Current Explorations in Middle English

This paper investigates two manuscripts of AElfric’s Glossary (AEGl) which were annotated or copied in the Middle English (ME) period. The first version, Cotton Faustina A. x contains many Anglo-Norman (AN) as well as some ME glosses, which were added by at least two scribes in the twelfth century; the second version, Worcester F. 174, was copied by the so-called “Tremulous Hand” of Worcester scribe in the thirteenth century, who shortened the glossary and updated the English parts of entries. The two adaptations represent very different treatments of AElfric’s Glossary. This paper argues that neither of the two copies was specifically intended to teach English. On the other hand, both recensions reflect the changing linguistic realities of post-Conquest England.