[Manuscript:] Stowe 34, British Museum: of the early part of the thirteenth century; written on vellum, 223 × 160 mm., by three scribes, with numerous corrections by at least three other hands. It belonged once to William Fleetwood, Recorder of London, and to Thomas Astley. See Catalogue of the Stowe MSS., and Catalogue of an Exhibition of the Stowe MSS., no. 240.
[Facsimile:] Palæographical Society; Second Series, plate 92.
[Edition:] Holthausen, F., Part i. Text and Translation. E. E. T. S., O. S. 89.
[Literature:] Schmidt, G. Ueber die Sprache und Heimat der ‘Vices and Virtues.’ Leipzig, 1899; Philippsen, M. Die Deklination in den ‘Vices and Virtues.’ Kieler Diss. Erlangen, 1911; Heuser, W., Anglia, xvii. 88.
[Phonology:] Oral a and a before nasals is a, wascen 82, swanc 4; a before lengthening groups wavers between a (9 times) and o (5), lande 16, londe 8, understanden 34, understonden 138. æ is regularly a, after 42, cwað 94, was 3; wrecche 60, 116 comes from wrecca. e is generally e, but umlaut e before nasal is a (representing æ, Bülbring, § 171) in namden 117, inamde 120, sant 127, sante 84, wante 88; before lengthening groups e, lengðe 45, but a as above in andin 122, andeden 123, wand 93, and æ in wænden 46, strænges 28; a, æ for umlaut e before nasals is characteristic of the South-Eastern area (Morsbach, § 108); i for e in ðingþ 41 is due to confusion of þencan and þyncan; hwilliche 112 descends from hwilc. i is i, bidde 52, finde 83; cherche 9 is cyrice, ferst 91, ðessere 22 (3) come from forms with y. o is o, dropes 12, borde 15; ðane 3 is LWS. ðane. u is u, cumeð 26, swunken 146, grundwall 53, but beswonken 136, forðer 45 (late North. forþor). y is e, euele 26, kennes 13, þelliche 36; mycel is muchele 4 (3), beside michele 21 (8); þincþ 47, 63, þingþ 70 represent þyncþ.
The representation of ā wavers between a and o, the former predominating, lare 20 (3), lore 57 (3), swa 5, swo 12, wat 136, wot 137; before two consonants, annesse 115, onnesse 148, tacneð 79, tocneð 130. ǣ1 is regularly a, ani 35 (5), sade 75 (8); before two consonants, alche 139, aure 125 (3), but æ in ær 4, 47, bræde 44, mæst 29, næure 31, tæche 54, ea in sea 22; ilke 130 descends from ylc. ǣ2 is also a, dade 92, 98, rad 19, 42, ware 129; before two consonants, blastes 27, latst 48, but æ in ræd 44, wære 60, and e in leten 56, nahwer 83. ē is e, bene 95, feden 116, before two consonants, dest 36, misferde 125, but ie in hie 36, hier 144, and more frequently in other places, bienes VV 65/3, diest id. 41/2; o in doð 33, 42 is from the plural. ī is i, liue 8, wisdome 32, but bleðeliche 66 beside bliðeliche 63. ō is o, don 123, godnesse 91. ū is u, trukede 120, dust 70. ȳ is e in screden 116, ie in inȝied 80, 91 (ingehȳd), i in litle 12, litel 42, 91, little 136.
ea before r + cons. is a, harm VV 29/10; before lengthening groups a, harde 31, warnin 27 (4), warð 87, but middeneard 6; the i-umlaut is e, wernde 83. ea before l + cons. is also a, all 6 (14), grundwall 53, halt 40 (heald), scalt 38, but ea survives in ealde 128, healden 57 (4), before a lengthening group; the i-umlaut is e, eldest 118. eo before r + cons. is e, berȝen 140, berȝin 138, ferr 45, herte 34, 82, but ie in hierte 31, 98, liernin 64, 138, a in harkeð 66 (*heorcian); eo survives in weorc VV 95/3 &c.; the i-umlaut is ie, hierdes 1, but worð 133. eo before l + cons. is seen in seluen 20. eo, u-umlaut of e, is e in heuene 24, heuneriches 140; after w, o in woreld 2 (5). eo, u- and å-umlaut of i, is e, icleped 58, leðebeiȝe 15, seððen 5, the datives ðese 60, 143, 144, ðesen 119, 120, ðese 53, 140; heora is here 15, 30, and hire 14: niðer 30 is without umlaut. ea after palatals is a, scal 79: ie after g is i, ȝif 90, 101, ȝiuen 40, ȝiue 74, e in beȝete 125, forȝete 60, ei (for ie) in forȝeit 149. ȝef is ȝif 32, gif 102. eo after sc is u, scule 8, sculen 1, 74, but scolde 129. eom is am 59, heom, hem 112.
ēa is ea, breade 100, dead 87, forleas 7, teares 73 (8), but bred 77, ec 2: aȝean 93 is ongēan: the i-umlaut has e, ȝemeleastes 13, hersum 15, hersumnesse 115 (2), iherde 95 (5), netene 130, but unbiliefde 33. ēo is mostly ie, bien 12 &c., dier 129, dieuliche 11, lief 3, ouerȝiede 6, ðies 79, 91, but e in be 39, betwen 112, deules 26, lef 88, twene 139; eo is rare, beon VV 121/10. The i-umlaut is e, fiftene 95, inede 74, steren 9, and ie, niede 92 (4), niedfulle 74, stieren 1, stierde 5. Palatal ēa after g is seen in ȝear 95, biȝeates 14 (begēat, Napier, OE. Glosses 2698); after sc in scadwisnesse 121. ȝīet is ȝiet 90, 95.
a + g is aȝ, laȝe 128, 131, forðdraȝen 97. æ + g is ai, faire 11, mai 34, sai 94 (sæge), tail 129, but daiȝ 77. e + g is ei, aweiward 48, seið 17 (segeð), but iseȝen 119 (gesegen). o + g is seen in ibroiden 28; o + ht in þohtes 25, 30. u + g is uȝ, muȝe 97, muge 125. ā + g, h are seen in wauȝe 89, auh 17; ǣ1 + ht in betaht 7; ǣ2 + g in ȝeseiȝe 124; ē + g in wreiȝede 83; ī + g in stieð 24; ō + g in bowes 44, ō + ht in besouhte 84, ȝeþouht 46, þouhten 77; ea + h in iseih 94; ie + ht in miht 98, mihte 5 &c., mihtes 46, niht 77; eo + ht in riht 146; ēa + h in þeih 105; īe + ht in ieiht 96; ā + w in saule 10 (6), sawle 80: naht 12, 87, 126 is nāht. nielnesse 30 represents neowolnes. ēa + w gives eaw, feawe 40, sceawin 25 (3), unðeawes 55; ēo + w, ew, ȝew 20, ȝewer 19, ȝewere 20, newe 131, īe + w, ew, trewe 39.
a without stress is levelled to e in andswereð 51, middeneard 6; o to e in forðer 45, niðer 30, sikere 12, sikerliker 98, sikerest 113, te 28, 42; u to e in leðebeiȝe 15. e is lost in eule 81, heuneriches 140, o in nielnesse 30, e is added in ofte 60. on is a 149.