es have been altered would have to be given twice over in each
column--with large print where they occur in their alphabetical place,
and with small print opposite to the corresponding sections in the other
text. It is hard to see why the person who made the later version
followed by Caxton should have taken the trouble to alter the names and
re-arrange the material in the new alphabetical order. One might almost
suspect that the names were those of actual tradesmen in Bruges, and
that the alterations represent changes that had taken place between the
earlier and the later edition of the book.

The French of the Paris MS. is the Picard dialect of the former half of
the fourteenth century. The French of Caxton's book retains many of the
original north-eastern forms, but is to a considerable extent modernized
and assimilated to the literary language of a later period. Such
'etymological' spellings as _recepueur_, _debuoit_, are common in
Caxton's text, but rarely occur in Michelant. The following comparative
specimen of the two versions will afford some notion of the
orthographical and grammatical differences between them, and also of the
degree in which Caxton's English was influenced by his Flemish original.

MICHELANT.
CAXTON.

Pierres le bateur a l'arket
Pietre de coutenslaerre
Pyere le bateure de laine
Peter the betar of wulle

Va tout useus,
Gaet al ledich,
Va tout oyseux,
Gooth alle ydle,

Car ses doiiens
Want siin deken
Car son doyen
For his dene

Li ha desfendu son mestier
Heeft hem verboden sin ambocht
Lui a deffendu son mestier
Hath forboden hym hys craft

Sur l'amende de xx. sauls,
Up de boete van xx. scelle,
Sour l'amende de vingt solz,
Vpon thamendes of xx. shelyngs,

Dusqu' a dont qu'il aura
Tote dien dat hi sal hebben
Jusques a dont quil aura
Till that he shall haue

Achate le franchise.
Ghecocht sine vrihede.
Achatte sa franchise.
Bought his franchyse.

Il s'en plaindra
Hi sals hem beclaghen
Il sen plaindra
He shall complaine hym

Au bourghmaistre,
Den buerghmeestre,
Au burchmaistre,
Unto bourghmaistre,

Et li doiiens, ne si jurei
Ende de dekene no sine gheswoerne
Et les gardiens des mestiers
And the wardeyns of the crafte

N'en font conte.
Ne micken niet.
Nen font compte.
sette not t