But the truth is that in England, after all, although this language has continued to be taught in all schools of any standing or pretension, the critical study and genuine appreciation of it have always been confined to a narrow circle of scholars; and nowadays there is a growing tendency to prefer the living languages, as they are called, to the dead.
XVIII.
Ancient French school-books for English learners—Their historical and philological interest—Succession of writers and teachers—Hollyband, Florio, Delamothe, and others—Sketches of their work—Their imperfect acquaintance with our language—Other publications of an educational cast.
I. Turning to the French language, there is a very singular relic of early times in the shape of an Anglo-Gallic Vocabulary of the end of the fifteenth century, in which the spelling of both languages is strikingly archaic:—
“Here is a good boke to lerne to speke french.
Vecy ung bon lievre a apprendre parler fraunchoys.
In the name of the fader of the sonne.
En nom du pere et du fils.
And of the holy goost I will begynne.
Et du saint esprit ie veuel cōmenchier.
To lerne to speke frenche.
A apprendre a parler franchoys.”
After this exordium follow the numbers, the names of precious stones, articles of merchandise, fruits, wines, &c. Wine of rochell is rendered vin de rosele. What we know as Beaune is called byane in French and beaune in English. On the fourth page, among “Other maner of speche in frenche,” occur:—
“Sir god giue you good day.
Sire dieu vous doint bon iour.
Sir god giue you good euyn.
Sire dieu vous doint bon vespere.
Holde sir here it is.
Tenez sire le veez ey.”
The z in tenez seems to have been specially cut, for it is of a different font or case, and, curiously enough, in the next sentence it is wrongly inserted in ditez (for dites). The question is asked how much one man owes another, and the reply is ten shillings, for which the French equivalent is taken to be dix soulz. But there were no shillings in England at that time; perhaps the writer was thinking of the skilling, with which our coin has no more than a nominal affinity.