THE DIALECTS OF LATE MEDIEVAL ENGLAND

 

The wery huntere, slepynge in his bed,

To wode ayeyn his mynde goth anon;

The juge dremeth how his plees ben sped;                                 (Chaucer, The Parliament of

The cartere dremeth how his cart is gon;                                    Fowls 99-105, London

The riche, of gold; the knyght fyght with his fon;                        dialect, c. 1380-82)

The syke met he drynketh of the tonne;

The lovere met he hath his lady wonne.

 

Ac on a May morwenynge on Maluerne hilles                            (Piers Plowman B.1.1-10; 

Me bifel a ferly, of Fairye me þo3te.                                          Northwest Midlands

I was wery forwandred and wente me to reste                           dialect, near Malvern &

Vnder a brood bank by a bourne syde,                                     Worcester, c. 1370)

And as I lay and lenede and loked on þe watres

I slombred into a slepyng, it sweyed so murye.

 

Bot of alle þat here bult of Bretaygne kynges

Ay watz Arthur þe hendest, as I haf herde telle.

Forþi an aunter in erde I attle to schawe,                                   (Sir Gawain and the

Þat a selly in si3t summe men hit holden                                     Green Knight 25-32; NW

And an outtrage awenture of Arthurez wonderez.                      Midlands nr. Cheshire,

If 3e wyl lysten þis laye bot on littel quile,                                  s. Lancashire, n.

I schal telle hit astit, as I in toun herde.                                       Staffordshire, c. 1400)

                         

Manne on molde, be meke to me,

And haue thy maker in þi mynde,

And thynke howe I haue tholid for þe,

With pereles paynes for to be pyned.

The forward of my Fadir free                                                    (York Play of the Harrowing

Haue I fulfillid, as folke may fynde,                                            of Hell, Yorkshire dialect, c. 1475)

Þer-fore a-boute nowe woll I bee                                            

Þat I haue bought for to vnbynde.

Þe feende þame wanne with trayne

Thurgh frewte of erthely foode,

I haue þame getyn agayne

Thurgh bying with my bloode.

                         

Ane dooly sesoun to ane cairfull dyte

Suld correspond, and be equivalent.                                          (Robert Henryson, The

Richt sa it wes quhen I began to wryte                                       Tesatment of Cresseid

This tragedy; the wedder richt fervent,                                       1-7, Late Middle Scots,

Quhen Aries, in middis of the Lent,                                            before 1500)

Shouris of haill can fra the north discend;

That scantly fra the cauld I micht defend.

 

why pryncys a'n dewolow

scon egereugh an porthow

py mar ny wreugh y fyth guow

            yn certan kynys tremene

rak an porthow hep dyweth                                                      (Cornish Play of the Resurrection,

a vyth ygerys yn weth                                                                Cornwall, 15th c.)

sur may thello aberueth

            an myghtern a lowene