[9]

The Bestiary presents not only the same grammatical and verbal forms which distinguish the Genesis and Exodus from other Early English compositions, but also its orthographical peculiarities, e.g. ſ for sch; ð for th; g for y and ȝ (gh), etc. The editor assigns this poem to the early part of the thirteenth century.

[10]

Warton assigned it to the reign of Henry II. or Richard I.; Sir F. Madden to the time of Henry III. (1216-1272).

[11]

Those employed (about fifty altogether) are more or less technical—aucter, auter, astronomige, arsmetrike, bigamie, bissop, crisme, charité, canticle, circumcis, corune, crune, desert, graunte, gruchede, holocaust, hostel, iurnee, iusted (allied), lecherie, lepre, mount, mester, meister, neve (nephew), offiz, pais, plente, pore, present, prest, pris, prisun, promissioun, prophet, roche, sacrede, scité (city), spirit, spices, suriurn (sojourn), swinacie (quinsy), serue, seruice, ydeles, ydolatrie.

[12]

Since writing the above I have printed for the Early English Text Society "Old English Homilies, 2nd Series," which are earlier than the Ormulum, and contain many East Midland peculiarities. "The Wooing of Our Lord" in Old English Homilies, 1st Series, contains some peculiarities of the West Midland dialect.

[13]

See Preface to O.E. Hom., 2nd Series.