Text 94: Caxton's The Historye of Reynart the Foxe, 1489 version
Our modern translation
How the lion, king of all beasts, sents out his commands
that all beasts should come to his feast and court.
Chapter I
It was about the time of Pentecost or Whitsuntide
that the woods commonly are lusty and glasome,
the trees clothes with leaves and blossoms and the ground with
herbs and flowers that smell sweet and also the fowls and birds
sing melodiously in harmony. Then the lion,
the noble king of all beasts, would in the holy days of this
feast hold an open court at Standen, which he did to know
all over his land. And he commanded, by straight commissions
and commands, that every beast should comes thither
in such wise that all beasts great and small came
to the court except Reynard the fox, because he knew himself
faulty and guilty of many things against many beasts
that thither should come. And he did not dare to go
thither when the king of all beasts had assembled all
his court. There was none of them. But he had sorely
complained of Reynard the fox.
Isegrym the wolf made the first complaint of Reynard.
Chapter II
Isegrym the wolf with his lineage and friends came
and stood before the king. And he said high and mighty:
prince, my lord, the king, I beseech you that through your
great might, right and mercy that you will have pity on the
great offence and the unreasonable misdeeds that Reynard
the fox has done to me and my wife, that is to say, he is
come into my house against the will of my wife. And
there he has pissed on my children where as they lay in
such wise as they thereof are blind women, whereupon was...
sábado, 4 de abril de 2009
Text 90: John of Trevisa, 1385
Text 91: Caxton's version, 1482
Our modern translation
As it is known how many kinds of people are in this island there are also many languages and tongues. Nevertheless, Welshmen and Scots that are not mixed with other nations keep near yet their first language and speech.
Also Englishmen though they had from the beginning three kinds of speech, southern, northern and middle speech in the middle of the land, as they came from three kinds of people from Germany. Nevertheless, by mingling and mixing first with Danes and after with Normans, in many things, the country language is affected and some use strange stammering, chattering, snarling and harsh gnashing.
This damage of the language comes from two things: one is because that children who go to school learn to speak English first and then they are compelled to construe their lessons in French and have done so since Normans came into England first.
Also gentlemen's children are taught from their infancy to speak French. And northern men will imitate and compare themselves to gentlemen and are busy to speak French in order to be more appreciated.
This custom was much followed before the great deth. But since it is somewhat changed. Sir John Cornwaile, a master of grammar, changed the teaching at grammar schools and construction of French into English. An other masterschools follow the same way now in the year of our Lord, 1385, the ninth year of King Richard II, and leave French at schools and use all construcions in English.
And also gentlemen have left to teach their children to speak French. It seems a great wonder that Englishmen have so great diversity in their own language in sound and speaking, which is everything in one island. And the language of Normandy is come from another land and has one kind of sounds among all men that speak it in England...
Also concerning the mentioned tongue which is divided into three it is a great wonder for men of the est with men of the west agree better with sounds of their speech than men of the north with men of the south.
Therefore it is that men of Mercia, who are from Middle England as it were partners of the extremes understand better the languages on their side, northern and southern, than northerners and southerners understand each other.
All the language of the Northumbrians and especially at York is so shrill, cutting and grating and badly pronounced that we southern men may hardly understand that language. I suppose this is because they are near to the aliens that speak strangely.
Text 91: Caxton's version, 1482
Our modern translation
As it is known how many kinds of people are in this island there are also many languages and tongues. Nevertheless, Welshmen and Scots that are not mixed with other nations keep near yet their first language and speech.
Also Englishmen though they had from the beginning three kinds of speech, southern, northern and middle speech in the middle of the land, as they came from three kinds of people from Germany. Nevertheless, by mingling and mixing first with Danes and after with Normans, in many things, the country language is affected and some use strange stammering, chattering, snarling and harsh gnashing.
This damage of the language comes from two things: one is because that children who go to school learn to speak English first and then they are compelled to construe their lessons in French and have done so since Normans came into England first.
Also gentlemen's children are taught from their infancy to speak French. And northern men will imitate and compare themselves to gentlemen and are busy to speak French in order to be more appreciated.
This custom was much followed before the great deth. But since it is somewhat changed. Sir John Cornwaile, a master of grammar, changed the teaching at grammar schools and construction of French into English. An other masterschools follow the same way now in the year of our Lord, 1385, the ninth year of King Richard II, and leave French at schools and use all construcions in English.
And also gentlemen have left to teach their children to speak French. It seems a great wonder that Englishmen have so great diversity in their own language in sound and speaking, which is everything in one island. And the language of Normandy is come from another land and has one kind of sounds among all men that speak it in England...
Also concerning the mentioned tongue which is divided into three it is a great wonder for men of the est with men of the west agree better with sounds of their speech than men of the north with men of the south.
Therefore it is that men of Mercia, who are from Middle England as it were partners of the extremes understand better the languages on their side, northern and southern, than northerners and southerners understand each other.
All the language of the Northumbrians and especially at York is so shrill, cutting and grating and badly pronounced that we southern men may hardly understand that language. I suppose this is because they are near to the aliens that speak strangely.
viernes, 3 de abril de 2009
Text 106: Sir Thomas Elyot, The Gouernour, 1531 (iii) (facsimile)
Our modern translation:
But to return to my purpose: It shall be expedient that noble people have noble manners soon in their infancy continually, as well as, they may be accustomed, little by little, to speak pure and elegant Latin. Similarly, the nurses and other women around him, if it is possible to do the same or at least that they do not speak English but that which is clean, polite,pronounced perfect and articulately,omitting no letter or syllable, as foolish women often do a silliness, whereby diverse noblemen and gentleness children ( as I do at this time), who have attained corrupt and foul pronunciation.
Our modern translation:
But to return to my purpose: It shall be expedient that noble people have noble manners soon in their infancy continually, as well as, they may be accustomed, little by little, to speak pure and elegant Latin. Similarly, the nurses and other women around him, if it is possible to do the same or at least that they do not speak English but that which is clean, polite,pronounced perfect and articulately,omitting no letter or syllable, as foolish women often do a silliness, whereby diverse noblemen and gentleness children ( as I do at this time), who have attained corrupt and foul pronunciation.
jueves, 2 de abril de 2009
Text 89: Margery Brews to John Paston, February 1477
Our modern translation:
To my right beloved valentine Sir John Paston this letter be delivered.
Right reverent , worshipful and my right beloved valentine, I entrust me to you very heartily desiring to hear of your welfare which I beseech God Almighty long for to preserve unto his pleasure and your heart's desire and if it pleases you to hear of my welfare. I am not healthy of body nor heart and I will not be until I hear from you.
No creature knows what pain I endure and for not being dead, I do not dare discover it.
And my lady, my mother had insisted about this matter to my father diligently, but she can get no more than you know of, as well as God knows, I am very sorry. If you love me as I truly trust that you do, therefore you will not leave me. Because if you had no half the livelihood that you have, for to do the greatest labour that any woman alive might, I would not forsake you.
And if you command me to keep me true wherever I go, I will truly do, with all my might, to love you and never love someone else. And if my friends say that I do amiss, they shall not let me do so because my heart's bids to love you evermore and truly all over the earthly things, and if they never be so angry I trust it shall be better in time coming.
At this time no more to you, but the Holy Trinity keeps you and I beseech you that this letter be not seen by any earthly creature save for ourselves.
And this letter was dictated at Topcroft with very heavy heart.
By your own M B.
Our modern translation:
To my right beloved valentine Sir John Paston this letter be delivered.
Right reverent , worshipful and my right beloved valentine, I entrust me to you very heartily desiring to hear of your welfare which I beseech God Almighty long for to preserve unto his pleasure and your heart's desire and if it pleases you to hear of my welfare. I am not healthy of body nor heart and I will not be until I hear from you.
No creature knows what pain I endure and for not being dead, I do not dare discover it.
And my lady, my mother had insisted about this matter to my father diligently, but she can get no more than you know of, as well as God knows, I am very sorry. If you love me as I truly trust that you do, therefore you will not leave me. Because if you had no half the livelihood that you have, for to do the greatest labour that any woman alive might, I would not forsake you.
And if you command me to keep me true wherever I go, I will truly do, with all my might, to love you and never love someone else. And if my friends say that I do amiss, they shall not let me do so because my heart's bids to love you evermore and truly all over the earthly things, and if they never be so angry I trust it shall be better in time coming.
At this time no more to you, but the Holy Trinity keeps you and I beseech you that this letter be not seen by any earthly creature save for ourselves.
And this letter was dictated at Topcroft with very heavy heart.
By your own M B.
miércoles, 1 de abril de 2009
Text 86: The Boke of Margery Kempe(iii)
Difficult words from the text:
tretys: treatise, text
wrecchys: wretches
solas: solace, spiritual comfort
vnspecabyl: unspeakable, indescriptible, but without the negative connotation that has in the present day use.
deyneth: deigns
nobeley: nobility
werkys: works
hynderawnce: hindrance, obstacle
Difficult words from the text:
tretys: treatise, text
wrecchys: wretches
solas: solace, spiritual comfort
vnspecabyl: unspeakable, indescriptible, but without the negative connotation that has in the present day use.
deyneth: deigns
nobeley: nobility
werkys: works
hynderawnce: hindrance, obstacle
Text 83: Letter of King Henry V, 1418 (facsimile)
Difficult words from the text:
l(t)res: letters
repacon: reparation
restitucon: restitution
attemptat: attack(s)
sugettes: subjects
trewes: truce
betwx: between
lieg: lieges
pleine: plain
woll: will (want, require)
doo sende: cause to be sent
al xoo: all those
semblable: similar
mates: matters
coseruacon: conservation
wise: way
yeuen: given
Difficult words from the text:
l(t)res: letters
repacon: reparation
restitucon: restitution
attemptat: attack(s)
sugettes: subjects
trewes: truce
betwx: between
lieg: lieges
pleine: plain
woll: will (want, require)
doo sende: cause to be sent
al xoo: all those
semblable: similar
mates: matters
coseruacon: conservation
wise: way
yeuen: given
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