Speech to the Troops at Tilbury

Delivered by Elizabeth to the land forces assembled at Tilbury
(Essex) to repel the anticipated invasion of the Spanish Armada.

My loving people,

We have been persuaded by some that are careful of our safety, to take heed how we commit our selves to armed multitudes, for fear of treachery; but I assure you I do not desire to live to distrust my faithful and loving people. Let tyrants fear, I have always so behaved myself that, under God, I have placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and good-will of my subjects; and therefore I am come amongst you, as you see, at this time, not for my recreation and disport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live and die amongst you all; to lay down for my God, and for my kingdom, and my people, my honour and my blood, even in the dust. I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too, and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm; to which rather than any dishonour shall grow by me, I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field. I know already, for your forwardness you have deserved rewards and crowns; and We do assure you in the word of a prince, they shall be duly paid you. In the mean time, my lieutenant general² shall be in my stead, than whom never prince commanded a more noble or worthy subject; not doubting but by your obedience to my general, by your concord in the camp, and your valour in the field, we shall shortly have a famous victory over those enemies of my God, of my kingdom, and of my people.

Video link here. The speech starts at minute 3, approx.

Pieces and sounds of British history

We're about to finish unit 3c. Did you find it interesting? Some of you might want to read a bit more on British history. Why not?

I recommend you to visit this website on the Norman Conquest. It's highly interactive and even includes samples of "how English would have sounded" back in 1066.
(Explorer is required, don't try with Mozilla since it doesn't work)

Wierd, isn't it? The way it used to sound. Historians divide the different stages of the language into:

- Old English (from the 5th-to the 11th century)
- Middle English (11th-15th)
- Early Modern English (15th-17th)
- Modern English (up to today)

Would you like to listen to more examples of earlier versions of English?

Click here for some Old English samples. Scroll down the page and look for the heading "Poems". Then click on one of the poems and finally on the yellow letter that the poem starts with.

Click here for some Middle English poems by Chaucer. It still sounds incomprehensible to our ears, doesn't it?

Enjoy!