[Sources and Illustrations:] Ælredi Regula, in Lucae Holstenii Codex Regularum Monasticorum et Canonicorum, Augustae Vindelicorum, 1759, vol. i, p. 420; also as Ailredi Rhievallensis de Vita Eremitica ad Sororem, in S. Augustini Opera, Antwerp, 1700, vol. i, p. 640; English version of ch. xxi-lxxviii from the Vernon MS. in ES vii, pp. 304-44; Vita S. Gileberti Confessoris: Institutiones beati Gileberti in Supplement to vol. vi, pt. 2, of Dugdale, W., Monasticon Anglicanum, London, 1830; Eckenstein, Lina, Woman under Monasticism, Cambridge, 1896; Cutts, E. L., Scenes and Characters of the Middle Ages, London, 1872.
[Phonology:] (1) of A. Oral a is a, calices b 17, cat b 2; a before nasals and lengthening groups is o, dronc 21, gomen 83, brondes b 161, wombe, 97; þen, þenne, hwen, hwenne, selthwenne b 195 are the usual forms, but once hwon b 116: and is ant 26 &c., man, indefinite, me 16. æ is usually e, bres 103, ed b 121, efter b 12, gedereð 87 (gæderian), hetter b 28, oðerhwet b 177, neppes 94, þet b 126, wes b 3, wicchecreftes 7, esken 79, 85 (æsce), weschen b 145, vesscheð b 112 (wæscan), but ea, an EME. writing for æ in bearuot b 39, bleasie b 162 (blæse, sb.), feader b 173, b 231, feaste b 42 (3), gleadliche b 186, measse b 83, readliche b 94, noðeleater b 169, weater b 94, inohreaðe 43 (hræþe), and a in awakenet 24, awakenið b 61, b 91 (awacenian), blac b 23, warliche b 148 (flexion forms), cappen b 45: habbe 25 &c., nabben b 130 descend from LWS. forms in a: quoð b 76 (cwæþ) is due to loss of stress. e is regularly e, bedde b 25, bereð 64 (but beore b 136), spekeð b 57 (but speoke b 132); before lengthening groups, ende 100, englene 76. Between w—f, e is rounded to eo in tweolue b 112; before a palatal it is raised to i in rikenin 25, rikeneres 82: stude b 171, sullen b 12, 14, swuch b 18 are due to OE. forms in y. i is regularly i, bidde b 237, binimeð b 221 (but neome b 34 &c.); before lengthening groups, blod binde b 69 (binde), bringen 49, child 22, but u in wule 72 and other forms of willan, nute b 130 (nyte). o is normally o, biuoren 57, hosen b 39, word 65, but a in an(an) b 87; nalde 90, walden 42, iwraht b 24 are Anglian. u is u, cume b 90, cuppe 103, sunderliche 24, wunder b 63, but i in kimeð 94, b 200 (cymeð; Bülbring, Ablaut, 74). y is u, brune b 160, sundreð b 161, sungið b 191, but i in pilche clut 68: mycel is muchel b 91, muche 82; sturne b 195 represents styrne.
ā is regularly a, are b 229; before two consonants, gast b 231; length is indicated by doubling in aa, b 162, b 234: man b 8 is *mān. ea for ā appears in eanes b 34, b 189, easkin b 181, easki b 78, easkeð b 118, b 203, wreaðfule 32, 63, coming from forms in ǣ. ā is o in cop b 142 (cōp), e in se b 67 &c., but swa 73. ǣ1 is, as a rule (41 times), ea, ageasten 58, arearen b 159, asneasen 69, eani 8; before two consonants, eauer 54 &c., leafdi b 235, wreaððe b 153, b 166, but e in þer b 155, and before two consonants in flesch b 26, flesches b 91, fleschlich b 78, fleschliche b 75, leste b 37, b 54 (beside leasse 61 (4), leaste b 188), and a before two consonants in attri 12, attreð b 80 (? analogy of āttor). ǣnig is mostly ei 8 (possibly shortening of eiðer,—Holthausen); ǣlc is euch 34 &c. ǣ2 is e (32 times), dreden b 196, her b 141, neddre 31, wepmen b 22, but eo in leote b 131, b 19, feorle 100. ea appears only in ileanet 16, read b 13, b 37, reade b 2 (but reden b 188, redeð b 223, b 224, b 228, ired b 235): þear 41 is probably a scribal error for þer, but comp. þiar 39/165. The difference in the representation of ǣ1, as ea, rarely e, and ǣ2, as e, rarely ea, is also found in the Katherine group, and is Anglian (Stodte, p. 31). ē is always e; ī, i, but wummon b 21 (5) after w; ō is o; ū, u; ȳ is regularly u, fur b 160, hudest b 57; before two consonants, cuððe b 144, fulðe b 113, but i in schriden b 85, beside schruden 90.
ea before r + cons. is ea, bearm 71, nearewe b 204; before lengthening groups, bearnes 75, heard b 44, but a in scharp 64, 65, 67 and always after w, warde b 231, -ward as in frommard b 165, inward 36, toward b 89, utward 37, warm b 23, warneð 11. ea in chearre b 238, wearien b 6 represents æ, i-umlaut of unbroken (Anglian) a. ea before l + cons. is regularly a (Anglian), alle 7 &c., falleð 6, halden b 193. The i-umlaut has ea = æ from unbroken a, ealde b 124, healden b 197, both before a lengthening group. eo before r + cons. is regularly eo, heorte 51, keorue b 34; before length. groups, eorðe 85, sweord 65, Beornard b 219, but Anglian smoothing is seen in werkes b 62, b 67, b 81. To the wur group belong wurðen 88, forwurðen 23, forwurðe b 95: warpere 64, warpeð 66 are Scandinavian; WS. forms are weorpere, wierpð. The i-umlaut is wanting in heordemonne b 6, iheortet 31; wier, wyr words have u, vnwurðe b 108, b 219, wurse 16, 56, b 37, iwurset b 191. eo before l + cons. is eo in seolf 59, seoluen b 204 &c. ea, the u- and å-umlaut of a, is seen in eateliche 58, 69, eawles 67 (awul), meaðeleð 73, 96, streapeles b 42, vnsteaðeluest 5; fearen b 197, misfearen 13, and analogically (Bülbring § 228 anm.), feareð 79, b 120, forfearinde 29, gleadie b 232, heatien b 141, ?peaðereð 81, ?skleatteð 53. This umlaut is specifically Mercian. eo, u-umlaut of e, gives heouene 3, b 185, but world 40, worldliche b 79 &c.: eo, å-umlaut of e, beoden b 124, b 206, b 237, breoken b 20, eoten 99, ȝeouen b 71 (from Mercian ġefan), and analogically, beore b 31, b 136, forbeoren b 149, breoke b 216, eote b 127, eoten b 150, ȝeoue b 131, b 173, b 233, forȝeoued b 200 (but ȝef 102), speoke b 132, speoken b 138: an Anglian feature. eo, u- and å-umlaut of i, is seen in cleopede 9, 11, bicleopet b 192, leoðeliche b 28 (liþig, OWScand. liðugr), neomen b 72, b 174, neome b 34, neomen b 189, neomunge 7, seoue 21, seouene 4, seolc b 69, seoluer 84, sweoke b 160, teolunges 6, but hare 5 &c. is the regular representative of heora, suster b 4 &c., of WS. sweostor, Anglian wike b 189, of WS. wucan (*wiucu). ea after palatals is a, schal 42 &c., ischauen b 101, schape b 146, but e in ȝeten b 128 (WS. gatu), eo before nasal, scheome b 51: schapieð b 70 is a ME. formation. ie after ġ is e (Mercian monophthong), ȝef 102, 104, ȝeueð b 68, ȝelden 15, b 7, forȝelde b 175, ȝelp 37; this e with å-umlaut gives forms in eo, ȝeouen &c. as above. ȝef, EWS. gief, is ȝef 9. eo after ġ is u, ȝungre b 132; after sc, schule 99, schulde 22 &c. (Anglian). eom is am b 236 (Anglian), heom, ham 4 &c.
ēa is regularly ea, beate b 31, deade 41, eadmode b 119, greatluker b 157, reaflac 15, but e in chepeð b 12, chepilt b 11, cwedschipe b 93, eð b 214, edscene b 147, and a in chaffere b 11, chapmon b 12, shortening due to stress on following syllable: its i-umlaut is e (Anglian), bemen 39, 76, bemere 42, bemin 43, dremen b 206, ȝeme b 190, ȝemeles 10 &c., ȝemeð 16, ȝemen b 98, iȝemen b 90, ihereð 53, leue b 174, b 207, leue b 36, misleue b 182, lefunge 7; but greattre b 67 is grēatra. ēo is eo, beon 4, cneon b 150, feondes 92, feorðe 21, but e in seke b 108, secnesse b 111, before c. The absence of its i-umlaut is Anglian, deore 71, feond s. d. 34 &c., neod b 1, neodeð 88, istreonede 23; e in nedlunge b 8, tene b 112. Absence of palatalization, characteristic of Mercian, after ġ, sć is seen in ȝer b 101, schende b 52 (Bülbring § 289), schon b 38, but scheos b 39, ischeoed b 40. ȝīet is ȝet b 193, the second element in edscene b 147, is gesīene.
a + g is ah, dahes b 105, drahe b 53, draheð 36, mahen 50 &c.; isleine 33 is geslegen; seið 46, 89, sægð; dreaieð b 233 (comp. dreaien 147/153, dreihen, 146/122) descends from *dreagaþ, form with å-umlaut (WS. dragaþ). æ + g is regularly ei, deies b 21, feier b 123, heiward b 6, mei 4 &c., meiden b 96, seide 46, b 117, iseid 26: mahe b 148, b 180 comes from LWS. mage. e + g is also ei, abreiden 75, aȝein 5 (ongegn), toȝeines b 56, eie b 18, eili b 9, leið b 152, pleien 67, b 139, b 146, pleieð 64, but plohien b 218 which descends with shifted accent from *pleogan with å-umlaut (comp. pleogede in a SW. Mercian text of Bede, ed. Miller, ii. 82). The MS. has in other places pleien as above, but the noun in Morton’s text pleowe 184/4, pleouwe 218/8 is in MS. A regularly plohe, in MS. C ploȝe. i + g, h, pliht b 97, ipliht 18, sihðe b 61, onsihðe b 55, wriheles b 49, but sygaldren 6: lið 71, b 93 is līþ < ligeð, il in ilespiles b 31, īl < igil. In twien b 210 from twiga the spirant has disappeared, as in monie b 168. Final ig is regularly i, bisi b 89, dusi 18. o + h, g is oh, bitohe b 225, dohter b 52, but dehtren b 15 with e from the dative singular. u + g, duhen b 59, muhen b 44: y + g, h, buð b 11, b 187, drihtines 41, b 206. ā + g, h, ah 17, ahne b 61, ahnes b 207, ahte b 181, lahe b 141, b 152, wah b 58. ǣ1 + g, h, ahte 84, bitaht 16, tahte b 75, but eiðer 53 (ǣgþer). ē + g, iueitsomet b 168, iheiet b 234: ī + h, wrihen b 50 (*wrīhan inf.), wriheð b 58: ō + g, inoh b 79, inohreaðe b 41, ibroht b 214, þohten 39. ea + ht: lahtre 50, mahte b 213 come from Anglian forms in æ; the i-umlaut gives mihte b 230, niht b 215, but a in lahhen b 139, lahheð 97, monslaht 24 also represents Anglian æ. eo + ht, riht 51, rihten b 99: sist b 57, sið b 89, b 159 are Anglian forms corresponding to WS. siehst, siehð with i-umlaut (Bülbring § 217). ēa + g, h, deh b 66 (North, dēg), ehe 51, ehnen b 63, heh b 186, hehe b 185, neh b 90, b 120, but þah b 7, b 63, as if from Ang. *þæh. ēo + g, h, dreheð b 233, but lihte b 39, lihtliche b 3, b 87. īe + h, nest b 26, b 29 (North. nēsta), lihtin b 101. ā + w is aw, blawen 40, icnaweð b 201, itawet b 24, nawiht b 9, nawt b 53, sawle 94, slaw 12, but nowðer b 48 represents OE. nōwþer, nohwer b 33, b 41, nō(h)wǣr, similarly nohwider b 126, eawiht b 235, eawt 52 (*ǣwiht with i-umlaut, NED.); sehe b 139 is Anglian sēge, WS. sāwe. ǣ1 + w is also aw, rawe 33, slawðe 11, 18. ēa + w, þeawes b 81, þeawfule b 106, but schawin 38. ēo + w is ow, fowr 39, b 101, trowðe 18, ow 99 &c., ower b 1; eo finally in gleo 47: neowe b 137 has no umlaut; the WS. form is nīwe (Bülbring § 306, anm. 5).
Unstressed swā is se 15 &c., but swa 73: a occurs for o in anan b 87; e for o in streapeles b 42, sunderliche 24, vnsteaðeluest 5; i for e in drihtines 41, b 206; u for i in dimluker 43, greatluker b 157, monluker b 110, as in the Katherine group; e is lost in earst b 52, meidnes b 106, b 183, added in luðere 32, ȝiuere 92; o is lost in unbischpet 19. The prefix ge is i; ǣr, ear in earunder b 209; æt is ed b 178; þǣr is syncopated in þrin, þrinne, þrof, þron, þrefter, þruppe, forms characteristic of the Katherine group, found also in MSS. C, T, but not in N.
w is assimilated in frommard b 165; isehen b 62 descends from gesegen, not from gesewen. Metathesis of r is seen in iwraht b 24 (late North. wroht). ll is simplified in druncwile 105; mm in grim 62. n is lost in earunder b 209, and often in iþe 1, i 25 for in, o 7 for on; nn is simplified in monluker b 110. p is inserted in nempneð b 48: bb is simplified in neb b 54. f is regularly u between vowels, or vowel and liquid, biuoren 94, heaued 8, froure b 221, bearuot b 39, underueð 74, vnsteaðeluest 5, but lefunge 7; once v appears initially, vet b 42, but not u. t is doubled in hetter b 28, lost in best b 43, olhnin b 6; d for t occurs in ed b 121 &c., edhalden 13, b 73 (but ethalt 87), prude 30: t is assimilated in ȝisceunge 14, 16 (gītsung), ȝiscere 79: milce b 182 is milts, milci b 175 miltsie: tt is simplified in cat b 2. d has disappeared in mungunge b 52; it is doubled in foddre b 5: t for d appears in ontfule 31, worltlich 36, b 107, b 108 (but worldliche b 139): mið 53 is Anglian for mid: dd is simplified in bidest b 238. Initial þ often becomes t after t, d, te 5, 32, b 178, b 216, tis 83, teo b 179, ter b 196, but þe b 43, b 171, þah b 196, þat b 215; it is lost in forfearinde 29, d is written for it in edscene b 147, ladlich b 7, t in leste b 37. For s, ce appears in ȝisceunge 14, 16; ȝiscere 79 is gītsere: sć is regularly sch, schrift 19, schende b 52, weschen b 145, but ssch in dissches 93. The stop c is commonly written k before e, i, kemese b 83, kene 69, kimeð 94, awakenet 24, lokeð b 215, makien 48, rikenin 25, stikeð 92, and ck after another consonant in þonckið b 228, also in easkeð b 203, esken 79; in other positions c, cat b 2, com b 74, cumeð 41, locunge b 143, exceptions are kues b 5, kun b 72: ah 25 is Anglian ah, WS. ac: k is inserted as a glide sound in skleatteð 53; see Archiv cxxxi. 305. č is ch, chearre b 238, cwencheð b 165, brech b 41, iþench b 237, kealche 103, swuch b 18, but keorue b 34, keoruinde 65, conformed to curfon, corfen. čč is cch in wicche(creftes) 7; isticchet b 142 is a ME. formation descending from OE. stiče; contrast stikeð 92 (Bülbring § 499, anm. 5). cw is usually preserved, cwide 13, forecwidderes 57, but quoð b 76. Palatal g is regularly written ȝ, biȝete 12, ȝemeð 16; h is written for g in murhðe b 221, orhel 38, teoheði 12; g is lost in sygaldren 6; čǧ is gg, liggen b 28, seggen b 72. Initial h is lost in lahheð 97, lahtre 50, lud 38, lust 54, ring b 64; hh is simplified in laheð 83 and h doubled in crohhe 94 (crōh).
(2) Of B. The principal divergences from A are noted. Some of them are due to the scribe’s inexperience; his handling of the consonants in particular is confused. eo in eondfule 48 for o from a before length. group is a French writing; similar is neolden 89. æ is a in bras 103, inohraþe 42, hwat 9, nappes 94, þat 16, craftes 7. cwude 12 is from cwyde; liki 50 is a mistake for loki; u is o in open 64 (uppan); y is i in mint 97. In leouerð 49, eo is for o from ā; ea 53 represents ā, ever; comp. nea L 1552, 1555. ǣ1 is a in agastan 57, ilad 4, 19, e in asnesen 68, hest 17, lesse 60, wredfule 32, ae (= æ) in aetri 31, ea in eawer 72, 99: ǣnig is ai 8, 15, ei 7. ǣ2 is e in ilened 15, as generally in A.
ea before r + cons. is a in barm 70, e in bernes 74, sherpe 64, but sharpe 63, 66: eo before r + cons. is e, swerd 64, but sweordes 68. There is no å-umlaut in ateliche 57 (but eateliche 68), vnstaþelfast 5, fared 78, forfarinde 29, paþered 80, as in A: skletteð 53 is OWScand. sletta. seofon is sewe 28. ēa is e, drem 37, 75, reflac 14; ēo is also e in strenes 28, thehewen 12: gief is gif 9. æ + g gives mai 4, 25; ā + w, out 51, slauwe 70, slaþ 11 miswritten for slaw; ǣ1 + w, areawe 32, slauþe 20, slouþe 10; ēo + w, trouþe 17. In syllables of minor stress a appears for e, bemares 36, galnasse 23, warpare 63; e for æ, ethalden 12, i for u, neominge 7; e for ō, te 15 &c., tegederes 79: on is a 74. e is often inserted medially between consonants, bolehed 85, iboregen 41, deoueles 42, deouelen 57, iugelurs 46, wigeled 96.