And if any-man or
any-men come here-against, we will and command that all our true-men
hold them (as) deadly foes. And for that we will that thi bes
steadfast and lasting, we send you this writ open, signed with our
seal, to hold amongst you in hoard. Witness us-selves at London, the
eighteenth day in the month of October, in the two and fortieth year
of our crowning. And this was done before our sworen councillors,
Boneface, archbishop of Canterbury, Walter of Cantelow, bishop of
Worcester, Simon of Muntfort, earl of Leicester, ... and before
others enough.
{P} And all in the same words is sent into every other shire over all
the kingdom in England, and eke into Ireland.
In the year 1303, Robert Manning, of Bourn in Lincolnshire, translated
a French poem entitled _Manuel des Pechiez_ (Manual of Sins) into very
fair East Midland verse, giving to his translation the title of
_Handling Synne_. Many of the verses are easy and smooth, and the poem
clearly shows us that the East Midland dialect was by this time at
least the equal of the others, and that the language was good enough
to be largely permanent.
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