Old English on Tombstone

[Stephen Horrillo]

According to historical records, it turns out that her father (John White)
returned that day from England to rescue them but nobody could be found.
Thanks.

Ste...@stephenhorrillo.com
http://www.angelfire.com/ego/iammagi/DARE_INDEX.htm

> Stephen Horrillo wrote:
>
> > There are the words that appear on the back of an artifact, purportedly
> > the
> > tombstone of Virginia Dare. Anyone out there know Old English? Any help
> > would be greatly appreciated.
> >
> > "Father soone After yov goe for Englande we cam hither/ onlie misarie &
> > warre­tow yeare/
>
> Father soon after you left for England we came here. Only misery and war
> (for)
> two years.
>
>
> > Above halfe DeaDe ere tow yeere moore from sickenes beine
> > fovre & twentie/
>
> More than half dead before two years more from sickness being twenty-four
> (In those two years since we arrived, twenty-four have died which is more
> than
> half our original number)
>
> > salvage with menage of shipp vnto vs/
>
> savage(s) with many ships come to us (and)
>
> > smal space of time
> > they affrite of revenge rann al awaye/
>
> (in a) small space of time they, afraid of revenge, all ran away.
>
> > wee bleeve yt nott you/
>
> we believe that not you
>
> > soone after
> > ye salvages faine spirts angrie/
>
> soon after (this) the savages with anger (literally: with angry spirit)
>
> > suddiane mvrther al save leaven/
>
> suddenly murdere(d) all save leaving
>
> > mine
> > childe­ananias to slaine wth mvch misarie-/
>
> my child Ananias too (was) slain with much misery
>
> > bvrie al neere fovre myles easte
> > this river vppon smal hil/
>
> buried all near four miles east of this river upon a small hill
>
> > names writ al ther on rocke/
>
> names written on the rock(s)
>
> > pvtt this ther alsoe/
>
> put this there also
>
> >
> > salvage Shew this vnto yov & hither wee promise yov to give greate
> > plentie
> > presents
>
> savage(s) will show this unto (to) you and I have promised them that you
> will give a great
> number of presents to them.
>
> > E W D"
> >
> > The bars in the text represent conjectural sen­tence divisions.
> >
> > All the best,
> >
> > ste...@stephenhorrillo.com
> >
>
> Basically this is saying
>
> Father soon after you left for England we came here. (There was/We
> experienced) only misery
> and war (for) two years. More than half (our number are) dead before (the
> end of the) two years
> from sickness, being twenty-four dead. (ie: In those two years since we
> arrived,
> twenty-four have died which is more than half our original number)
> Savage(s) with many ships come to us (and)(in a) small space of time they,
> afraid of revenge,
> all ran away. We believe that not you.* Soon after (this) the savages
> with anger
> (literally: with angry spirit) suddenly murdere(d) all save leaving (only
> me)..
> My child Ananias too (was) slain with much misery. Buried all near four
> miles east of this river
> upon a small hill, (their) names written on the rock(s) (and) put this
> there also.
> Savage(s) will show this unto (to) you and I have promised them that you
> will give a
> great number of presents to them (for this service).
>
> *'We believe that not you' . I have no idea what that means, but it
> probably meant something
> to both the writer and her father if genuine.
>
> That any help?
>
> --Leigh

--
All the best,

Ste...@stephenhorrillo.com
www.iwantsolar.com

[tadchem]

FWIW, Old English was spoken in England before the Norman Conquest.

http://education.yahoo.com/search/be?lb=t&p=url%3Ao/old_english

Old English looks more like Old High German or Celtic than Modern English:

http://www.georgetown.edu/labyrinth/library/oe/texts/a4.1.html

What you have asked about is actually Late Middle English,

http://education.yahoo.com/search/be?lb=t&p=url%3Am/middle_english

Most of the words are recognizable in Modern English, although there are
variations in spelling (which was not standardized at that time) and the
word order is somewhat different.

Tom Davidson
Brighton, CO