26 



tions the English and French languages were brought into con- 

 tact with each other ; hence the adoption of a great many French 

 words in our language. We often met at the present time with 

 the Saxon word and its Norman equivalent in conjunction with 

 each other. Mr. Lloyd next gave an interesting account of the 

 derivation of typical words which the Normans imported, and 

 which were used in law, state, war, hunting, and the Church. 

 The gains of the English language consisted in greater copious- 

 ness of expression and rhythm of the sentences ; the loss, how- 

 ever, was in depreciation of words and in the loss of old English 

 words. The banisliment of guttural sounds was, to Mr. Lloyd's 

 mind, a great benefit, for they did not add to the euphony of the 

 language. With respect to the literature from the Conquest to 

 King John, the books were mostly written in Latin, some few 

 being in French ; but King John's reign gave birth to the rise of 

 English literature. Extracts from the Saxon Chronicle, referring 

 to the great victory of Athelstan at the battle of Brunnanburh, 

 and from the writings of Ormin, a canon of the Order of St. 

 Augustine, and Layamon, a noted metrical chronicler, were 

 given and translated. Eeference was also made to the Arthurian 

 legends, founded on the national and patriotic songs of Wales 

 and Brittany, and also to the minstrelsy of the troubadours. As 

 to the means of education, the two universities of Oxford and 

 Cambridge were the most important. After the conquest the 

 monasteries rose rapidly, those of St. Albans, Peterborough, and 

 Malmesbury being the most important. The country was much 

 indebted to those estabHshments for the preservation of the works 

 of ancient authors. Literature was, however, greatly handicapped 

 by the costly and scarce nature of paper, and it sometimes hap- 

 pened that parchment which had been covered with writing was 

 again used after the original writing had been only imperfectly 

 erased. In this way some valuable copies of ancient authors had 

 been curiously preserved. 



Some little discussion followed the reading of the paper, refer- 

 ence being made therein to Mr. Lloyd's statement that this 

 immediate neighbourhood could not claim to possess the site of 

 the battle of Brunnanburh, a place in Cheshire being, in his 

 opinion, a more hkely situation. This assertion was combatted 

 by Mr. Strange and the President. Dr. Johnstone (Victoria 

 Hospital) also took exception to Mr. Lloyd's denunciation of the 

 gutturals, as he considered that their absence rendered the 

 language incomplete as compared with the modern languages of 

 Europe. Mr. Strange laid stress upon the influence for good 

 upon society of the writings of Walter de Mapp, in Henry the 

 Second's reign. 



