A Concise Dictionary of Middle English | Page 4

i and _y_, in particular, are constantly interchanged, whether they stand alone, or form parts of diphthongs. Consequently, words which are spelt with one of these symbols in a given text must frequently be looked for as if spelt with the other; i.e. the pairs of symbols i and _y_, ai and _ay_, _e??_ and _ey_, _o??_ and _oy_, _u??_ and _uy_, must be looked upon as likely to be used indifferently, one for the other. For further information, the student should consult the remarks upon Phonology in the Specimens of English (1150 to 1300), 2nd ed., p. xxv. For those who have not time or opportunity to do this, a. few brief notes may perhaps suffice.
The following symbols are frequently confused, or are employed as equivalent to each other because they result from the same sound in the Oldest English or in Anglo-French:--
/* _i,y_;--_ai, ay_;--_ei, ey_;--_oi, oy_;--_ui, uy_.
_a, o_;--_a, ?|, e, ea_;--_e, eo, ie_;--_o, u, ou_; --(all originally short).
_a, ?|, ea, e, ee_;--_e, ee, eo, ie_;--_o, oo, oa_;-- _u, ou, ui_;--(all long). */
These are the most usual interchanges of symbols, and will commonly suffice for practical purposes, in cases where the cross-references fail. If the word be not found after such substitutions have been allowed for, it may be taken for granted that the Dictionary does not contain it. As a fact, the Dictionary only contains a considerable number of such words as are most common, or (for some special reason) deserve notice; and it is at once conceded that it is but a small hand-book, which does not pretend to exhibit in all its fulness the extraordinarily copious vocabulary of our language at an important period of its history. The student wishing for complete information will find (in course of time) that the New English Dictionary which is being brought out by the Clarendon Press will contain all words found in our literature since the year 1100.
Of course variations in the vowel-sounds are also introduced, in the case of strong verbs, by the usual 'gradation' due to their method of conjugation. To meet this difficulty in some measure, numerous (but not exhaustive) cross-references have been introduced, as when, e.g. '~Bar~, bare' is given, with a cross-reference to Beren. Further help in this respect is to be had from the table of 183 strong verbs given at pp. lxix-lxxxi of the Preface to

Part I of the Specimens of English (2nd edition); see, in particular, the
alphabetical index to the same, at pp. lxxxi, lxxxii. The same Preface further contains some account of the three principal Middle-English dialects (p. xl), and Outlines of the Grammar (p. xlv). It also explains the meaning of the symbols ??, ?�� (both used for _th_), 3* (used for y initially, gh medially, and gh or z finally), with other necessary information.
THE CLARENDON PRESS GLOSSARIES.
This work gives all the words and every form contained in the glossaries to eleven publications in the Clarendon Press Series, as below:--
S.--SPECIMENS OF EARLY ENGLISH, ed. Morris,

Part I: from A.D. 1150 to
A. D. 1300.
This book contains extracts from:--~1~. Old English Homilies, ed. Morris, E. E. T. S. 1867-8, pp. 230-241; ~2~. The Saxon Chronicle, A.D. 1137, 1138,1140, 1154; ~3~. Old Eng. Homilies, ed. Morris, First Series, pp. 40-53; ~4~. The same, Second Series, pp. 89-109; ~5~. The Ormulum, ed. White, ll. 962-1719, pp. 31-57; ~6~. Layamon's Brut, ed. Madden, ll. 13785-14387 [add 13784 _to the number of the line in the reference_]; ~7~. Sawles Warde, from Old Eng. Homilies, ed. Morris, First Series, pp. 245-249, 259-267; ~8~. St. Juliana, ed. Cockayne and Brock; ~9~. The Ancren Riwle, ed. Morton, pp. 208-216, 416-430; ~10~. The Wooing of our Lord, from Old Eng. Homilies, ed. Morris, First Series, pp. 277-283; ~11~. A Good Orison of our Lady, from the same, pp. 191-199; ~12~. A Bestiary, the Lion, Eagle, and Ant, from An Old Eng. Miscellany, ed. Morris; ~13~. Old Kentish Sermons, from the same, pp. 26-36; ~14~. Proverbs of Alfred, from the same, pp. 102-130; ~15~. Version of Genesis and Exodus, ed. Morris, ll.1907-2536; ~16~. Owl and Nightingale, from An Old Eng. Miscellany, ed. Morris, ll. 1-94,139-232, 253-282, 3O3-352, 391-446, 549-555, 598-623, 659-750, 837-855, 905-920, 1635-1682, 1699-1794; ~17~. A Moral Ode (two copies), from An Old Eng. Miscellany and Old Eng. Homilies, 2nd Series, ed. Morris; ~18~. Havelok the Dane, ed. Skeat, ll. 339-748; ~19~. King Horn (in full).
S2.--SPECIMENS OF ENGLISH,

Part II, ed. Morris and Skeat; from
A.D. 1298-1393.
This book contains extracts from:--~1~. Robert of Gloucester's Chronicle (William the Conqueror and St. Dunstan); ~2~. Metrical Psalter, Psalms 8, 14(15), 17(18), 23(24), 102(103), 103(104); ~3~. The Proverbs of Hendyng; ~4~. Specimens of Lyric Poetry, ed. Wright (Alysoun, Plea for Pity, Parable of the Labourers, Spring-time); ~5~. Robert Mannyng's Handlynge Synne, ll. 5575-5946; ~6~. William of Shoreham, De Baptismo; ~7~. Cursor Mundi, ed. Morris, ll. 11373-11791