Table to show its style and the numeric origin of its vocabulary. It is a linguistic relic, of which the ninety English-speaking millions of 1878 may justly feel proud; because it was the first written thought in any of the Medieval and modern languages, except Ulfilas' Gothic version of the Bible, A.D. 376., and perhaps "Leabhar nah-Uidhei," in Irish. Ethelbert's Code numbers eighty-nine articles, which have for their basis the Gospel motto: "Love thy neighbor as thyself." It was amended by his successors, Lothair and Edric, from A.D. 675 to 685, and by Wihtred (A.D. 691-725). In his "Ecclesiastic History," A.D. 730, Bede alludes to it thus: "Among other benefits, Ethelbert, with the advice of wise men, made laws which, being written in AngloSaxon, are still observed by his people." Alfred the Great, speaking of Ethelbert's laws in his AngloSaxon Code, A.D. 878, says: “I gathered from them such as appeared to me most just, and left the rest. Ethelbert was the first who received baptism among the Anglo-Saxons." Queer as Ethelbert's Code may seem at first sight, it is an improvement upon the Code of our Asiatic ancestors, the Arians, contained in the Zend Avesta. In the Arian Code certain offences affected not only the guilty party, but also the nearest of kin. Three sets of punishments are mentioned therein: first, from five to one thousand blows; second, the giving of a female to the offended party; and third, a fine of gold. Whereas the punishments in Ethelbert's Code are fines of money, by which we realize that the Anglo-Saxons had much progressed as compared with their Arian sires of Asia; yet murder, being only punished by a fine in money without confinement, as was the case with Ethelbert's laws, might seem too mild even to our most advanced philanthropists. Extract from King Ethelbert's Anglo-Saxon Code of Laws, A.D. 597, in David Wilkins "Leges Anglo-Saxonicæ," London Ed., 1721, p. 1. ANGLO-SAXON: "This syndon tha Domas the Aethelbirht Cyning asette on Augustinus daege." 2. Gif Cyning his leode to him getrateth, and heorn mon thaer yfel gedo, II bote 5. Gif in Cyninges tune man mannan ofslaehth L scill. gebete.". 6. Gif man frigne mannan ofslaehth, Cyning L scill. to drihten beage... 9. Gif frigman freum stelth III gebete, and Cyning age thaet wite and ealle tha 13. Gif on Eorles tune man mannan ofslaehth, XII scill. gebete. 19. Gif weg-reaf sy gedon, VI scill. gebete... 35. Gif banes blice weordeth, III. scill. gebete... 36. Gif banes bite weordeth, IV. scill. gebete.". 39. Gif eaxle gelaemed weordeth, XX scill, gebete.". 54. Gif thuman ofslachth, XX scill. Gif thuman naegl of weordeth III scill. 55. Aet tham næglum gehwylcum, scill. 57. Gif man otherne mid fyst in naso slaehth, III scill. 58. Gif dynt. sie scill. gif he heahre handa dŷntes onfehth. scill. forgelde.". ENGLISH: These are the Laws King Ethelbert established in Augustine's day: 5. If in the king's town any one a man slay, 50 shillings shall be paid. 9. If a freeman steals from men in authority, 3 shillings shall be paid, and the 13. If any one in an Earl's town a man kills, 12 shillings shall be paid. 17. If any one a man's enclosure and dwelling first violates, 6 shillings shall be 19. If a high-way robbery be committed, 6 shillings shall be paid. 35. If bones bare become, 3 shillings shall be paid. 36. If bones bitten are, 4 shillings shall be paid. 39. If the shoulder be lamed, 20 shillings shall be paid. 41. If an ear be cut off, 12 shillings be paid. 42. If the ear pierced be, 3 shillings shall be paid. 44. If an eye be gouged out, 50 shillings shall be paid. 54. If a thumb be cut off, 20 shillings; if a thumb-nail be torn off, 3 shillings; if 55. For every nail, 1 shilling. 57. If a man beat another with the fist on the nose, 3 shillings. 58. If it be one blow, I shilling; if he inflict a blow with the raised hand, I shilling shall compensate. 60. Gif hrif wund weordeth, XII scill, gebete. Gif he thurh thirel weordeth, XX | 60. If the bowels be wounded, 1a shillings be paid; if he pierces through, 20 shilscill. gebete... lings shall be paid. 64. Gif theoh gebrocen weordeth, XII still. gebete. Gif he healt weordeth. thaer 64. If a thigh be broken, 12 shillings shall be paid; if he halt become; then shall motan freond the seman.'. 65. Gif rib forbrocen weordeth. III scill. gebete.". 67. Gif waelt wund weordeth. III scill. gebete.". 69. Gif seo micle ta of weordeth. X scill. forgelde.". be summoned friends who arbitrate. 65. If a rib is broken, 3 shillings shall be paid. 67. If a vertebra wounded be, 3 shillings shall be paid. 68. If a foot be cut off, 50 shillings shall compensate. 69. If the large toe be cut off, 10 shillings shall compensate. 70. Aet tham othrum taum gehwylcum. healf gelde. alswa aet tham fingrum is 70. For every other toe, half the sum, as has been said for the fingers. cwiden... 81. Gif man maegth-man nede genimeth, tham agende L scill. and aeft aet tham 81. If any one take a maiden by force, he shall pay the owner go shillings; and agende sinne willan aet gebiege.". afterwards buy her according to the owner's will. Hence the first Anglo-Saxon written thought required 292 common words, to furnish 100 different words and averaged about 66 per cent. repetitions and NOTE.-In our Extracts and Tables from Anglo-Saxon works we use the Roman characters, so as to enable readers to compare more readily the Anglo-Saxon To form the Anglo-Saxon alphabet, conceive and write this Code of 89 articles, must have been a great occasion at Canterbury. Origin of 100 different words from the preceding Extract from King Ethelbert's Anglo-Saxon Code of Laws, A.D. 597. This Code is the earliest written document in any of the modern European dialects, except Bishop Ulifilas' translation of the Scriptures from Greek into Gothic, A.D. 376, and perhaps the " Saltair of Tara" and "Leabhar nah-Uidhei" in Irish. *The six Greco-Latin words conclusively show, that Greek and Latin first came into Anglo-Saxon through Christianity, the names of Church dignitaries and places of worship being the first introduced. In perusing Ethelbert's Code our readers may realize the true character and status of early Medieval society. Most conspicuous is the absence of respect for life and limb, to say nothing of property. "Love your neighbor as yourself. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," were much needed, not only among the Anglo-Saxons of A.D. 597, but among their cotemporaries, whether Franks, Lombards, Germans, Goths, Danes, or Normans. Frequent impulsive violence and crime. must have been committed to call forth legal clauses to prevent gouging out eyes, cutting off noses, ears, hands, fingers, feet, toes, and tearing off nails, which, it seems, were practised, not only during momentary passion and anger, but were inflicted deliberately as punishments. After alluding thus to the dark side of this primitive document, let us add that it exhibits among the Anglo-Saxons elements of civilization and customs we cherish and hold sacred now; prior to this code they had a medium of exchange, and consequently an idea of numbers and values, first traced by the Roman characters 1, V, L, X. They also knew the precious metals and the working thereof, as is evidenced by the mention of gold, lord-ring, scillinga, gylde, whence our gold, shillings, German and Dutch geld and German gulden. This code even points to a national poetic sentiment for ancient customs, as evidenced by "gold finger," which reminds us of ring finger, wedding ring, and all the train of thought connected with our marriage ceremony. To see such a hallowed custom through a hoary hyperborean antiquity must be pleasant to posterity. Synopsis of the different words from the preceding Table of the sixth century: Greek: I Anglo-Saxon: 94 Greco-Latin: 6 Gotho-Germanic: 94 Total of the different words: 100. Hence the style of Anglo-Saxon writing in the sixth century shows a vocabulary of different words, containing ninety-four per cent. Gotho-Germanic or Anglo-Saxon, and six per cent. Greco-Latin. Twenty-six of the ninety-four different Anglo-Saxon words, or twenty-seven per cent., are now obsolete.* This numeric result casts a decided shadow on Sharon Turner's five per cent. obsolete Anglo-Saxon words, as stated in his "History of the AngloSaxons." |