Old diphthongs are preserved in greate (OE. grēat) 9, yeaf 22. In hyerof 1, yhyerde 49, hier 2, þieues 18, ye, ie represent diphthongs developed in Kentish rather than simple close ē.
Initial z = s in zome 'some' 2, zede 'said' 12, zuo 'so' 17; and initial u = f in uele 2, uayre 2, uram 4, bevil 41, evidence dialectical changes which occurred also in the South-West.
Syntax: The constructions are distorted by slavish following of the French original; see note to ll. 48-60.
3. Saint Germain of Auxerre (MS. Aucerne) is famous for his missions to Britain in the first half of the fifth century. This particular story is found in the Acta Sanctorum for July 31, p. 229.
16. St. John the Almoner (d. 616) was bishop of Alexandria. For the story see Acta Sanctorum for January 23, p. 115.
27-8. and huanne he hit wiste þe ilke zelue þet his hedde onderuonge: an obscure sentence. Perhaps: 'and when he, the same who had received them (i.e. John, who had received the five hundred pounds), knew it' (sc. the truth).
38. This tale of Boniface, bishop of Ferentia in Etruria, is told in the Dialogues of Gregory the Great, Bk. i, chap. 9. Its first appearance in English is in the translation of the Dialogues made by Bishop Wærferth for King Alfred (ed. Hans Hecht, Leipzig 1900, pp. 67 ff.).
48-60. The French original of the passage, taken from an elegant fourteenth-century MS., Cotton Cleopatra A.V., fol. 144 a, will show how slavishly Dan Michael followed his source:—
Apres il fu un poure home, sicom on dit, qui auoit une vache; e oi dire a son prestre en sarmon que Dieu disoit en leuangile que Dieu rendoit a cent doubles quanque on donast por lui. Le prodomme du conseil sa femme dona sa uache a son prestre, qui estoit riches. Le prestre la prist uolentiers, e lenuoia pestre auoec les autres quil auoit. Kant uint au soir, la uache au poure home sen uint a son hostel chies le poure homme, com ele auoit acoustume, e amena auoeques soi toutes les uaches au prestre, iukes a cent. Quant le bon home uit ce, si pensa que ce estoit le mot de leuangile que li auoit rendu; e li furent aiugiees deuant son euesque contre le prestre. Cest ensample moustre bien que misericorde est bone marchande, car ele multiplie les biens temporels.