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tha theowan drincath medo: Ther bith fwithe mycel gewinn betweonan him and ne bith thaer naenig ealo gebrowen mid Ef tum ac thaer bith medo genoh:

And thaer is mid Eftum theaw thonne thaer bith man dead thaet he lith inne unforbaerned mid his magum and freondum monath gewhilum twegen and tha Cyningas and tha othre beah thungene men fwa micel lengc fwa hi maran fpeda habbath hwilum healf gear that hi beoth unforbaerned: and licgath bufan coat than on hyra hufum and ealle tha hwile the thaet lio bith inne⚫ thaer fceal beon gedrync and plega oth thone daeg the hi hine forbaerneth. Thonne thy ylcan daeg hi hine to thaem ade beran willath thonne to daelath hi his feoh thaet thaer to lafe bith aefter them gedrynce and thaem plegan on fif oththe fyx hwilum on ma fwa fwa thaes feos andefn bith: Aleogath hit thonne fore hwaega on anre mile thone maeftan daele fram thaem tune thonne otherne thonne thaene thriddan oththe hyt eal aled bith on thaere

anre

drank mead. They likewife had much wine, but beer was not brewed among the Eaftern inhabitants, instead of which they had plenty of mead.

The Eaftern inhabitants had the (fingular) cuftom of keeping the bodies of their deceafed friends and relations for a month, fometimes for two months, with in their houses; but the kings and other men of rank were kept longer within the houfe, in proportion to their riches. Sometimes they were fuffered to lie half a year above ground, in their houfes, without being burnt. As long as the corps remained there, they feafted and played till the appointed day of burning. On this day they removed it to the funeral pile; they divided into five, fix, or more parts, according to the nature of the property, the goods of the deceafed, if any remained, after feasting upon, and playing for them. Then they placed the greatest part of them, at least one mile from the village (of the deceased), then the fecond, and then the third part, until every thing was pla

ced

'Knechte aber trinken Meth. Es giebt auch vielen Wein unter ihnen; aber Bier wird unter den Oftlaendern nicht gebrauet; dagegen haben fie Meth genug. Die Oftlaender haben den (fonderbaren) Gebrauch, dafs wenn jemand unter ihnen ftirbt, derfelbe in dem Haufe unter den Freunden und Verwandten einen Monath, zuweilen auch zwey, liegen bleibt; die Koenige aber und andere vornehme Maenner bleiben defto laenger liegen, je reicher fie find. Zuweilen liegen fie ein halbes Jahr uiber der Erde in ihren Haeufern unverbrannt. So lange die Leiche fo liegt zechen und spielen fie bis zur Verbrennung. An dem Tage aber, da fie ihn auf den Holzftofs bringen, theilen fie feine Guiter, fo viel nach dem Zechen und Spielen davon och uibrig ist, in fuinf, oder fechs, oder mehr Theile, nachdem die Guiter befchaffen find Dann legen fie den groefsten Theil derfelben wenigftens eine Meile von dem Dorfe (des Verftorbenen,) dann den zweyten, dann den dritten Theil, bis alles inner

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hall

anre mile and fceall beon fe laefta dael nyhft thaem tune the fe deada man onlith: Thonne fceolon beon gefamnode ealle tha menn the fwyftofte hors habbath on thaem lande for hwaega on fif milum oth the on fyx milum fram thaem feo: Thonne aernath hy calle toweard them feo thonne cymeth fe man fe thaet Swifte hors hafath to thaem aereftan daele and to thaem maeftan and fwa elc aefter othrum oth hit bith eall genumen and se nimth thone laeftan dael. fe nihft thaem tune thaet feoh geaerneth and thonne rideth aelc his weges mid tha feo and hyt motan habban call and forthy thaer beoth tha Swiftan hors ungefoge dyre: And thonne his geftreon beoth thus eall afpeded thonne byrth man hine ut and forbaerneth mid his waepnum and hraegle und fwithoft ealle his fpeda hy forspendath mid than langan legere thaes deadan mannes inne and thaes the hy be thaem waegum alecgath the tha fremdon to aernath and nimath: And thaet is mid Eftum theaw thaet thaer fceal aelces getheodes man beon

for

ced within that mile. The fm.alleft part was upon this occafion always placed neareft to the village, in which the defunct had lived. This being done, all the men poffeffed of the fwifteft horfes, within five or fix miles diftance from the eftate of the deceased, affembled and rode with the greatest speed to the places, where the goods were depofited; fo that he who had the swifteft horse arrived firft at the beft fhare of the property, and thus one after another, till the whole was carried away. But he who arrived at the lot placed nearest to the village, got the smallest share. Upon this, each of them rode off with his fhare and kept it wholly-as his property. For this reafon, too, fwift horfes were highly valued among them. After having thus diftributed all his property, they carried out the deceafed (into the open air), and burnt him, together with his armour and cloaths. The greateft part of the property was fpent in the long keeping of the corps, but whatever was expofed on the road, was gained and carried

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halb diefer Meile gelegt ift. Der kleinfte Theil wird dabey allemahl zunaechft an das Dorf gelegt, wo der Verftorbene gewohnet hat. Alsdann verfammeln sich alle Maenner aus dem Lande, welche die fchnelleften Pferde haben, fuinf bis fechs Meilen weit von den Guitern, und rennen fporenftreichs darauf zu; da denn der, welcher das fchnellefte Pferd hat, zu dem erften und beften Theil kommt, und so einer nach dem andern bis alles weggenommen ift. Derjenige bekommt aber den kleinften Theil, der zu dem naechft an dem Dorfe gelegenen Theile gelanget. Alsdann reitet ein jeder mit feinem Theile davon, und behaelt ihn ganz-als fein Eigenthum.-Dies macht auch, dafs die fluichtigen Pferde bey Ihnen uiberaus theuer find. Wenn nun alle Guiter vertheilet find, alsdann tragen fie den Verftorbenen hinaus (in die freye Luft), und verbrennen ihn mit feinen Waffen und Kleidern. Sein meiftes Vermoegen gehet bey dem langen Aufbehalten des Verstorbenen darauf; was aber an dem Wege ausgefetzet ift, wird von Fremden gewonnen und

weg

forbaerned and gyf thar man na ban findeth unforbaerned hi hit fceolan miclum gebetan: And thaer is mid Eaftum an maeofh thaet hi magon cyle gewyrcan and thy thaer licgath tha deadan men fwa lange and ne fuliath that hi wyrcath thone eyle hine on and theah man afette twegen faetels full ealath oththe waetheres hy gedoth that other bith ofer froren fam hit fy fummor am winter.

carried off by ftrangers. It was a prevailing cuftom among the Efthians, to burn their dead; and if afterwards a fingle bone was found unburnt, fuch an o̟miffion was feverely punished. The inhabitants of the Eaft were alfo acquainted with the art of producing cold; hence the corps could lie fo long without undergoing putrefaction, because they introduced cold (frigorific fubftances) into it. And if two veffels filled with beer or water were expofed, they could make both of them freeze, whether it were in fummer or winter*.

weggenommen. Es ist bey den Efthen der Gebrauch,, dafs jeder Verftorbene verbrannt wird, und wenn hernach ein einiges Bein unverbrannt gefunden wird, lo wird folches fcharf geahndet. Die Oftlaender haben auch die Kraft, dafs fie Kaelte machen koennen; daher auch die Leichen fo lange liegen und nicht faulen, weit man Kaelte (kaltmachende Koerper) in fie bringet. Und wenn man zwey Gefaeffe voll Bier oder Waffer hinfetzet, fo koennen fie machen, dafs beyde frieren, es fey im Sommer oder im Winter.

In

For fuch readers as may be only imperfectly acquainted with the German language, I beg leave to add the following remarks: ft. that all Substantives are written with large initials; 2d, that, according to the German idiom, the prefent tenfe is ufed, throughout this narrative, instead of the English imperfect; 3d. thut though a fentence in the German frequently begins with the imperfect tenfe, when introducing the speech of another, (v. g. Er fagte, er habe, &c. pag. xiii) yet by the German idiom, the quotation itself is expreffed in the conjunctive prefenta peculiarity, which is uniformly obferved by ADELUNG himfelf, whofe tranflation I have here fubjoined, with scarcely any alteration; 4th, that the preceding Engli tranflation deviates only from the German, where the construction of the former rendered it neceffary. Finally; to prove, that the affinity of the German to the Anglo-Saxon is much stronger than to the modern English, I have here added fome examples.

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In order to give likewise a specimen of poetical compofition, I fhall fubftitute for the poem furnished by JOHNSON, another original, which I found in HICKES'S Gramm. Anglo-Saxon. pag. 178. Though the age of it be not ascertained, it certainly belongs to this period, and may be confidered as a concise

Topography of the City of Durham.

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This city is celebrated
In the whole empire of the
Britons.

The road to it is fleep,
It is furrounded with rocks,
And with curious plants.
The Wear flows round it,
A river of rapid waves.
And there live in it,
Fishes of various kinds
Mingling with the floods.
And there grow
Great forefts;

'There live in the receffes
Wild animals of many forts.
In the deep valleys
Deer innumerable.
There is in this city
Alfo well known to men

The venerable St Cudberth,

And

Diefe Stadt ist beruihmt.-In dem ganzen Reiche der Britten.-Der Weg zu ihr ist jaehe,--Sie ist mit Felfen umgeben,-Und fonderbaren Gewaechsen.-Die Were unflictst fie-Ein Fluís von reiffenden Wellen.-Und darin wohnen,-Fische vieler Arten-Die fich mit den luthen vermifchen.-Und daselbst wachsenGroise Waelder ;-In den Auen wohnen-Mancherley wilde Thiere,—In den tiefen Thaelern-Unzaehlige Rehe, (Thiere).—Es ist in dieser StadtAuch den Menschen wohlbekannt-Der ehrwuirdige heil. Cudberth,-Und

des

And if it be objected, that many of these words likewife bear strong marks of affinity to the modern English, I must remind the reader of my aim, which is not to deny this, but to prove, that contrary to the opinion of many Antiquaries, the German very probably is the mother, and not a fifter language of the Anglo-Saxon. Hence the manifest abfurdity, in Dictionaries, of giving references to either, as two different languages, especially in words whofe origin cannot be well afcertained

W.

And thes claene cyninges heo- And the head of the chafte

fud.

Ofualdes Engla leo
And Aidan bifcop
Aedberth and Aedfrid.

Aethele geferes

Is the rinne mid heom
Aethelwold bifceop

And breoma bocera Beda.
And Boifil abbet.
De claene Cuthberht.
On gichethe lerde luftum.

And he is lara uuel genom.

Eardiath aeth them eadige.
In in them mynftre.

Vnarimeda reliqua

king.

Ofwald, the lion of the Angli,
And Aidan, the bishop,
Aedbert and Aedfrid
The noble affociates.
There is in it also
Aethelwold, the bishop.
And the celebrated writer Bede'
And the abbot Boifil,

By whom the chafte Cudberth
In his youth was gratis inftruc-
ted.

Who alfo well received thefe
inftructions.

There reft with these Saints,
In the inner part of the minfter
Relicks without number,

Thaer monige uundrum guuur- Which perform many miracles,

thath

The uurita feggeth

Mid then drihtnes uuerdomes bideth.

As the Chronicles tell us,

And (which) await with them the judgment of the Lord.

des keuschen Koeniges Haupt.-Oswald, der Angeln Loewe, und der Bischof Aidan,—Aedbert und Aedfrid,-Die edlen Gefaehrten.-Es ist darin mit ihnen -Der Bifchof Aethelwold.-Und der beruihmte Schriftsteller Beda.-Und der Abt Boifil,--Der den keufchen Cuthberth-In der Jugend umsonst unterrichtete, -Welcher auch die Lehre fehr gut annahm.-Es ruhen bey diefen Heiligen,In dem Innern des Muinsters,--Unzachlige Reliquien,- Welche viele Wunder wirken,- Wie die Schriften fagen-Und (welche) mit ihnen das Gericht des Herrn erwarten.

Of this period, we must finally remark, that from the time of ALFRED, the old Anglo Saxon characters were gradually exchanged for the French letters of the Alphabet. There is little doubt, that the nation had already made fuch progrefs in tafte, or intellectual difcernment, as to become fenfible of the want of fymmetry in the Anglo-Saxon, when compared to the Roman characters; and that they readily gave the preference to the French letters, in which thofe of Rome were fomewhat more faithfully copied.

INGULF * as quoted by SPELMAN in the work above men

tioned,

Abbot of Croyland, and author of the hiftory of that Abbey, was born in London A. D. 1030-This excellent Chronicler treats from the foundation of that

Abbey,

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