XXII. GENESIS AND EXODUS

XXII. GENESIS AND EXODUSManuscript:Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, 444, former mark R 11; on vellum, 186 × 116 mm., in one hand of the end of thirteenth or of the beginning of the fourteenth century. It contains on 81 folios the poem from which the present extract is made. On f. 1 r is the name of a former owner, Richard Southwell, with a motto nearly obliterated, Sapit qui sustinet, or suscepit (James). See further A Descriptive Catalogue of the MSS. in the Library of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, by M. R. James, vol. ii, p. 357.Editions:Morris, R., Genesis and Exodus. E. E. T. S., O. S. 7, 1865, revised 1873. Mätzner, E., Altenglische Sprachproben, i. 76-90. Specimens, 153-170. Emerson, O. F., ME. Reader, 21-35.Literature:Fritzsche, A., Anglia, v. 43-90 (authorship, phonology, grammar, metre, notes); Hilmer, H., Ueber die Sprache der altenglischen Story of Genesis and Exodus, Sondershausen, 1876; Holthausen, F., ES xvi. 429-33, Archiv, xc. 143, 144, 295, cvii. 386-92, Anglia, xv. 191-4, xxii. 141 (notes and emendations); Kölbing, E., ES iii. 273-334, xvii. 292-6 (notes and emendations); Schumann, W., Anglia, vi. Anzeiger, 1-32; Stratmann, F. H., ES ii. 120, iv. 98 (notes).Analogue:Die altfranzösische Histoire de Joseph, ed. W. Steuer, Erlangen, 1903, also as L’Estoire Joseph, ed. E. Sass, Berliner Dissertation, 1906.Phonology:This section should be compared with pp. 581-586; explanations of abnormal forms offered there are not repeated. Oralaisa, asses 427, crauen 420;abefore nasals isa, gan 8, man 446 r. w. chanaan, nam 84, quanne 14, ðanne 199; men 204 (3 times) is a reduced form of the indefinite pronounman;abefore lengthening groups iso, among 587, fond 30, but and 6 &c., handful 15, Orm’s hanndfull, with consonant following the lengthening group.æisa, at 25, bad 93 (14),bar 22 (6), dale 79 r. w. bale, faste 93, 248, quat 37, ðat 9, was 1 &c.; the exceptions are fest 427 r. w. best, queðer 111, reste 82, reste 466 (5), weche 514, weches 521 (comp. ‘weciað,’ Vesp. Ps. 126/1), togider 406 r. w. hider.eise, beden 266, beðen 501, deren 402 r. w. sheren, stede 81 r. w. dede, wel 10 &c. (wēl, Bülbring, § 284); before lengthening groups, ende 588, engeles 587, feld 29, but hate 12, 32, 33, influenced by haten,hatianand perhaps by OWScand. hatr, bi 150, quilke 134 (3), swilc 33, bliscing 452, influenced byblissung, rejoicing, wol 384, GE 621, ‘wol wel he dede,’ id. 724, ‘ðehg wol wel,’ id. 1266, due to labial influence and weakness of stress (Gabrielson, Influence of W-, 207, 8); seigen 548, seið 404 (secgað).iisi, bid 563, driuen 219, is 74 &c., ðider 55, wile 180, wliten 343 r. w. eten; before lengthening groups, bringen 213, wilde 71, winden 502; beðen 552 is a miswriting of bidden, welin 585 of wilen.oiso, biforen 16, on 32, soren 15, wrogt 36 r. w. nogt; before lengthening groups, forð 190, gold 194, ‘wolde,’ GE 1418, but an 95, a 40, 108, without stress, wulde 9 (4), wurðen 517.uisu, kuppe 101, wukes 527; before lengthening groups, grund 164, hunger 204, murnen 107, but boden 67, storue 54, ‘domme,’ GE 2821, French writings.yis regularlyi, bigen 220, kin 240, 244 r. w. beniamin, kire 505 r. w. ȳre; before lengthening groups, kinde 129 (5), kinges 87, but deden (dǣdon) 2, 154, 265 r. w. beden, 431, 504, 538 r. w. abiden, dede 44, 82 r. w. stede, come 321, sundri 81 (3), analogy ofsundor.āiso, agon 292 (ongān), gon 242 r. w. pharaon, 249 r. w. symeon, non 283 r. w. symeon, on 320 r. w. symeon, ðo 13, wrot 581 r. w. mot; withoo, ‘ooc,’ GE 1873, ‘wooc,’ id. 1874; but ‘loac,’GE1798, ‘ðoa,’ id. 3894 r. w. salmona, 4129 r. w. fasga, ‘woa,’ id. 880 r. w. oba: slo 35, slon 34 r. w. on, come from forms withā; before two consonants, homward 430, but a 81, an 58 &c., unstressed article, anoðer 43, ali 482, 493, 526, hali 492, clad 174? with shortenedaas if from *clādd, gast 482, 492, quam 374 (hwām), bilef, 214, 251 (‘belāf,’ Peterborough Chron.,an.1131), probably by confusion withbelǣfan, but Kluge, Grundriss § 125, assumes a change of ablaut, ‘ða,’ GE 1901 r. w. bozra, ‘wac,’ id. 1197 r. w. ysaac.ǣ1ise, bilewen 287, clene 493, leden 358 r. w. speden, 355 r. w. ðeden, segeð 286, form fromsǣgan, meaning fromsīgan; before two consonants, fette 154, helðe 398, lesteð 564, buteain ear 202, 483,ain ani 235 (āwith shortening), ðan 212, 389, 550 (þāmwith shortening), andoin most 350, 422 (l Nmāst),eiin fleis 143 (= fles, comp. treweiðe 358),iin ilc 409, 410, 421 (ylc).ǣ2ise, bedden 327 (bǣdonfrombiddanin form, butbudonfrombēodanin meaning), dede 41 (4), mel 466 r. w. wel, red 45, 191 r. w. sped, 568 r. w. dead, sel 442 r. w. wel, ðer 95 r. w. prisuner, 170 r. w. buteler, weren 255 (6), were 228, wet 342, 396 r. w. gret; before two consonants, lewse 44, 407(lǣswe), redden 34, vnselðehe 370, but ðor 42 r. w. sor, 48 &c., 471 r. w. ger, ðore 324, wor 82 (hwāra), quuor 482 (3), quor 462, wore 139, 246, woren 434 r. w. biforen, and six other instances.ēise, bene 565, sped 46 r. w. red; before two consonants, kepten 25, but doðes 230.īisi, butyis written for it in yre 506.ōiso, writtenooin good 121, 448, ‘booc,’ GE 4124, ‘tooc,’ id. 4123, but cam 55 (8), bicam 202, breðere 7 (14), an umlaut form, wep (OE.wōp) 382 is a new formation fromwēpan, briðere 325.ūisu, but ‘town,’ GE 2739, ‘out,’ id. 72.ȳisi, hid 364, kid 411 r. w. bitid, srid 73 r. w. bitid, but ðe 357 (þȳ).eabeforer+ cons. isa, harme 368; before lengthening groups, forward 290, harde 94 (3), butein erd 148 (3), gerken 309, speren 248, sperd 93, 147 and wurð 116 (9). Thei-umlaut ise, derne 46, erue 44, werneden 261, but chare 444.eabeforel+ cons. isa, alle 34 &c., salt 20 (3); before lengthening groupso, bold 13, 175, cold 39, 584, holden 94 (3), old 3 (3), sold 4 (4), wold 40 (4), but geld 206, ‘geald,’ GE 2581; thei-umlaut ise, eldere 483, 560, welden 197 (see 359/7 and comp. Bülbring § 175 anm.).eobeforer+ cons. ise, berge 583, fer 483, feren 31, herte 32 (6), sterres 17. To thewurgroup belong wurðe 111, 128, wurðen 465, 481, wurðed 20, wurðeden 18, wurðing 194. Thei-umlaut isi, hirde 449, hirdnesse 26, but hertedin 76, smeren 496, 502 (smierwan), smered 509, 511, smerles 508 are without umlaut: awyrword is wurð 39 (5). Theu- andå-umlauts ofaare wanting, as in bale 80 r. w. dale, faren 292, misfaren 7, as are also those ofe, werlde 288 (7), beren 138, fele 425.eo,u- andå-umlaut ofi, isein her 13, but biueð 334, cliued 59, cliueð 438, liued 60, nimen 416, 532, siluer 268 (comp. OWScand. silfr, Björkman, 112), siðen 115 (6) have no umlaut.eaafter palatals isa, sal 79 &c., shauen 174, bigat 332 r. w. get, forgaf 553, forgat 146, gaf 45 (5).ieafterġise, bigetel 88, bigeten 234, forgeten 156, geuen 452, 512, but forgiue 549 r. w. liuen, ME. gifte 520; aftersc,e, sheren 401 r. w. deren. EWS.giefis if 7 (3).eoafterġisuin gunge 335, gungest 214 (4); aftersc,u, sulen 22 &c., sulde 9, sulden 355, ‘suuen,’ GE 107.eomis am 129 (4),heom, hem 9 &c.ēaise, bed 101, bred 102, dede 519, eddi 140, gret 341, 395 r. w. wet, lepes 132,eein neet 151; before two consonantse, eðimod 303, lefful 578, buteain bead 548, bread 133, dead 1 r. w. unred, 485, 547, 567 r. w. red, dead 286, eares 158, anda(shortening) before two consonants in chapmen 85, chafare 47, gatte 531, 567 (Björkman, 109). Thei-umlaut ise, herde 107, heren 585, nede 215, 219, ned 295, 578 r. w. red, nedful 184.ēois invariablye, bed 127, bedden 552, for beden, ben 10 &c., dep 38 r. w. slep, leue 475, sen 26 &c., ðeden 356 r. w. leden, ðre 132 r. w. me; it is writteneein seen 492, ‘teen,’ GE 1344; before two consonantse, fellen 326, 551, leuere 139; buteiin weis 343 (wēoxfromweacsan), comp. fleis 143: miswritteniin lif 481 for ‘lef,’ GE 340 (6). Thei-umlaut ise, dere 301, 453, ten 51 r. w. men.gīetis get 39 (6).ēaafterġise, ger 1 (11).a+gisag, dragen 100, lages 500, slagen 58, but daiges 499, 509, 525, laiges 510, 526, daies 123.æ+gisei, dei 141 r. w. weilawei, freinde 107, seide 19 (6), seiden 218 (7), seid 479, 482, andai, abraid 165, dai 249, 359 r. w. wei, faire 447, mai 19 (6), waines 416, writtenayin may 36: fagen 321 (3) is fromfagen:æ+his seen in lagt 135, ‘vnachteled,’ GE 796.e+gisei, leid 284, weie 293: agen 55 r. w. sen, 125, 304, 403 r. w. ben comes fromagēn.i+gisigin manige 234, 332, but the spirant is absorbed in birien 478, biried 571, ybiried 574, and manie 446: birigeles 528, biriele 542 (byrgels) are analogic: beries 116 is LWS.berie. Finaligisi, eddi 140, seli 568; stiward 87, 317 is LWS.stīweard:i+his seen in ‘sigðhe’ (gesihþ), GE 1630.o+g,hisog, bogt 90, drogen 456, wrogt 78, 272, ‘dogtres,’ GE 1090, 1094, but dowter 201 (? Northern).u+g,hisug, fugeles 135, mugen 144.y+his seen in ME. frigti 18.ā+gisog, ogen 108, but owen 40;ā+h,og, ‘oget,’ GE 324, but agte 363 (? influence ofǣht).ǣ1+hisag, agte 144 (ǣht), bitagt 97 r. w. hagt:ǣ2+g, leigen 16.ō+hisog, brogt 274, nogt 35 r. w. wroht, sogt 30, other spellings are ‘broghten,’ GE 1008, ‘ðohgteful,’ id. 1437, ‘sowt,’ id. 2870, ‘ðhowtes,’ id. 3544, ‘wroutis,’ id. 456.ō+gisog,ug, ‘bog,’ GE 608, ‘ynog,’ id. 3670, buges 114, ynug 210.ū+gisug, drugte 161, ðhugte 118.ea+his seen in sag 7 (6), waxen 114; thei-umlaut in migt 504, migte 68 &c., nigt 103, 515 r. w. rigt.eo+his seen in rigt 15, brictest 6, but sextene 3 (comp. Merciansex,sexta, Bülbring § 319 anm.); fe 89 representsfeoh, dat.fēo.ēa+giseg, bege 194; hegest 196 may representhēahsta, but is more probably a new formation fromhēh;ēa+h, ‘ðehg,’ GE 1266.ēo+gis alsoeg, drege 262;ēo+his seen in wex 211; wexen 158, 556; thei-umlaut in ligten 79 (līhtan).ā+wisou,ow, sowen 401, soules 578, sowle 579.ī+w, newe 412 is Angliannēowe.ēa+wisew, shewed 67, ðewed 10.ēo+wis alsoew, knewen 31, 216, reweli 382, rewðe 393, trewthe 390, but gure 232 (5), final, gu 314 &c., knew 221, 222, wintre 113; without umlaut are trewið 91, trewed 439.In syllables without stressais levelled toe, moneð 516, vten 460, sooin hunger 230; ofrigt 104, 279 representingāfyrhthas been influenced by ME. offriȝt:onis an 95. Ane, often unmetrical, has been inserted in bodẹward 336, bodẹwurd 548, breðere 7 &c., briðẹre 325, coren 158 (9), engẹles 587, manigẹfold 556, gadẹren 188, eldẹre 483, 560, fugeles 135, 143,leuelike 329, leuere 139, reweli 382 (but rewli 64), vnselðẹhe 370, similarlyei,iin trewẹịðe 358, birịgeles 528 (byrgels); an irrationaleis added finally in ðogẹ 24, towardẹ 49;eis omitted in bettre 44, biforn 326, first 185, forward 88, 318, gur 314, herdne 127 (ǣrende), mor 260 r. w. or:iis written forein michil 260, and inserted in eðimod 303 (ēaþmōd), sinịgeden 259. The prefix in tawnen 180 isæt;be-is regularlybi, biforen 16, biment 256, bitwen 23;ge-is generally lost, kinde 129, lefful 578, seli 192, writ 70, but it survives in gede 43, 341 (yet g may be merely parasitic), yoten 470, ynug 210, it is disguised in to ful in wis 575 (comp. 196/637); the suffixungis regularlying, ending 283, wurðing 194.Metathesis ofrtakes place in wrigtful 258, wrigteleslike 130;rris simplified in chare 444 r. w. fare, charen 490 r. w. faren, duren 293, fer 483, feren 31.llis simplified in al 167 &c., handful 15, wil 28 (3), wilen 358.nis added in dalen 27, against metre, and lost in a 40, 108, o 103, 177, 280 foron;nnis simplified in gunen 432, mankin 460 (manncynn), quane 4, 356.pis inserted in dempt 92, ME. drempte 37, 103, and lost in ME. chafare 47.fbetween vowels and vowellikes isu, crauen 420, erue 44, louerd 237, luue 18, ouer 541, wiue 201, writtenwin bilewen 287, wiwes 91, but ‘wifwes,’ GE 857, ‘wifuede,’ id. 1588 and even ‘wifes,’ id. 453 also occur; otherwise it isf, fare 85, lif 493; it is doubled in off 476, and lost in lord 226.tis doubled in bettre 44, lutten 217, lost in best 350 and finally in an 122, 575 (the original had ant), ða 128, 244, 372, ef 391, GE 3081, ‘hef,’ id. 4019, ‘flig,’ id. 3084;ttis simplified in fet 152; fort,þis written in anð 218, andth, ‘soth,’ GE 3685, ‘leth,’ id. 3385:tsisscin bliscing 452; a curious letter substitution ispfortin waspene 6, GE 1440 (wæstm).dis doubled in bedden 327, 552, eddi 140 (? shortening);bis written for it in glaðe 351 r. w. scaðe, wurðen 517 and frequently elsewhere:ddis simplified in fordred 245. Forþ,thappears in trewthe 390, ‘tholen,’ GE 508; it is often writtenðh, biðhogte 169, ðhenke 126, ðhing 476, ðhogt 165, 221, 308, ðhogte 24 (3), ðhugte 118, ðhurg 246, welðhe 428, but ðinkeð 457, ðogte 448. Initialþin pronominal words is seldom assimilated aftert,s, so, ðat ðin 189, ‘malt ðat,’ GE 1017, ‘salt ðu,’ id. 1043, but ‘at te,’ GE 2756, ‘and (for ant) te,’ id. 615, ‘and tin,’ id. 926, ‘is tis,’ id. 334. Forþ,dis written in dan 54, dat 70, 534, de 97, dogt 486, dor 45, endede 575 (endeð), helped 77, kude 168, quad 35 (4), wid 41 (4), andtin quat 77, 383, ‘Betel,’ GE 760.þþis simplified in siðen 115 &c.,dis substituted for it in siden 509. Noteworthy is derke 291, 399 withrkforrþ.sćis mostlys, sal 79, salt 20, soren 15, srid 73, srud 61, 421, sulde 9, sulen 22, finally, fleis 143, weis 343 (cs), doubled in wassen 345, but shauen 174, sheren 401, shewed 67, schilde 579; she 21, ‘sche,’ GE235, ‘sge,’ id. 1444, ‘che,’ id. 1227 are equivalent. The stopciskbeforeeandiand in combination with other consonants, biwaken 498, wukes 527, kid 411, drink 106, often beforeu, kumen 31, 48, kuppe 101, kude 420, but cloðes 73, folc 82, ranc 159, cumen 123 &c., cuppe 364, 372, cuðe 208, and the proper names ‘Cedar,’ GE 1257, ‘Ceturam,’ id. 1446; otherwise it isc, cam 55, comen 75, coren 158 &c., spac 395, woc 165. Forc,gis written in ‘ðig,’ GE 564, ‘swing,’ id. 566, ‘ðengen,’ id. 1571.čisch, chare 444, childes 61, lich 495 (5), michel 89, riche 324, but biseken 546, euerilk 379, ic 21, swilc 33 &c., are not palatalized: swil 442 has lost c; similarly ‘Qwel,’ GE 170, ‘quil,’ id. 3631.ččisch, drechen 42, fechen 417, rechen 140, 176, rechede 178, reching 112, wech 514, weches 521: smaken 497 is a ME. formation.čǧisgin bigen 220, 300, comp. 481/7, 8.cwis regularlyqu, quad 35 &c. Palatalġis writteng, geld 206, ger 1, gunkeste 5;ġeisyin yoten 470, ynug 210; it is lost in if 7 &c. An interpolatedysound appears to be indicated bygin ‘digere’ (dīere), GE 3483, ‘tgen’ (tēon), id. 3824, ‘tgen’ (tīen), id. 3413, 3418, ‘tgelt,’ id. 1840, the second and third also appear as ‘then,’ GE 1514, 3305 (h pronounced separately), similarly ‘thaunen,’ GE 32: comp. 365/23. The guttural spirant isgin swolgen 72, sorge 74 (comp. Orm’s bollȝhenn, sorrȝhe); later forms are sorwe 59 (3), morwen 359; it is lost in sorfull 380. The voiceless spirant is also writteng, frigti 325, nigt 103, sogt 30, sag 7, ðog(e) 24, ðurg 577, so probably drugte 161 (drūgað, in Orm, druhhþe), other representations of the same sound are seen in brictest 6, ‘brocte,’ GE 237, ‘hicte,’ id. 713: ‘sagt,’ GE 1301, ‘burgt,’ id. 727 have added an irrationaltby analogy of sogt &c. Noteworthy is the insertion of the spirant in the French words haigre 73, ‘olige,’ GE 1624, ‘astronomige,’ id. 792, where ig may be written for ī, but olie 512.ǧappears in egypte 86 &c.his lost in adde 14 (5), adden 504, 505, ali 482 (3), aue 442, aueð 523, e 39, 395, 476, is 14 (9), om 324, yoten 470, also by coalescence in fonde 29, madim 62, weli 582, wexem 11.his added in halle 394, herdes 464, herdne 127, hunne 303, hure 260, 549.hlisl, lene 153, lord 226:hr,r, rad 535, raðe 367, rem 58, ring 193:hw,qu, quane 4, quan 190, quat 37, queðer 111, quiles 37, quilke 134, quam 374, quor 462 andquu, quuan 365, quuor 482, butnā-hwǣris ‘nogwer,’ GE 1271.Accidence:Strong declension ofmasc.andneut.nouns. In thes. n. a.hate 12, stede 43, 81, sune 5, 72, wlite 342, kire 505, mete 138, bale 80, erue 44, herdne 127 have e corresponding to their OE. vocalic ending, bege 194, bode 69, 437 (gebod, comp.boda, messenger), liche 542, 569 (but lich 495), weie 305 have added e, wliten 343, GE 3614, n, fe 89representsfeoh, drugte 402,drūgaþ. Gen.-es, flodes 150, kinges 87, wiwes 91, but louerdis 326: dat.-e, bale 92, 579, come 321, ende 588, here 533, mete 348, stede 468, 521, sune 443, with vowel termination in the nominative, dale 79 (dalen 27 has added n, against metre), gilte 463, harme 368, kinge 235 (but king 451), liue 471 (but lif 493), londe 386, 572 (but lond 129 &c.), ofspringe 236, tune 365, wastme 6, wedde 252, weie 293, 534, wiue 201; without inflection are fulsumhed 182, grund 164, strem 150, ðogt 384 and a large number of others, mostly with long stem vowel or of more than one syllable; yre 506 has lost n, tre 113 is an Anglian nominative formtrēo, wo 458 is indeclinable. Thepl. n. a.of masculines end in-es, fugeles 135, sunes 2 (7), lepes 132, muðes 270, but meten 133, 309, r. w. eten (translating cibos, panes; at GE 363 it is probably singular with added n), sunen 229 r. w. cumen: neuters are der 71, folc 498, 505, ger 181 (7), ?kin 556, neet 151, srud 421, gere 190, bones 566, geres 207, liches 501, wiues 417. Genitive is teres 342, 396, datives, engeles 587, semes 427, teres 410. Of thefem.nouns of the strong declension helpe 83, herte 339, luue 340 have original e in the nominative, bene 565, bere 535, blisse 122, dede 41 (3), rewðe 393, sonde 367, trewðe 513, vnselðehe 370, sinne 36, sorwe 59, sorge 74 (3), wede 68 have added e, without it are ending 474 and other verbal substantives in-ing, ned 295, sped 192. Genitives are drugte 161, soules 578, werldes 494; helle pine 584, helle dale 79 may be regarded as composition forms. Dative-e, blisse 586, helðe 398, lewse 44, nede 215, 219, werlde 288 (7); onsagen 99, ðeden 356 haveaddedn; but bering 232, hond 197 (3), as often in OE., ned 578, smerles 508, sped 46, 275, wurðing 194 are without inflection.Acc.-e, fare 85, hirdnesse 26; gifte 520, kinde 490 have added e; without inflection are bimening 538, bliscing 452, ending 283, forward 88 (3), stund 95, 163 and, as in OE., hond 117, migt 504.Pl. n.are blisses 404, dedes 513, hertes 13, lages 500, sondes 219, agte 144;d.laiges 526;a.agtes 278, laiges 510, agte 198, weden 423. Nouns of the weak declension have-ein thenom., bode 529, bredwrigte 131, wille 388;d.wune 6;a.kuppe 101, time 474; genitive is weches 521, but ‘sterre,’ GE 134.Pl. n.are sterres 17, wukes 527;d.wunes 347, but ‘feren,’ GE 1275;a.asses 427, beries 116, feres 532, but ‘wunen,’ GE 3137. The minor declensions are represented by fots. d.326, 551, ‘fote’pl. d., GE 376; mans. n.167,s. d.302, menpl. n.184, chapmen 85, hirdemen 449, menpl. d.587,pl. a.47; moneðs. a.516; bocs. n.576; biris. d.311; nigts. d.103,s. a.515,pl. a.501 (5), nigtes 499; faders. n.19, faderess. g.229, faders. d.8; broðers. n.110,s. a.244, breðerepl. n.21 (9), briðere 325, breðerepl. g.267,pl. d.429,pl. a.7; moders. d.338; dowters. a.201; childess. g.61, childrepl. n.282,pl. a.304, childer 203; earespl. n.158; breds. a.102, bread 133.Adjectives which in OE. end in a vowel have e throughout, bliðe 413, 429, riche 324, 327, 408; those in-iglose g and are invariable, miri 312, sundri 81, 408, 468, similarly rewli (hrēowlic) 64. Weak inflections are gunges. n. m.335 (insert þe before it), leues. a. m.475, wis[e]s. d. m.461 (similarly ‘ðe strong[e] god of israel,’ GE 1846 is to be read). All others are uninflected in the singular; they either belong to the classes mentioned above, or are predicative, or come after the noun qualified.mycelis michils. n. f.281, michels. n. neut.89,lȳtel, litels. a. f.95. The plural has-e, fette 158, fulle 400, glaðe 351, gode 513, harde 108, smale 161; the exceptions, mostly dissyllabic or predicative, are bold 13, fulsum 207, nedful 184, niðful 13, ranc 159, 162, sorful 380, wis 533 (read wisẹ), wrigtful 258.ānas article without stress is before consonants, a, an, 58, 64, 81, 149, 159 &c., once on 469, before h, an 455, 555, as elsewhere before a vowel. The numeral and pronoun is on, 101, 179, 227, 233 &c.;nān, pronoun and adjective is mostly non, but the adjective is twice no, 296, 352. Adjectives used as nouns with inflections arepl. n.fette 164,d.dede 519, fette 154,a.fette 155, sibbe 557. Comparatives have-e, bettre 53, more 420, leuere 139, eldere 483, but bet 420 (adverb form); superlatives are mostly without it, best 350 (3), brictest 6, first 185, gungest 214, 239, hegest 196, most 350, but gunkeste 5, gungeste 244 have weak inflection: boðen ispl. n.with added n, 179,pl. d.103.The personal pronouns are ic 21 (4), ‘hic,’ GE 34, rarely i, id. 309, me, we, urpl. g.316, us, ðu, (‘redes)tu,’ GE 2934, ðe, gepl. n., gureg.372, gud.314,a.561, ge 406. Dual forms occur elsewhere, ‘wit,’ GE 1775, ‘unc,’ id. 1776, ‘gunc,’ id. 2830. The pronoun of the third person iss. n.hem.4 &c., e 29 (4), (wel) i 582, shef.21, ‘sche,’ GE 235, ‘sge’ id. 1444, ‘che,’ id. 1227, ghe 203, ‘ge,’ GE 1024, itneut.12, (was)t 53, (‘stod)et,’ GE 590, withpl.verb, id. 1770,g.‘hire’f.id. 2035,d.himm.60, (mad)im 62, ‘hin,’ GE 47, ‘hire’f., id. 322, ‘it’neut., id. 6,a.himm.37, ‘hine,’ GE 3468 r. w. dine, ‘hin,’ id. 3004, ‘in,’ id. 3887, ‘hire’f., id. 971, itneut.63, (‘tell)et,’ GE 3526;pl. n.he 31 &c., once ‘ðei,’ GE 573,g.here 263, 410, 421, ‘ere,’ GE 2855, her 312,d.hem 14, (wex)em 11,a.hem 26 &c., is 184, 458, 503 (‘warp)es,’ GE 3025, ‘hes’ (= he them), id. 911, 943. Reflexives are ‘ðe self,’ GE 934, gu 358, him 169, hem 256, 355, ‘himseluen,’ GE 1338, ‘hemseluen,’ id. 537; definitive is selfs. d. m.235; possessives, mis. n. m.110, minef.565, in other cases min 72, 80, 371;pl. n. a.mine 566, min 282, 304, 404; ðis. n. f.388,s. a. neut.143, in other cases ðin 110, 125, 189, 436;pl. n.ðine 21; his 8 &c. as general form forthe singular, written is 15 (6), but hise 91, 191, 236, 396, 474, 475, 490, 495, 569, 579, at all these places his is metrically admissible;pl.hise as the general form 25 &c., but his 40, 73, 75, is 14, 410, 429, hise being in all these places metrically admissible; ‘hire’f., GE 333; ‘his’neut., GE 120, ‘is,’ id. 327; ure 315, 547, 560, hure 260, 549, ur 226; ‘gunker,’ GE 398, gure 232 (4), gur 314; here 16 (8), ‘ere,’ GE 3773, her 13. The definite article is ðe 82 &c., de 97, ‘(at) te,’ GE 2756, miswritten ðo 164, instrumental, ðe 357, for ði 11; ðat 169 &c., ða 244,pl.ðo 98 &c. are demonstratives: wið ðan ðatconj.389, miswritten wið ðanne ðat 550. The compound demonstrative iss.ðis 19, 131, ðes 166;pl.ðise 185, ðis 179, 186, ðes 253, in the last three places ðise is admissible. The relatives are ðat 22, 185 (= that which), ðe 102. Interrogatives are ‘quo,’ GE 2821, ‘quase,’ id. 2870, quam 374, quat 107 (5), ‘Queðer,’ GE 1471, quilcs.474, ‘quil,’ GE 3631, quilkepl.134, 404, ‘qwel,’ GE 170; the correlative is swilcs.33, 59, 393, swil 442,pl.swilke 234, swilc 236, 500 (metre requires swilke in the latter place). Indefinites are quat so 37, 40, 388, quat so euere 386; men 204, 232, 277, ‘man,’ GE 1, 3; sum 515, 516, 517, ‘summe’pl., GE 399, 401; ani 235; oðers.202, oðerepl.183 (5), toðere 394, oðer 133, 510 (read oðre); anoðer 43, 157; ilc 410, euerilc 152, euerilk on 379; ‘mani,’s., GE 696, manie 446 (read mani), manigepl.234, 332, ‘manie,’ GE 4068; fele 425; fo 457; als.167, but allẹs. d. f.428,pl.alle 16 &c., halle 394, al 250, 325 (read alle).Only two verbs, fare 443, reste 82, have infinitive in-e; all others, including thirteen of the second weak conjugation, end in-en. Contract verbs are bisen 195, sen 19 (5), seen 492, ten 9. The dative infinitive is not inflected, it has for prefix mostly to, but for to with bigen 300, cumen 123, geuen 452, slon 34. Presents ares.1. bid 563, chare 444, rede 187; 2. findes 374, ‘betes,’ GE 3974, ‘haues,’ id. 360 and others in-es, ‘tregest,’ GE 3975 is isolated; 3. bimeneð 280, liueð 437, cliued 59, endedẹ 575, haued 92, helped 77, liued 60, ðinked 461, trewið 91; contracted are bitid 235, bit 292, hað 560, lið 12 (‘ligeð,’ GE 889, against metre), wurð 39 (5);pl.1. holden 290, drege we 262; 2. senden 294, cume ge 225, haue ge 369; 3. hauen 72, wunen 518:subjunctive s.2. friðe 389; 3. berge 583, helpe 582, leue 586, wurðe 111, deren 534 r. w. here, with irrational added n;pl.1. liuen 550:imperative s.2. bed 127, tel 110, forgiue 549, ðhenke 126;pl.2. bereð 297, hoteð 564, seið 404. Past of Strong Verbs: I a.s.3. bad 93, 175, bigat 332, forgaf 553, forgat 146, gaf 45, quad 35, quat 77, quað 121, sag 7, spac 395;pl.3. bedden 327, leigen 16: I b.s.3. bar 22, bicam 202, cam 55, nam 84, tobar 200;pl.3. comen 75, nomen 61: I c.s.1. gan 459, wrong 118, wurð 116; 3. abraid165, bigan 462, fond 30, gan 8, geld 206, unbond 277, wurð 145, freinde 107 (weak form);pl.3. funden 69, gunnen 546, gunen 432, gunne 49 (if the word following ends in n, there is a tendency to drop the verbal n, comp. 10, 420), wurðen 104:subjunctive s.1. wurðe 128; 3. wurðe 272, wurð[e] 477: II.s.3. bilef 214, 251, ros 32, wrot 578;pl.3. abiden 537, smiten 163: III.s.3. bead 548, bed 101, gret 71;pl.3. boden 67, lutten 217: IV.s.1. stod 113; 3. stod 15, swor 487, understod 264, woc 165;pl.3. foren 536, token 254: V. IV.s.3. wex 13, 291, weis 343;pl.3. wexen 158: V.s.3. forlet 494, het 419, knew 221, let 222, slep 37;pl.3. fellen 326, knewen 31. Participles present: ‘sigande,’ GE 1436, ‘betende,’ id. 2713, ‘stondende,’ id. 3149; past: I a. beden 266, ?forgeten 233, freten 155, geuen 512: I b. bicumen 281, boren 214, cumen 190, forholen 371, fornumen 282, numen 32, ouercumen 162, stolen 129, soren 15, vndernumen 189: I c. bunden 270, swolgen 72, worpen 39, wurðen 517: II. driuen 375: III. drogen 456, forloren 565: IV. dragen 100, grauen 485, shauen 174, slagen 58, sworen 530: V. IV. waxen 114: V. fordred 245, holden 94, hoten 239, yoten 470, inflected, hotenes. d.562. Past of Weak Verbs:s.1. hadde 117; 3. bitagte 193, gatte 531, herde 107, likede 353, made 580, seide 19, missed 57, trewed 439, set 58, told 177, ðoht 352, went 543;pl.1. sinigeden 259, werneden 261; 3. chidden 23, ferden 360, leiden 65, luueden 206, maden 88, senten 66, skinden 85, hertedin 76, biried 571, shewed 67, stunden 83. Participles present: ‘tuderande,’ GE 164, ‘wuniende,’ id. 2742; past: maked 524, smered 509, ðewed 10, bitid 74, mad 469, seid 479, sperd 93, srid 73, biment 256, ?fest 427, filt 361, ligt 306, ofrigt 104, went 365, inflected, welkede 161. Minor Groups: ‘witen’inf., GE 328, wot 1pr. s.231,pr. s.166, ‘witen’pr. pl., GE 74, wiste 2pt. s.383,pt. s.316, wistenpt. pl.271; hunnepr. s. subj.303; og 1pr. s.241, ‘oc’pr. s., GE 197, ogenpr. pl.108, owen 40, ‘agtes’ 2pt. s., GE 1762, agtept. s.363, ‘oget,’ GE 324; durenpr. pl.293, ‘durste’pt. s., GE 2593, ‘dursten’pt. pl., id. 1863; canpr. s.176, ‘cunen’pr. pl., GE 4054, cuðept. s.208, kude 168, ‘cuðen’pt. pl., GE 2996, kude 420, ‘kuð’pp., GE 2666; sal 1pr. s.79, salt 2pr. s.20, ‘sal,’ GE 1815, ‘saltu,’ id. 1041, salpr. s.126, sulen 1pr. pl.22, 2pr. pl.408, sule ge 242, sulenpr. pl.143, ‘sule’ GE 305, ‘suldes’ 2pt. s., id. 3984, suldept. s.24, suldenpt. pl.355, sulde 10; ‘munen’inf., GE 1622, ‘mune,’ id. 972, ‘to munen’dat. inf., id. 197, ‘for to munen,’ id. 687, muneðpr. s.463, ‘munen’ 1pr. pl., GE 558, mune ?pr. s. subj.476, ‘mune’ 2pr. s. imp., GE 45; ‘mugen’inf., GE 1818, maipr. s.19 &c., may 36, ‘muwen’ 1pr. pl., GE 3316, ‘mugen’pr. pl., id. 3017, ‘mogen,’ id. 3227, mugenpr. pl. subj.144, migte 1pt. s.137,pt. s.68, migt he 238, ‘migten’pt. pl., GE 573; motpr. s.582, ‘mote’ 1pr. s. subj., GE 1621,pr. s. subj., id. 2645, ‘muste’pt. s., id. 2624; beninf.10, for to bend. inf.196, am 1pr. s.129, ‘best’ 2pr. s., GE 2884, ‘beas,’ id. 365, ‘art,’ id. 356, ispr. s.74, ‘beð,’ GE 182, ben 1pr. pl.258, 2pr. pl.223,pr. pl.123, be 454, aren 282, ‘arn,’ GE 16, bepr. s. subj.388, 565, benpr. pl. subj.566, beð 2pr. pl. imp.317, was 1pt. s.120, ‘wore’ 2pt. s., GE 1759, waspt. s.1, wast (= was it) 53, were we 1pt. pl.228, werenpt. pl.255 (6), woren 100 (7), ‘worn,’ GE 61, worept. s. subj.139, 246; wilepr. s.180, nile 59, wilen 2pr. pl.358, welin (for wilen)pr. pl.585, wuldept. s.9, ‘wolde,’ GE 912, ‘wulden’pt. pl., id. 1075, ‘wolden,’ id. 3756, ‘nolden,’ id. 3029; ‘don’inf., GE 194, vndon 168, to dond. inf.28, doð(es)pr. s.230, don 2pr. pl.285,pr. pl.519, dopr. s. subj.568, 2pr. s. imp.387, doð 2pr. pl. imp.405, dedept. s.44 (9), dedenpt. pl.2, dede 82, donpp.41, 128, 315, 477, 542, do 142; goninf.238, ouergon 340, ‘to gon’d. inf., GE 3078, ‘gon’ 2pr. pl., id. 3124, ‘go’ 2pr. s. imp., id. 2815, ‘goð’ 2pr. pl. imp., id. 3585, gedept. s.43, ‘geden’pt. pl., GE 1034, gonpp.291.Vocabulary:Scandinavian are ai 287, aren 282, blomede 115, boðen 103, 179, (bi)calleð 368, fo 457, fro 31, geren 495, grot 74, groten 80, hagt 98, heil(nesse) 122, eðen 242, ille 12, kides 63, lages 500 laiges 526, laðes 188, lit 64, liðeð 131, lote 382 loten 312, nai 35, oc 229, or 1, orest 115, raken 186, ransaken 377, rapen 430 rapeð 403, scaðe 352, seck 363, semet 223, skinden 85, (ouer)takeð 367, tiding 412, til 60,ðeden84, ðog 24, 217, ðral(dom) 376, wante 298, witter 6, witter(like) 374, wopnede 533; probably busk 159, vnhillen 8; possibly bond 130, cartes 416, twinne 421; in sonderemen 65, er is probably due to Scandinavian influence. French are butuler 109 buteler 169, cisterne 38, feið 241, feste 524, fin 424, flum 540, fruit 301, graunte 590, haigre 73, hardi 175, lettres 581, merci 237, messe(song) 520, offiz 125, olie 512, paid 269, pais 589, plates 52, poure 233, present 327, pris 301, prisun 94, prisunes 98, prisuner 96, scite 469, seruede 105, spices 48, spice(like) 497, spies 223, spien 226, strif 494; possibly the interjection A 237, rospen 186 (OF. rosper). Latin are crisme 512, elmesse 520.Dialect:East Midland of the Southern border. Its general character is definitely East Midland, butāas occasionallyoain rhymes like ðoa : salmona GE 4129, woa : oba GE 880, the occurrence of hine : dine GE 3468, hin, id. 3004, yoten 470 beside hotene 562, wuniende GE 2472 as assured by the metre,æ+gaseibesideaitestify to contact with the South. The large proportion of French words may point in the same direction. Evidence of transmission through a North Midland copy is furnished byāas occasionallya,sćass, the pronouns ghe, ge beside she,ðei beside hepl., the 2pr. s. ind.of verbs in-es, thepres. part.in-ande, and occasional aren beside usual ben. It was probably at this stage that the metre suffered by loss of final-e; some feminine endings may have become masculine. The scribe of our manuscript was probably faithful to his exemplar, for he was imperfectly acquainted with the language.Metre:The short rhymed couplet, as in ON. It is not so skilfully handled here as in ON, but it was no less regular in its construction before the copyists tampered with the text. Skeat’s description of it as a verse of four accents, ‘the unaccented syllables being left, as it were, to take care of themselves’ is misleading, for it is a verse of four feet with the regulation number of accented and unaccented syllables. It differs from the verse of ON in the predominance of masculine endings, in the larger proportion of trisyllabic feet, and in the number of fourth feet with an additional syllable. The types, as in ON (seepp. 564, 565), are i. ðat hé | wel ðéw|ed súld|e bén, 10; so 11, 33, 46, 63, 64, 70, 73, 75, 89, 93 &c.: i a. Naí quad | rubén | slo wé | him nógt, 35; so 45, 72, 101, 110, 145, 202, 221, 297, 302, 331, 387, 408, 422, 435, 459, 460 &c.: i b. ðát | ðu sált | ðus wúrð|ed bén, 20; so 23, 30, 36, 222, 272, 295, 578: ii. He knéw|en hím | fro fér|en kúmen, 31; so 47, 80, 85, 87, 92, 100, 123, 124, 133, 137, 156, 157, 181, 207, 218, 230, 265, 299, 322, 324, 337, 344, 351, 355, 371, 405 &c.: ii a. Wúrðed|en hím | wið frígt|i lúue, 18; so 333, 334, 343: ii b. Né | ðat mét|e fró | hem béren, 138; so 469, J́t | was v́nd|ren tím|ẹ or móre, 323. The unstressed element in a foot, and especially in the third foot, is often doubled; one of the syllables often admits of being slurred: i. Twelwe gér | or ýs|aác | was déad, 1; so 246, 363, ðo wéx | her hért|es niðfúl | and bóld, 13; so 28, 34, 42, for thrít|ti plát|es to ðó | chapmén, 52; so 57, 71, 96 &c., Wið ðó | prisún|es to líu|en in hágt, 98, Jacób|es sún|es déd|en unréd, 2; so 29, 39, 40, 62, 84, 97, 369: i a. Ál but ðe | ton bróð|er sým|eón, 250, Sónder|e mén | he it leíd|en ón, 65; so 69, Goód is |quaðjós|eph to drém|en of wín, 121; so 184, féllen | bifórn | ðat lóu|erdis fót, 326; so 436, 439, 451, 564: i b. dón | for ðe déd|e chírch|e góng, 519, Wénd|e him slág|en set úp | an rém, 58; so 328, ðát | ðe bár | sulen lút|en ðé, 22; so 78, 83, 127, 148, 171, 193, 200, 228, 254, 286, 289, 301, 308, 350, 427, 440, 452, 453, 487, Jác|ob ðús | him bimén|eð o rígt, 280; so 383, 391, 403: ii. seue eár|es wéx|en fétt|ẹ of córen, 158, Hu he sét|tẹ at ðe mét|e hís|e súnes, 348, Jc réd|e ðe kíng | nu hér | bifóren, 187; so 235, 270, 288, 294, 321, 338, 374, 437, 502, 537, He wás | iacób|es gunkést|e súne, 5; so 81, 88, 155, 162, 217, 220, 281, 367, 431, 463, 530, 565, 585, Jn tó | egípt|e lédd|en ðat wáre, 86; so 309, 357, 400: ii a.Tóward | here fád|er he gún|en drágen, 432, so 467, Ság he | ðor kúm|en wið spíc|es wáre, 48, Gáf he | is bréð|ẹre wið hért|e blíðe, 429:iib. Ór | for misdéd|e or fór | onságen, 99, ðát | is hánd|ful stod rígt | up sóren, 15; so 79, 185, 219, 300, 362, 385, 402, 538. The light syllable is omitted in ii. Ne wíst|e he nógt | quát | he wóren,434:ii b. Húr|e sínn|e ðú | hím | forgíue, 549, with good effect. Inversion of the accent is infrequent, i. ðu sált | áfter | ðe ðríd|de deí, 141, 517:i a.Kínde | lúue | gan him óu|ergón, 340, Jósep | háued | hem áft|er sént, 366,J́cam | iosép | drédeð | gu nógt, 397: ii. He bád | cártes | and waín|es nímen, 416, Quuor ié|su críst | wúlde | ben bóren, 484, He dógt | wið hém | réste | to háuen, 486, And ebrís|se fólc | ádden | an kíre, 505, Egípt|e fólc | áueð | him wáked, 523, He bád | síbbe | cumen hím | bifóren, 557. Synizesis occurs in olie 512, birigeles 528, biriele 542. Syncope of the syllable after the accent in trisyllabic words is certain in breðẹre 21, 325, 429, blomẹde 115, rechẹde 178,euẹrilc268, lerẹde 354, eldẹre 483, luuẹde 554, and similarly in arẹn 282, comẹn 356, wilẹn 358; it is probable, though not assured by the metre in seruede 105, wrigteles 130, leuere 139, fugeles 143, euerilc 152 &c., gaderen 188, faderes 229, 347, oðere 253 (oðre 573), breðere 51 &c., werneden 261, wunede 471, eldere 560, hotene 562; the medial e in words of this type is nowhere necessary for the scansion. The verbal termination-eþhas probably full syllabic value everywhere, as it has at 77, 92, 286, 367, 523. Elision takes place in allẹ 16, wantedẹ 209, sentẹ 213, listnedẹ 276, ðhogtẹ 347, witterlikẹ 479, hiatus in 153, 155, 233, 246, 252, 262, 367, 378, 425, 551, 586: in a large number of lines there is a choice between elision and hiatus; in view of the author’s liking for trisyllabic feet, the preference should perhaps be given to the latter.Proper names of three syllables have, with few exceptions, two accents, those of two syllables are very often stressed on the second, according to the current clerical use, for Mammotrectus says ‘nulla dictio de natura acuit ultimam nisi . . . hebraica · ut David ⁊ Jacob.’ So ábrahám, adád, béniamín (10), but béniamin 422, chánaán, ‘cánahán,’ GE 726, dotáym, ebrón, éffraým, gálaád, génesís, gersén, iurdón, mánassén, pháraón 119 (7), pháraún 172 r. w. prisun, but pháraon 191, 465, pharáon 411, pútifár 87, 199, but pv́tifar 91, rámesé, sichém 25, but síchem 29, sýmeón, ýsaác. Otherwise egípte, once egípt 213, iácob, ácob 445, jacóbes, iésu, jóseph, jósep, ósep (18), iosép 92, 266, joséph 139 r. w. swep, in many other places the metre admits of either accentuation, josépes, júdas 387, elsewhere indeterminate, as Vdas 45, móyses, pháran, rúben 55, elsewhere rubén is possible; adjectives are cristéne 510, ebrísse. The spelling of the proper names mostly follows Comestor or the Vulgate, but ebron, egipte, jurdon,pharaon are French, and probably ramese; in view of the variants, no conclusion can be drawn from initial j in Jacob, Judas, and Joseph; for the last the author probably wrote iosep throughout.The corruptions of the text consist mostly of inversions of the word order and additions which aim at greater clearness or emphasis. Line 6, read witter of wune (H = Holthausen); l. 7, hise breðere sag (H); l. 8, gan it; l. 24, ðog ðhóg|te iác|ob it súl|de bén; l. 53, was it; l. 60, Til he him; l. 77, it helpeð (H); l. 82, Wor sé|li fólc | hem rést|e déde, comp. GE 257; l. 91, his; l. 108, Harde drém|es óg|en a wóld|e ðát; l. 118, ðorin, comp. GE 3634; l. 130, And wrígt | ẹleslík|e hóld|en in bónd; l. 134, omit ðe; l. 149, read ðo drémp|te phá|raón | a drém; comp. 200/119, 127; l. 159, ránkẹ on | an búsk | and wél | tidí; l. 163, To sám|en smít|en and ón | a stúnd; l. 172, omit ðe king; l. 173, omit ðo; l. 180, omit king; l. 182, read In fúl | sumhéd | súlen | ben númen, comp. 207/351, 208/400; l. 183, And séu|e súl|en áft|er bén; l. 186, ðisẹ óð|ẹre súl|en rósp|en and ráken; l. 189, ðat ðin fólc | ne wúrð|e v́nd|er númen; l. 190, omit forð (H) and read ger; l. 191, omit king; l. 199, read was v́n|der hím | ðo pú|tifár; l. 214, biléf | at hóm | was gúng|est bóren; l. 225, And cúm|en fór | non óð|er ðíng; l. 241, Nú | bi ðe feíð | ic og phár|aón (H); l. 269, H would read here for ðe, but ?pai-ed; l. 275, omit so; l. 279, omit ðanne; l. 285, read If bén|iamín | ge; l. 287, Aí | sal hé | wið mé | biléwen; l. 290, omit non; l. 293, read Óc | he ne dúr|en weí | cumen ín, comp. 206/305; l. 310, omit alle; l. 311, omit alle; l. 312, read Here nón | ðo lót|en hád|den míri; l. 317, Béð | nu stíll|e quád | þe stiwárd; l. 341, Sone gé|de he út; l. 358, If gé | gu wíl|ẹn wið tréw|ðẹ léden, comp. 212/512; l. 361, omit alle; l. 370, read Grét | vnsélð|e is gú | cumen ón; l. 384, ðát | ic ám | wol wítt|er o ðógt; l. 386, Quat só | on lónd|e wúrð|e stólen, comp. 198/37, 40, 208/388, GE 270; l. 394, he dé|de ut áll|e ðe tóð|ẹre gón; l. 396, ðat ál | his wlít|e wurð tér|es wét; l. 400, Get fúll|e fíu|e súl|en ben númen; l. 411, omit king, and in line 412, newe; l. 421, omit here; l. 438, read Al egípt|e ín | his wíll|e clíueð; l. 446, Ánd | of his kínd|e mán|i a mán; l. 476, On ðhíng | ðat óff | og é | wel múne; l. 477, read wurðe; l. 492, Hál|i gást | it him déd|e sén; l. 495, read his; l. 498, And egípt|e fólc | him faír|e biwáken; l. 500, read swíl|ke; l. 514, ðo bén | ðam ál | ðat wéch|e déde; l. 528, scan get ádd|e jác|ob bír|yels nón; l. 529, omit king; l. 531, omit it; l. 542, scan ðor ís | ðat lích | in bír|yels dón; l. 545, read Hise bréð|ẹre ðán|ne cóm|en him tó; l. 546, omit alle; l. 550, read Wið ðán | ðat wé | ðe v́nd|er líuen; l. 577, ðe móy|ses eár | ðurg gód|es réd; l. 579, read his; l. 587, éngẹles | amóng | and sé|li mén, comp. GE 700, 785. In ll. 66, 67, it, though metricallyadmissible, is superfluous: l. 68 may be scanned, Jf his chíld|es wéd|e it mígt|e bén: ll. 250, 251 are unrhythmical and al in the former, ungrammatical, perhaps, álle but | here bróð|er sým|eón might be read, for l. 251 Holthausen proposed, biléf | ðis bróð|er ðór | in bónd: in l. 291, ðe dérð|e wéx | would improve the rhythm, as ure for ur in l. 316: scan l. 470, ðe wás | y-ót|en rám|esé. A considerable use is made of alliteration.Introduction:The author tells us that his song is drawn out of Latin and written in simple language for those who are not book-learned. He was probably a secular priest, for there is no reference to the monastic life in his work. His source was almost exclusively the Historia Scholastica of Peter Comestor (here quoted from the edition printed by Crespin at Lyons in 1526), but he occasionally referred to the Vulgate. As his purpose was narrative, he leaves out most of Comestor’s learned disquisitions, but he retains those at ll. 81-4, 501-21 and somewhat enlarges the latter. The source of ll. 354-58 has not been discovered; it may have been an interpolated Comestor. The addition of ‘ouer pharan’ in l. 541 is probably due to the author.2.unred, folly, an ill-advised thing; OE.unrǣd: comp. ‘He has me don oft vnresun,’ CM 3747; ‘vnwit,’ Laud Troy Book, 4285.3.For&c. is the remnant of a calculation in Comestor of Jacob’s age at the time when Joseph was sold. See Gen. xxxvii. 2.6. ‘prestantior corpore et sapientior ceteris,’ Comestor.wastmeis Mätzner’s emendation; Morris suggested wasteme: the same scribal error, ‘of faiger waspene’ occurs at GE 1440. OE.wæstm, wæstemmeans growth, stature; the sense here is, countenance: comp. ‘hire wliti westum,’ SK 310, answering to ‘vultus ipsius claritas.’of witter wune, discreet in behaviour: the explanations of Mätzner, ‘of intellectual capacity,’ and of Morris, ‘of good ability,’ seem to force the meaning of wune, which is, custom, use, so ‘for kinde wune,’ GE 1405, by family custom, usage. Comp. 208/384; ‘witter of figt,’ GE 864; ‘o resun . . . rijf,’ CM 14837; ‘o reson . . . ranc,’ id. 21024.7.misfaren, go astray, misbehave.8.gan—baren, uncovered and laid bare: the auxiliary use of gon is frequent in GE.9, 10. He would have them discipline themselves, so that they might be of good moral character. Possibly the secondhestands for Jacob; that is, Joseph wished Jacob to discipline them. Comp. forten, 171/368; ‘þat he hine sculde wel i-teon;⁊ tuhlen him teachen,’ L 2418.11.himwas added by Mätzner. Forwið, against, comp. ‘⁊ all þatt follc toc niþ wiþþ himm,’ Orm 10267.niðis often associated withhate;comp. 198/33; ‘þurrh hete ⁊ niþ,’ Orm 1404, 8013; ‘stormes of nið · ⁊ of onde · ⁊ of hatienge,’ OEH ii. 177/4.12.for—lið: Morris inserts herte after ille, producing a truism and spoiling the verse. Mätzner translates ‘quia situm est in malo,’ treatingilleas a neuter noun, evil. Possiblyillemeans, evil men, but more probably the place is corrupt, and we should read, And hate sor þat ille in it lið, (envy) and bitter hatred which wickedly co-exists with envy, that is, envy which produces hatred of the person envied. For ille as adverb, comp. GE 1706, 4029.13.ðo . . . Quanne, then especially . . . when: ‘Causa tamen odii maior fuit visio somniorum,’ Comestor.bold, shameless: Lucifer is ‘ðat neddre bold,’ GE 323.15, 16. ‘Putabam . . . vestros manipulos adorare manipulum meum stantem,’ C.soren, shorn.16. And all theirs lay before them.itmay be meant for a reinforcing dative; see 13/34: but its occurrence elsewhere, as at 201/163, 202/182, where it is hard to explain or otiose and metrically in excess, makes it probable that it is due to the scribe, as it certainly is at GE 385, 387.17.xieis by the rhyme endluue or elluue.18.frigti luue, love and awe, ‘luue eie,’ 72/200: comp. ‘ðo wurð abraham frigti fagen,’ GE 1331.19.sen: Mätzner takes this word to be the infinitive of the substantive verb, corresponding to OHG. sīn, MDu. sijn; how may this be? But if the word ever existed, it would surely be found elsewhere in ME. He quotes ‘Hu mai it hauen, hu mai it sen,’ GE 298, where if hauen is equivalent to se habere, sen may be to videri. In the third place instanced, ‘To sen gode witnesse ðor-on, | ðat wond was in ðat arche don,’ GE 3843, it appears to go closely with ðor-on, as in ‘so faiger he was on to sen,’ id. 2659 and to represent in both placestō sēonne.22.lutenusually takes to, as at 193/544, but comp. ‘Þa kingess fellenn dun, itt seȝȝþ, | To lutenn Crist ⁊ lakenn,’ Orm 7348.24.ðoge; read ðog. As a probable source of the line, Fritsche quotes Josephus ii. 2, ‘eventurum olim quando tam a parentibus quam a fratribus adoratione dignus haberetur;’ but perhaps it may be regarded as a natural inference from ‘pater vero rem tacitus considerabat,’ Gen. xxxvii. 11.26.Hirdnesse: OE.hierdnes; custody, guard; here used for flocks: comp. ‘for te loken hirdnesse fare,’ GE 2771, to look to the welfare of the cattle.30.he—sogt, he sought and found them; invenit eos quaesitos; a form of expression much used by the author, suggested by such placesin the Vulgate as, ‘requisita non invenieris ultra in sempiternum,’ Ezech. xxvi. 21. Comp. 203/215, where join, ‘to josep sogt for nede;’ ‘ðer het god abre ðat tagte lond,’ GE 827; ‘And son he fand þe soght cite,’ CM 3254; ‘Ai quen þat þe folk him soght sau,’ id. 7473.31.fro feren, from afar: see 118/40.32. Hatred conceived in their hearts arose in them. Such phrases are common in our author, as ‘olie in trewðe geuen,’ 212/512; ‘song . . . on soðe sagen,’ GE 14. On the other hand such expressions as ‘drugte numen,’ 201/161; ‘sorge numen,’ GE 368, where the participle is used like L. captus, suggest taking it here in dependence onhem. Withoncomp. 210/454.35, 36. ‘Nel feron mie, | ce sereit desverie,’ Joseph 273.37.drempte: impersonal with two accusatives, Quatso and him; so too at 200/103, 202/170, and probably at 201/149: more commonly the thing dreamt takes of, or is a clause, 200/113, 120, 201/132.ðor quiles, whilst: see 196/648.38.cisternesse: the MS. has ðisternesse here (it occurs correctly at GE 58), and ‘ðis ðhisternesse’ at GE 66, where ‘ðis’ is in excess, and cisternesse at l. 56. The original had, no doubt, cisterne or cistern in both places, and in this line probably In cisterne ðise, imitating ‘proiicite eum in cisternam hanc,’ Gen. xxxvii. 22 (comp. ‘He ðrowede and ðolede untiming ðat,’ GE 1180): having blundered here, the scribe altered cistern l. 56 in conformity, spoiling the metre.39.Get, still, in spite of his dreams. Aboveeofwurðea small he is added in the MS.40. The phraseowen a woldmeans, to have in one’s power, like its synonym hauen a wolde (see52/387 note); it occurs in its literal sense at 200/108, distressing dreams were responsible for that, and in ‘Luue wel michil it agte a wold, | Swilc seruise and so longe told,’ GE 1671, very strong love was capable of such hard service and so protracted. Here it has the derived sense of import, mean, like power, force used for meaning expressed by letter or phrase: comp. ‘Quat oget nu ðat for-bode o wold,’ GE 324, what now was the import of that prohibition; ‘And vndernam him ðat it agte awold,’ id. 2727, and questioned him as to what it meant; ‘ðor is writen quat agte awold, | ðat ðis werld was water wold,’ id. 525, therein is written what it signified that this world was destroyed by water.41.wid herte sor, presumably on Reuben’s part.42-44. ‘et recessit Ruben meliora querens pascua,’ C.lewse, so again at GE 1576: OE.lǣs,g.lǣswe.45.dor quiles, meanwhile; comp. 204/265, and see 196/648.46. ‘that was carried out in secret haste,’ Morris, who proposes derue for derne. But the meaning is, advice that was filled full of secret gain. Forofcomp. 217/91, 94, forsped, ‘of euerilc sed, | Was erðe mad moder of sped,’ GE 121. In the OF. Joseph, it is said of Judas, ‘mult iert escientous | et auques coveitous,’ ll. 347, 348, and he makes a speech to his brothers, ‘Touz temps somes berchier, | onc n’ëumes denier. | Ore en porrons aveir | senz vendre nostre aveir,’ ll. 365-368.48.spices ware: ‘aromata & resinam & stacten .i. myrram,’ C.52.xxx plates: all the early MSS. of the Vulgate have ‘viginti argenteis,’ but ‘triginta’ C., ‘deniers treis feiz dis,’ Joseph 414; the change is due to the desire to perfect the parallel with Christ.plates, silver coins: comp. ‘I nul sulle my Loverd [for] nones cunnes eiste, | bote hit be for the thritti platen that he me bitaiste,’ Rel. Ant. i. 144/25. The metrical stress requires ðo for ðe.53, 54. ‘Melius est ut venundetur Ismaelitis, et manus nostrae non polluantur,’ Gen. xxxvii. 27.dan, than that.in here wold, in their power, at their hands.57.ðhogte swem, felt sorrow, as in ‘Of paradis hem ðinkeð swem,’ GE 391, if so, the verb is impersonal and him must be supplied fromhe: or perhaps, experienced a feeling of faintness: the OF. poem has ‘Quant l’enfant ne trouva, | par poi ne forsena. | Il ne set que il face, | pasmez chiet en la place,’ ll. 433-436.58.set up, raised: ‘credens eum interemptum scissis vestibus eiulabat,’ C. Comp. ‘ðis folc ðo sette up grot and gred,’ GE 3717.59.him cliued: the MS. reading is meaningless; that in the text is Mätzner’s, who explains, cleaves to him. But in view of, ‘And atter on is tunge cliuen,’ GE 372; ‘Al egipte in his wil cliueð,’ 210/438, it is doubtful whether even the pronoun can be used in this sense without a preposition. Now cleave is associated with cling in ‘My hert doth clynge and cleve as clay,’ Coventry Mysteries (54), where cling, wither up, is used metaphorically for, shrink in fear (see3/32 noteand comp. ‘I clynge as cleyȝ, icauȝt in care,’ Horstmann, S. A. Legenden, 178/388), and it is also used transitively. Is it not probable that cleave had also some such metaphorical meaning which would be suitable here?62. Ifinis right, it goes withðe, in which. But its absence would improve the verse, andðealone can mean with which: see 46/292. In any caseprudisadj., splendid; comp. 209/422; ‘Wið gold and siluer and wið srud, | ðis sonde made ðe mayden prud,’ GE 1413.63.wenten, turned it round and round, rather than, altered it; although the Latin, ‘tinxerunt,’ favours the latter.64.an rewli lit, a pitiable dye.65.Sondere men, messengers;sing.‘sonder man,’ GE 2871; ‘sanderrmann,’ Orm 19383; ‘sondes man,’ L 13615.73.in haigre srid, clad in a hair, a hair shirt; see 62/31.74.grot and sorge: comp. 214/583, similarly ‘grot and gred,’ GE 3717; ‘In grot and in srifte,’ id. 3692.76.hertedin: read herten; comp. 184/277.79.ligten, descend: see 141/42. ‘Descendam lugens ad filium meum in infernum,’ C.81-84. ‘Erat enim tunc in inferno quidam locus beatorum longe semotus a locis penalibus · qui ob quietem et separationem ab aliis sinus dicebatur. . . . Et dictus est etiam sinus abrae · quia etiam abraam ibi erat in sustentatione usque ad mortem christi,’ C., commonly called Limbus Patrum: ll. 83, 84 refer to the Harrowing of Hell, for an account of which in ME. literature see Hulme’s edition of the legend, E. E. Text Society.85.skinden here fare, hasten their journey: the verb, which occurs only here in ME., represents OWScand. skynda.88.bigetel, advantageous: the adjective of ‘biȝete’ 60/12; only here.90. Insert him beforesold, with Holthausen. The expression is formal, mostly used of betrayal; comp. ‘ic am i-boust ant i-sold to-day for oure mete,’ Rel. Ant. i. 144/26; ‘How þat ioseph was boght and sald,’ CM 142; ‘Dickon thy maister is bought and sold,’ Shakspere, Richard III, v. 3. 305. Strunk in Mod. Lang. Notes, xxvi. 51 suggests He (Putifar) haueð him bogt.93. The line is printed as in the Specimens, but a better order would be, He bad him sperd ben faste dun. The last word does not go well with sperd, which takes in or wiþinne, 201/148, 204/248. C. has ‘Ille nimis credulus coniugi vinctum ioseph tradidit in carcerem regis,’ the OF. version, ‘mist le en la prison | au fort rei Pharaon;’ the Vulgate, ‘in carcerem ubi vincti regis custodiebantur,’ all mentioning the king. The original may have had Him bad ben sperd king Pharaun: for the rhyme see 202/171.95.an: comp. 201/163.96.prisuner, gaoler.prisunes, prisoners.98.to liuen in hagt, to live in care, goes with l. 100: comp. 201/136.hagt: see196/657 note, and comp. ‘Twin-wifing ant twin-manslagt | Of his soule beð mikel hagt,’ GE 485; ‘Amalechkes folc fledde for agte of dead,’ id. 3384.99.onsagen, accusations, charges; OE.onsagu: apparently only here in ME.103.drempte: see 198/37.105.on sel, at a time, on one occasion: comp. ‘And moyses was numen an sel | In ðe deserd depe sumdel,’ GE 2769; ‘on midel sel, ðat ilc nigt,’ id. 3159. Kölbing translates timely, that is, early in the day, quoting, ‘Ad quos cum introisset Ioseph mane,’ Gen. xl. 6, and, ‘And made swiðe on sele ðat mete,’ GE 1537, where however swiðe gives the special sense, in quick time. But the expression appears to mean happily in, ‘And he folgede is red on sel,’ GE 1866; ‘on good sel,’ id. 1375, 1545.108. This is the answer of the dreamers. See 198/40 note.111.strong: see21/94 note.112.on god bilong, pertaining to God, in God’s power. ‘Numquid non domini est interpretatio .i. numquid adiutorio dei potest interpretari,’ C.bilongis an isolated form, apparently made of bi + long, OE.gelangwhich in ME. is commonly ilong; see134/96 note. Mätzner would read ilong here.114.waxen buges, full-grown boughs, or shoots. ‘Videbam coram me vitem & in ea tres fundos oculos (principal buds) scilicet unde funduntur palmites. Alii ponunt tria flagella, vel tres propagines quod idem est,’ C.116. Morris by his punctuation makesberiesacc.afterbarandwurð ic warparenthetic; but the construction is the same as at 9/122, 192/518; ‘quanne he it wurð war,’ GE 1462, 3387; ‘And quane ðe king wurð war ðis dead,’ id. 2983; ‘ðan pharaon wurð war ðis bot,’ id. 2957: wurð war is treated as though it meant observed. But it takes of at 203/204.121, 122. ‘Deus dedit in bonum hominibus vsum vini . . . soluit lites et tristitias · et bona est eius visio,’ C.127.herdne: OE.ǣrende, mission, but here affected in meaning byǣrendian, to intercede: make intercession for me.128.ða: for ðat: the scribe not seldom drops final t.129.kinde, native; so, ‘ðog it was nogt is kinde lond,’ GE 1279: ‘car a tort sui chaitis | en estrange païs,’ Joseph 837.130.wrigteleslike, undeservedly: OE.gewyrht, thing done, merit, in Orm, wrihhte.132.lepes: ‘canistra,’ C.135.ðor on: comp. ‘On was tette he sone aueð lagt,’ GE 2621. The construction withonis rare, the verb in this sense regularly takes an accusative.136.hagt: see 200/98.140.swepoccurs in the same connection at 202/166, and in ‘For þai can swyth of a sweuyn · all þe swepe tell,’ Wars of Alexander, 248,evidently with the meaning, scope, significance. Mätzner refers it to OE.swǣp, for which see Napier, OE. Glosses, 78/2894 note; its meaning, persuasion, or more probably, deceit, does not suit our word. More probably its OE. congener is seen inymbswǣpewhich glosses L. ambages, Sweet, Oldest E. Texts, 599; if so, it would mean compass, content, like the noun sweep of more recent origin.144.ðat, from that:werienusually takes wið (50/335), fram, but the pronouns are frequently used alone in all sorts of loose syntactical relations: see46/292 note. Omitsal; though it might be defended by GE 1818, agte is commonly plural. Not in the Vulgate or Comestor, but ‘It sal na raunsun ga for þe,’ CM 4494; ‘te trenchera la teste; | ne te lera raendre,’ Joseph 854.145.ðatis subject ofwurð.148. Dividewið uten-erd; forwið, on, see 180/147.uten-erd, foreign land; OE.ūtan+eard: comp. ‘uten erdes sorge sen,’ GE 956; ‘into vten stede,’ id. 1741. At 210/460, it is used adverbially in conjunction with her, and at 210/464 it develops an adverbial form, ‘uten herdes.’ Comp. L. extorris.149.pharaon: probablyacc.; see 200/104.150.flodes strem: ‘Putabat se stare super fluuium,’ C.151.vii: seuene.158, 159. ‘Septem spice plene pullulabant in culmo vno,’ C.busk, bush, for stalk is curious.ranc and wel tidi, luxuriant and very healthy-looking; the phrase qualifies ‘eares.’161.drugte numen: ‘percusse vredine,’ C.; ‘uredo . . . dicitur corruptio ex urente vento proveniens quando stantes segetes aduste videntur in campo,’ Catholicon: ‘de gelée brulez,’ Joseph 904. Withnumencomp. 198/32: drugte, sorge are genitives. Similar constructions without prepositions are frequent in this author, ‘water wold,’ 526, overpowered by water; ‘sinne wod,’ 1073, demented by sin; ‘elde swac,’ 1528, weakened by age; ‘herte hard,’ 2936, hard of heart; ‘hungur fordred,’ 3313, in fear of hunger; ‘nede driuen,’ 3165; ‘deades driuen,’ 1125, under the sway of death. See 207/342.163, 164. There is nothing in Comestor or the Vulgate corresponding to these difficult lines. Mätzner takesitas equivalent to they, and quotes for the intransitive use ofsmiten, ‘Heo smiten to-gædere,’ L 5183, to which may be added, ‘Bitid a stund þai samen smate | In a dale biside a wate,’ CM 2495. Schumann objects that smiten is transitive everywhere else in the poem; he proposes, To-samen is smiten, them dashed together, apparently depending onranc. It would probably be better to omitit(see197/16 note); adopting Fritsche’s ðristen he in the next line, the meaning would be, Next (ðo) the lean ears have overcome the full ears, dashed together in conflict, and in a moment they have thrust the full ears to the ground. The participial phrase is quite in the manner of the author.164.ðo: miswritten for ðe.166.wot, where wiste might be expected, is perhaps due to anticipation of nogt.168. Who could solve the riddle involved in the dream: comp. 1/4.170.of ðat: supply a relative as accusative to drempte: see 198/37, 200/103.174.shauen: ‘ioseph totonderunt. Uincti enim et exules incrementa crinium patiuntur,’ C.175.hardi ⁊ bold: Comp. ‘Þe king of Beme had cares colde, | Þat was ful hardy and bolde,’ Minot iv. 68.176.wold, power, meaning. See 201/140.180. ‘quod facturus est deus ostendit pharaoni,’ C.182.numen, taken, in the sense of dealt with, experienced. Comp. 208/400; ‘Ðe seuend moned was in cumen, | And seuene and xxtidais numen,’ GE 593; ‘Seue nigt siðen forð ben numen,’ id. 1687.184. The editors takeSori and nedfulwithmen, but they might qualifyis, them, and that would be more consonant with the original, ‘quos (annos) sequentur alii .vii. tante sterilitatis. vt obliuioni dent cuncta retro abundantia,’ C.186.rospen and raken, waste and scrape away: in these meanings the words are apparently without parallels.187.her biforen: miswritten for ear biforen: see211/483 note: forher= ear, comp. ‘ðor he quilum her wisten wunen,’ GE 801.189.vndernumen, taken unawares: comp. ‘Ðis godes folc was undernumen, | Quan he segen ðis hird al cumen,’ GE 3221, where it appears to mean, surprised: perhaps influenced in this rare meaning by undergan, as in, ‘Þou hast me gyled and vndurgone’ (= circumvenisti), Horstmann, S. A. Legenden, 33/479, 75/790.194.bege: ‘collo torquem auream circumposuit,’ C. Comp. 133/34.195.bisen: see12/14 note.197.welden&c., so, ‘neme hit in here honde,’ KH 60 note.vnder his hond, l. 210, in his control; comp. 204/252; ‘Unnderr þe laþe gastess hand,’ Orm 11146.199.ðo . . . ðannetogether are strange and the line is unmetrical. Read, was vnder him ðo putifar.200.hem so to bar, caused such dissension between them; OE.toberan, to carry in different directions.202.Oðer . . . ðan, different from what: see100/122 note. ðan is Mätzner’s correction.206. Comp. for the form of the sentence, ‘He was hem lef, he woren him hold,’ GE 793.212.x: The scribe writes tgen (2), then (1), ten.215.for nede sogt: depends on josep: comp. 198/30, and ‘for nede driuen,’ 203/219.217.ðog, nevertheless; that is, though he was their brother, they unwittingly fulfilled the prophecy of 197/21, 22.219.for: but ‘ðo wurð pharaon nede driuen,’ GE 3165.222.Als he let: read, Let he als, he pretended as if: comp. ‘Sho lete als sho him noght had sene,’ Ywain, 1809.226. Forspienwith acc. comp. ‘Bot er yee comen þe land to spi,’ CM 4824; ‘vous venez ceste terre | espier et conquerre,’ Joseph.

Manuscript:Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, 444, former mark R 11; on vellum, 186 × 116 mm., in one hand of the end of thirteenth or of the beginning of the fourteenth century. It contains on 81 folios the poem from which the present extract is made. On f. 1 r is the name of a former owner, Richard Southwell, with a motto nearly obliterated, Sapit qui sustinet, or suscepit (James). See further A Descriptive Catalogue of the MSS. in the Library of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, by M. R. James, vol. ii, p. 357.Editions:Morris, R., Genesis and Exodus. E. E. T. S., O. S. 7, 1865, revised 1873. Mätzner, E., Altenglische Sprachproben, i. 76-90. Specimens, 153-170. Emerson, O. F., ME. Reader, 21-35.Literature:Fritzsche, A., Anglia, v. 43-90 (authorship, phonology, grammar, metre, notes); Hilmer, H., Ueber die Sprache der altenglischen Story of Genesis and Exodus, Sondershausen, 1876; Holthausen, F., ES xvi. 429-33, Archiv, xc. 143, 144, 295, cvii. 386-92, Anglia, xv. 191-4, xxii. 141 (notes and emendations); Kölbing, E., ES iii. 273-334, xvii. 292-6 (notes and emendations); Schumann, W., Anglia, vi. Anzeiger, 1-32; Stratmann, F. H., ES ii. 120, iv. 98 (notes).Analogue:Die altfranzösische Histoire de Joseph, ed. W. Steuer, Erlangen, 1903, also as L’Estoire Joseph, ed. E. Sass, Berliner Dissertation, 1906.Phonology:This section should be compared with pp. 581-586; explanations of abnormal forms offered there are not repeated. Oralaisa, asses 427, crauen 420;abefore nasals isa, gan 8, man 446 r. w. chanaan, nam 84, quanne 14, ðanne 199; men 204 (3 times) is a reduced form of the indefinite pronounman;abefore lengthening groups iso, among 587, fond 30, but and 6 &c., handful 15, Orm’s hanndfull, with consonant following the lengthening group.æisa, at 25, bad 93 (14),bar 22 (6), dale 79 r. w. bale, faste 93, 248, quat 37, ðat 9, was 1 &c.; the exceptions are fest 427 r. w. best, queðer 111, reste 82, reste 466 (5), weche 514, weches 521 (comp. ‘weciað,’ Vesp. Ps. 126/1), togider 406 r. w. hider.eise, beden 266, beðen 501, deren 402 r. w. sheren, stede 81 r. w. dede, wel 10 &c. (wēl, Bülbring, § 284); before lengthening groups, ende 588, engeles 587, feld 29, but hate 12, 32, 33, influenced by haten,hatianand perhaps by OWScand. hatr, bi 150, quilke 134 (3), swilc 33, bliscing 452, influenced byblissung, rejoicing, wol 384, GE 621, ‘wol wel he dede,’ id. 724, ‘ðehg wol wel,’ id. 1266, due to labial influence and weakness of stress (Gabrielson, Influence of W-, 207, 8); seigen 548, seið 404 (secgað).iisi, bid 563, driuen 219, is 74 &c., ðider 55, wile 180, wliten 343 r. w. eten; before lengthening groups, bringen 213, wilde 71, winden 502; beðen 552 is a miswriting of bidden, welin 585 of wilen.oiso, biforen 16, on 32, soren 15, wrogt 36 r. w. nogt; before lengthening groups, forð 190, gold 194, ‘wolde,’ GE 1418, but an 95, a 40, 108, without stress, wulde 9 (4), wurðen 517.uisu, kuppe 101, wukes 527; before lengthening groups, grund 164, hunger 204, murnen 107, but boden 67, storue 54, ‘domme,’ GE 2821, French writings.yis regularlyi, bigen 220, kin 240, 244 r. w. beniamin, kire 505 r. w. ȳre; before lengthening groups, kinde 129 (5), kinges 87, but deden (dǣdon) 2, 154, 265 r. w. beden, 431, 504, 538 r. w. abiden, dede 44, 82 r. w. stede, come 321, sundri 81 (3), analogy ofsundor.āiso, agon 292 (ongān), gon 242 r. w. pharaon, 249 r. w. symeon, non 283 r. w. symeon, on 320 r. w. symeon, ðo 13, wrot 581 r. w. mot; withoo, ‘ooc,’ GE 1873, ‘wooc,’ id. 1874; but ‘loac,’GE1798, ‘ðoa,’ id. 3894 r. w. salmona, 4129 r. w. fasga, ‘woa,’ id. 880 r. w. oba: slo 35, slon 34 r. w. on, come from forms withā; before two consonants, homward 430, but a 81, an 58 &c., unstressed article, anoðer 43, ali 482, 493, 526, hali 492, clad 174? with shortenedaas if from *clādd, gast 482, 492, quam 374 (hwām), bilef, 214, 251 (‘belāf,’ Peterborough Chron.,an.1131), probably by confusion withbelǣfan, but Kluge, Grundriss § 125, assumes a change of ablaut, ‘ða,’ GE 1901 r. w. bozra, ‘wac,’ id. 1197 r. w. ysaac.ǣ1ise, bilewen 287, clene 493, leden 358 r. w. speden, 355 r. w. ðeden, segeð 286, form fromsǣgan, meaning fromsīgan; before two consonants, fette 154, helðe 398, lesteð 564, buteain ear 202, 483,ain ani 235 (āwith shortening), ðan 212, 389, 550 (þāmwith shortening), andoin most 350, 422 (l Nmāst),eiin fleis 143 (= fles, comp. treweiðe 358),iin ilc 409, 410, 421 (ylc).ǣ2ise, bedden 327 (bǣdonfrombiddanin form, butbudonfrombēodanin meaning), dede 41 (4), mel 466 r. w. wel, red 45, 191 r. w. sped, 568 r. w. dead, sel 442 r. w. wel, ðer 95 r. w. prisuner, 170 r. w. buteler, weren 255 (6), were 228, wet 342, 396 r. w. gret; before two consonants, lewse 44, 407(lǣswe), redden 34, vnselðehe 370, but ðor 42 r. w. sor, 48 &c., 471 r. w. ger, ðore 324, wor 82 (hwāra), quuor 482 (3), quor 462, wore 139, 246, woren 434 r. w. biforen, and six other instances.ēise, bene 565, sped 46 r. w. red; before two consonants, kepten 25, but doðes 230.īisi, butyis written for it in yre 506.ōiso, writtenooin good 121, 448, ‘booc,’ GE 4124, ‘tooc,’ id. 4123, but cam 55 (8), bicam 202, breðere 7 (14), an umlaut form, wep (OE.wōp) 382 is a new formation fromwēpan, briðere 325.ūisu, but ‘town,’ GE 2739, ‘out,’ id. 72.ȳisi, hid 364, kid 411 r. w. bitid, srid 73 r. w. bitid, but ðe 357 (þȳ).eabeforer+ cons. isa, harme 368; before lengthening groups, forward 290, harde 94 (3), butein erd 148 (3), gerken 309, speren 248, sperd 93, 147 and wurð 116 (9). Thei-umlaut ise, derne 46, erue 44, werneden 261, but chare 444.eabeforel+ cons. isa, alle 34 &c., salt 20 (3); before lengthening groupso, bold 13, 175, cold 39, 584, holden 94 (3), old 3 (3), sold 4 (4), wold 40 (4), but geld 206, ‘geald,’ GE 2581; thei-umlaut ise, eldere 483, 560, welden 197 (see 359/7 and comp. Bülbring § 175 anm.).eobeforer+ cons. ise, berge 583, fer 483, feren 31, herte 32 (6), sterres 17. To thewurgroup belong wurðe 111, 128, wurðen 465, 481, wurðed 20, wurðeden 18, wurðing 194. Thei-umlaut isi, hirde 449, hirdnesse 26, but hertedin 76, smeren 496, 502 (smierwan), smered 509, 511, smerles 508 are without umlaut: awyrword is wurð 39 (5). Theu- andå-umlauts ofaare wanting, as in bale 80 r. w. dale, faren 292, misfaren 7, as are also those ofe, werlde 288 (7), beren 138, fele 425.eo,u- andå-umlaut ofi, isein her 13, but biueð 334, cliued 59, cliueð 438, liued 60, nimen 416, 532, siluer 268 (comp. OWScand. silfr, Björkman, 112), siðen 115 (6) have no umlaut.eaafter palatals isa, sal 79 &c., shauen 174, bigat 332 r. w. get, forgaf 553, forgat 146, gaf 45 (5).ieafterġise, bigetel 88, bigeten 234, forgeten 156, geuen 452, 512, but forgiue 549 r. w. liuen, ME. gifte 520; aftersc,e, sheren 401 r. w. deren. EWS.giefis if 7 (3).eoafterġisuin gunge 335, gungest 214 (4); aftersc,u, sulen 22 &c., sulde 9, sulden 355, ‘suuen,’ GE 107.eomis am 129 (4),heom, hem 9 &c.ēaise, bed 101, bred 102, dede 519, eddi 140, gret 341, 395 r. w. wet, lepes 132,eein neet 151; before two consonantse, eðimod 303, lefful 578, buteain bead 548, bread 133, dead 1 r. w. unred, 485, 547, 567 r. w. red, dead 286, eares 158, anda(shortening) before two consonants in chapmen 85, chafare 47, gatte 531, 567 (Björkman, 109). Thei-umlaut ise, herde 107, heren 585, nede 215, 219, ned 295, 578 r. w. red, nedful 184.ēois invariablye, bed 127, bedden 552, for beden, ben 10 &c., dep 38 r. w. slep, leue 475, sen 26 &c., ðeden 356 r. w. leden, ðre 132 r. w. me; it is writteneein seen 492, ‘teen,’ GE 1344; before two consonantse, fellen 326, 551, leuere 139; buteiin weis 343 (wēoxfromweacsan), comp. fleis 143: miswritteniin lif 481 for ‘lef,’ GE 340 (6). Thei-umlaut ise, dere 301, 453, ten 51 r. w. men.gīetis get 39 (6).ēaafterġise, ger 1 (11).a+gisag, dragen 100, lages 500, slagen 58, but daiges 499, 509, 525, laiges 510, 526, daies 123.æ+gisei, dei 141 r. w. weilawei, freinde 107, seide 19 (6), seiden 218 (7), seid 479, 482, andai, abraid 165, dai 249, 359 r. w. wei, faire 447, mai 19 (6), waines 416, writtenayin may 36: fagen 321 (3) is fromfagen:æ+his seen in lagt 135, ‘vnachteled,’ GE 796.e+gisei, leid 284, weie 293: agen 55 r. w. sen, 125, 304, 403 r. w. ben comes fromagēn.i+gisigin manige 234, 332, but the spirant is absorbed in birien 478, biried 571, ybiried 574, and manie 446: birigeles 528, biriele 542 (byrgels) are analogic: beries 116 is LWS.berie. Finaligisi, eddi 140, seli 568; stiward 87, 317 is LWS.stīweard:i+his seen in ‘sigðhe’ (gesihþ), GE 1630.o+g,hisog, bogt 90, drogen 456, wrogt 78, 272, ‘dogtres,’ GE 1090, 1094, but dowter 201 (? Northern).u+g,hisug, fugeles 135, mugen 144.y+his seen in ME. frigti 18.ā+gisog, ogen 108, but owen 40;ā+h,og, ‘oget,’ GE 324, but agte 363 (? influence ofǣht).ǣ1+hisag, agte 144 (ǣht), bitagt 97 r. w. hagt:ǣ2+g, leigen 16.ō+hisog, brogt 274, nogt 35 r. w. wroht, sogt 30, other spellings are ‘broghten,’ GE 1008, ‘ðohgteful,’ id. 1437, ‘sowt,’ id. 2870, ‘ðhowtes,’ id. 3544, ‘wroutis,’ id. 456.ō+gisog,ug, ‘bog,’ GE 608, ‘ynog,’ id. 3670, buges 114, ynug 210.ū+gisug, drugte 161, ðhugte 118.ea+his seen in sag 7 (6), waxen 114; thei-umlaut in migt 504, migte 68 &c., nigt 103, 515 r. w. rigt.eo+his seen in rigt 15, brictest 6, but sextene 3 (comp. Merciansex,sexta, Bülbring § 319 anm.); fe 89 representsfeoh, dat.fēo.ēa+giseg, bege 194; hegest 196 may representhēahsta, but is more probably a new formation fromhēh;ēa+h, ‘ðehg,’ GE 1266.ēo+gis alsoeg, drege 262;ēo+his seen in wex 211; wexen 158, 556; thei-umlaut in ligten 79 (līhtan).ā+wisou,ow, sowen 401, soules 578, sowle 579.ī+w, newe 412 is Angliannēowe.ēa+wisew, shewed 67, ðewed 10.ēo+wis alsoew, knewen 31, 216, reweli 382, rewðe 393, trewthe 390, but gure 232 (5), final, gu 314 &c., knew 221, 222, wintre 113; without umlaut are trewið 91, trewed 439.In syllables without stressais levelled toe, moneð 516, vten 460, sooin hunger 230; ofrigt 104, 279 representingāfyrhthas been influenced by ME. offriȝt:onis an 95. Ane, often unmetrical, has been inserted in bodẹward 336, bodẹwurd 548, breðere 7 &c., briðẹre 325, coren 158 (9), engẹles 587, manigẹfold 556, gadẹren 188, eldẹre 483, 560, fugeles 135, 143,leuelike 329, leuere 139, reweli 382 (but rewli 64), vnselðẹhe 370, similarlyei,iin trewẹịðe 358, birịgeles 528 (byrgels); an irrationaleis added finally in ðogẹ 24, towardẹ 49;eis omitted in bettre 44, biforn 326, first 185, forward 88, 318, gur 314, herdne 127 (ǣrende), mor 260 r. w. or:iis written forein michil 260, and inserted in eðimod 303 (ēaþmōd), sinịgeden 259. The prefix in tawnen 180 isæt;be-is regularlybi, biforen 16, biment 256, bitwen 23;ge-is generally lost, kinde 129, lefful 578, seli 192, writ 70, but it survives in gede 43, 341 (yet g may be merely parasitic), yoten 470, ynug 210, it is disguised in to ful in wis 575 (comp. 196/637); the suffixungis regularlying, ending 283, wurðing 194.Metathesis ofrtakes place in wrigtful 258, wrigteleslike 130;rris simplified in chare 444 r. w. fare, charen 490 r. w. faren, duren 293, fer 483, feren 31.llis simplified in al 167 &c., handful 15, wil 28 (3), wilen 358.nis added in dalen 27, against metre, and lost in a 40, 108, o 103, 177, 280 foron;nnis simplified in gunen 432, mankin 460 (manncynn), quane 4, 356.pis inserted in dempt 92, ME. drempte 37, 103, and lost in ME. chafare 47.fbetween vowels and vowellikes isu, crauen 420, erue 44, louerd 237, luue 18, ouer 541, wiue 201, writtenwin bilewen 287, wiwes 91, but ‘wifwes,’ GE 857, ‘wifuede,’ id. 1588 and even ‘wifes,’ id. 453 also occur; otherwise it isf, fare 85, lif 493; it is doubled in off 476, and lost in lord 226.tis doubled in bettre 44, lutten 217, lost in best 350 and finally in an 122, 575 (the original had ant), ða 128, 244, 372, ef 391, GE 3081, ‘hef,’ id. 4019, ‘flig,’ id. 3084;ttis simplified in fet 152; fort,þis written in anð 218, andth, ‘soth,’ GE 3685, ‘leth,’ id. 3385:tsisscin bliscing 452; a curious letter substitution ispfortin waspene 6, GE 1440 (wæstm).dis doubled in bedden 327, 552, eddi 140 (? shortening);bis written for it in glaðe 351 r. w. scaðe, wurðen 517 and frequently elsewhere:ddis simplified in fordred 245. Forþ,thappears in trewthe 390, ‘tholen,’ GE 508; it is often writtenðh, biðhogte 169, ðhenke 126, ðhing 476, ðhogt 165, 221, 308, ðhogte 24 (3), ðhugte 118, ðhurg 246, welðhe 428, but ðinkeð 457, ðogte 448. Initialþin pronominal words is seldom assimilated aftert,s, so, ðat ðin 189, ‘malt ðat,’ GE 1017, ‘salt ðu,’ id. 1043, but ‘at te,’ GE 2756, ‘and (for ant) te,’ id. 615, ‘and tin,’ id. 926, ‘is tis,’ id. 334. Forþ,dis written in dan 54, dat 70, 534, de 97, dogt 486, dor 45, endede 575 (endeð), helped 77, kude 168, quad 35 (4), wid 41 (4), andtin quat 77, 383, ‘Betel,’ GE 760.þþis simplified in siðen 115 &c.,dis substituted for it in siden 509. Noteworthy is derke 291, 399 withrkforrþ.sćis mostlys, sal 79, salt 20, soren 15, srid 73, srud 61, 421, sulde 9, sulen 22, finally, fleis 143, weis 343 (cs), doubled in wassen 345, but shauen 174, sheren 401, shewed 67, schilde 579; she 21, ‘sche,’ GE235, ‘sge,’ id. 1444, ‘che,’ id. 1227 are equivalent. The stopciskbeforeeandiand in combination with other consonants, biwaken 498, wukes 527, kid 411, drink 106, often beforeu, kumen 31, 48, kuppe 101, kude 420, but cloðes 73, folc 82, ranc 159, cumen 123 &c., cuppe 364, 372, cuðe 208, and the proper names ‘Cedar,’ GE 1257, ‘Ceturam,’ id. 1446; otherwise it isc, cam 55, comen 75, coren 158 &c., spac 395, woc 165. Forc,gis written in ‘ðig,’ GE 564, ‘swing,’ id. 566, ‘ðengen,’ id. 1571.čisch, chare 444, childes 61, lich 495 (5), michel 89, riche 324, but biseken 546, euerilk 379, ic 21, swilc 33 &c., are not palatalized: swil 442 has lost c; similarly ‘Qwel,’ GE 170, ‘quil,’ id. 3631.ččisch, drechen 42, fechen 417, rechen 140, 176, rechede 178, reching 112, wech 514, weches 521: smaken 497 is a ME. formation.čǧisgin bigen 220, 300, comp. 481/7, 8.cwis regularlyqu, quad 35 &c. Palatalġis writteng, geld 206, ger 1, gunkeste 5;ġeisyin yoten 470, ynug 210; it is lost in if 7 &c. An interpolatedysound appears to be indicated bygin ‘digere’ (dīere), GE 3483, ‘tgen’ (tēon), id. 3824, ‘tgen’ (tīen), id. 3413, 3418, ‘tgelt,’ id. 1840, the second and third also appear as ‘then,’ GE 1514, 3305 (h pronounced separately), similarly ‘thaunen,’ GE 32: comp. 365/23. The guttural spirant isgin swolgen 72, sorge 74 (comp. Orm’s bollȝhenn, sorrȝhe); later forms are sorwe 59 (3), morwen 359; it is lost in sorfull 380. The voiceless spirant is also writteng, frigti 325, nigt 103, sogt 30, sag 7, ðog(e) 24, ðurg 577, so probably drugte 161 (drūgað, in Orm, druhhþe), other representations of the same sound are seen in brictest 6, ‘brocte,’ GE 237, ‘hicte,’ id. 713: ‘sagt,’ GE 1301, ‘burgt,’ id. 727 have added an irrationaltby analogy of sogt &c. Noteworthy is the insertion of the spirant in the French words haigre 73, ‘olige,’ GE 1624, ‘astronomige,’ id. 792, where ig may be written for ī, but olie 512.ǧappears in egypte 86 &c.his lost in adde 14 (5), adden 504, 505, ali 482 (3), aue 442, aueð 523, e 39, 395, 476, is 14 (9), om 324, yoten 470, also by coalescence in fonde 29, madim 62, weli 582, wexem 11.his added in halle 394, herdes 464, herdne 127, hunne 303, hure 260, 549.hlisl, lene 153, lord 226:hr,r, rad 535, raðe 367, rem 58, ring 193:hw,qu, quane 4, quan 190, quat 37, queðer 111, quiles 37, quilke 134, quam 374, quor 462 andquu, quuan 365, quuor 482, butnā-hwǣris ‘nogwer,’ GE 1271.Accidence:Strong declension ofmasc.andneut.nouns. In thes. n. a.hate 12, stede 43, 81, sune 5, 72, wlite 342, kire 505, mete 138, bale 80, erue 44, herdne 127 have e corresponding to their OE. vocalic ending, bege 194, bode 69, 437 (gebod, comp.boda, messenger), liche 542, 569 (but lich 495), weie 305 have added e, wliten 343, GE 3614, n, fe 89representsfeoh, drugte 402,drūgaþ. Gen.-es, flodes 150, kinges 87, wiwes 91, but louerdis 326: dat.-e, bale 92, 579, come 321, ende 588, here 533, mete 348, stede 468, 521, sune 443, with vowel termination in the nominative, dale 79 (dalen 27 has added n, against metre), gilte 463, harme 368, kinge 235 (but king 451), liue 471 (but lif 493), londe 386, 572 (but lond 129 &c.), ofspringe 236, tune 365, wastme 6, wedde 252, weie 293, 534, wiue 201; without inflection are fulsumhed 182, grund 164, strem 150, ðogt 384 and a large number of others, mostly with long stem vowel or of more than one syllable; yre 506 has lost n, tre 113 is an Anglian nominative formtrēo, wo 458 is indeclinable. Thepl. n. a.of masculines end in-es, fugeles 135, sunes 2 (7), lepes 132, muðes 270, but meten 133, 309, r. w. eten (translating cibos, panes; at GE 363 it is probably singular with added n), sunen 229 r. w. cumen: neuters are der 71, folc 498, 505, ger 181 (7), ?kin 556, neet 151, srud 421, gere 190, bones 566, geres 207, liches 501, wiues 417. Genitive is teres 342, 396, datives, engeles 587, semes 427, teres 410. Of thefem.nouns of the strong declension helpe 83, herte 339, luue 340 have original e in the nominative, bene 565, bere 535, blisse 122, dede 41 (3), rewðe 393, sonde 367, trewðe 513, vnselðehe 370, sinne 36, sorwe 59, sorge 74 (3), wede 68 have added e, without it are ending 474 and other verbal substantives in-ing, ned 295, sped 192. Genitives are drugte 161, soules 578, werldes 494; helle pine 584, helle dale 79 may be regarded as composition forms. Dative-e, blisse 586, helðe 398, lewse 44, nede 215, 219, werlde 288 (7); onsagen 99, ðeden 356 haveaddedn; but bering 232, hond 197 (3), as often in OE., ned 578, smerles 508, sped 46, 275, wurðing 194 are without inflection.Acc.-e, fare 85, hirdnesse 26; gifte 520, kinde 490 have added e; without inflection are bimening 538, bliscing 452, ending 283, forward 88 (3), stund 95, 163 and, as in OE., hond 117, migt 504.Pl. n.are blisses 404, dedes 513, hertes 13, lages 500, sondes 219, agte 144;d.laiges 526;a.agtes 278, laiges 510, agte 198, weden 423. Nouns of the weak declension have-ein thenom., bode 529, bredwrigte 131, wille 388;d.wune 6;a.kuppe 101, time 474; genitive is weches 521, but ‘sterre,’ GE 134.Pl. n.are sterres 17, wukes 527;d.wunes 347, but ‘feren,’ GE 1275;a.asses 427, beries 116, feres 532, but ‘wunen,’ GE 3137. The minor declensions are represented by fots. d.326, 551, ‘fote’pl. d., GE 376; mans. n.167,s. d.302, menpl. n.184, chapmen 85, hirdemen 449, menpl. d.587,pl. a.47; moneðs. a.516; bocs. n.576; biris. d.311; nigts. d.103,s. a.515,pl. a.501 (5), nigtes 499; faders. n.19, faderess. g.229, faders. d.8; broðers. n.110,s. a.244, breðerepl. n.21 (9), briðere 325, breðerepl. g.267,pl. d.429,pl. a.7; moders. d.338; dowters. a.201; childess. g.61, childrepl. n.282,pl. a.304, childer 203; earespl. n.158; breds. a.102, bread 133.Adjectives which in OE. end in a vowel have e throughout, bliðe 413, 429, riche 324, 327, 408; those in-iglose g and are invariable, miri 312, sundri 81, 408, 468, similarly rewli (hrēowlic) 64. Weak inflections are gunges. n. m.335 (insert þe before it), leues. a. m.475, wis[e]s. d. m.461 (similarly ‘ðe strong[e] god of israel,’ GE 1846 is to be read). All others are uninflected in the singular; they either belong to the classes mentioned above, or are predicative, or come after the noun qualified.mycelis michils. n. f.281, michels. n. neut.89,lȳtel, litels. a. f.95. The plural has-e, fette 158, fulle 400, glaðe 351, gode 513, harde 108, smale 161; the exceptions, mostly dissyllabic or predicative, are bold 13, fulsum 207, nedful 184, niðful 13, ranc 159, 162, sorful 380, wis 533 (read wisẹ), wrigtful 258.ānas article without stress is before consonants, a, an, 58, 64, 81, 149, 159 &c., once on 469, before h, an 455, 555, as elsewhere before a vowel. The numeral and pronoun is on, 101, 179, 227, 233 &c.;nān, pronoun and adjective is mostly non, but the adjective is twice no, 296, 352. Adjectives used as nouns with inflections arepl. n.fette 164,d.dede 519, fette 154,a.fette 155, sibbe 557. Comparatives have-e, bettre 53, more 420, leuere 139, eldere 483, but bet 420 (adverb form); superlatives are mostly without it, best 350 (3), brictest 6, first 185, gungest 214, 239, hegest 196, most 350, but gunkeste 5, gungeste 244 have weak inflection: boðen ispl. n.with added n, 179,pl. d.103.The personal pronouns are ic 21 (4), ‘hic,’ GE 34, rarely i, id. 309, me, we, urpl. g.316, us, ðu, (‘redes)tu,’ GE 2934, ðe, gepl. n., gureg.372, gud.314,a.561, ge 406. Dual forms occur elsewhere, ‘wit,’ GE 1775, ‘unc,’ id. 1776, ‘gunc,’ id. 2830. The pronoun of the third person iss. n.hem.4 &c., e 29 (4), (wel) i 582, shef.21, ‘sche,’ GE 235, ‘sge’ id. 1444, ‘che,’ id. 1227, ghe 203, ‘ge,’ GE 1024, itneut.12, (was)t 53, (‘stod)et,’ GE 590, withpl.verb, id. 1770,g.‘hire’f.id. 2035,d.himm.60, (mad)im 62, ‘hin,’ GE 47, ‘hire’f., id. 322, ‘it’neut., id. 6,a.himm.37, ‘hine,’ GE 3468 r. w. dine, ‘hin,’ id. 3004, ‘in,’ id. 3887, ‘hire’f., id. 971, itneut.63, (‘tell)et,’ GE 3526;pl. n.he 31 &c., once ‘ðei,’ GE 573,g.here 263, 410, 421, ‘ere,’ GE 2855, her 312,d.hem 14, (wex)em 11,a.hem 26 &c., is 184, 458, 503 (‘warp)es,’ GE 3025, ‘hes’ (= he them), id. 911, 943. Reflexives are ‘ðe self,’ GE 934, gu 358, him 169, hem 256, 355, ‘himseluen,’ GE 1338, ‘hemseluen,’ id. 537; definitive is selfs. d. m.235; possessives, mis. n. m.110, minef.565, in other cases min 72, 80, 371;pl. n. a.mine 566, min 282, 304, 404; ðis. n. f.388,s. a. neut.143, in other cases ðin 110, 125, 189, 436;pl. n.ðine 21; his 8 &c. as general form forthe singular, written is 15 (6), but hise 91, 191, 236, 396, 474, 475, 490, 495, 569, 579, at all these places his is metrically admissible;pl.hise as the general form 25 &c., but his 40, 73, 75, is 14, 410, 429, hise being in all these places metrically admissible; ‘hire’f., GE 333; ‘his’neut., GE 120, ‘is,’ id. 327; ure 315, 547, 560, hure 260, 549, ur 226; ‘gunker,’ GE 398, gure 232 (4), gur 314; here 16 (8), ‘ere,’ GE 3773, her 13. The definite article is ðe 82 &c., de 97, ‘(at) te,’ GE 2756, miswritten ðo 164, instrumental, ðe 357, for ði 11; ðat 169 &c., ða 244,pl.ðo 98 &c. are demonstratives: wið ðan ðatconj.389, miswritten wið ðanne ðat 550. The compound demonstrative iss.ðis 19, 131, ðes 166;pl.ðise 185, ðis 179, 186, ðes 253, in the last three places ðise is admissible. The relatives are ðat 22, 185 (= that which), ðe 102. Interrogatives are ‘quo,’ GE 2821, ‘quase,’ id. 2870, quam 374, quat 107 (5), ‘Queðer,’ GE 1471, quilcs.474, ‘quil,’ GE 3631, quilkepl.134, 404, ‘qwel,’ GE 170; the correlative is swilcs.33, 59, 393, swil 442,pl.swilke 234, swilc 236, 500 (metre requires swilke in the latter place). Indefinites are quat so 37, 40, 388, quat so euere 386; men 204, 232, 277, ‘man,’ GE 1, 3; sum 515, 516, 517, ‘summe’pl., GE 399, 401; ani 235; oðers.202, oðerepl.183 (5), toðere 394, oðer 133, 510 (read oðre); anoðer 43, 157; ilc 410, euerilc 152, euerilk on 379; ‘mani,’s., GE 696, manie 446 (read mani), manigepl.234, 332, ‘manie,’ GE 4068; fele 425; fo 457; als.167, but allẹs. d. f.428,pl.alle 16 &c., halle 394, al 250, 325 (read alle).Only two verbs, fare 443, reste 82, have infinitive in-e; all others, including thirteen of the second weak conjugation, end in-en. Contract verbs are bisen 195, sen 19 (5), seen 492, ten 9. The dative infinitive is not inflected, it has for prefix mostly to, but for to with bigen 300, cumen 123, geuen 452, slon 34. Presents ares.1. bid 563, chare 444, rede 187; 2. findes 374, ‘betes,’ GE 3974, ‘haues,’ id. 360 and others in-es, ‘tregest,’ GE 3975 is isolated; 3. bimeneð 280, liueð 437, cliued 59, endedẹ 575, haued 92, helped 77, liued 60, ðinked 461, trewið 91; contracted are bitid 235, bit 292, hað 560, lið 12 (‘ligeð,’ GE 889, against metre), wurð 39 (5);pl.1. holden 290, drege we 262; 2. senden 294, cume ge 225, haue ge 369; 3. hauen 72, wunen 518:subjunctive s.2. friðe 389; 3. berge 583, helpe 582, leue 586, wurðe 111, deren 534 r. w. here, with irrational added n;pl.1. liuen 550:imperative s.2. bed 127, tel 110, forgiue 549, ðhenke 126;pl.2. bereð 297, hoteð 564, seið 404. Past of Strong Verbs: I a.s.3. bad 93, 175, bigat 332, forgaf 553, forgat 146, gaf 45, quad 35, quat 77, quað 121, sag 7, spac 395;pl.3. bedden 327, leigen 16: I b.s.3. bar 22, bicam 202, cam 55, nam 84, tobar 200;pl.3. comen 75, nomen 61: I c.s.1. gan 459, wrong 118, wurð 116; 3. abraid165, bigan 462, fond 30, gan 8, geld 206, unbond 277, wurð 145, freinde 107 (weak form);pl.3. funden 69, gunnen 546, gunen 432, gunne 49 (if the word following ends in n, there is a tendency to drop the verbal n, comp. 10, 420), wurðen 104:subjunctive s.1. wurðe 128; 3. wurðe 272, wurð[e] 477: II.s.3. bilef 214, 251, ros 32, wrot 578;pl.3. abiden 537, smiten 163: III.s.3. bead 548, bed 101, gret 71;pl.3. boden 67, lutten 217: IV.s.1. stod 113; 3. stod 15, swor 487, understod 264, woc 165;pl.3. foren 536, token 254: V. IV.s.3. wex 13, 291, weis 343;pl.3. wexen 158: V.s.3. forlet 494, het 419, knew 221, let 222, slep 37;pl.3. fellen 326, knewen 31. Participles present: ‘sigande,’ GE 1436, ‘betende,’ id. 2713, ‘stondende,’ id. 3149; past: I a. beden 266, ?forgeten 233, freten 155, geuen 512: I b. bicumen 281, boren 214, cumen 190, forholen 371, fornumen 282, numen 32, ouercumen 162, stolen 129, soren 15, vndernumen 189: I c. bunden 270, swolgen 72, worpen 39, wurðen 517: II. driuen 375: III. drogen 456, forloren 565: IV. dragen 100, grauen 485, shauen 174, slagen 58, sworen 530: V. IV. waxen 114: V. fordred 245, holden 94, hoten 239, yoten 470, inflected, hotenes. d.562. Past of Weak Verbs:s.1. hadde 117; 3. bitagte 193, gatte 531, herde 107, likede 353, made 580, seide 19, missed 57, trewed 439, set 58, told 177, ðoht 352, went 543;pl.1. sinigeden 259, werneden 261; 3. chidden 23, ferden 360, leiden 65, luueden 206, maden 88, senten 66, skinden 85, hertedin 76, biried 571, shewed 67, stunden 83. Participles present: ‘tuderande,’ GE 164, ‘wuniende,’ id. 2742; past: maked 524, smered 509, ðewed 10, bitid 74, mad 469, seid 479, sperd 93, srid 73, biment 256, ?fest 427, filt 361, ligt 306, ofrigt 104, went 365, inflected, welkede 161. Minor Groups: ‘witen’inf., GE 328, wot 1pr. s.231,pr. s.166, ‘witen’pr. pl., GE 74, wiste 2pt. s.383,pt. s.316, wistenpt. pl.271; hunnepr. s. subj.303; og 1pr. s.241, ‘oc’pr. s., GE 197, ogenpr. pl.108, owen 40, ‘agtes’ 2pt. s., GE 1762, agtept. s.363, ‘oget,’ GE 324; durenpr. pl.293, ‘durste’pt. s., GE 2593, ‘dursten’pt. pl., id. 1863; canpr. s.176, ‘cunen’pr. pl., GE 4054, cuðept. s.208, kude 168, ‘cuðen’pt. pl., GE 2996, kude 420, ‘kuð’pp., GE 2666; sal 1pr. s.79, salt 2pr. s.20, ‘sal,’ GE 1815, ‘saltu,’ id. 1041, salpr. s.126, sulen 1pr. pl.22, 2pr. pl.408, sule ge 242, sulenpr. pl.143, ‘sule’ GE 305, ‘suldes’ 2pt. s., id. 3984, suldept. s.24, suldenpt. pl.355, sulde 10; ‘munen’inf., GE 1622, ‘mune,’ id. 972, ‘to munen’dat. inf., id. 197, ‘for to munen,’ id. 687, muneðpr. s.463, ‘munen’ 1pr. pl., GE 558, mune ?pr. s. subj.476, ‘mune’ 2pr. s. imp., GE 45; ‘mugen’inf., GE 1818, maipr. s.19 &c., may 36, ‘muwen’ 1pr. pl., GE 3316, ‘mugen’pr. pl., id. 3017, ‘mogen,’ id. 3227, mugenpr. pl. subj.144, migte 1pt. s.137,pt. s.68, migt he 238, ‘migten’pt. pl., GE 573; motpr. s.582, ‘mote’ 1pr. s. subj., GE 1621,pr. s. subj., id. 2645, ‘muste’pt. s., id. 2624; beninf.10, for to bend. inf.196, am 1pr. s.129, ‘best’ 2pr. s., GE 2884, ‘beas,’ id. 365, ‘art,’ id. 356, ispr. s.74, ‘beð,’ GE 182, ben 1pr. pl.258, 2pr. pl.223,pr. pl.123, be 454, aren 282, ‘arn,’ GE 16, bepr. s. subj.388, 565, benpr. pl. subj.566, beð 2pr. pl. imp.317, was 1pt. s.120, ‘wore’ 2pt. s., GE 1759, waspt. s.1, wast (= was it) 53, were we 1pt. pl.228, werenpt. pl.255 (6), woren 100 (7), ‘worn,’ GE 61, worept. s. subj.139, 246; wilepr. s.180, nile 59, wilen 2pr. pl.358, welin (for wilen)pr. pl.585, wuldept. s.9, ‘wolde,’ GE 912, ‘wulden’pt. pl., id. 1075, ‘wolden,’ id. 3756, ‘nolden,’ id. 3029; ‘don’inf., GE 194, vndon 168, to dond. inf.28, doð(es)pr. s.230, don 2pr. pl.285,pr. pl.519, dopr. s. subj.568, 2pr. s. imp.387, doð 2pr. pl. imp.405, dedept. s.44 (9), dedenpt. pl.2, dede 82, donpp.41, 128, 315, 477, 542, do 142; goninf.238, ouergon 340, ‘to gon’d. inf., GE 3078, ‘gon’ 2pr. pl., id. 3124, ‘go’ 2pr. s. imp., id. 2815, ‘goð’ 2pr. pl. imp., id. 3585, gedept. s.43, ‘geden’pt. pl., GE 1034, gonpp.291.Vocabulary:Scandinavian are ai 287, aren 282, blomede 115, boðen 103, 179, (bi)calleð 368, fo 457, fro 31, geren 495, grot 74, groten 80, hagt 98, heil(nesse) 122, eðen 242, ille 12, kides 63, lages 500 laiges 526, laðes 188, lit 64, liðeð 131, lote 382 loten 312, nai 35, oc 229, or 1, orest 115, raken 186, ransaken 377, rapen 430 rapeð 403, scaðe 352, seck 363, semet 223, skinden 85, (ouer)takeð 367, tiding 412, til 60,ðeden84, ðog 24, 217, ðral(dom) 376, wante 298, witter 6, witter(like) 374, wopnede 533; probably busk 159, vnhillen 8; possibly bond 130, cartes 416, twinne 421; in sonderemen 65, er is probably due to Scandinavian influence. French are butuler 109 buteler 169, cisterne 38, feið 241, feste 524, fin 424, flum 540, fruit 301, graunte 590, haigre 73, hardi 175, lettres 581, merci 237, messe(song) 520, offiz 125, olie 512, paid 269, pais 589, plates 52, poure 233, present 327, pris 301, prisun 94, prisunes 98, prisuner 96, scite 469, seruede 105, spices 48, spice(like) 497, spies 223, spien 226, strif 494; possibly the interjection A 237, rospen 186 (OF. rosper). Latin are crisme 512, elmesse 520.Dialect:East Midland of the Southern border. Its general character is definitely East Midland, butāas occasionallyoain rhymes like ðoa : salmona GE 4129, woa : oba GE 880, the occurrence of hine : dine GE 3468, hin, id. 3004, yoten 470 beside hotene 562, wuniende GE 2472 as assured by the metre,æ+gaseibesideaitestify to contact with the South. The large proportion of French words may point in the same direction. Evidence of transmission through a North Midland copy is furnished byāas occasionallya,sćass, the pronouns ghe, ge beside she,ðei beside hepl., the 2pr. s. ind.of verbs in-es, thepres. part.in-ande, and occasional aren beside usual ben. It was probably at this stage that the metre suffered by loss of final-e; some feminine endings may have become masculine. The scribe of our manuscript was probably faithful to his exemplar, for he was imperfectly acquainted with the language.Metre:The short rhymed couplet, as in ON. It is not so skilfully handled here as in ON, but it was no less regular in its construction before the copyists tampered with the text. Skeat’s description of it as a verse of four accents, ‘the unaccented syllables being left, as it were, to take care of themselves’ is misleading, for it is a verse of four feet with the regulation number of accented and unaccented syllables. It differs from the verse of ON in the predominance of masculine endings, in the larger proportion of trisyllabic feet, and in the number of fourth feet with an additional syllable. The types, as in ON (seepp. 564, 565), are i. ðat hé | wel ðéw|ed súld|e bén, 10; so 11, 33, 46, 63, 64, 70, 73, 75, 89, 93 &c.: i a. Naí quad | rubén | slo wé | him nógt, 35; so 45, 72, 101, 110, 145, 202, 221, 297, 302, 331, 387, 408, 422, 435, 459, 460 &c.: i b. ðát | ðu sált | ðus wúrð|ed bén, 20; so 23, 30, 36, 222, 272, 295, 578: ii. He knéw|en hím | fro fér|en kúmen, 31; so 47, 80, 85, 87, 92, 100, 123, 124, 133, 137, 156, 157, 181, 207, 218, 230, 265, 299, 322, 324, 337, 344, 351, 355, 371, 405 &c.: ii a. Wúrðed|en hím | wið frígt|i lúue, 18; so 333, 334, 343: ii b. Né | ðat mét|e fró | hem béren, 138; so 469, J́t | was v́nd|ren tím|ẹ or móre, 323. The unstressed element in a foot, and especially in the third foot, is often doubled; one of the syllables often admits of being slurred: i. Twelwe gér | or ýs|aác | was déad, 1; so 246, 363, ðo wéx | her hért|es niðfúl | and bóld, 13; so 28, 34, 42, for thrít|ti plát|es to ðó | chapmén, 52; so 57, 71, 96 &c., Wið ðó | prisún|es to líu|en in hágt, 98, Jacób|es sún|es déd|en unréd, 2; so 29, 39, 40, 62, 84, 97, 369: i a. Ál but ðe | ton bróð|er sým|eón, 250, Sónder|e mén | he it leíd|en ón, 65; so 69, Goód is |quaðjós|eph to drém|en of wín, 121; so 184, féllen | bifórn | ðat lóu|erdis fót, 326; so 436, 439, 451, 564: i b. dón | for ðe déd|e chírch|e góng, 519, Wénd|e him slág|en set úp | an rém, 58; so 328, ðát | ðe bár | sulen lút|en ðé, 22; so 78, 83, 127, 148, 171, 193, 200, 228, 254, 286, 289, 301, 308, 350, 427, 440, 452, 453, 487, Jác|ob ðús | him bimén|eð o rígt, 280; so 383, 391, 403: ii. seue eár|es wéx|en fétt|ẹ of córen, 158, Hu he sét|tẹ at ðe mét|e hís|e súnes, 348, Jc réd|e ðe kíng | nu hér | bifóren, 187; so 235, 270, 288, 294, 321, 338, 374, 437, 502, 537, He wás | iacób|es gunkést|e súne, 5; so 81, 88, 155, 162, 217, 220, 281, 367, 431, 463, 530, 565, 585, Jn tó | egípt|e lédd|en ðat wáre, 86; so 309, 357, 400: ii a.Tóward | here fád|er he gún|en drágen, 432, so 467, Ság he | ðor kúm|en wið spíc|es wáre, 48, Gáf he | is bréð|ẹre wið hért|e blíðe, 429:iib. Ór | for misdéd|e or fór | onságen, 99, ðát | is hánd|ful stod rígt | up sóren, 15; so 79, 185, 219, 300, 362, 385, 402, 538. The light syllable is omitted in ii. Ne wíst|e he nógt | quát | he wóren,434:ii b. Húr|e sínn|e ðú | hím | forgíue, 549, with good effect. Inversion of the accent is infrequent, i. ðu sált | áfter | ðe ðríd|de deí, 141, 517:i a.Kínde | lúue | gan him óu|ergón, 340, Jósep | háued | hem áft|er sént, 366,J́cam | iosép | drédeð | gu nógt, 397: ii. He bád | cártes | and waín|es nímen, 416, Quuor ié|su críst | wúlde | ben bóren, 484, He dógt | wið hém | réste | to háuen, 486, And ebrís|se fólc | ádden | an kíre, 505, Egípt|e fólc | áueð | him wáked, 523, He bád | síbbe | cumen hím | bifóren, 557. Synizesis occurs in olie 512, birigeles 528, biriele 542. Syncope of the syllable after the accent in trisyllabic words is certain in breðẹre 21, 325, 429, blomẹde 115, rechẹde 178,euẹrilc268, lerẹde 354, eldẹre 483, luuẹde 554, and similarly in arẹn 282, comẹn 356, wilẹn 358; it is probable, though not assured by the metre in seruede 105, wrigteles 130, leuere 139, fugeles 143, euerilc 152 &c., gaderen 188, faderes 229, 347, oðere 253 (oðre 573), breðere 51 &c., werneden 261, wunede 471, eldere 560, hotene 562; the medial e in words of this type is nowhere necessary for the scansion. The verbal termination-eþhas probably full syllabic value everywhere, as it has at 77, 92, 286, 367, 523. Elision takes place in allẹ 16, wantedẹ 209, sentẹ 213, listnedẹ 276, ðhogtẹ 347, witterlikẹ 479, hiatus in 153, 155, 233, 246, 252, 262, 367, 378, 425, 551, 586: in a large number of lines there is a choice between elision and hiatus; in view of the author’s liking for trisyllabic feet, the preference should perhaps be given to the latter.Proper names of three syllables have, with few exceptions, two accents, those of two syllables are very often stressed on the second, according to the current clerical use, for Mammotrectus says ‘nulla dictio de natura acuit ultimam nisi . . . hebraica · ut David ⁊ Jacob.’ So ábrahám, adád, béniamín (10), but béniamin 422, chánaán, ‘cánahán,’ GE 726, dotáym, ebrón, éffraým, gálaád, génesís, gersén, iurdón, mánassén, pháraón 119 (7), pháraún 172 r. w. prisun, but pháraon 191, 465, pharáon 411, pútifár 87, 199, but pv́tifar 91, rámesé, sichém 25, but síchem 29, sýmeón, ýsaác. Otherwise egípte, once egípt 213, iácob, ácob 445, jacóbes, iésu, jóseph, jósep, ósep (18), iosép 92, 266, joséph 139 r. w. swep, in many other places the metre admits of either accentuation, josépes, júdas 387, elsewhere indeterminate, as Vdas 45, móyses, pháran, rúben 55, elsewhere rubén is possible; adjectives are cristéne 510, ebrísse. The spelling of the proper names mostly follows Comestor or the Vulgate, but ebron, egipte, jurdon,pharaon are French, and probably ramese; in view of the variants, no conclusion can be drawn from initial j in Jacob, Judas, and Joseph; for the last the author probably wrote iosep throughout.The corruptions of the text consist mostly of inversions of the word order and additions which aim at greater clearness or emphasis. Line 6, read witter of wune (H = Holthausen); l. 7, hise breðere sag (H); l. 8, gan it; l. 24, ðog ðhóg|te iác|ob it súl|de bén; l. 53, was it; l. 60, Til he him; l. 77, it helpeð (H); l. 82, Wor sé|li fólc | hem rést|e déde, comp. GE 257; l. 91, his; l. 108, Harde drém|es óg|en a wóld|e ðát; l. 118, ðorin, comp. GE 3634; l. 130, And wrígt | ẹleslík|e hóld|en in bónd; l. 134, omit ðe; l. 149, read ðo drémp|te phá|raón | a drém; comp. 200/119, 127; l. 159, ránkẹ on | an búsk | and wél | tidí; l. 163, To sám|en smít|en and ón | a stúnd; l. 172, omit ðe king; l. 173, omit ðo; l. 180, omit king; l. 182, read In fúl | sumhéd | súlen | ben númen, comp. 207/351, 208/400; l. 183, And séu|e súl|en áft|er bén; l. 186, ðisẹ óð|ẹre súl|en rósp|en and ráken; l. 189, ðat ðin fólc | ne wúrð|e v́nd|er númen; l. 190, omit forð (H) and read ger; l. 191, omit king; l. 199, read was v́n|der hím | ðo pú|tifár; l. 214, biléf | at hóm | was gúng|est bóren; l. 225, And cúm|en fór | non óð|er ðíng; l. 241, Nú | bi ðe feíð | ic og phár|aón (H); l. 269, H would read here for ðe, but ?pai-ed; l. 275, omit so; l. 279, omit ðanne; l. 285, read If bén|iamín | ge; l. 287, Aí | sal hé | wið mé | biléwen; l. 290, omit non; l. 293, read Óc | he ne dúr|en weí | cumen ín, comp. 206/305; l. 310, omit alle; l. 311, omit alle; l. 312, read Here nón | ðo lót|en hád|den míri; l. 317, Béð | nu stíll|e quád | þe stiwárd; l. 341, Sone gé|de he út; l. 358, If gé | gu wíl|ẹn wið tréw|ðẹ léden, comp. 212/512; l. 361, omit alle; l. 370, read Grét | vnsélð|e is gú | cumen ón; l. 384, ðát | ic ám | wol wítt|er o ðógt; l. 386, Quat só | on lónd|e wúrð|e stólen, comp. 198/37, 40, 208/388, GE 270; l. 394, he dé|de ut áll|e ðe tóð|ẹre gón; l. 396, ðat ál | his wlít|e wurð tér|es wét; l. 400, Get fúll|e fíu|e súl|en ben númen; l. 411, omit king, and in line 412, newe; l. 421, omit here; l. 438, read Al egípt|e ín | his wíll|e clíueð; l. 446, Ánd | of his kínd|e mán|i a mán; l. 476, On ðhíng | ðat óff | og é | wel múne; l. 477, read wurðe; l. 492, Hál|i gást | it him déd|e sén; l. 495, read his; l. 498, And egípt|e fólc | him faír|e biwáken; l. 500, read swíl|ke; l. 514, ðo bén | ðam ál | ðat wéch|e déde; l. 528, scan get ádd|e jác|ob bír|yels nón; l. 529, omit king; l. 531, omit it; l. 542, scan ðor ís | ðat lích | in bír|yels dón; l. 545, read Hise bréð|ẹre ðán|ne cóm|en him tó; l. 546, omit alle; l. 550, read Wið ðán | ðat wé | ðe v́nd|er líuen; l. 577, ðe móy|ses eár | ðurg gód|es réd; l. 579, read his; l. 587, éngẹles | amóng | and sé|li mén, comp. GE 700, 785. In ll. 66, 67, it, though metricallyadmissible, is superfluous: l. 68 may be scanned, Jf his chíld|es wéd|e it mígt|e bén: ll. 250, 251 are unrhythmical and al in the former, ungrammatical, perhaps, álle but | here bróð|er sým|eón might be read, for l. 251 Holthausen proposed, biléf | ðis bróð|er ðór | in bónd: in l. 291, ðe dérð|e wéx | would improve the rhythm, as ure for ur in l. 316: scan l. 470, ðe wás | y-ót|en rám|esé. A considerable use is made of alliteration.Introduction:The author tells us that his song is drawn out of Latin and written in simple language for those who are not book-learned. He was probably a secular priest, for there is no reference to the monastic life in his work. His source was almost exclusively the Historia Scholastica of Peter Comestor (here quoted from the edition printed by Crespin at Lyons in 1526), but he occasionally referred to the Vulgate. As his purpose was narrative, he leaves out most of Comestor’s learned disquisitions, but he retains those at ll. 81-4, 501-21 and somewhat enlarges the latter. The source of ll. 354-58 has not been discovered; it may have been an interpolated Comestor. The addition of ‘ouer pharan’ in l. 541 is probably due to the author.

Manuscript:Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, 444, former mark R 11; on vellum, 186 × 116 mm., in one hand of the end of thirteenth or of the beginning of the fourteenth century. It contains on 81 folios the poem from which the present extract is made. On f. 1 r is the name of a former owner, Richard Southwell, with a motto nearly obliterated, Sapit qui sustinet, or suscepit (James). See further A Descriptive Catalogue of the MSS. in the Library of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, by M. R. James, vol. ii, p. 357.

Editions:Morris, R., Genesis and Exodus. E. E. T. S., O. S. 7, 1865, revised 1873. Mätzner, E., Altenglische Sprachproben, i. 76-90. Specimens, 153-170. Emerson, O. F., ME. Reader, 21-35.

Literature:Fritzsche, A., Anglia, v. 43-90 (authorship, phonology, grammar, metre, notes); Hilmer, H., Ueber die Sprache der altenglischen Story of Genesis and Exodus, Sondershausen, 1876; Holthausen, F., ES xvi. 429-33, Archiv, xc. 143, 144, 295, cvii. 386-92, Anglia, xv. 191-4, xxii. 141 (notes and emendations); Kölbing, E., ES iii. 273-334, xvii. 292-6 (notes and emendations); Schumann, W., Anglia, vi. Anzeiger, 1-32; Stratmann, F. H., ES ii. 120, iv. 98 (notes).

Analogue:Die altfranzösische Histoire de Joseph, ed. W. Steuer, Erlangen, 1903, also as L’Estoire Joseph, ed. E. Sass, Berliner Dissertation, 1906.

Phonology:This section should be compared with pp. 581-586; explanations of abnormal forms offered there are not repeated. Oralaisa, asses 427, crauen 420;abefore nasals isa, gan 8, man 446 r. w. chanaan, nam 84, quanne 14, ðanne 199; men 204 (3 times) is a reduced form of the indefinite pronounman;abefore lengthening groups iso, among 587, fond 30, but and 6 &c., handful 15, Orm’s hanndfull, with consonant following the lengthening group.æisa, at 25, bad 93 (14),bar 22 (6), dale 79 r. w. bale, faste 93, 248, quat 37, ðat 9, was 1 &c.; the exceptions are fest 427 r. w. best, queðer 111, reste 82, reste 466 (5), weche 514, weches 521 (comp. ‘weciað,’ Vesp. Ps. 126/1), togider 406 r. w. hider.eise, beden 266, beðen 501, deren 402 r. w. sheren, stede 81 r. w. dede, wel 10 &c. (wēl, Bülbring, § 284); before lengthening groups, ende 588, engeles 587, feld 29, but hate 12, 32, 33, influenced by haten,hatianand perhaps by OWScand. hatr, bi 150, quilke 134 (3), swilc 33, bliscing 452, influenced byblissung, rejoicing, wol 384, GE 621, ‘wol wel he dede,’ id. 724, ‘ðehg wol wel,’ id. 1266, due to labial influence and weakness of stress (Gabrielson, Influence of W-, 207, 8); seigen 548, seið 404 (secgað).iisi, bid 563, driuen 219, is 74 &c., ðider 55, wile 180, wliten 343 r. w. eten; before lengthening groups, bringen 213, wilde 71, winden 502; beðen 552 is a miswriting of bidden, welin 585 of wilen.oiso, biforen 16, on 32, soren 15, wrogt 36 r. w. nogt; before lengthening groups, forð 190, gold 194, ‘wolde,’ GE 1418, but an 95, a 40, 108, without stress, wulde 9 (4), wurðen 517.uisu, kuppe 101, wukes 527; before lengthening groups, grund 164, hunger 204, murnen 107, but boden 67, storue 54, ‘domme,’ GE 2821, French writings.yis regularlyi, bigen 220, kin 240, 244 r. w. beniamin, kire 505 r. w. ȳre; before lengthening groups, kinde 129 (5), kinges 87, but deden (dǣdon) 2, 154, 265 r. w. beden, 431, 504, 538 r. w. abiden, dede 44, 82 r. w. stede, come 321, sundri 81 (3), analogy ofsundor.āiso, agon 292 (ongān), gon 242 r. w. pharaon, 249 r. w. symeon, non 283 r. w. symeon, on 320 r. w. symeon, ðo 13, wrot 581 r. w. mot; withoo, ‘ooc,’ GE 1873, ‘wooc,’ id. 1874; but ‘loac,’GE1798, ‘ðoa,’ id. 3894 r. w. salmona, 4129 r. w. fasga, ‘woa,’ id. 880 r. w. oba: slo 35, slon 34 r. w. on, come from forms withā; before two consonants, homward 430, but a 81, an 58 &c., unstressed article, anoðer 43, ali 482, 493, 526, hali 492, clad 174? with shortenedaas if from *clādd, gast 482, 492, quam 374 (hwām), bilef, 214, 251 (‘belāf,’ Peterborough Chron.,an.1131), probably by confusion withbelǣfan, but Kluge, Grundriss § 125, assumes a change of ablaut, ‘ða,’ GE 1901 r. w. bozra, ‘wac,’ id. 1197 r. w. ysaac.ǣ1ise, bilewen 287, clene 493, leden 358 r. w. speden, 355 r. w. ðeden, segeð 286, form fromsǣgan, meaning fromsīgan; before two consonants, fette 154, helðe 398, lesteð 564, buteain ear 202, 483,ain ani 235 (āwith shortening), ðan 212, 389, 550 (þāmwith shortening), andoin most 350, 422 (l Nmāst),eiin fleis 143 (= fles, comp. treweiðe 358),iin ilc 409, 410, 421 (ylc).ǣ2ise, bedden 327 (bǣdonfrombiddanin form, butbudonfrombēodanin meaning), dede 41 (4), mel 466 r. w. wel, red 45, 191 r. w. sped, 568 r. w. dead, sel 442 r. w. wel, ðer 95 r. w. prisuner, 170 r. w. buteler, weren 255 (6), were 228, wet 342, 396 r. w. gret; before two consonants, lewse 44, 407(lǣswe), redden 34, vnselðehe 370, but ðor 42 r. w. sor, 48 &c., 471 r. w. ger, ðore 324, wor 82 (hwāra), quuor 482 (3), quor 462, wore 139, 246, woren 434 r. w. biforen, and six other instances.ēise, bene 565, sped 46 r. w. red; before two consonants, kepten 25, but doðes 230.īisi, butyis written for it in yre 506.ōiso, writtenooin good 121, 448, ‘booc,’ GE 4124, ‘tooc,’ id. 4123, but cam 55 (8), bicam 202, breðere 7 (14), an umlaut form, wep (OE.wōp) 382 is a new formation fromwēpan, briðere 325.ūisu, but ‘town,’ GE 2739, ‘out,’ id. 72.ȳisi, hid 364, kid 411 r. w. bitid, srid 73 r. w. bitid, but ðe 357 (þȳ).

eabeforer+ cons. isa, harme 368; before lengthening groups, forward 290, harde 94 (3), butein erd 148 (3), gerken 309, speren 248, sperd 93, 147 and wurð 116 (9). Thei-umlaut ise, derne 46, erue 44, werneden 261, but chare 444.eabeforel+ cons. isa, alle 34 &c., salt 20 (3); before lengthening groupso, bold 13, 175, cold 39, 584, holden 94 (3), old 3 (3), sold 4 (4), wold 40 (4), but geld 206, ‘geald,’ GE 2581; thei-umlaut ise, eldere 483, 560, welden 197 (see 359/7 and comp. Bülbring § 175 anm.).eobeforer+ cons. ise, berge 583, fer 483, feren 31, herte 32 (6), sterres 17. To thewurgroup belong wurðe 111, 128, wurðen 465, 481, wurðed 20, wurðeden 18, wurðing 194. Thei-umlaut isi, hirde 449, hirdnesse 26, but hertedin 76, smeren 496, 502 (smierwan), smered 509, 511, smerles 508 are without umlaut: awyrword is wurð 39 (5). Theu- andå-umlauts ofaare wanting, as in bale 80 r. w. dale, faren 292, misfaren 7, as are also those ofe, werlde 288 (7), beren 138, fele 425.eo,u- andå-umlaut ofi, isein her 13, but biueð 334, cliued 59, cliueð 438, liued 60, nimen 416, 532, siluer 268 (comp. OWScand. silfr, Björkman, 112), siðen 115 (6) have no umlaut.eaafter palatals isa, sal 79 &c., shauen 174, bigat 332 r. w. get, forgaf 553, forgat 146, gaf 45 (5).ieafterġise, bigetel 88, bigeten 234, forgeten 156, geuen 452, 512, but forgiue 549 r. w. liuen, ME. gifte 520; aftersc,e, sheren 401 r. w. deren. EWS.giefis if 7 (3).eoafterġisuin gunge 335, gungest 214 (4); aftersc,u, sulen 22 &c., sulde 9, sulden 355, ‘suuen,’ GE 107.eomis am 129 (4),heom, hem 9 &c.

ēaise, bed 101, bred 102, dede 519, eddi 140, gret 341, 395 r. w. wet, lepes 132,eein neet 151; before two consonantse, eðimod 303, lefful 578, buteain bead 548, bread 133, dead 1 r. w. unred, 485, 547, 567 r. w. red, dead 286, eares 158, anda(shortening) before two consonants in chapmen 85, chafare 47, gatte 531, 567 (Björkman, 109). Thei-umlaut ise, herde 107, heren 585, nede 215, 219, ned 295, 578 r. w. red, nedful 184.ēois invariablye, bed 127, bedden 552, for beden, ben 10 &c., dep 38 r. w. slep, leue 475, sen 26 &c., ðeden 356 r. w. leden, ðre 132 r. w. me; it is writteneein seen 492, ‘teen,’ GE 1344; before two consonantse, fellen 326, 551, leuere 139; buteiin weis 343 (wēoxfromweacsan), comp. fleis 143: miswritteniin lif 481 for ‘lef,’ GE 340 (6). Thei-umlaut ise, dere 301, 453, ten 51 r. w. men.gīetis get 39 (6).ēaafterġise, ger 1 (11).

a+gisag, dragen 100, lages 500, slagen 58, but daiges 499, 509, 525, laiges 510, 526, daies 123.æ+gisei, dei 141 r. w. weilawei, freinde 107, seide 19 (6), seiden 218 (7), seid 479, 482, andai, abraid 165, dai 249, 359 r. w. wei, faire 447, mai 19 (6), waines 416, writtenayin may 36: fagen 321 (3) is fromfagen:æ+his seen in lagt 135, ‘vnachteled,’ GE 796.e+gisei, leid 284, weie 293: agen 55 r. w. sen, 125, 304, 403 r. w. ben comes fromagēn.i+gisigin manige 234, 332, but the spirant is absorbed in birien 478, biried 571, ybiried 574, and manie 446: birigeles 528, biriele 542 (byrgels) are analogic: beries 116 is LWS.berie. Finaligisi, eddi 140, seli 568; stiward 87, 317 is LWS.stīweard:i+his seen in ‘sigðhe’ (gesihþ), GE 1630.o+g,hisog, bogt 90, drogen 456, wrogt 78, 272, ‘dogtres,’ GE 1090, 1094, but dowter 201 (? Northern).u+g,hisug, fugeles 135, mugen 144.y+his seen in ME. frigti 18.ā+gisog, ogen 108, but owen 40;ā+h,og, ‘oget,’ GE 324, but agte 363 (? influence ofǣht).ǣ1+hisag, agte 144 (ǣht), bitagt 97 r. w. hagt:ǣ2+g, leigen 16.ō+hisog, brogt 274, nogt 35 r. w. wroht, sogt 30, other spellings are ‘broghten,’ GE 1008, ‘ðohgteful,’ id. 1437, ‘sowt,’ id. 2870, ‘ðhowtes,’ id. 3544, ‘wroutis,’ id. 456.ō+gisog,ug, ‘bog,’ GE 608, ‘ynog,’ id. 3670, buges 114, ynug 210.ū+gisug, drugte 161, ðhugte 118.ea+his seen in sag 7 (6), waxen 114; thei-umlaut in migt 504, migte 68 &c., nigt 103, 515 r. w. rigt.eo+his seen in rigt 15, brictest 6, but sextene 3 (comp. Merciansex,sexta, Bülbring § 319 anm.); fe 89 representsfeoh, dat.fēo.ēa+giseg, bege 194; hegest 196 may representhēahsta, but is more probably a new formation fromhēh;ēa+h, ‘ðehg,’ GE 1266.ēo+gis alsoeg, drege 262;ēo+his seen in wex 211; wexen 158, 556; thei-umlaut in ligten 79 (līhtan).ā+wisou,ow, sowen 401, soules 578, sowle 579.ī+w, newe 412 is Angliannēowe.ēa+wisew, shewed 67, ðewed 10.ēo+wis alsoew, knewen 31, 216, reweli 382, rewðe 393, trewthe 390, but gure 232 (5), final, gu 314 &c., knew 221, 222, wintre 113; without umlaut are trewið 91, trewed 439.

In syllables without stressais levelled toe, moneð 516, vten 460, sooin hunger 230; ofrigt 104, 279 representingāfyrhthas been influenced by ME. offriȝt:onis an 95. Ane, often unmetrical, has been inserted in bodẹward 336, bodẹwurd 548, breðere 7 &c., briðẹre 325, coren 158 (9), engẹles 587, manigẹfold 556, gadẹren 188, eldẹre 483, 560, fugeles 135, 143,leuelike 329, leuere 139, reweli 382 (but rewli 64), vnselðẹhe 370, similarlyei,iin trewẹịðe 358, birịgeles 528 (byrgels); an irrationaleis added finally in ðogẹ 24, towardẹ 49;eis omitted in bettre 44, biforn 326, first 185, forward 88, 318, gur 314, herdne 127 (ǣrende), mor 260 r. w. or:iis written forein michil 260, and inserted in eðimod 303 (ēaþmōd), sinịgeden 259. The prefix in tawnen 180 isæt;be-is regularlybi, biforen 16, biment 256, bitwen 23;ge-is generally lost, kinde 129, lefful 578, seli 192, writ 70, but it survives in gede 43, 341 (yet g may be merely parasitic), yoten 470, ynug 210, it is disguised in to ful in wis 575 (comp. 196/637); the suffixungis regularlying, ending 283, wurðing 194.

Metathesis ofrtakes place in wrigtful 258, wrigteleslike 130;rris simplified in chare 444 r. w. fare, charen 490 r. w. faren, duren 293, fer 483, feren 31.llis simplified in al 167 &c., handful 15, wil 28 (3), wilen 358.nis added in dalen 27, against metre, and lost in a 40, 108, o 103, 177, 280 foron;nnis simplified in gunen 432, mankin 460 (manncynn), quane 4, 356.pis inserted in dempt 92, ME. drempte 37, 103, and lost in ME. chafare 47.fbetween vowels and vowellikes isu, crauen 420, erue 44, louerd 237, luue 18, ouer 541, wiue 201, writtenwin bilewen 287, wiwes 91, but ‘wifwes,’ GE 857, ‘wifuede,’ id. 1588 and even ‘wifes,’ id. 453 also occur; otherwise it isf, fare 85, lif 493; it is doubled in off 476, and lost in lord 226.tis doubled in bettre 44, lutten 217, lost in best 350 and finally in an 122, 575 (the original had ant), ða 128, 244, 372, ef 391, GE 3081, ‘hef,’ id. 4019, ‘flig,’ id. 3084;ttis simplified in fet 152; fort,þis written in anð 218, andth, ‘soth,’ GE 3685, ‘leth,’ id. 3385:tsisscin bliscing 452; a curious letter substitution ispfortin waspene 6, GE 1440 (wæstm).dis doubled in bedden 327, 552, eddi 140 (? shortening);bis written for it in glaðe 351 r. w. scaðe, wurðen 517 and frequently elsewhere:ddis simplified in fordred 245. Forþ,thappears in trewthe 390, ‘tholen,’ GE 508; it is often writtenðh, biðhogte 169, ðhenke 126, ðhing 476, ðhogt 165, 221, 308, ðhogte 24 (3), ðhugte 118, ðhurg 246, welðhe 428, but ðinkeð 457, ðogte 448. Initialþin pronominal words is seldom assimilated aftert,s, so, ðat ðin 189, ‘malt ðat,’ GE 1017, ‘salt ðu,’ id. 1043, but ‘at te,’ GE 2756, ‘and (for ant) te,’ id. 615, ‘and tin,’ id. 926, ‘is tis,’ id. 334. Forþ,dis written in dan 54, dat 70, 534, de 97, dogt 486, dor 45, endede 575 (endeð), helped 77, kude 168, quad 35 (4), wid 41 (4), andtin quat 77, 383, ‘Betel,’ GE 760.þþis simplified in siðen 115 &c.,dis substituted for it in siden 509. Noteworthy is derke 291, 399 withrkforrþ.sćis mostlys, sal 79, salt 20, soren 15, srid 73, srud 61, 421, sulde 9, sulen 22, finally, fleis 143, weis 343 (cs), doubled in wassen 345, but shauen 174, sheren 401, shewed 67, schilde 579; she 21, ‘sche,’ GE235, ‘sge,’ id. 1444, ‘che,’ id. 1227 are equivalent. The stopciskbeforeeandiand in combination with other consonants, biwaken 498, wukes 527, kid 411, drink 106, often beforeu, kumen 31, 48, kuppe 101, kude 420, but cloðes 73, folc 82, ranc 159, cumen 123 &c., cuppe 364, 372, cuðe 208, and the proper names ‘Cedar,’ GE 1257, ‘Ceturam,’ id. 1446; otherwise it isc, cam 55, comen 75, coren 158 &c., spac 395, woc 165. Forc,gis written in ‘ðig,’ GE 564, ‘swing,’ id. 566, ‘ðengen,’ id. 1571.čisch, chare 444, childes 61, lich 495 (5), michel 89, riche 324, but biseken 546, euerilk 379, ic 21, swilc 33 &c., are not palatalized: swil 442 has lost c; similarly ‘Qwel,’ GE 170, ‘quil,’ id. 3631.ččisch, drechen 42, fechen 417, rechen 140, 176, rechede 178, reching 112, wech 514, weches 521: smaken 497 is a ME. formation.čǧisgin bigen 220, 300, comp. 481/7, 8.cwis regularlyqu, quad 35 &c. Palatalġis writteng, geld 206, ger 1, gunkeste 5;ġeisyin yoten 470, ynug 210; it is lost in if 7 &c. An interpolatedysound appears to be indicated bygin ‘digere’ (dīere), GE 3483, ‘tgen’ (tēon), id. 3824, ‘tgen’ (tīen), id. 3413, 3418, ‘tgelt,’ id. 1840, the second and third also appear as ‘then,’ GE 1514, 3305 (h pronounced separately), similarly ‘thaunen,’ GE 32: comp. 365/23. The guttural spirant isgin swolgen 72, sorge 74 (comp. Orm’s bollȝhenn, sorrȝhe); later forms are sorwe 59 (3), morwen 359; it is lost in sorfull 380. The voiceless spirant is also writteng, frigti 325, nigt 103, sogt 30, sag 7, ðog(e) 24, ðurg 577, so probably drugte 161 (drūgað, in Orm, druhhþe), other representations of the same sound are seen in brictest 6, ‘brocte,’ GE 237, ‘hicte,’ id. 713: ‘sagt,’ GE 1301, ‘burgt,’ id. 727 have added an irrationaltby analogy of sogt &c. Noteworthy is the insertion of the spirant in the French words haigre 73, ‘olige,’ GE 1624, ‘astronomige,’ id. 792, where ig may be written for ī, but olie 512.ǧappears in egypte 86 &c.his lost in adde 14 (5), adden 504, 505, ali 482 (3), aue 442, aueð 523, e 39, 395, 476, is 14 (9), om 324, yoten 470, also by coalescence in fonde 29, madim 62, weli 582, wexem 11.his added in halle 394, herdes 464, herdne 127, hunne 303, hure 260, 549.hlisl, lene 153, lord 226:hr,r, rad 535, raðe 367, rem 58, ring 193:hw,qu, quane 4, quan 190, quat 37, queðer 111, quiles 37, quilke 134, quam 374, quor 462 andquu, quuan 365, quuor 482, butnā-hwǣris ‘nogwer,’ GE 1271.

Accidence:Strong declension ofmasc.andneut.nouns. In thes. n. a.hate 12, stede 43, 81, sune 5, 72, wlite 342, kire 505, mete 138, bale 80, erue 44, herdne 127 have e corresponding to their OE. vocalic ending, bege 194, bode 69, 437 (gebod, comp.boda, messenger), liche 542, 569 (but lich 495), weie 305 have added e, wliten 343, GE 3614, n, fe 89representsfeoh, drugte 402,drūgaþ. Gen.-es, flodes 150, kinges 87, wiwes 91, but louerdis 326: dat.-e, bale 92, 579, come 321, ende 588, here 533, mete 348, stede 468, 521, sune 443, with vowel termination in the nominative, dale 79 (dalen 27 has added n, against metre), gilte 463, harme 368, kinge 235 (but king 451), liue 471 (but lif 493), londe 386, 572 (but lond 129 &c.), ofspringe 236, tune 365, wastme 6, wedde 252, weie 293, 534, wiue 201; without inflection are fulsumhed 182, grund 164, strem 150, ðogt 384 and a large number of others, mostly with long stem vowel or of more than one syllable; yre 506 has lost n, tre 113 is an Anglian nominative formtrēo, wo 458 is indeclinable. Thepl. n. a.of masculines end in-es, fugeles 135, sunes 2 (7), lepes 132, muðes 270, but meten 133, 309, r. w. eten (translating cibos, panes; at GE 363 it is probably singular with added n), sunen 229 r. w. cumen: neuters are der 71, folc 498, 505, ger 181 (7), ?kin 556, neet 151, srud 421, gere 190, bones 566, geres 207, liches 501, wiues 417. Genitive is teres 342, 396, datives, engeles 587, semes 427, teres 410. Of thefem.nouns of the strong declension helpe 83, herte 339, luue 340 have original e in the nominative, bene 565, bere 535, blisse 122, dede 41 (3), rewðe 393, sonde 367, trewðe 513, vnselðehe 370, sinne 36, sorwe 59, sorge 74 (3), wede 68 have added e, without it are ending 474 and other verbal substantives in-ing, ned 295, sped 192. Genitives are drugte 161, soules 578, werldes 494; helle pine 584, helle dale 79 may be regarded as composition forms. Dative-e, blisse 586, helðe 398, lewse 44, nede 215, 219, werlde 288 (7); onsagen 99, ðeden 356 haveaddedn; but bering 232, hond 197 (3), as often in OE., ned 578, smerles 508, sped 46, 275, wurðing 194 are without inflection.Acc.-e, fare 85, hirdnesse 26; gifte 520, kinde 490 have added e; without inflection are bimening 538, bliscing 452, ending 283, forward 88 (3), stund 95, 163 and, as in OE., hond 117, migt 504.Pl. n.are blisses 404, dedes 513, hertes 13, lages 500, sondes 219, agte 144;d.laiges 526;a.agtes 278, laiges 510, agte 198, weden 423. Nouns of the weak declension have-ein thenom., bode 529, bredwrigte 131, wille 388;d.wune 6;a.kuppe 101, time 474; genitive is weches 521, but ‘sterre,’ GE 134.Pl. n.are sterres 17, wukes 527;d.wunes 347, but ‘feren,’ GE 1275;a.asses 427, beries 116, feres 532, but ‘wunen,’ GE 3137. The minor declensions are represented by fots. d.326, 551, ‘fote’pl. d., GE 376; mans. n.167,s. d.302, menpl. n.184, chapmen 85, hirdemen 449, menpl. d.587,pl. a.47; moneðs. a.516; bocs. n.576; biris. d.311; nigts. d.103,s. a.515,pl. a.501 (5), nigtes 499; faders. n.19, faderess. g.229, faders. d.8; broðers. n.110,s. a.244, breðerepl. n.21 (9), briðere 325, breðerepl. g.267,pl. d.429,pl. a.7; moders. d.338; dowters. a.201; childess. g.61, childrepl. n.282,pl. a.304, childer 203; earespl. n.158; breds. a.102, bread 133.

Adjectives which in OE. end in a vowel have e throughout, bliðe 413, 429, riche 324, 327, 408; those in-iglose g and are invariable, miri 312, sundri 81, 408, 468, similarly rewli (hrēowlic) 64. Weak inflections are gunges. n. m.335 (insert þe before it), leues. a. m.475, wis[e]s. d. m.461 (similarly ‘ðe strong[e] god of israel,’ GE 1846 is to be read). All others are uninflected in the singular; they either belong to the classes mentioned above, or are predicative, or come after the noun qualified.mycelis michils. n. f.281, michels. n. neut.89,lȳtel, litels. a. f.95. The plural has-e, fette 158, fulle 400, glaðe 351, gode 513, harde 108, smale 161; the exceptions, mostly dissyllabic or predicative, are bold 13, fulsum 207, nedful 184, niðful 13, ranc 159, 162, sorful 380, wis 533 (read wisẹ), wrigtful 258.ānas article without stress is before consonants, a, an, 58, 64, 81, 149, 159 &c., once on 469, before h, an 455, 555, as elsewhere before a vowel. The numeral and pronoun is on, 101, 179, 227, 233 &c.;nān, pronoun and adjective is mostly non, but the adjective is twice no, 296, 352. Adjectives used as nouns with inflections arepl. n.fette 164,d.dede 519, fette 154,a.fette 155, sibbe 557. Comparatives have-e, bettre 53, more 420, leuere 139, eldere 483, but bet 420 (adverb form); superlatives are mostly without it, best 350 (3), brictest 6, first 185, gungest 214, 239, hegest 196, most 350, but gunkeste 5, gungeste 244 have weak inflection: boðen ispl. n.with added n, 179,pl. d.103.

The personal pronouns are ic 21 (4), ‘hic,’ GE 34, rarely i, id. 309, me, we, urpl. g.316, us, ðu, (‘redes)tu,’ GE 2934, ðe, gepl. n., gureg.372, gud.314,a.561, ge 406. Dual forms occur elsewhere, ‘wit,’ GE 1775, ‘unc,’ id. 1776, ‘gunc,’ id. 2830. The pronoun of the third person iss. n.hem.4 &c., e 29 (4), (wel) i 582, shef.21, ‘sche,’ GE 235, ‘sge’ id. 1444, ‘che,’ id. 1227, ghe 203, ‘ge,’ GE 1024, itneut.12, (was)t 53, (‘stod)et,’ GE 590, withpl.verb, id. 1770,g.‘hire’f.id. 2035,d.himm.60, (mad)im 62, ‘hin,’ GE 47, ‘hire’f., id. 322, ‘it’neut., id. 6,a.himm.37, ‘hine,’ GE 3468 r. w. dine, ‘hin,’ id. 3004, ‘in,’ id. 3887, ‘hire’f., id. 971, itneut.63, (‘tell)et,’ GE 3526;pl. n.he 31 &c., once ‘ðei,’ GE 573,g.here 263, 410, 421, ‘ere,’ GE 2855, her 312,d.hem 14, (wex)em 11,a.hem 26 &c., is 184, 458, 503 (‘warp)es,’ GE 3025, ‘hes’ (= he them), id. 911, 943. Reflexives are ‘ðe self,’ GE 934, gu 358, him 169, hem 256, 355, ‘himseluen,’ GE 1338, ‘hemseluen,’ id. 537; definitive is selfs. d. m.235; possessives, mis. n. m.110, minef.565, in other cases min 72, 80, 371;pl. n. a.mine 566, min 282, 304, 404; ðis. n. f.388,s. a. neut.143, in other cases ðin 110, 125, 189, 436;pl. n.ðine 21; his 8 &c. as general form forthe singular, written is 15 (6), but hise 91, 191, 236, 396, 474, 475, 490, 495, 569, 579, at all these places his is metrically admissible;pl.hise as the general form 25 &c., but his 40, 73, 75, is 14, 410, 429, hise being in all these places metrically admissible; ‘hire’f., GE 333; ‘his’neut., GE 120, ‘is,’ id. 327; ure 315, 547, 560, hure 260, 549, ur 226; ‘gunker,’ GE 398, gure 232 (4), gur 314; here 16 (8), ‘ere,’ GE 3773, her 13. The definite article is ðe 82 &c., de 97, ‘(at) te,’ GE 2756, miswritten ðo 164, instrumental, ðe 357, for ði 11; ðat 169 &c., ða 244,pl.ðo 98 &c. are demonstratives: wið ðan ðatconj.389, miswritten wið ðanne ðat 550. The compound demonstrative iss.ðis 19, 131, ðes 166;pl.ðise 185, ðis 179, 186, ðes 253, in the last three places ðise is admissible. The relatives are ðat 22, 185 (= that which), ðe 102. Interrogatives are ‘quo,’ GE 2821, ‘quase,’ id. 2870, quam 374, quat 107 (5), ‘Queðer,’ GE 1471, quilcs.474, ‘quil,’ GE 3631, quilkepl.134, 404, ‘qwel,’ GE 170; the correlative is swilcs.33, 59, 393, swil 442,pl.swilke 234, swilc 236, 500 (metre requires swilke in the latter place). Indefinites are quat so 37, 40, 388, quat so euere 386; men 204, 232, 277, ‘man,’ GE 1, 3; sum 515, 516, 517, ‘summe’pl., GE 399, 401; ani 235; oðers.202, oðerepl.183 (5), toðere 394, oðer 133, 510 (read oðre); anoðer 43, 157; ilc 410, euerilc 152, euerilk on 379; ‘mani,’s., GE 696, manie 446 (read mani), manigepl.234, 332, ‘manie,’ GE 4068; fele 425; fo 457; als.167, but allẹs. d. f.428,pl.alle 16 &c., halle 394, al 250, 325 (read alle).

Only two verbs, fare 443, reste 82, have infinitive in-e; all others, including thirteen of the second weak conjugation, end in-en. Contract verbs are bisen 195, sen 19 (5), seen 492, ten 9. The dative infinitive is not inflected, it has for prefix mostly to, but for to with bigen 300, cumen 123, geuen 452, slon 34. Presents ares.1. bid 563, chare 444, rede 187; 2. findes 374, ‘betes,’ GE 3974, ‘haues,’ id. 360 and others in-es, ‘tregest,’ GE 3975 is isolated; 3. bimeneð 280, liueð 437, cliued 59, endedẹ 575, haued 92, helped 77, liued 60, ðinked 461, trewið 91; contracted are bitid 235, bit 292, hað 560, lið 12 (‘ligeð,’ GE 889, against metre), wurð 39 (5);pl.1. holden 290, drege we 262; 2. senden 294, cume ge 225, haue ge 369; 3. hauen 72, wunen 518:subjunctive s.2. friðe 389; 3. berge 583, helpe 582, leue 586, wurðe 111, deren 534 r. w. here, with irrational added n;pl.1. liuen 550:imperative s.2. bed 127, tel 110, forgiue 549, ðhenke 126;pl.2. bereð 297, hoteð 564, seið 404. Past of Strong Verbs: I a.s.3. bad 93, 175, bigat 332, forgaf 553, forgat 146, gaf 45, quad 35, quat 77, quað 121, sag 7, spac 395;pl.3. bedden 327, leigen 16: I b.s.3. bar 22, bicam 202, cam 55, nam 84, tobar 200;pl.3. comen 75, nomen 61: I c.s.1. gan 459, wrong 118, wurð 116; 3. abraid165, bigan 462, fond 30, gan 8, geld 206, unbond 277, wurð 145, freinde 107 (weak form);pl.3. funden 69, gunnen 546, gunen 432, gunne 49 (if the word following ends in n, there is a tendency to drop the verbal n, comp. 10, 420), wurðen 104:subjunctive s.1. wurðe 128; 3. wurðe 272, wurð[e] 477: II.s.3. bilef 214, 251, ros 32, wrot 578;pl.3. abiden 537, smiten 163: III.s.3. bead 548, bed 101, gret 71;pl.3. boden 67, lutten 217: IV.s.1. stod 113; 3. stod 15, swor 487, understod 264, woc 165;pl.3. foren 536, token 254: V. IV.s.3. wex 13, 291, weis 343;pl.3. wexen 158: V.s.3. forlet 494, het 419, knew 221, let 222, slep 37;pl.3. fellen 326, knewen 31. Participles present: ‘sigande,’ GE 1436, ‘betende,’ id. 2713, ‘stondende,’ id. 3149; past: I a. beden 266, ?forgeten 233, freten 155, geuen 512: I b. bicumen 281, boren 214, cumen 190, forholen 371, fornumen 282, numen 32, ouercumen 162, stolen 129, soren 15, vndernumen 189: I c. bunden 270, swolgen 72, worpen 39, wurðen 517: II. driuen 375: III. drogen 456, forloren 565: IV. dragen 100, grauen 485, shauen 174, slagen 58, sworen 530: V. IV. waxen 114: V. fordred 245, holden 94, hoten 239, yoten 470, inflected, hotenes. d.562. Past of Weak Verbs:s.1. hadde 117; 3. bitagte 193, gatte 531, herde 107, likede 353, made 580, seide 19, missed 57, trewed 439, set 58, told 177, ðoht 352, went 543;pl.1. sinigeden 259, werneden 261; 3. chidden 23, ferden 360, leiden 65, luueden 206, maden 88, senten 66, skinden 85, hertedin 76, biried 571, shewed 67, stunden 83. Participles present: ‘tuderande,’ GE 164, ‘wuniende,’ id. 2742; past: maked 524, smered 509, ðewed 10, bitid 74, mad 469, seid 479, sperd 93, srid 73, biment 256, ?fest 427, filt 361, ligt 306, ofrigt 104, went 365, inflected, welkede 161. Minor Groups: ‘witen’inf., GE 328, wot 1pr. s.231,pr. s.166, ‘witen’pr. pl., GE 74, wiste 2pt. s.383,pt. s.316, wistenpt. pl.271; hunnepr. s. subj.303; og 1pr. s.241, ‘oc’pr. s., GE 197, ogenpr. pl.108, owen 40, ‘agtes’ 2pt. s., GE 1762, agtept. s.363, ‘oget,’ GE 324; durenpr. pl.293, ‘durste’pt. s., GE 2593, ‘dursten’pt. pl., id. 1863; canpr. s.176, ‘cunen’pr. pl., GE 4054, cuðept. s.208, kude 168, ‘cuðen’pt. pl., GE 2996, kude 420, ‘kuð’pp., GE 2666; sal 1pr. s.79, salt 2pr. s.20, ‘sal,’ GE 1815, ‘saltu,’ id. 1041, salpr. s.126, sulen 1pr. pl.22, 2pr. pl.408, sule ge 242, sulenpr. pl.143, ‘sule’ GE 305, ‘suldes’ 2pt. s., id. 3984, suldept. s.24, suldenpt. pl.355, sulde 10; ‘munen’inf., GE 1622, ‘mune,’ id. 972, ‘to munen’dat. inf., id. 197, ‘for to munen,’ id. 687, muneðpr. s.463, ‘munen’ 1pr. pl., GE 558, mune ?pr. s. subj.476, ‘mune’ 2pr. s. imp., GE 45; ‘mugen’inf., GE 1818, maipr. s.19 &c., may 36, ‘muwen’ 1pr. pl., GE 3316, ‘mugen’pr. pl., id. 3017, ‘mogen,’ id. 3227, mugenpr. pl. subj.144, migte 1pt. s.137,pt. s.68, migt he 238, ‘migten’pt. pl., GE 573; motpr. s.582, ‘mote’ 1pr. s. subj., GE 1621,pr. s. subj., id. 2645, ‘muste’pt. s., id. 2624; beninf.10, for to bend. inf.196, am 1pr. s.129, ‘best’ 2pr. s., GE 2884, ‘beas,’ id. 365, ‘art,’ id. 356, ispr. s.74, ‘beð,’ GE 182, ben 1pr. pl.258, 2pr. pl.223,pr. pl.123, be 454, aren 282, ‘arn,’ GE 16, bepr. s. subj.388, 565, benpr. pl. subj.566, beð 2pr. pl. imp.317, was 1pt. s.120, ‘wore’ 2pt. s., GE 1759, waspt. s.1, wast (= was it) 53, were we 1pt. pl.228, werenpt. pl.255 (6), woren 100 (7), ‘worn,’ GE 61, worept. s. subj.139, 246; wilepr. s.180, nile 59, wilen 2pr. pl.358, welin (for wilen)pr. pl.585, wuldept. s.9, ‘wolde,’ GE 912, ‘wulden’pt. pl., id. 1075, ‘wolden,’ id. 3756, ‘nolden,’ id. 3029; ‘don’inf., GE 194, vndon 168, to dond. inf.28, doð(es)pr. s.230, don 2pr. pl.285,pr. pl.519, dopr. s. subj.568, 2pr. s. imp.387, doð 2pr. pl. imp.405, dedept. s.44 (9), dedenpt. pl.2, dede 82, donpp.41, 128, 315, 477, 542, do 142; goninf.238, ouergon 340, ‘to gon’d. inf., GE 3078, ‘gon’ 2pr. pl., id. 3124, ‘go’ 2pr. s. imp., id. 2815, ‘goð’ 2pr. pl. imp., id. 3585, gedept. s.43, ‘geden’pt. pl., GE 1034, gonpp.291.

Vocabulary:Scandinavian are ai 287, aren 282, blomede 115, boðen 103, 179, (bi)calleð 368, fo 457, fro 31, geren 495, grot 74, groten 80, hagt 98, heil(nesse) 122, eðen 242, ille 12, kides 63, lages 500 laiges 526, laðes 188, lit 64, liðeð 131, lote 382 loten 312, nai 35, oc 229, or 1, orest 115, raken 186, ransaken 377, rapen 430 rapeð 403, scaðe 352, seck 363, semet 223, skinden 85, (ouer)takeð 367, tiding 412, til 60,ðeden84, ðog 24, 217, ðral(dom) 376, wante 298, witter 6, witter(like) 374, wopnede 533; probably busk 159, vnhillen 8; possibly bond 130, cartes 416, twinne 421; in sonderemen 65, er is probably due to Scandinavian influence. French are butuler 109 buteler 169, cisterne 38, feið 241, feste 524, fin 424, flum 540, fruit 301, graunte 590, haigre 73, hardi 175, lettres 581, merci 237, messe(song) 520, offiz 125, olie 512, paid 269, pais 589, plates 52, poure 233, present 327, pris 301, prisun 94, prisunes 98, prisuner 96, scite 469, seruede 105, spices 48, spice(like) 497, spies 223, spien 226, strif 494; possibly the interjection A 237, rospen 186 (OF. rosper). Latin are crisme 512, elmesse 520.

Dialect:East Midland of the Southern border. Its general character is definitely East Midland, butāas occasionallyoain rhymes like ðoa : salmona GE 4129, woa : oba GE 880, the occurrence of hine : dine GE 3468, hin, id. 3004, yoten 470 beside hotene 562, wuniende GE 2472 as assured by the metre,æ+gaseibesideaitestify to contact with the South. The large proportion of French words may point in the same direction. Evidence of transmission through a North Midland copy is furnished byāas occasionallya,sćass, the pronouns ghe, ge beside she,ðei beside hepl., the 2pr. s. ind.of verbs in-es, thepres. part.in-ande, and occasional aren beside usual ben. It was probably at this stage that the metre suffered by loss of final-e; some feminine endings may have become masculine. The scribe of our manuscript was probably faithful to his exemplar, for he was imperfectly acquainted with the language.

Metre:The short rhymed couplet, as in ON. It is not so skilfully handled here as in ON, but it was no less regular in its construction before the copyists tampered with the text. Skeat’s description of it as a verse of four accents, ‘the unaccented syllables being left, as it were, to take care of themselves’ is misleading, for it is a verse of four feet with the regulation number of accented and unaccented syllables. It differs from the verse of ON in the predominance of masculine endings, in the larger proportion of trisyllabic feet, and in the number of fourth feet with an additional syllable. The types, as in ON (seepp. 564, 565), are i. ðat hé | wel ðéw|ed súld|e bén, 10; so 11, 33, 46, 63, 64, 70, 73, 75, 89, 93 &c.: i a. Naí quad | rubén | slo wé | him nógt, 35; so 45, 72, 101, 110, 145, 202, 221, 297, 302, 331, 387, 408, 422, 435, 459, 460 &c.: i b. ðát | ðu sált | ðus wúrð|ed bén, 20; so 23, 30, 36, 222, 272, 295, 578: ii. He knéw|en hím | fro fér|en kúmen, 31; so 47, 80, 85, 87, 92, 100, 123, 124, 133, 137, 156, 157, 181, 207, 218, 230, 265, 299, 322, 324, 337, 344, 351, 355, 371, 405 &c.: ii a. Wúrðed|en hím | wið frígt|i lúue, 18; so 333, 334, 343: ii b. Né | ðat mét|e fró | hem béren, 138; so 469, J́t | was v́nd|ren tím|ẹ or móre, 323. The unstressed element in a foot, and especially in the third foot, is often doubled; one of the syllables often admits of being slurred: i. Twelwe gér | or ýs|aác | was déad, 1; so 246, 363, ðo wéx | her hért|es niðfúl | and bóld, 13; so 28, 34, 42, for thrít|ti plát|es to ðó | chapmén, 52; so 57, 71, 96 &c., Wið ðó | prisún|es to líu|en in hágt, 98, Jacób|es sún|es déd|en unréd, 2; so 29, 39, 40, 62, 84, 97, 369: i a. Ál but ðe | ton bróð|er sým|eón, 250, Sónder|e mén | he it leíd|en ón, 65; so 69, Goód is |quaðjós|eph to drém|en of wín, 121; so 184, féllen | bifórn | ðat lóu|erdis fót, 326; so 436, 439, 451, 564: i b. dón | for ðe déd|e chírch|e góng, 519, Wénd|e him slág|en set úp | an rém, 58; so 328, ðát | ðe bár | sulen lút|en ðé, 22; so 78, 83, 127, 148, 171, 193, 200, 228, 254, 286, 289, 301, 308, 350, 427, 440, 452, 453, 487, Jác|ob ðús | him bimén|eð o rígt, 280; so 383, 391, 403: ii. seue eár|es wéx|en fétt|ẹ of córen, 158, Hu he sét|tẹ at ðe mét|e hís|e súnes, 348, Jc réd|e ðe kíng | nu hér | bifóren, 187; so 235, 270, 288, 294, 321, 338, 374, 437, 502, 537, He wás | iacób|es gunkést|e súne, 5; so 81, 88, 155, 162, 217, 220, 281, 367, 431, 463, 530, 565, 585, Jn tó | egípt|e lédd|en ðat wáre, 86; so 309, 357, 400: ii a.Tóward | here fád|er he gún|en drágen, 432, so 467, Ság he | ðor kúm|en wið spíc|es wáre, 48, Gáf he | is bréð|ẹre wið hért|e blíðe, 429:iib. Ór | for misdéd|e or fór | onságen, 99, ðát | is hánd|ful stod rígt | up sóren, 15; so 79, 185, 219, 300, 362, 385, 402, 538. The light syllable is omitted in ii. Ne wíst|e he nógt | quát | he wóren,434:ii b. Húr|e sínn|e ðú | hím | forgíue, 549, with good effect. Inversion of the accent is infrequent, i. ðu sált | áfter | ðe ðríd|de deí, 141, 517:i a.Kínde | lúue | gan him óu|ergón, 340, Jósep | háued | hem áft|er sént, 366,J́cam | iosép | drédeð | gu nógt, 397: ii. He bád | cártes | and waín|es nímen, 416, Quuor ié|su críst | wúlde | ben bóren, 484, He dógt | wið hém | réste | to háuen, 486, And ebrís|se fólc | ádden | an kíre, 505, Egípt|e fólc | áueð | him wáked, 523, He bád | síbbe | cumen hím | bifóren, 557. Synizesis occurs in olie 512, birigeles 528, biriele 542. Syncope of the syllable after the accent in trisyllabic words is certain in breðẹre 21, 325, 429, blomẹde 115, rechẹde 178,euẹrilc268, lerẹde 354, eldẹre 483, luuẹde 554, and similarly in arẹn 282, comẹn 356, wilẹn 358; it is probable, though not assured by the metre in seruede 105, wrigteles 130, leuere 139, fugeles 143, euerilc 152 &c., gaderen 188, faderes 229, 347, oðere 253 (oðre 573), breðere 51 &c., werneden 261, wunede 471, eldere 560, hotene 562; the medial e in words of this type is nowhere necessary for the scansion. The verbal termination-eþhas probably full syllabic value everywhere, as it has at 77, 92, 286, 367, 523. Elision takes place in allẹ 16, wantedẹ 209, sentẹ 213, listnedẹ 276, ðhogtẹ 347, witterlikẹ 479, hiatus in 153, 155, 233, 246, 252, 262, 367, 378, 425, 551, 586: in a large number of lines there is a choice between elision and hiatus; in view of the author’s liking for trisyllabic feet, the preference should perhaps be given to the latter.

Proper names of three syllables have, with few exceptions, two accents, those of two syllables are very often stressed on the second, according to the current clerical use, for Mammotrectus says ‘nulla dictio de natura acuit ultimam nisi . . . hebraica · ut David ⁊ Jacob.’ So ábrahám, adád, béniamín (10), but béniamin 422, chánaán, ‘cánahán,’ GE 726, dotáym, ebrón, éffraým, gálaád, génesís, gersén, iurdón, mánassén, pháraón 119 (7), pháraún 172 r. w. prisun, but pháraon 191, 465, pharáon 411, pútifár 87, 199, but pv́tifar 91, rámesé, sichém 25, but síchem 29, sýmeón, ýsaác. Otherwise egípte, once egípt 213, iácob, ácob 445, jacóbes, iésu, jóseph, jósep, ósep (18), iosép 92, 266, joséph 139 r. w. swep, in many other places the metre admits of either accentuation, josépes, júdas 387, elsewhere indeterminate, as Vdas 45, móyses, pháran, rúben 55, elsewhere rubén is possible; adjectives are cristéne 510, ebrísse. The spelling of the proper names mostly follows Comestor or the Vulgate, but ebron, egipte, jurdon,pharaon are French, and probably ramese; in view of the variants, no conclusion can be drawn from initial j in Jacob, Judas, and Joseph; for the last the author probably wrote iosep throughout.

The corruptions of the text consist mostly of inversions of the word order and additions which aim at greater clearness or emphasis. Line 6, read witter of wune (H = Holthausen); l. 7, hise breðere sag (H); l. 8, gan it; l. 24, ðog ðhóg|te iác|ob it súl|de bén; l. 53, was it; l. 60, Til he him; l. 77, it helpeð (H); l. 82, Wor sé|li fólc | hem rést|e déde, comp. GE 257; l. 91, his; l. 108, Harde drém|es óg|en a wóld|e ðát; l. 118, ðorin, comp. GE 3634; l. 130, And wrígt | ẹleslík|e hóld|en in bónd; l. 134, omit ðe; l. 149, read ðo drémp|te phá|raón | a drém; comp. 200/119, 127; l. 159, ránkẹ on | an búsk | and wél | tidí; l. 163, To sám|en smít|en and ón | a stúnd; l. 172, omit ðe king; l. 173, omit ðo; l. 180, omit king; l. 182, read In fúl | sumhéd | súlen | ben númen, comp. 207/351, 208/400; l. 183, And séu|e súl|en áft|er bén; l. 186, ðisẹ óð|ẹre súl|en rósp|en and ráken; l. 189, ðat ðin fólc | ne wúrð|e v́nd|er númen; l. 190, omit forð (H) and read ger; l. 191, omit king; l. 199, read was v́n|der hím | ðo pú|tifár; l. 214, biléf | at hóm | was gúng|est bóren; l. 225, And cúm|en fór | non óð|er ðíng; l. 241, Nú | bi ðe feíð | ic og phár|aón (H); l. 269, H would read here for ðe, but ?pai-ed; l. 275, omit so; l. 279, omit ðanne; l. 285, read If bén|iamín | ge; l. 287, Aí | sal hé | wið mé | biléwen; l. 290, omit non; l. 293, read Óc | he ne dúr|en weí | cumen ín, comp. 206/305; l. 310, omit alle; l. 311, omit alle; l. 312, read Here nón | ðo lót|en hád|den míri; l. 317, Béð | nu stíll|e quád | þe stiwárd; l. 341, Sone gé|de he út; l. 358, If gé | gu wíl|ẹn wið tréw|ðẹ léden, comp. 212/512; l. 361, omit alle; l. 370, read Grét | vnsélð|e is gú | cumen ón; l. 384, ðát | ic ám | wol wítt|er o ðógt; l. 386, Quat só | on lónd|e wúrð|e stólen, comp. 198/37, 40, 208/388, GE 270; l. 394, he dé|de ut áll|e ðe tóð|ẹre gón; l. 396, ðat ál | his wlít|e wurð tér|es wét; l. 400, Get fúll|e fíu|e súl|en ben númen; l. 411, omit king, and in line 412, newe; l. 421, omit here; l. 438, read Al egípt|e ín | his wíll|e clíueð; l. 446, Ánd | of his kínd|e mán|i a mán; l. 476, On ðhíng | ðat óff | og é | wel múne; l. 477, read wurðe; l. 492, Hál|i gást | it him déd|e sén; l. 495, read his; l. 498, And egípt|e fólc | him faír|e biwáken; l. 500, read swíl|ke; l. 514, ðo bén | ðam ál | ðat wéch|e déde; l. 528, scan get ádd|e jác|ob bír|yels nón; l. 529, omit king; l. 531, omit it; l. 542, scan ðor ís | ðat lích | in bír|yels dón; l. 545, read Hise bréð|ẹre ðán|ne cóm|en him tó; l. 546, omit alle; l. 550, read Wið ðán | ðat wé | ðe v́nd|er líuen; l. 577, ðe móy|ses eár | ðurg gód|es réd; l. 579, read his; l. 587, éngẹles | amóng | and sé|li mén, comp. GE 700, 785. In ll. 66, 67, it, though metricallyadmissible, is superfluous: l. 68 may be scanned, Jf his chíld|es wéd|e it mígt|e bén: ll. 250, 251 are unrhythmical and al in the former, ungrammatical, perhaps, álle but | here bróð|er sým|eón might be read, for l. 251 Holthausen proposed, biléf | ðis bróð|er ðór | in bónd: in l. 291, ðe dérð|e wéx | would improve the rhythm, as ure for ur in l. 316: scan l. 470, ðe wás | y-ót|en rám|esé. A considerable use is made of alliteration.

Introduction:The author tells us that his song is drawn out of Latin and written in simple language for those who are not book-learned. He was probably a secular priest, for there is no reference to the monastic life in his work. His source was almost exclusively the Historia Scholastica of Peter Comestor (here quoted from the edition printed by Crespin at Lyons in 1526), but he occasionally referred to the Vulgate. As his purpose was narrative, he leaves out most of Comestor’s learned disquisitions, but he retains those at ll. 81-4, 501-21 and somewhat enlarges the latter. The source of ll. 354-58 has not been discovered; it may have been an interpolated Comestor. The addition of ‘ouer pharan’ in l. 541 is probably due to the author.

2.unred, folly, an ill-advised thing; OE.unrǣd: comp. ‘He has me don oft vnresun,’ CM 3747; ‘vnwit,’ Laud Troy Book, 4285.

3.For&c. is the remnant of a calculation in Comestor of Jacob’s age at the time when Joseph was sold. See Gen. xxxvii. 2.

6. ‘prestantior corpore et sapientior ceteris,’ Comestor.wastmeis Mätzner’s emendation; Morris suggested wasteme: the same scribal error, ‘of faiger waspene’ occurs at GE 1440. OE.wæstm, wæstemmeans growth, stature; the sense here is, countenance: comp. ‘hire wliti westum,’ SK 310, answering to ‘vultus ipsius claritas.’of witter wune, discreet in behaviour: the explanations of Mätzner, ‘of intellectual capacity,’ and of Morris, ‘of good ability,’ seem to force the meaning of wune, which is, custom, use, so ‘for kinde wune,’ GE 1405, by family custom, usage. Comp. 208/384; ‘witter of figt,’ GE 864; ‘o resun . . . rijf,’ CM 14837; ‘o reson . . . ranc,’ id. 21024.

7.misfaren, go astray, misbehave.

8.gan—baren, uncovered and laid bare: the auxiliary use of gon is frequent in GE.

9, 10. He would have them discipline themselves, so that they might be of good moral character. Possibly the secondhestands for Jacob; that is, Joseph wished Jacob to discipline them. Comp. forten, 171/368; ‘þat he hine sculde wel i-teon;⁊ tuhlen him teachen,’ L 2418.

11.himwas added by Mätzner. Forwið, against, comp. ‘⁊ all þatt follc toc niþ wiþþ himm,’ Orm 10267.niðis often associated withhate;comp. 198/33; ‘þurrh hete ⁊ niþ,’ Orm 1404, 8013; ‘stormes of nið · ⁊ of onde · ⁊ of hatienge,’ OEH ii. 177/4.

12.for—lið: Morris inserts herte after ille, producing a truism and spoiling the verse. Mätzner translates ‘quia situm est in malo,’ treatingilleas a neuter noun, evil. Possiblyillemeans, evil men, but more probably the place is corrupt, and we should read, And hate sor þat ille in it lið, (envy) and bitter hatred which wickedly co-exists with envy, that is, envy which produces hatred of the person envied. For ille as adverb, comp. GE 1706, 4029.

13.ðo . . . Quanne, then especially . . . when: ‘Causa tamen odii maior fuit visio somniorum,’ Comestor.bold, shameless: Lucifer is ‘ðat neddre bold,’ GE 323.

15, 16. ‘Putabam . . . vestros manipulos adorare manipulum meum stantem,’ C.soren, shorn.

16. And all theirs lay before them.itmay be meant for a reinforcing dative; see 13/34: but its occurrence elsewhere, as at 201/163, 202/182, where it is hard to explain or otiose and metrically in excess, makes it probable that it is due to the scribe, as it certainly is at GE 385, 387.

17.xieis by the rhyme endluue or elluue.

18.frigti luue, love and awe, ‘luue eie,’ 72/200: comp. ‘ðo wurð abraham frigti fagen,’ GE 1331.

19.sen: Mätzner takes this word to be the infinitive of the substantive verb, corresponding to OHG. sīn, MDu. sijn; how may this be? But if the word ever existed, it would surely be found elsewhere in ME. He quotes ‘Hu mai it hauen, hu mai it sen,’ GE 298, where if hauen is equivalent to se habere, sen may be to videri. In the third place instanced, ‘To sen gode witnesse ðor-on, | ðat wond was in ðat arche don,’ GE 3843, it appears to go closely with ðor-on, as in ‘so faiger he was on to sen,’ id. 2659 and to represent in both placestō sēonne.

22.lutenusually takes to, as at 193/544, but comp. ‘Þa kingess fellenn dun, itt seȝȝþ, | To lutenn Crist ⁊ lakenn,’ Orm 7348.

24.ðoge; read ðog. As a probable source of the line, Fritsche quotes Josephus ii. 2, ‘eventurum olim quando tam a parentibus quam a fratribus adoratione dignus haberetur;’ but perhaps it may be regarded as a natural inference from ‘pater vero rem tacitus considerabat,’ Gen. xxxvii. 11.

26.Hirdnesse: OE.hierdnes; custody, guard; here used for flocks: comp. ‘for te loken hirdnesse fare,’ GE 2771, to look to the welfare of the cattle.

30.he—sogt, he sought and found them; invenit eos quaesitos; a form of expression much used by the author, suggested by such placesin the Vulgate as, ‘requisita non invenieris ultra in sempiternum,’ Ezech. xxvi. 21. Comp. 203/215, where join, ‘to josep sogt for nede;’ ‘ðer het god abre ðat tagte lond,’ GE 827; ‘And son he fand þe soght cite,’ CM 3254; ‘Ai quen þat þe folk him soght sau,’ id. 7473.

31.fro feren, from afar: see 118/40.

32. Hatred conceived in their hearts arose in them. Such phrases are common in our author, as ‘olie in trewðe geuen,’ 212/512; ‘song . . . on soðe sagen,’ GE 14. On the other hand such expressions as ‘drugte numen,’ 201/161; ‘sorge numen,’ GE 368, where the participle is used like L. captus, suggest taking it here in dependence onhem. Withoncomp. 210/454.

35, 36. ‘Nel feron mie, | ce sereit desverie,’ Joseph 273.

37.drempte: impersonal with two accusatives, Quatso and him; so too at 200/103, 202/170, and probably at 201/149: more commonly the thing dreamt takes of, or is a clause, 200/113, 120, 201/132.ðor quiles, whilst: see 196/648.

38.cisternesse: the MS. has ðisternesse here (it occurs correctly at GE 58), and ‘ðis ðhisternesse’ at GE 66, where ‘ðis’ is in excess, and cisternesse at l. 56. The original had, no doubt, cisterne or cistern in both places, and in this line probably In cisterne ðise, imitating ‘proiicite eum in cisternam hanc,’ Gen. xxxvii. 22 (comp. ‘He ðrowede and ðolede untiming ðat,’ GE 1180): having blundered here, the scribe altered cistern l. 56 in conformity, spoiling the metre.

39.Get, still, in spite of his dreams. Aboveeofwurðea small he is added in the MS.

40. The phraseowen a woldmeans, to have in one’s power, like its synonym hauen a wolde (see52/387 note); it occurs in its literal sense at 200/108, distressing dreams were responsible for that, and in ‘Luue wel michil it agte a wold, | Swilc seruise and so longe told,’ GE 1671, very strong love was capable of such hard service and so protracted. Here it has the derived sense of import, mean, like power, force used for meaning expressed by letter or phrase: comp. ‘Quat oget nu ðat for-bode o wold,’ GE 324, what now was the import of that prohibition; ‘And vndernam him ðat it agte awold,’ id. 2727, and questioned him as to what it meant; ‘ðor is writen quat agte awold, | ðat ðis werld was water wold,’ id. 525, therein is written what it signified that this world was destroyed by water.

41.wid herte sor, presumably on Reuben’s part.

42-44. ‘et recessit Ruben meliora querens pascua,’ C.lewse, so again at GE 1576: OE.lǣs,g.lǣswe.

45.dor quiles, meanwhile; comp. 204/265, and see 196/648.

46. ‘that was carried out in secret haste,’ Morris, who proposes derue for derne. But the meaning is, advice that was filled full of secret gain. Forofcomp. 217/91, 94, forsped, ‘of euerilc sed, | Was erðe mad moder of sped,’ GE 121. In the OF. Joseph, it is said of Judas, ‘mult iert escientous | et auques coveitous,’ ll. 347, 348, and he makes a speech to his brothers, ‘Touz temps somes berchier, | onc n’ëumes denier. | Ore en porrons aveir | senz vendre nostre aveir,’ ll. 365-368.

48.spices ware: ‘aromata & resinam & stacten .i. myrram,’ C.

52.xxx plates: all the early MSS. of the Vulgate have ‘viginti argenteis,’ but ‘triginta’ C., ‘deniers treis feiz dis,’ Joseph 414; the change is due to the desire to perfect the parallel with Christ.plates, silver coins: comp. ‘I nul sulle my Loverd [for] nones cunnes eiste, | bote hit be for the thritti platen that he me bitaiste,’ Rel. Ant. i. 144/25. The metrical stress requires ðo for ðe.

53, 54. ‘Melius est ut venundetur Ismaelitis, et manus nostrae non polluantur,’ Gen. xxxvii. 27.dan, than that.in here wold, in their power, at their hands.

57.ðhogte swem, felt sorrow, as in ‘Of paradis hem ðinkeð swem,’ GE 391, if so, the verb is impersonal and him must be supplied fromhe: or perhaps, experienced a feeling of faintness: the OF. poem has ‘Quant l’enfant ne trouva, | par poi ne forsena. | Il ne set que il face, | pasmez chiet en la place,’ ll. 433-436.

58.set up, raised: ‘credens eum interemptum scissis vestibus eiulabat,’ C. Comp. ‘ðis folc ðo sette up grot and gred,’ GE 3717.

59.him cliued: the MS. reading is meaningless; that in the text is Mätzner’s, who explains, cleaves to him. But in view of, ‘And atter on is tunge cliuen,’ GE 372; ‘Al egipte in his wil cliueð,’ 210/438, it is doubtful whether even the pronoun can be used in this sense without a preposition. Now cleave is associated with cling in ‘My hert doth clynge and cleve as clay,’ Coventry Mysteries (54), where cling, wither up, is used metaphorically for, shrink in fear (see3/32 noteand comp. ‘I clynge as cleyȝ, icauȝt in care,’ Horstmann, S. A. Legenden, 178/388), and it is also used transitively. Is it not probable that cleave had also some such metaphorical meaning which would be suitable here?

62. Ifinis right, it goes withðe, in which. But its absence would improve the verse, andðealone can mean with which: see 46/292. In any caseprudisadj., splendid; comp. 209/422; ‘Wið gold and siluer and wið srud, | ðis sonde made ðe mayden prud,’ GE 1413.

63.wenten, turned it round and round, rather than, altered it; although the Latin, ‘tinxerunt,’ favours the latter.

64.an rewli lit, a pitiable dye.

65.Sondere men, messengers;sing.‘sonder man,’ GE 2871; ‘sanderrmann,’ Orm 19383; ‘sondes man,’ L 13615.

73.in haigre srid, clad in a hair, a hair shirt; see 62/31.

74.grot and sorge: comp. 214/583, similarly ‘grot and gred,’ GE 3717; ‘In grot and in srifte,’ id. 3692.

76.hertedin: read herten; comp. 184/277.

79.ligten, descend: see 141/42. ‘Descendam lugens ad filium meum in infernum,’ C.

81-84. ‘Erat enim tunc in inferno quidam locus beatorum longe semotus a locis penalibus · qui ob quietem et separationem ab aliis sinus dicebatur. . . . Et dictus est etiam sinus abrae · quia etiam abraam ibi erat in sustentatione usque ad mortem christi,’ C., commonly called Limbus Patrum: ll. 83, 84 refer to the Harrowing of Hell, for an account of which in ME. literature see Hulme’s edition of the legend, E. E. Text Society.

85.skinden here fare, hasten their journey: the verb, which occurs only here in ME., represents OWScand. skynda.

88.bigetel, advantageous: the adjective of ‘biȝete’ 60/12; only here.

90. Insert him beforesold, with Holthausen. The expression is formal, mostly used of betrayal; comp. ‘ic am i-boust ant i-sold to-day for oure mete,’ Rel. Ant. i. 144/26; ‘How þat ioseph was boght and sald,’ CM 142; ‘Dickon thy maister is bought and sold,’ Shakspere, Richard III, v. 3. 305. Strunk in Mod. Lang. Notes, xxvi. 51 suggests He (Putifar) haueð him bogt.

93. The line is printed as in the Specimens, but a better order would be, He bad him sperd ben faste dun. The last word does not go well with sperd, which takes in or wiþinne, 201/148, 204/248. C. has ‘Ille nimis credulus coniugi vinctum ioseph tradidit in carcerem regis,’ the OF. version, ‘mist le en la prison | au fort rei Pharaon;’ the Vulgate, ‘in carcerem ubi vincti regis custodiebantur,’ all mentioning the king. The original may have had Him bad ben sperd king Pharaun: for the rhyme see 202/171.

95.an: comp. 201/163.

96.prisuner, gaoler.prisunes, prisoners.

98.to liuen in hagt, to live in care, goes with l. 100: comp. 201/136.hagt: see196/657 note, and comp. ‘Twin-wifing ant twin-manslagt | Of his soule beð mikel hagt,’ GE 485; ‘Amalechkes folc fledde for agte of dead,’ id. 3384.

99.onsagen, accusations, charges; OE.onsagu: apparently only here in ME.

103.drempte: see 198/37.

105.on sel, at a time, on one occasion: comp. ‘And moyses was numen an sel | In ðe deserd depe sumdel,’ GE 2769; ‘on midel sel, ðat ilc nigt,’ id. 3159. Kölbing translates timely, that is, early in the day, quoting, ‘Ad quos cum introisset Ioseph mane,’ Gen. xl. 6, and, ‘And made swiðe on sele ðat mete,’ GE 1537, where however swiðe gives the special sense, in quick time. But the expression appears to mean happily in, ‘And he folgede is red on sel,’ GE 1866; ‘on good sel,’ id. 1375, 1545.

108. This is the answer of the dreamers. See 198/40 note.

111.strong: see21/94 note.

112.on god bilong, pertaining to God, in God’s power. ‘Numquid non domini est interpretatio .i. numquid adiutorio dei potest interpretari,’ C.bilongis an isolated form, apparently made of bi + long, OE.gelangwhich in ME. is commonly ilong; see134/96 note. Mätzner would read ilong here.

114.waxen buges, full-grown boughs, or shoots. ‘Videbam coram me vitem & in ea tres fundos oculos (principal buds) scilicet unde funduntur palmites. Alii ponunt tria flagella, vel tres propagines quod idem est,’ C.

116. Morris by his punctuation makesberiesacc.afterbarandwurð ic warparenthetic; but the construction is the same as at 9/122, 192/518; ‘quanne he it wurð war,’ GE 1462, 3387; ‘And quane ðe king wurð war ðis dead,’ id. 2983; ‘ðan pharaon wurð war ðis bot,’ id. 2957: wurð war is treated as though it meant observed. But it takes of at 203/204.

121, 122. ‘Deus dedit in bonum hominibus vsum vini . . . soluit lites et tristitias · et bona est eius visio,’ C.

127.herdne: OE.ǣrende, mission, but here affected in meaning byǣrendian, to intercede: make intercession for me.

128.ða: for ðat: the scribe not seldom drops final t.

129.kinde, native; so, ‘ðog it was nogt is kinde lond,’ GE 1279: ‘car a tort sui chaitis | en estrange païs,’ Joseph 837.

130.wrigteleslike, undeservedly: OE.gewyrht, thing done, merit, in Orm, wrihhte.

132.lepes: ‘canistra,’ C.

135.ðor on: comp. ‘On was tette he sone aueð lagt,’ GE 2621. The construction withonis rare, the verb in this sense regularly takes an accusative.

136.hagt: see 200/98.

140.swepoccurs in the same connection at 202/166, and in ‘For þai can swyth of a sweuyn · all þe swepe tell,’ Wars of Alexander, 248,evidently with the meaning, scope, significance. Mätzner refers it to OE.swǣp, for which see Napier, OE. Glosses, 78/2894 note; its meaning, persuasion, or more probably, deceit, does not suit our word. More probably its OE. congener is seen inymbswǣpewhich glosses L. ambages, Sweet, Oldest E. Texts, 599; if so, it would mean compass, content, like the noun sweep of more recent origin.

144.ðat, from that:werienusually takes wið (50/335), fram, but the pronouns are frequently used alone in all sorts of loose syntactical relations: see46/292 note. Omitsal; though it might be defended by GE 1818, agte is commonly plural. Not in the Vulgate or Comestor, but ‘It sal na raunsun ga for þe,’ CM 4494; ‘te trenchera la teste; | ne te lera raendre,’ Joseph 854.

145.ðatis subject ofwurð.

148. Dividewið uten-erd; forwið, on, see 180/147.uten-erd, foreign land; OE.ūtan+eard: comp. ‘uten erdes sorge sen,’ GE 956; ‘into vten stede,’ id. 1741. At 210/460, it is used adverbially in conjunction with her, and at 210/464 it develops an adverbial form, ‘uten herdes.’ Comp. L. extorris.

149.pharaon: probablyacc.; see 200/104.

150.flodes strem: ‘Putabat se stare super fluuium,’ C.

151.vii: seuene.

158, 159. ‘Septem spice plene pullulabant in culmo vno,’ C.busk, bush, for stalk is curious.ranc and wel tidi, luxuriant and very healthy-looking; the phrase qualifies ‘eares.’

161.drugte numen: ‘percusse vredine,’ C.; ‘uredo . . . dicitur corruptio ex urente vento proveniens quando stantes segetes aduste videntur in campo,’ Catholicon: ‘de gelée brulez,’ Joseph 904. Withnumencomp. 198/32: drugte, sorge are genitives. Similar constructions without prepositions are frequent in this author, ‘water wold,’ 526, overpowered by water; ‘sinne wod,’ 1073, demented by sin; ‘elde swac,’ 1528, weakened by age; ‘herte hard,’ 2936, hard of heart; ‘hungur fordred,’ 3313, in fear of hunger; ‘nede driuen,’ 3165; ‘deades driuen,’ 1125, under the sway of death. See 207/342.

163, 164. There is nothing in Comestor or the Vulgate corresponding to these difficult lines. Mätzner takesitas equivalent to they, and quotes for the intransitive use ofsmiten, ‘Heo smiten to-gædere,’ L 5183, to which may be added, ‘Bitid a stund þai samen smate | In a dale biside a wate,’ CM 2495. Schumann objects that smiten is transitive everywhere else in the poem; he proposes, To-samen is smiten, them dashed together, apparently depending onranc. It would probably be better to omitit(see197/16 note); adopting Fritsche’s ðristen he in the next line, the meaning would be, Next (ðo) the lean ears have overcome the full ears, dashed together in conflict, and in a moment they have thrust the full ears to the ground. The participial phrase is quite in the manner of the author.

164.ðo: miswritten for ðe.

166.wot, where wiste might be expected, is perhaps due to anticipation of nogt.

168. Who could solve the riddle involved in the dream: comp. 1/4.

170.of ðat: supply a relative as accusative to drempte: see 198/37, 200/103.

174.shauen: ‘ioseph totonderunt. Uincti enim et exules incrementa crinium patiuntur,’ C.

175.hardi ⁊ bold: Comp. ‘Þe king of Beme had cares colde, | Þat was ful hardy and bolde,’ Minot iv. 68.

176.wold, power, meaning. See 201/140.

180. ‘quod facturus est deus ostendit pharaoni,’ C.

182.numen, taken, in the sense of dealt with, experienced. Comp. 208/400; ‘Ðe seuend moned was in cumen, | And seuene and xxtidais numen,’ GE 593; ‘Seue nigt siðen forð ben numen,’ id. 1687.

184. The editors takeSori and nedfulwithmen, but they might qualifyis, them, and that would be more consonant with the original, ‘quos (annos) sequentur alii .vii. tante sterilitatis. vt obliuioni dent cuncta retro abundantia,’ C.

186.rospen and raken, waste and scrape away: in these meanings the words are apparently without parallels.

187.her biforen: miswritten for ear biforen: see211/483 note: forher= ear, comp. ‘ðor he quilum her wisten wunen,’ GE 801.

189.vndernumen, taken unawares: comp. ‘Ðis godes folc was undernumen, | Quan he segen ðis hird al cumen,’ GE 3221, where it appears to mean, surprised: perhaps influenced in this rare meaning by undergan, as in, ‘Þou hast me gyled and vndurgone’ (= circumvenisti), Horstmann, S. A. Legenden, 33/479, 75/790.

194.bege: ‘collo torquem auream circumposuit,’ C. Comp. 133/34.

195.bisen: see12/14 note.

197.welden&c., so, ‘neme hit in here honde,’ KH 60 note.vnder his hond, l. 210, in his control; comp. 204/252; ‘Unnderr þe laþe gastess hand,’ Orm 11146.

199.ðo . . . ðannetogether are strange and the line is unmetrical. Read, was vnder him ðo putifar.

200.hem so to bar, caused such dissension between them; OE.toberan, to carry in different directions.

202.Oðer . . . ðan, different from what: see100/122 note. ðan is Mätzner’s correction.

206. Comp. for the form of the sentence, ‘He was hem lef, he woren him hold,’ GE 793.

212.x: The scribe writes tgen (2), then (1), ten.

215.for nede sogt: depends on josep: comp. 198/30, and ‘for nede driuen,’ 203/219.

217.ðog, nevertheless; that is, though he was their brother, they unwittingly fulfilled the prophecy of 197/21, 22.

219.for: but ‘ðo wurð pharaon nede driuen,’ GE 3165.

222.Als he let: read, Let he als, he pretended as if: comp. ‘Sho lete als sho him noght had sene,’ Ywain, 1809.

226. Forspienwith acc. comp. ‘Bot er yee comen þe land to spi,’ CM 4824; ‘vous venez ceste terre | espier et conquerre,’ Joseph.

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