“‘The swine turned Normans to my comfort!’ quoth Gurth; ‘expound that to me, Wamba, for my brain is too dull, and my mind too vexed, to read riddles.’
“‘Why, how call you those grunting brutes running about on their four legs?’ demanded Wamba.
“‘Swine, fool, swine,’ said the herd; ‘every fool knows that.’
“‘And swine is good Saxon,’ said the jester; ‘but how call
you the sow when she is flayed, and drawn, and quartered, and hung up by the heels, like a traitor?’
“‘Pork,’ answered the swine-herd.
“‘I am very glad every fool knows that too,’ said Wamba; ‘and pork, I think, is good Norman-French: and so when the brute lives, and is in the charge of a Saxon slave, she goes by her Saxon name; but becomes a Norman, and is called pork, when she is carried to the castle-hall to feast among the nobles; what dost thou think of this, friend Gurth, ha?’
“‘It is but too true doctrine, friend Wamba, however it got into thy fool’s pate.’
“‘Nay, I can tell you more,’ said Wamba, in the same tone; ‘there is old Alderman Ox continues to hold his Saxon epithet, while he is under the charge of serfs and bondsmen such as thou, but becomes Beef, a fiery French gallant, when he arrives before the worshipful jaws that are destined to consume him. Myhneer Calf, too, becomes Monsieur de Veau in the like manner; he is Saxon when he requires tendance, and takes a Norman name when he becomes matter of enjoyment.’”
[30.] General Character of the Norman-French Contributions.—The Norman-French contributions to our language gave us a number of general names or class-names; while the names for individual things are, in general, of purely English origin. The words animal and beast, for example, are French (or Latin); but the words fox, hound, whale, snake, wasp, and fly are purely English.—The words family, relation, parent, ancestor, are French; but the names father, mother, son, daughter, gossip, are English.—The words title and dignity are French; but the words king and queen, lord and lady, knight and sheriff, are English.—Perhaps the most remarkable instance of this is to be found in the abstract terms employed for the offices and functions of State. Of these, the English language possesses only one—the word kingdom. Norman-French, on the other hand, has given us the words realm, court, state, constitution, people, treaty, audience, navy, army, and others—amounting in all to nearly forty. When, however, we come to terms denoting labour and work—such as agriculture