何回目かになる，古英語のテキストとその現代英語訳を挙げるシリーズ（oe_text) ．今回は，The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle のE写本，いわゆる Peterborough Chronicle からのテキストで，ブリテン島の地理，民族，言語，歴史が述べられている部分を抜粋する．初学者用に綴字の標準化された市河・松浪版 (86--89) より，現代英語訳も合わせて示す．
Brytene īeġland is eahta hund mīla lang, and twā hund mīla brād. And hēr sind on þȳs īeġlande fīf ġeþēodu: Englisc, and Brytwilisc, and Scyttisc, and Pyhtisc, and Bōclæden. Ǣrest wǣron būend þisses landes Bryttas; þā cōmon of Armenia, and ġesǣton sūðewearde Brytene ǣrest. Þā ġelamp hit þæt Pyhtas cōmon sūþan of Scithian, mid langum scipum, nā manigum. And þā cōmon ǣrest on Norþ-Ibernia ūp, and þǣr bǣdon Scottas þæt hīe ðǣr mōsten wunian. Ac hīe noldon him līefan, for ðǣm hīe cwǣdon þæt hīe ne mihten ealle ætgædere ġewunian þǣr. And þā cwǣdon þā Scottas, `Wē ēow magon þēah hwæðere rǣd ġelǣran, wē witon ōþer īeġland hēr bē ēastan, þǣr ġē magon eardian ġif ġē willað, and ġif hwā ēow wiðstent, wē ēow fultumiað þæt ġē hit mæġen ġegān.'
Ðā fērdon þā Pyhtas, and ġefērdon þis land norþanweard, and sūþanweard hit hæfdon Bryttas, swā wē ǣr cwǣdon. And þā Pyhtas him ābǣdon wīf æt Scottas, on þā ġerād þæt hīe ġecuren hiera cynecynn ā on þā wīfhealfe. Þæt hīe hēoldon swā lange siððan. And þā ġelamp hit ymbe ġēara ryne þæt Scotta sum dǣl ġewāt of Ibernian on Brytene, and þæs landes sumne dǣl ġeēodon. And wæs hiera heretoga Reoda ġehāten, from þǣm hie sind ġenemnode Dǣl Reodi.
The island of Britain is eight hundred miles long, and two hundred miles broad. And here in this island are five languages: English, British, Pictish, and Latin. At first the inhabitants of this island were Britons; they came from Armenia, and first occupied Britain in the south (i.e. the southern part of Britain). Then it happened that the Picts came from the south from Scythia, with warships, not many. And they first landed in North Ireland, and there begged the Scots that they might dwell there. But they (= the Scots) would not allow them, because they said that they could not live there all together. And then the Scots said, `We can, however, give you advice: we know another island to the east from here, where you can dwell, if you wish; and if anyone resists you, we will help you that you may conquer it.'
Then the Picts went away, and conquered the northern part of this land, and the Britons had the southern part of it, as we have said before. And the Picts asked wives for them from the Scots, on the conditions that they should choose their royal line always on the female side. They kept it for a long time. And it happened then, in the course of years, that some portion of the Scots departed from Ireland to Britain, and conquered some part of the land, And their leader was called Reoda; from him they are named (the people) of Dal Rialda.
・ 市河 三喜，松浪 有 『古英語・中英語初歩』 研究社，1986年．
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