Old English prose first appears in the 9th century .
Old English prose first continues to be recorded through the 12th century as the last generation of scribes , trained as boys in the standardised West Saxon before the Conquest , died as old men .
Old English prose first appears in the 9th century , and continues to be recorded through the 12th century as the last generation of scribes , trained as boys in the standardised West Saxon before the Conquest , died as old men .