_plur._ 1, 2, 3. bundon. bunden.

Both the grammatical forms and still more the orthography vary much from
time to time, from place to place, and even from writer to writer. The
forms used in this work are for the most part those employed by West
Saxons in the age of Ælfred.

A few examples of the language as written at three periods will enable
the reader to form some idea of its relation to the existing type. The
first passage cited is from King Ælfred's translation of Orosius; but it
consists of the opening lines of a paragraph inserted by the king
himself from his own materials, and so affords an excellent illustration
of his style in original English prose. The reader is recommended to
compare it word for word with the parallel slightly modernised version,
bearing in mind the inflexional terminations.

Ohthere sæde his hlaforde, | Othhere said [to] his lord,
Ælfrede cyninge, thæt he | Ælfred king, that he of all
ealra Northmonna northmest | Northmen northmost abode.
bude. He cwæth thæt he | He quoth that he abode
bude on thæm lande northweardum | on the land northward against
with tha West-sæ. | the West Sea. He said,
He sæde theah thæt thæt land | though, that that land was
sie swithe lang north thonan; | [or extended] much north
ac hit is eall weste, buton on | thence; eke it is all waste,
feawum stowum styccemælum | but [except that] on few stows
wiciath Finnas, on huntothe | [in a few places] piecemeal
on wintra, and on sumera on | dwelleth Finns, on hunting on
fiscathe be thære sæ. He | winter, and on summer on