l e m e . l i b r a r y . u t o r o n t o . c a

s t c 1 3 4 4 0 a 

v e r . 1 . 0  ( 2 0 1 9 )


The names of this Iland Capitulo. j.

FIrst as Galfride saith this lande was named Albi­
on after the name of Albyne the oldest doughter of 
Dioclesian / and had xxxij. sustres / And they were 
first that enhabited this lande / And because she was 
the oldest suster she named this lond Albion after her owne na­
me as the cronicle reherseth / Othir saye that this lond was named 
Albion as it where the white londe of white rockes aboute the cli­
nes of the see that were seyne fro ferre Afterward Brute con­
quered this lond and callid it Brytayn after his owne name 
Thenne Saxons or englisshmen conquered this lond and callid it 
Anglia that is Englond / Or it is callid Anglia of a quene that 
owed this lande that was named Angela and was a noble du­
kes doughter of the Saxons / Or as ysid seyth ethi. xv. Anglia 
hath that name as it were an angle and a corner of the world Or
els as Beda saith li. j. Seynt Gregorie sawe englissh children to 
selle at Rome and he accorded to the name of the londe / and sayde 
they ben sothly anglis / for ther face shyned as angels / for the no­
blete of the londe shone in the children faces / Alfre. The brittyssh 
anglia is cleped the othir world / and for grete plente of all good 
the grete Charles called it his owne chambre / Solinus. The edge 
of the frenssh clif shold be the ende of the world / yf the ylonde of bri­
tayn ne were not / whiche is worthy to haue the name of an othir 
world / Alfre. This Ilonde is callid insula for it is in salo / that is 
the see / and is beten of with diuerse cours of waters with stremes 
and with wawes of the sce








De legibus legumque vocabulis


DVnwallo that heet Moliuncius also made first lawes in
Britayne the whiche lawes were calle moliuncius law­
es / and were solempnly obserued vnto william conque­
rours tyme / Moliuncius ordeyned amonge his lawes / that citees
temples and weyes that lede men therto / and plowmen folowes 
shold haue priuilege & fredome for to saue all men that wold flee
therto for socour and refuge / Thenne afterward Marcia quene of 
britons that was gwytelinus wyf of her the prouynce had the na­
me mercia as somme men suppose / She made a lawe full of right 
of wytte and of reson / and was called merchene lawe / Gildas
that wrote the histories of britons torned these two lawes oute
of briton speche in to latin / And afterward kyng Aluredus tor­
ned all oute of latin in to Saxons speche / and was called mer­
chene lawe / Also the same kyng Aluredus wrote in englissh and
put to anothir lawe that heet Westsaxon lawe Thenne afterward
danes were lordes in this londe / and so come forth the thirde lawe
that heet dane lawe / Of these thre lawes seint Edward the thirde
made one commune lawe that yet is called seint Edwardes lawe 
I holde it well done to write here and expoune many termes of 
these lawes /



Myndebruche / hurting of honour and worship In 
frenssh bleschur dhonnour /
Burbrucg in frenssh bleschur de coure­
ou de cloys /
Grithbruch brekyng of pees /
Myskennyng changing 
of speche in court /
shewyng settyng forth of marchandise in frensh
Disploier de marchandyse /
Hamsokne or hamfare  a rese made in
hous /
forstallyng wrong or lette don in the kynges hye waye
frich­
soken / sewrte in defence /
Sak forfait Soka / sute of court and ther 
of cometh soken /
Theam / sute of bondmen
fyghtyngwyte Amerse­
ment for fyghtyng /
flitwyte / amendes for chidyng of blode
Leirwyte amendes for ly­
eng by a bonde woman

"leyrwite" not a separate entry in OED but see quotations under "bloodwite," n., and "childwite," n.


Gultwite / amendes for trespas /
Scot a ga­
dryng to werke of bayllies /
Hidage / taillage for hydes of londe
Danegheld tayllage yeuen to the danes / that was of euery boua­
ta terre / that is euery oxe londe thre pens /
A wepentak and an 
houndred is all one / For the contre of tonnes were wone to gyue
vp wepen in the comyng of a lord /

"wepentak" not a separate entry in OED but see quotation under "hungil," n.


Lostage / custome y chalengid







in chepinges faires and seallage / custome for stonding in stretes
in feire tyme








 Of the langages of maners and vsages of the peple of that 
 londe Ca. xv

AS it is knowen how many maner of peple ben in this Ilon­
de ther ben also so many langages and tonges / Netheles 
walssh & scottes that ben not medlid with othir nacions 
kepe neyh yet their langage & speche / But yet the scottes that were 
somtyme confederate & duellid with pictes drawe somwhat after their 
speche But the flemmynges that duelle in the west side of wales haue 
lefte her straunge speche & speken like to saxons / also englisshmen 
though they had fro the beginnyng thre maner speches / southern / 
northern & myddell speche in the myddell of the londe as they come 
of thre maner of peple of germania / Netheles by commixtion and 
medling first with Danes & afterward with Normans in many 
thinges the contre langage is appaired / for some vse strange wlaf­
fing chitering harryng garryng & grisbyting / This appayring of 
the langage cometh of two thinges / ones because that children that 
gone to scole lerne to speke first englissh / & than ben compellid to con­
strewe her lessons in frenssh & that haue ben vsed syn the normans 
come in to englond / Also gentilmens children ben lerned & taught 
from their yongth to speke frenssh / & vp londissh men wyll counterfete & 
likene hem selfe to gentilmen / & arn besy to speke frenssh for to be mo­
re sette by / wherfor it is said by a comyn proreerbe / Iack wold be a 
gentilman if he coude speke frenssh / Tre. this was moche vsed to for the







grete deth / but sith it is somdele chaunged / for sir Iohan Corne­
wayll a maister of gramer chaunged the techyng of gramer scole 
& constructton of frenssh in to englissh And othir scolemaiestrs vse 
the same way now in the yere of our lord. M. CCC. lxxxv. the ix. 
yere of kyng Richard the seconde / & leue all frenssh in scoles & vse 
alle construction in englissh / wherin they haue auantage one way 
that is that they lerne the sonner their gramer And in anothir dis­
auauntage / for now they lerne no frenssh ne can none / whiche is 
hurte for them that shall passe the see / And also gentilmen haue 
moche lefte to teche their children to speke frenssh / R / Hit semeth a 
grete wonder that englissh haue so grete diuersite in their owne lan­
gage in soune and in spekyng of it / whiche is all in one Ilonde / 
And the langage of normandie is comen oute of anothir lande / 
and hath one maner soune among alle them that speketh it in en­
glond / for a man of kente / Southern western / & northern men spe­
ken frenssh all lyke in soune & speche / but they can not speke theyr 
englissh so / Treuisa / Netheles ther is as many diuerse maner of 
frenssh in the reame of fraunce / as diuerse englissh in the reame of 
englond / R / Also of the forsaid tonge which is departed in thre is 
grete wonder / for men of the eest with men of the west accorde better
in sownyng of their speche / than men of the north with men of the 
south / Therfore it is that men of mercij that ben of myddell En­
glond as it were partiners with the endes / vnderstande better the 
side langages northern & southern than northern & southern vn­
derstande eyther othir / Wilhel. de pon. li. iij. Alle the langages of 
the northumbres & specially at york is so sharp shittyng frotynge 
& vnshappe / that we sothern men may vnneth vnderstande that 
langage / I suppose the cause be that they be nygh to the aliens that 
speke strangely / And also by cause that the kyngis of englond a 
byde and duelle more in the south contrey / than in the north contre 
The cause why they abyde more in the south contre than in the north 
contre / is by cause that ther is better corn londe more peple / moo no­
ble Citees / & moo prouffytable hauenes in the south contrey than 
in the north.