A Brief History of the English Language and Literature, Vol. 2 | Page 5

as a plural number; and the verb had a much larger number of inflexions than it has now. The vocabulary of the language contained very few foreign elements. The poetry of the language employed head-rhyme or alliteration, and not end-rhyme, as we do now. The works of the poet +Caedmon+ and the great prose-writer +King Alfred+ belong to this Anglo-Saxon period.
5. +Early English, 1100-1250.+-- The coming of the Normans in 1066 made many changes in the land, many changes in the Church and in the State, and it also introduced many changes into the language. The inflexions of our speech began to drop off, because they were used less and less; and though we never adopted new inflexions from French or from any other language, new French words began to creep in. In some parts of the country English had ceased to be written in books; the language existed as a spoken language only; and hence accuracy in the use of words and the inflexions of words could not be ensured. Two notable books-- written, not printed, for there was no printing in this island till the year 1474-- belong to this period. These are the +Ormulum+, by +Orm+ or +Ormin+, and the +Brut+, by a monk called +Layamon+ or +Laweman+. The latter tells the story of Brutus, who was believed to have been the son of ?neas of Troy; to have escaped after the downfall of that city; to have sailed through the Mediterranean, ever farther and farther to the west; to have landed in Britain, settled here, and given the country its name.
6. +Middle English, 1250-1485.+-- Most of the inflexions of nouns and adjectives have in this period-- between the middle of the thirteenth and the end of the fifteenth century-- completely disappeared. The inflexions of verbs are also greatly reduced in number. The +strong+[1] mode of inflexion has ceased to be employed for verbs that are new-comers, and the +weak+ mode has been adopted in its place. During the earlier part of this period, even country-people tried to speak French, and in this and other modes many French words found their way into English. A writer of the thirteenth century, John de Trevisa, says that country-people "fondeth [that is, try] with great bysynes for to speke Freynsch for to be more y-told of." The country-people did not succeed very well, as the ordinary proverb shows: "Jack would be a gentleman if he could speak French." Boys at school were expected to turn their Latin into French, and in the courts of law French only was allowed to be spoken. But in 1362 Edward III. gave his assent to an Act of Parliament allowing English to be used instead of Norman-French. "The yer of oure Lord," says John de Trevisa, "a thousond thre hondred foure score and fyve of the secunde Kyng Richard after the conquest, in al the gramer scoles of Engelond children leveth Freynsch, and construeth and turneth an Englysch." To the first half of this period belong a +Metrical Chronicle+, attributed to +Robert of Gloucester+; +Langtoft's+ Metrical Chronicle, translated by +Robert de Brunne+; the +Agenbite of Inwit+, by Dan Michel of Northgate in Kent; and a few others. But to the second half belong the rich and varied productions of +Geoffrey Chaucer+, our first great poet and always one of our greatest writers; the alliterative poems of +William Langley+ or +Langlande+; the more learned poems of +John Gower+; and the translation of the Bible and theological works of the reformer +John Wyclif+.
[Footnote 1: See p. 43.]
7. +Tudor English, 1485-1603.+-- Before the end of the sixteenth century almost all our inflexions had disappeared. The great dramatist Ben Jonson (1574-1637) laments the loss of the plural ending +en+ for verbs, because wenten and hopen were much more musical and more useful in verse than went or hope; but its recovery was already past praying for. This period is remarkable for the introduction of an enormous number of Latin words, and this was due to the new interest taken in the literature of the Romans-- an interest produced by what is called the +Revival of Letters+. But the most striking, as it is also the most important fact relating to this period, is the appearance of a group of dramatic writers, the greatest the world has ever seen. Chief among these was +William Shakespeare+. Of pure poetry perhaps the greatest writer was +Edmund Spenser+. The greatest prose-writer was +Richard Hooker+, and the pithiest +Francis Bacon+.
8. +Modern English, 1603-1900.+-- The grammar of the language was fixed before this period, most of the accidence having entirely vanished. The vocabulary of the language, however, has gone on increasing, and is still increasing; for the English language, like the English people, is always ready to offer hospitality to all peaceful foreigners-- words