As it is, only
two copies have survived. One is the copy which found its way to
Oxford; and the other is the original from which the copies were made,
which has been carefully preserved for six centuries and a half in the
Public Record Office in London. I here give the contents of the
original, substituting _y_ (at the beginning of a word) or _gh_
(elsewhere) for the symbol _{g}_, and _th_ for the symbol _{th}_,
and _v_ for _u_ when between two vowels.
{P} Henri, thurgh Godes fultume king on Engleneloande, Lhoaverd
on Yrloande, Duk on Norm(andi), on Aquitaine, and Eorl on Aniow,
send igretinge to alle hise holde il{ae}rde and ileawede on
Huntendoneschire: th{ae}t witen ye wel alle, th{ae}t we willen and
unnen th{ae}t, th{ae}t ure r{ae}desmen alle, other the moare d{ae}l
of heom th{ae}t beoth ichosen thurgh us and thurgh th{ae}t loandes
folk on ure kuneriche, habbeth idon and schullen don in the
worthnesse of Gode and on ure treowthe, for the freme of the loande,
thurgh the besighte of than to-foren iseide redesmen, beo stedefaest
and ilestinde in alle thinge, abuten {ae}nde.
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