Tho uuard managun cud,
Obar thesa uuidon uuerold.
Uuardos antfundun,
Thea thar ehuscalcos
Uta uuarun,
Uueros an uuahtu,
Uuiggeo gomean,
Fehas aftar felda:
Gisahun finistri an tuue
Telatan an lufte;
Endi quam lioht Godes,
Uuanum thurh thui uuolcan;
Endi thea uuardos thar
Bifeng an them felda.
Sie uurdun an forhtun tho,
Thea man an ira moda;
Gisahun thar mahtigna
Godes Engil cuman;
The im tegegnes sprac.
Het that im thea uuardos—
"Uuiht ne antdredin
Ledes fon them liohta.
Ic scal eu quad he liobora thing,
Suido uuarlico
Uuilleon seggean,
Cudean craft mikil.
Nu is Krist geboran,
An thesero selbun naht,
Salig barn Godes,
An thera Davides burg,
Drohtin the godo.
That is mendislo
Manno cunneas,
Allaro firiho fruma.
Thar gi ina fidan mugun,
An Bethlema burg,
Barno rikiost.
Hebbiath that te tecna,
That ic eu gitellean mag,
Uuarun uuordun,
That he thar biuundan ligid,
That kind an enera cribbiun,
Tho he si cuning obar al
Erdun endi himiles,
Endi obar eldeo barn,
Uueroldes uualdand."
Reht so he tho that uuord gespracenun
So uuard thar engilo te them
Unrim cuman,
Helag heriskepi,
Fon hebanuuanga,
Fagar folc Godes,
Endi filu sprakun,
Lofuuord manag,
Liudeo herron;
Athobun tho helagna sang,
Tho sie eft te hebanuuanga
Uundun thurh thin uuolcan.
Thea uuardos hordun,
Huo thin engilo craft
Alomahtigna God,
Suido uuerdlico,
Uuordun louodun.
"Diurida si nu," quadun sie,
"Drohtine selbun,
An them hohoston
Himilo rikea;
Endi fridu an erdu,
Firiho barnum,
Goduuilligun gumun,
Them the God antkennead,
Thurh hluttran hugi."
Then it was to many known,
Over this wide world.
The words they discovered,
Those that there, as horse-grooms,
Were without,
Men at watch,
Horses to tend,
Cattle on the field—
They saw the darkness in two
Dissipated in the atmosphere,
And came a light of God
—through the welkin;
And the words there
Caught on the field.
They were in fright then
The men in their mood—
They saw there mighty
Angel of God come;
That to them face to face spake.
It bade them these words—
"Dread not a whit
Of mischief from the light.
I shall to you speak glad things,
Very true;
Say commands;
Show great strength.
Now is Christ born,
In this self-same night;
The blessed child of God,
In David's city,
The Lord the good.
That is exultation
To the races of men,
Of all men the advancement.
There ye may find him
In the city of Bethlehem,
The noblest of children—
Ye have as a token
That I tell ye
True words,
That he there swathed lieth,
The child in a crib,
Though he be King over all
Earth and Heaven,
And over the sons of men,
Of the world the Ruler."
Right as he that word spake,
So was there of Angels to them,
In a multitude, come
A holy host,
From the Heaven-plains,
The fair folk of God,
And much they spake
Praise-words many,
To the Lord of Hosts (people).
They raised the holy song,
As they back to the Heaven-plains
Wound through the welkin.
The words they heard,
How the strength of the Angels
The Almighty God,
Very worthily,
With words praised.
"Love be there now," quoth they,
"To the Lord himself
On the highest
Kingdom of Heaven,
And peace on earth
To the children of men,
Goodwilled men
Who know God,
Through a pure mind."

CHAPTER IV.

AFFINITIES OF THE ENGLISH WITH THE LANGUAGES OF GERMANY AND SCANDINAVIA.

[§ 65]. The last chapter has limited the Anglo-Saxon area to the northern part of the Saxon area in general. Further details, however, upon this point, may stand over until the general affinities of the English language have been considered.

[§ 66]. Over and above those languages of Germany and Holland which were akin to the dialects of the Angles and the Saxons, cognate languages were spoken in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, and the Feroe isles, i.e., in Scandinavia.

[§ 67]. The general collective designation for the Germanic tongues of Germany and Holland, and for the Scandinavian languages of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, and the Feroe Isles, is taken from the name of those German tribes who, during the decline of the Roman Empire, were best known to the Romans as the Goths; the term Gothic for the Scandinavian and Germanic languages, collectively, being both current and convenient.

[§ 68]. Of this great stock of languages the Scandinavian is one branch; the Germanic, called also Teutonic, another.

[§ 69]. The Scandinavian branch of the Gothic stock comprehends, 1. The dialects of Scandinavia Proper, i.e., of Norway and Sweden; 2. of the Danish isles and Jutland; 3. of Iceland; 4. of the Feroe Isles. On the side of Lapland the languages of this branch come in contact with the Laplandic and Finlandic; whilst in Sleswick they are bounded by the Low German.