An Edition of the Middle English Grammatical Texts

David Thomson

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9780367195489
• eBook ISBN: 9780429515101
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: World History
• Index: History

Published in 1984: This is a working text and guide to the context of treatises which have so far not played their full part in the study of the late Middle Ages.

BB. London, British Library, MS Harley 1002, fols.1^r-12^r

Formula gramaticis hec compilata nouellis

Principium facile¹ congruitatis habet.

Ego sum creatura Dei. This verbe sum <i>s the syngler nombyr and² the fyrst person, for so is his nominatyfe case ego; and every verbe schall accord with his nominatyf case in ij, in nombyr and yn person.

Verbum supposito³ dic concordare duobus,

Persona, numero; sic tradit regula nobis.

Promus et pincerna debent aulam⁴ mundare. This verbe debent is the plurell nombyr, for ij nominatyf casys syngler w^t a coniunction copulatyf commyng bitwene woll haue a verbe plurell. 10

Dant tibi plurale verbum iuncti duo recti.

Iohannes cum fratre suo sunt docti scolares. This verbe sunt is the plurell nombyr, for a nominatif case singler w^t an ablatif hauyng afore him this preposicion cum woll haue a verbe plurell.

Per cum sed nunquam per νel conceptio fiet.

Ad forum videndum populus currunt. This verbe currunt is the plurell nombyr, for a nowne collectyf yn the nominatyf case syngler may haue a verbe plurell, and all nownes conteyned in thies⁵ versis folowyng be nownes collectifis. 20

Sunt collectiua populis, gens, plebs quoque turba,

Turma, phalanx, legio, cuneus sociare memento.

Pater meus et non mater mea est mortuus. This verbe est is the syngler nombyr and the iij^d person, for so is his nominatyf case pater. For whan I haue a copulatyf commyng w^t a negatyf bitwene ij nominatyf cases singler,⁶ then þe verbe,| the adiectyf or the relatif folowyng shall accord w^t the affirmatif as hit is rehercid before. 30

Si rectos binos tibi copula consociabit

Affirmatiue, verbum plurale meabit;

Sique negatiue coniunctio consocietur

Verbum singulare tibi tunc de iure tenetur.

Bonus vir amat Deum super omnia. This adiectif bonus is the nominatyf case, masculyn gendyr and the syngler nombyr, for so is his substantyf νir; and every adiectyf shall accord w^t his substantyf in gendyr, nombyr and parson.

Cum substantiuis tribus adiectiua locabis:

In casu, genere, numerum simul associabis. 40

Bonum est multum audire et parum dicere. This adiectyf bonum is the neuter gendyr substantyfly, for whan I haue an adiectyf sett in a reson w^toute a substantyf to him, hit shal be sett in the neuter gendyr substantyfly:

Mobile prolatum preter fixum sibi certum

In neutro genere fixum solet esse repertum.

Magister et hostiarius sunt assidui in scola. This adiectyf assidui is the plurell nombyr, for ij substantyfes syngler w^t a coniunction copulatyf commyng bitwene woll haue an¹ adiectif plurell. 50

Substantiua duo si singula sint tibi iuncta,

Tunc adie(c)tiuum semper plurale requirunt.

Iohannes tu vel uxor tua que est pulcra placuit michi. This relatyf que is the femyn gendyr and the syngler nombyr, for whan I haue ij antecedentis|syngler commyng togedyr w^t one of thes coniuntionis² ‘Et vel, sed, quam, nee, sicut’ and ‘nisi’, then the relatyf w^t the verbe folowyng shall accord w^t the later; and þe same strengh hathe somtyme this coniunction et as in this ensample: Pater meus et mater mea est alba.

Zeuma fit in verbo si plurima clauderis vnο: 60

Ympnus Christe tibi, tibi laus, tibi gloria detur.

Vox que subsequitur reddatur proximiori,

Et vel, sed, quam, nec, sicut, nisi zeuma notant hec.

Pueri qui assidue laborant pro disciplina habenda cito sunt sapientes. Thys relatyf qui is the masculyn gendyr, plurell nombyr and the iij^d person, for so is his antecedent pueri; and every relatyf shall accord w^t his antecedent in iij, in gendyr, nombyr and person.

Antecedenti tribus hijs coniunge relatum:

Persona, numero, sit genus hijsque datum. 70

Iohannes et Robertus qui bene addiscunt diligentur a magistro. This relatif qui is the plurell nombyr, for ij antecedentis syngler w^t a coniunction copulatif commyng bitwene woll haue a relatif plurell.

Post duo nomina sing(u)la des plurale relatum.

Socius meus quem magister verberauit est valde insolens. This relatyf quem is the accusatif case, for when þer commyth a nominatyf case bitwene the relatif and the verbe, then the relatif shal be suche case as the verbe woll haue aftre him; and if ther com no nominatyf case bitwene the relatyf and the verbe, then the relatyfe shall be the nomynatyf case to the verbe.| 80

Si rectus mediat inter verbumque relatum,

Casu quem post se vult verbum pone relatum;

Si nil sit medium tunc recto pone relatum.

Nomina que querunt dictis normam subierunt.

Ibo ad locum qui vel quod est castrum. This relatyfe qui vel quod is the masculyn gendyr and the neuter, for when I haue a relatyf sett bitwene ij nownes substantyfes of dyuers gendyrs perteynyng bothe to one thing hit may accord w^t the fyrst yn gendyr and w^t the later bothe. 90

Quando relat(iu)um generum casus variorum

Inter se claudunt qui rem spectant ad eandem,

Per genus hoc poterit vtrilibet associari:

Est pia stirps Iesse quem Christum dicimus esse.

Ego sum ille qui scripsi vel qui scripsit in cancellaria domini regis, ideo tu es homo qui scripturam meam vitio dare non debet. This verbe scripsi vel scripsit is the fyrst person and the iij^d, for when þis relatyfe qui, que, quod folow^t a pronowne of the iij^d person hit may be the iij^d parson or suche parson as is the worde that goith before the pronowne. This verbe debet is the iij^d parson, for when the relatif qui, que, quod folow^t a nowne of the iij^d ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Original Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• References and Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Table of Writers, Dates and Provenances
• Texts of the Accedence
• Texts of the Comparacio
• Texts of the Informacio
• Texts of the Formula
• Texts of Other Treatises
• Notes
• Glossary