§ 21. It is now necessary to look to the languages of the Continent to which the English is allied. The first of these is The Old Saxon of Westphalia and Osnaburg. Specimen. Heliand, pp. 12, 13. (Schmeller's Edition.) Tho uuard managun cud, Obar thesa uuidon uuerold. Uuardos antfundun, Thea thar, ehuscalcos, Uta uuarun, Uueros an uuahtu, Gisahun finistri an tuue Endi quam lioht Godes, Sie uurdun an forhtun tho, The im tegegnes sprac. LUC. II. 8-13. Ic scal eu quadhe liobora thing, Uuilleon seggean, An thera Davides burg, Then it was to many known, Over this wide world. The words they discovered, Those that there, as horse-grooms, Without were, Men at watch, Horses to tend, Cattle on the field. They saw the darkness in two That to them face-to-face spake. It bade thus them these words"Dread not a whit Of mischief from the light. Say commands; Show strength great. Of all men the advancement. Thar gi ina fidan mugun, Hebbiath that te tecna, That he thar biuundan ligid, Endi obar eldeo barn, Reht so he tho that uuord gespra cenun So uuard thar engilo te them Unrim cuman, Afhobun tho helagna sang, "Diurida si nu," quadun sie, "Drohtine selbun, An them hohoston Himilo rikea; Endi fridu an erdu, Firiho barnum, There ye may find him True words, That he there swathed lieth, Though he be King over all And over the sons of men, Of the world the Ruler." Right as he then, those words spoken, So was there of Angels to them, In a multitude, come A holy host, From the Heaven-plains, To the Lord of Hosts. As they back to the heaven-plains How the strength of the Angels Very worthily, "Love be there now," quoth they, "To the Lord himself On the highest Through a pure mind." § 22. Old Frisian.-This was the language of the present province of Friesland, and of the parts north and south of that district. Asega-bog, i. 3. pp. 13, 14. (Ed. Wiarda.) Thet is thiu thredde liodkest and thes Kynig Kerles ieft, theter allera monna ek ana sina eyna gode besitte umberavat. Hit ne se thet ma hine urwinne mith tele and mith rethe and mith riuchta thingate. Sa hebbere alsam sin Asega dema and dele to lioda londriuchte. Ther ne hach nen Asega nenne dom to delande hit ne se thet hi to fara tha Keysere fon Rume esweren hebbe and thet hi fon da liodon ekeren se. Sa hoch hi thenne to demande and to delande tha fiande alsare friounde, thruch des ethes willa, ther hi to fara tha Keysere fon Rume esweren heth, tho demande and to delande widuon and weson, waluberon and alle werlosa liodon, like to helpande and sine threa knilinge. Alsa thi Asega nimth tha unriuchta mida and tha urlouada panninga, and ma hini urtinga mi mith twam sine juenethon an thes Kyninges bonne, sa ne hoch hi nenne dom mar to delande, truch thet thi Asega thi biteknath thene prestere, hwande hia send siande and hia skilun wesa agon there heliga Kerstenede, hia skilun helpa alle tham ther hiam seluon nauwet helpa ne muge. The same, in English. That is the third determination and concession of King Charles, that of all men each one possess his own goods (house?) unrobbed. It may not be that any man overcome him with charge (tales), and with summons (rede), and with legal action. So let him hold as his Asega (judge) dooms and deals according to the land-right of the people. There shall no Asega deal a doom unless it be that before the Cæsar of Rome he shall have sworn, and that he shall have been by the people chosen. He has then to doom and deal to foes as to friends, through the force (will) of the oath which he before the Cæsar of Rome has sworn, to doom and to deal to widows and orphans, to wayfarers and all defenceless people, to help them as his own kind in the third degree. If the Asega take an illegal reward, or pledged money, and a man convict him before two of his colleagues in the King's Court, he has no more to doom, since it is the Asega that betokens the priest, and they are seeing, and they should be the eyes of the Holy Christendom, they should help all those who may nought help themselves. § 23. Old High German.-By tracing towards their sources the rivers Rhine, Mayne, and Neckar, we come to Bavaria, Alsatia, Switzerland, Suabia, and Franconia. The language there spoken was the mother-tongue of the present German. Constance, Strasburg, St. Gall, Worms, Spires, Mentz, Wirtzburg, and Fulda, may be noted as cities where the High Old German was especially cultivated. KRIST, i. 12. (Edit. Graff.) Tho uuarun thar in lante hirta haltente; Joh uuurtun sie inliuhte fon himilsgen liohte. Joh hintarquamun harto thes Gotes boten uuorto. Ouh nist ther er gihorti so fronisg arunti. Thes uuirdit uuorolt sinu zi euuidon blidu, Joh al giscaft thiu in uuorolti thesa erdun ist ouh dretenti Zeichen ouh gizami thuruh thaz seltsani. Zi theru burgi faret hinana, ir findet, so ih íú sageta, Tho quam unz er zin tho sprah engilo heriscaf, "In himilriches hohi si Gote guallichi; Si in erdu fridu ouh allen thie fol sin guates uuillen." The same, in English. Then there was in the land herdsmen feeding: They feared, suddenly as on him they looked; And followed much the words of God's messenger: Spake there God's messenger strait, "I shall to you say wonders. To you shall there be from God health; fear nothing at all. I shall to you say a message, the bidding of the heavenly God: Also there is none who has heard so glad an errand. Therefore becomes this world for ever blythe, And all creatures that in the world are treading this earth. Newly borne has this land the heavenly Savior, Who is the Lord Christ, good, from a young mother. In Bethleem, of the kings they were all thence From them was also born his mother, a maid fair. I say to you, good men, how ye him shall find, A sign and token, through this wonder. To your burgh fare hence, ye find, so as I to you said, Then came, while he to them spake, of angels a host, A heavenly retinue, thus all singing: "In the heavenly kingdom's highth be to God glory; Be on earth peace also to all who are full of God's will." § 24. Maso-Gothic.-By following the course of the Danube we reach the Roman province of Mœsia. The earliest inhabitants of this province were no more akin to any of the tribes of Germany than the original Britons of England were akin to the Anglo-Saxon invaders. However, in the third century the province of Mœsia was invaded by tribes from Germany. Their language is called Moso-Gothic; and the earliest written works that occur in the languages allied to the Anglo-Saxon are MœsoGothic. Parts of a translation of the Gospels written by a bishop of the name of Ulphilas in the fourth century are still extant. MARK, chap. i. 1. ANASTODEINS aivaggeljons ïesuis xristaus sunaus gups. 2. Sve gamelip ïst ïn esaï ïn praufetau. sai. ïk ïnsandja aggilu meinana faura pus. saei gamanveiþ vig þeinana faura þus. 3. Stibna vopjandins ïn auþidai. manveiþ vig fraujins. raihtos vaurkeip staigos gups unsaris. 4. Vas ïohannes daupjands in auþidai jah merjands daupein ïdreigos du aflageinai fravaurhte. 5. Jah usïddedun du ïmma all ïudaialand jah ïairusaulymeis jah daupidai vesun allai ïn ïaurdane awai framïmma andhaitandans fravaurhtim seinaim. 6. Vasuþ-þan ïohannes gavasips taglam ulbandaus jah gairda filleina bi hup seinana jah matida pramsteins jah miliþ haiþvisk. 7. Jah merida qipands. qimip svinþoza mis sa afar mis. þizeiïk ni ïm vairps anahneivands andbindan skaudaraip skohe is. 8. Appan ik daupja ïzvis ïn vatin. ïp is daupeiþ ïzvis ïn ahmin veihamma. |