forms, but lis 76, seos 71, 140, and bueð
170; the 3rdpr. pl.in-en,
bihaten 186, hauen 208, and 13 others, but suneheþ 174; thesubjunctive pr. s.in-e, blawe
148, cume 102, blodeke 32, eile 9, like 35, make 135, but blasie 143,
gladie 204, trukie 166, werie27, seo 23,pl.in-en, bemen 192,
hauen 66, nabben 106, halden 202 (but halde 147), luuien 180, makien
129;imperative s.2. in-e, loke
9, were 30,pl.in-es, biddes 201,
haues 21, habbes 26 and twelve others, driue ȝe 12, gruse ȝe 158,
&c. Past of Strong Verbs: I a.subj. s.3. sehe 116: I c.s.3. swanc 210: III.pl.2. drehden 205, a weak form;
comp. HM 37/6. Participles present: II. bitende183:III. lutende 131;
past: II, III. bitohen 198: V. bifallen 19, ileten 85, 87. Past of Weak
Verbs:s.1. hafde 197. Participles present: seiende 100,
suhiende 184; past: bicleopet 175, iset 164, ifest 149 and 8 others in-t, idodded 83, ilaced 37, iturnde 126,
gurd 30, red 208, icnotten 36. Minor Groups: duheninf.24, deahpr. s.56; cunnenpr. pl.172, cunen 152; schule 2pr.
pl.175, schuln 29, schulepr. pl.122; maipr. s.4,
muhen 2pr. pl.67, 89, 173; beoninf.53, 196, beo 4 (6),
to beondat. inf.179, arn 2pr. pl.87 (5),pr.
pl.beon 126, 147, 149, beos 97, beopr. s. subj.148, 206,
beon 2pr. pl. subj.189,pr. pl. subj.33, 105, beos 2pl. imp.188, 201, beo ȝe 69, waspt. s.3, werept. s.
subj.198; wilepr. s.28, 168, nule 29, wiln 2pr.
pl.96, 191; doninf.89, for to donnedat. inf.199,
to do 199, dospr. s.142, 189, don 2pr. pl.200, 201,pr. pl.129, 157, 2pr. pl. subj.62, do 191, idonpp.157; to gandat. inf.34, gaspr. s.100, gapr. s. subj.100, 141. The termination of ladliadj.7,
gladliadv.168, nomeli 149 is due to Scand.-ligr,-liga; nedinge 9
represents OE.nēadinga; wið prep. 20, 22 (in N mid), ni conj. 55
&c., and til conj. 172 are noteworthy. (5)Of C.This differs little from A.
Nouns of the weak declension are ancress. g.8, blodbindenpl. a.64. The pronoun of the third persons. n. f.,pl. n.is ha 4, 122. While thepr.
s.of the verb regularly ends in-eð,
makes 8, 20 survives from the Midland original; so too don 2pr.
pl.200 beside doð 201, beon 126, 149. iburðpr. s. impers.56, befits, represents OE.gebyreþ; other verbal forms are sechȝept. s. subj.116, seggindepres. p.100, nach for ne ahpr. s.80, achȝenpr. pl.167, muchȝen 2pr. pl.67, muȝen 92, wullet 2pr. pl.96, 191 beside wulled 84, wullen
38. The adv. nedunge 9 represents OE.nēadunga. Vocabulary:The Scandinavian element is large: ai T 206,
arn T 87 &c., blast T 144, eskibah 79, flutte b 182, geineð b 163,
grið(fullnesse) b 4, hesmel N 118, lah b 143, lahe b 152, lane 13,
lastunge 56, lates b 147, meoke b 38, b 66, nai b 48, b 76, riue b 83,
riueð b 82, riuunges b 83, sahtnesse b 158, (but seih[t]nesse N is
English), scale 95, semes T 3, skile b 118, skleatteð 53, tiþinges NT
114, tidinges b 138, C 114, til TC 172, wanes b 19, warpere 64, warpeð
66 (worpare, worpeð N are English), windowe b 59, wontreaðe 76, wursnet
T 174: probably baðe T 105, T 156, T 187, brendes C 141, hird B 33,
hwitel 89, lustni b 90, lustnen T 73,meaðeleð 73, 96, rukelin 80, rukeleð 86, ruken 81, somen (tale) T 139,
suhinde b 199, suhiende T 184, suwinde N 184, umben b 229, TC 201:
possibly dusten 68, glopnen T 56/58. The French element is very
extensive; many of the words appear for the first time: accidie 11,
amendeð N 65, mendið b 70, amices b 78, angoise 60, apostle b 50, atiffi
b 63, untiffet b 64, tiffunge b 53, aturn b 146, augrim 81, best N 2,
beastes 28, boistes b 16, broche b 65, caliz C N 17, chaliz T 17, canges
82, celer 92, change b 222, ichanget b 117, chartres b 16, cheres 48,
complie b 179, criblin b 81, curt 34, cuuertur 89, cyrograffes b 17,
dame b 129, (deuleset TC 198), disceplines b 35, dute N 79, eise b 187,
eise b 223, eoli b 197 (Bonn. Beitr. xv. 110), familiers T 113, figures
81, folliche 18, frut b 177, gloire b 80, glutun 92, grace b 174, graces
b 171, greueð b 105, gruchunge b 135, haire T 36, hurte b 214, hurten b
213, inobedience 6, iuglurs 47, large b 203, laz b 69, ilacet b 42,
leattres b 99, leon B 30 liun 30, manciple 92, mantel C 120, imantlet C
121, meistre b 2, imembret b 65, meoster 35 mester B 48, mustreisun b
80, noise 38, obedient b 129, ore 7, parures b 79, penitence b 169,
poure b 70, pouerte b 114, prophetes 57, religiun b 74, riwle b 116,
rund b 59, sacrement 8, scoren b 16, scurge b 32 schurge N 31, seinte C
46, semblant 60, seruant b 181, seruin 47, seruise 43, silence b 180,
skirmi 67, sot(schipe) b 111, spece 5, stamin b 27, strif b 154,
isturbed N 163 isturbet b 181, suffreð N 205, surpliz b 66, taueles b
82, temptaciuns b 35, tendre b 73, terme 15, tohurten b 164, triccherie
17, vnicorne 32, ures b 135, vampez b 40, veiles b 45, veine b 80,
uestemenz b 17. Latin borrowings are auez b 134 auees C 111, cuchene 93
(pre-Conquest), false 6, falsliche 19, paternostres b 134, presumptio 9,
purses b 68, scapeloris C 120, unbischpet 19, venie b 150. Dialect:The AR has hitherto been generally regarded as
Southern, partly because of the prevailing Southern dialect of the
manuscript printed by Morton, and partly because of the fancied
connexion of the treatise with Tarrant Kaines in Dorsetshire. But the
presence of Midland and Northern forms to a greater or less extent in
all the manuscripts, although four of them at least were written by
Southern scribes, points to the Northern border of the Midland area as
the home of the original, while the large Scandinavian element in the
vocabulary and the absence of the characteristic u in unaccented final
syllables (-ud,-un,-us,-ut) decide for the
East against the West Midland. MS. N is a copy made by a scribe of the
Middle South; his alterations of the inflections are systematic, but
with occasional lapses like timbrin Morton, 12/24, blescið 18/11,
seihtni 28/19, kalenges tu 54/2, wenes tu 54/5 (beside wenest tu 54/20),
muhtes 304/13 (but muhtest 270/3) &c.; more frequently he copies
Angliansounds from his exemplar. He also substitutes, as far as he can, English
and French words for Scandinavian, e. g. hercnen 73 for lustnin,
yet he retains such purely Northern elements as suwinde 184, and the
suffix in godleic Morton, 136/15, ureoleic 192/25. Peculiar to the
scribe are his representations ofa+h,ā+h,ō+w(touward occurs in Layamon). MS. A
presents the characteristic features of the Katherine Group; it is a
copy by a scribe of the Northern border of the South. The Midland
element in its sounds is considerable, but the inflection is mainly
Southern; theu- andå-umlauts ofaappear to be
due to the scribe and not to the original. MS. B is closely related to
A, but it is somewhat more Southern in preservation of the inflections;
the scribe was more accustomed to French than to English. MS. C also
closely resembles A, but in the flexion North-Midland forms appear more
often by inadvertence. In MS. T, both sounds and inflections are
predominantly Midland: still in other parts of the manuscript the
Southern element is more evident than in our extract. This manuscript
stands nearest in dialect to the original; it appears to be a copy of a
North-Midland text made by a scribe not long enough resident in the
Midland area to have quite forgotten his native Southern speech. Style:MS. N is not only the most remote from the
original in dialect, it has also been altered in language more than the
others, partly from a desire to make the meaning plainer, partly from a
dislike of any singularity of expression. The changes made may be
classified as i. insertion of connecting particles, ‘and,’ ‘vor,’
‘þeonne,’ N 144 &c.; ‘so uorð so’ in A is altered into ‘uor so’
Morton, 136/13: ii. expansions like ‘ȝe habbeð’ N 95, ‘he nout’ N 101,
‘to þer eorðe’ N 130, ‘þeo þinges’ N 160: iii. re-arrangement of words
in a prose order, ‘kume hom’ N 102, ‘so’ N 115, ‘dreamen wel’ N 192: iv.
substitution of nouns for pronouns, ‘nenne mon’ N 23; the writer has a
peculiar affection for the word mon, so, ‘ase deð, among moni mon, sum
uniseli ancre,’ Morton 128/23, where A has ‘monie’ without noun: v.
elimination of words and expressions used in a figurative way, ‘hit is’
N 99 for ‘driueð,’ ‘kumeð—heouene’ N 170, destroying the
alliteration. These alterations have tended to obscure the peculiar
rhythmic movement of the prose, which was a feature of the original as
of Sawles Warde, the Katherine Group, Hali Meidenhad and some smaller
pieces. It is discernible in the other manuscripts, especially in
elevated passages, as b 182-7, b 205-8, b 231-5, and the scribe of MS. A
often shows by his punctuation that he recognized its existence. Introduction:The Ancren Riwle, as it was called by
Morton, the Ancrene Wisse (the Anchoresses’ Guide) as its title is in
MS. A, waswritten for the instruction of three sisters, ‘gentile wummen,’ of whom
the author says ‘ine blostme of ower ȝuweðe, uorheten alle worldes
blissen ⁊ bicomen ancren’ (Morton, 192). Their dwelling is under the
eaves of a church, they are ‘under chirche iancred’ (M. 142); there is
but a wall between them and the Host (M. 262). They live in separate
cells, for they send messages to one another by their attendant maids
(M. 256), and they are fully provided for, ‘euerich of ou haueð of one
ureond al þet hire is neod;ne þerf þet meiden sechen nouðer
bread ne suuel, fur þene et his halle’ (M. 192). They are greatly
beloved, ‘vor godleic ⁊ for ureoleic iȝerned of monie’ (M. 192); their
whole life in so strict an order is as a martyrdom, ‘ȝe beoð niht ⁊ dei
upe Godes rode’ (M. 348). As they were not subject in their anchorhold to any recognized
monastic rule, they sought some regulations for their way of life, and
the treatise they received is represented, so far as the matter is
concerned, best by MS. N. But a book so helpful was certain to be copied
for the use of other anchorites, with suitable adaptations and possibly
additions; such a copy is MS. A, made a considerable time after the
original. It omits the important reference to the author, found only in
MS. N, wherein he speaks of the practice of the lay brothers of the
community to which he belonged (Morton, 24), the word ‘leawude’ in ‘ure
leawude breðren’ (M. 412/8), and the passage addressed by the author to
the ladies for whom the book was composed (M. 192) containing the
biographical details quoted above: of the numerous additions the most
interesting is that in which reference is made to the general adoption
of the rule by anchoresses all over England, with such unanimity that it
is as though they were all gathered within the walls of one convent at
London, Oxford, Shrewsbury, or Chester (M. L. Review, ix. 470). As
MS. T is imperfect at the beginning, its first leaf corresponding to
Morton, p. 44, it cannot be known whether it left out the first passage
(Morton, 24) mentioned above, but it does omit the second passage
(Morton, 192), and further eliminates commendatory references to the
sisters found in Morton, 48/2-4, 50/20-24; it is therefore adapted like
A. So too is the French version; it contains some of the additions of A,
and is subsequent to it. A third stage is reached when the book is
recognized as profitable reading for others who are not anchorites, for
nuns, as in the Latin version of MS. M, in which the first ritual part
is abridged and the last wholly left out as inapplicable to those who
have a definite rule of their own, such as the Cistercian sisters at
Tarent, for whom Simon of Ghent may well have executed this translation.
Similarly the extracts of MS. B were probably made for the use of
seculars. Hitherto no plausible guess as to the author has been made. Simon of
Ghent, who died in 1315A.D., is
manifestly out of the question. Bishop Poor (d. 1237) has been drawn in
solely because of his connexion with Tarent (Dugdale, v. 619), of which
he was the principal benefactor. From internal evidence it may be
gathered that the writer was a disciple of S. Bernard (1091-1153), whom
he quotes some twelve times expressly, and from whose Liber Sententiarum
he says he takes most of his sixth book; ‘hit is almest Seint Beornardes
Sentence,’ Morton, 348/14. He was acquainted with Ailred of Rievaulx and
with the treatise which Ailred wrote for his sister the anchoress
(Morton, 368), of which he made extensive use. He belonged to some
monastic order, for he speaks of ‘vre leawede breþren,’ and ‘ure ordre’
(Morton, 24). He appears to have been acquainted with other anchoresses
(Morton, 102, 192, 410). There is a note of weariness at the end of the
book, as of one already advanced in years, and indeed the accumulated
experience of a long life must have gone to its making. He was a
widely read man; he quotes from many authors, of whom, after S. Bernard,
S. Augustine and S. Gregory were the chief, but he drew on the Bible
twice as often as on all the others put together. Finally, the
Scandinavian element in his native speech was exceptionally large, and
French was so familiar to him as to colour his English far more than
that of any previous writer. There were two men living towards the end of the twelfth century who
might answer to this description, Gilbert of Hoyland, Abbot of Swineshed
in Lincolnshire (Dugdale, v. 336), and S. Gilbert of Sempringham. The
former completed the treatise on the Canticum Canticorum begun by S.
Bernard, in which the mystic interpretation is quite different from that
which runs all through the Ancren Riwle. But for S. Gilbert (1089-1189)
I think a good case can be made out. He was brought up in South
Lincolnshire, where the Danish element was strong, and not far from the
northern border of the Midland area, for Lincolnshire north of the
Witham was more Northern than Midland. In later years his visitations
took him often to his houses of Watton and Malton in Yorkshire. He
received his early education mostly in France, and he probably visited
that country often in later life; he spent more than a year there in
1147, 1148A.D.To no other person
would the recluses have been so likely to apply for a rule, since he was
famous as the greatest director of pious women in England; ‘vir eximiae
religionis, in feminarumque custodia gratiae singularis,’ says Trivet in
his Annales; ‘vir plane mirabilis, et in custodia feminarum singularis,’
W. of Newburgh. His own foundation for women and men, the order of the
Gilbertines, had its beginnings in an anchorhold whichhe built for seven maidens against the north wall of his own church of
S. Andrew at Sempringham sometime about 1131A.D.(Dugdale, vi, pt. 2, *ix). For these he framed
a Rule, ‘dedit . . . eis praecepta vitae et disciplinae,’ and
provided servants ‘puellas aliquas pauperculas in habitu seculari
servientes.’ When, after a long visit to S. Bernard, he returned to
England with his Institutiones confirmed by Eugenius III, his order was
regularly founded, with himself as Master. The Rule of his nuns was
framed on Cistercian lines, but with modifications from many sources.
While it differs of necessity from regulations suitable to the life of
the recluse, it shows the same extraordinary attention to details (‘non
solum magna et maxime necessaria, verum etiam minima quaedam et abiecta
. . . non omisit,’ Dugdale, *xiii) which is displayed in the
Ancren Riwle. And the two Rules often agree in these details, as will be
seen in the notes; the most remarkable example is the similarity of the
devotions of the lay brethren of the order to which the writer belonged,
as described in the AR (Morton, 24), to the rule for the Hours of the
Fratres in the Sempringham Order (Dugdale, *lx). There are numerical
differences in the number of Paternosters and Psalms, but the Gilbertine
Rule, as we have it, is a revision, probably a relaxation, of Gilbert’s,
and the principle is the same. This method of saying the Hours is given
by the writer to the recluses as an alternative use to the more
elaborate one already prescribed, and he adds, ‘Gif ei of ou wule don
þus heo voleweð her, ase in oþre obseruances, muchel of ure ordre.’
Gilbert was intimate with Ailred of Rievaulx, and sought his advice in
the case of the nun at Watton (Twysden, Decem Scriptores, i. col. 420).
Unfortunately, no authenticated writing of his, save a formal letter
addressed in his last days to the Canons of his Order (MS. Digby 36, f.
189 b), has come down to us. But the first of his biographers tells us
that, when in the course of his constant visitations of his houses he
rested for a time anywhere, he did not eat the bread of idleness, but
among other occupations wrote books, ‘scripsit quandoque libros’
(Dugdale, *xv), and the writer of the Nova Legenda Anglie, i. 471, says
‘libros multos scripsit; verba eius nichil aliud quam sapientiam et
scientiam sonuerunt.’ The first members of his Order would surely
multiply copies of the works of their founder, and it is not likely that
all of these have disappeared. The Ancren Riwle was probably one of
them. But there is besides a group of writings which are seen in their
true setting when regarded as a product of the Gilbertine movement; the
table onp. 356gives the contents of
three manuscripts which are in my opinion collections of the works of S.
Gilbert. Among them is that ‘Englische boc of Seinte Margarete’ (M.
244/20) possessed by the recluses, as the writer of the AR knew. There has been much dispute as to the language in which the AR was
written. The older scholars, Dr. Thomas Smith (1696A.D.), Wanley (1705), Planta (1802) had no doubt
that it was Latin. Morton (1853) championed the English version, but
some of his arguments were refuted, others shaken by Bramlette. Muhe,
holding the priority of the Latin proved, was obliged to adopt an
involved and improbable view of the relationship of MS. T to the other
manuscripts. It should be observed that these scholars were unable to
take into account the Corpus MS. and the French version. The first to
pronounce from a knowledge of all the materials was G. C. Macaulay
in the M. L. Review, xi. 61. He appears to have disposed
effectually of the claim on behalf of the Latin version, but his
arguments in favour of French as the original language are not
convincing. It must suffice here to say that nothing he adduces appears
to be so crucial as the passage at 58/79, or even 56/38, 56/54, 70/170.
In a general comparison, the English has all the vigour and raciness of
an original work, while the French gives the impression of being
unidiomatic and wanting in spontaneity. In the foot-notes p. 60, l. 12, add C after chepilt: p. 61, l. 17,
read chirche: p. 65, l. 62, add C after grettere: p. 67, l. 96, read
wulletC for wulh C., also at p. 75, l. 191.
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