What Got It All Started
For those who are not aware, one of the earliest kernels and seeds of the whole Project lies in an ancient bit of text called the Oaths of Strassbourg. Originally written down in 842, they constitute pledges of allegiance between Louis the German and Charles the Bald. The Romance version is one of the first texts ever noted in a Romance language and became a bit of a fascination for Andrew, who would later translate the text into an early form of Brithenig. This first bit of Romance got a later linguist, D.B. Gregor, to speculate how Romance might have sounded in the mouths of Romano-British folk.
Here we can see that little bit of pseudo-Romano-British Romance that got Andrew's mind ticking away...
The original oaths:
per ludovico proclamato romano
Pro deo amur et pro christian poblo et nostro commun salvament, d’ist die in avant, in quant deus savir et podir me dunat, si salvarai eo cist meon fradre karlo et in adiudha et in cadhuna cosa, si cum om perdreit son fradra salvar dift, in o quid il mi altresi fazet, et ab ludher nul plaid nunquam prindrai, qui meon vol cist meon fradre karle in damno sit
per karlo proclamato franko
In godes minna ind in thes christânes folches ind unsêr bêdhero gehaltnissî fon thesemo dage frammordes sô fram sô mir got geuuizci indi mahd furgibit sô haldih thesan mînan bruodher sôso man mit rehtu sînan bruodher scal in thiu thaz er mig sô sama duo indi mit ludheren in nohheiniu thing ne gegango the mînan uillon imo ce scadhen uuerdhên
per legiones proclamato romano
Si lodhuuigs sagrament, que son fradre karlo jurat, conseruat, et karlus meos sendra de suo part non lo stanit, si io returnar non l’init pois, ne io ne neuls, cui eo returnar int pois, in nulla aiudha contra lodhuuuig nun li iu er
per legiones proclamato franko
Oba karl then eid then er sînemo bruodher ludhuuuîge gesuor geleistit indi ludhuuuîg mîn hêrro then er imo gesuor forbrihchit ob ih inan es iruuenden ne mag noh ih noh thero nohhein then ih es iruuenden mag uuidhar karle imo ce follusti ne uuirdhit
