Durst nane of Walis in batale ryd,
Na yhit, fra evyn fell{24}, abyde
Castell or wallyd towne within,
Than{25} he suld lyff and lymmys tyne{26}.
Into swylk thryllage{27} thame held he
That he owre-come with his powst{e'}{28}.
{Footnotes:
14: _bethought_
15: _especially_
16: _taken heed_
17: _without delay_
18: _laboured_
19: _sovereignty_
20: _bordering_
21: _such subjection_
22: _high rank_
23: _rabble_
24: _after evening fell_
25: _but_
26: _lose_
27: _thraldom_
28: _power_ }
In this extract, as in that from the _Metrical Psalter_ above, there
is a striking preponderance of monosyllables, and, as in that case
also, the final _-e_ is invariably silent in such words as _oure_,
_stere_, _lede_, _yhere_, _thare_, _were_, etc., just as in modern
English. The grammar is, for the most part, extremely simple, as at
the present day. The chief difficulty lies in the vocabulary, which
contains some words that are either obsolete or provincial. Many of
the obsolete words are found in other dialects; thus _stere_, to
control, _perfay_, _fonden_ (for _fanden_), _chesen_, to choose,
_feloun_, adj.
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