Historical Instances

Abstract

This passage (cited from Skelton, Modern English Punctuation, 1933) is translated from Old English but follows the capitalisation and punctuation of the original. Throughout, the dot works as our comma, the inverted semi-colon (not illustrated; the curve above the dot has its convexity lying towards the writer’s right hand) as our modern semi-colon, and the semi-colon as our full stop; it will be noted that dots occur at stages in the progression of the thought, and their use therefore rather resembles that in the so-called heavy system of punctuation.

ALFred king commandeth to greet waerferth bishop with his words in loving and friendly wise and i would have you informed that it has often come into my remembrance. what wise men there formerly were among the angle race. both of the sacred orders and the secular and how happy times those were throughout the angle race. and how the kings who had the government of the folk in those days. obeyed god and his messengers and they on the one hand maintained their peace. and their customs. and their authority within their borders while at the same time they spread their territory outwards, and how it then went well with them. both in war. and in wisdom and likewise the sacred orders. how earnest they were as well about teaching as about learning and about all the services. that they owed to god and how people from abroad. came to this land for wisdom and instruction and how we now should have to get them abroad. if we were going to have them; So clean was it fallen away in the angle race. that there were very few on this side humber who would know how to render their services in english or so much as translate an epistle out of latin into english.