Transactions. 131 
hymn. In the Runes also the letter & occurs, which did not 
appear in southern English till two centuries later. The dual 
accusative wngket is extremely old, and occurs nowhere else. 
The x of the infinitive has been clipped, and the dialect is thus 
in close agreement with the old Norse and Frisic. In southern 
English the infinite ends in an. The n of the plural imperfect 
has also been clipped, and there is a curious softening of the 
guttural 4 (= ch in loch) in elmihtig, which is here written 
almeyottig. The word ¢i/ (to) is unknown in southern English, 
but occurs in the Northumbrian original of Cadmon’s hymn and 
in the Northumbrian Gospels. For comparison with the lines 
above printed, we may here give the Northumbrian original 
of Cadmon’s hymn along with King Alfred’s West Saxon version. 
The Northumbrian is as follows :—- 
‘* Nu scylun hergan hefenriczs uard, 
Metudes mecti end his modgidanc, 
Uere uuldurfadur, sue he uundra gihues, 
Kei dryctin, or astelide. 
He erist scop elda barnum 
Heben till hrofe, haleg scepen : 
Tha middungeard moncynnes uard, 
Kei dryctin, efter tiade 
Firum, foldu, frea allmectig.” 
King Alfred’s version is :— 
** Nu we sculan herian heofonrices Weard, 
Metodes mihte and his modgethone, 
Wera Wuldorfeder ; swa he wundra gehwes, 
Kee Dryhten, ord onstealde. 
He erest gesceop eorthan bearnum 
Heofon to hrofe, halig Seyppend ; 
Tha middangeard, monncynnes Weard, 
Ece Dryhten, «efter teode 
Firum foldan, Frea 4lmihtig.” 
Translation— 
“* Now shall we praise heaven-kingdom’s warden, 
The Creator’s might and His mind’s thought, 
Of men the glorious father,—as He of every wonder, 
He, the Lord Eternal, formed the beginning. 
He first shaped for earth’s bairns 
Heaven as a roof, holy Creator (‘‘ shaper ”’) ; 
Then mid-earth, mankind’s Warden, 
Eternal Lord, afterwards made, 
The earth for men, Almighty Lord.” 
Wanley in his catalogue of Anglo-Saxon manuscripts placed the 
date of the manuscript containing Cadmon’s hymn in the year 
