Middelenglisc spræc
Middel Englisc spæcen Engla and Scottas in þæm middelyldum in missenlicum aganspræcum, and man secgþ þe þisses gereordes ylde wæs þreo hund gearena of þæm ende þæs 12. gearhund oþ þæs 15. gearhundes ende ac man ne mot fæste bedælan Ænglisc spræc fram ærgeara Middelenglisc noððe Niwenglisc fram æfterweardum Middelenglisce and efne in Heanrices VIII Cyninges dæg fint man Middel Englisc scopcræft in Speke Parott þæm leode þone wrat Iohannes Skelton larteow and scop.

Middel Englisc greow ut Ænglisc spræc æfter þæm Norman tocyme in 1066. Wide wæs he gesprocen þurh þære Plantagenetylde (1154–1485). Seo Middelenglisc yld endode ymbe 1470, þæn sceaw 'Cancelere Seles Bysen', se wæs of Lundenes agansspræc, and begann to weardenne widespread æfter þe Willelm Caxton brohtede þone printing press on Bryten. Be þissa ylde ƿæs Norþhymbra aganspræc strang on Scottum and in norþernum Englaland and of him forþatyddrede Scotta Englisc and þone gereorde se todæg hæfþ his sceadwe on Geordie.

Æfter 1470 oþ 1650 wæs Engla gereord Early Modern English.

Fruma
Ær Normadiges cyningas wæs Englisc þæs cynelican hired þæs spræce gesprōcen on West Seaxum, oððæt ðe oft mōt man readan geweorcas on Miercena spræc.  Middel Englisc wæs of manigum læppan, ac his gesetlede bysen in þæm cancelleres sele wæs of Miercum, and Westseaxena gereordes ierfan forþferde.

Scopas and writeras 
Fea Middel Englisc scopas cunnan we þæs 12. gearhundes oððe þæs and 13. gearhundes forþæm þe on þæm hired ƿrāt man on Læden oððe Frencisc. In þæm 14. gearhund arāsen scopas on him wæron Geoffrey Chaucer, William Langland, John Gower, and se ungenemneda Perl Scop. Chaucer wæs se mæsta scop on Englacynn siððan Cynewulfes dæg.

Eac þa Lollardas wrat on hiera aganspræce þe hie motan bringan Godes word þæm folce butan Romes handum.  Iohannes Wycliffe and Iohannes Purvey wraten in swylce wise.

In 1470 brohtede Willelm Caxton ge þryccræft to Englalande and Chauceres Canterwaraburg Spellas (Tales of Caunterbury) geþrycede he in 1478.

History
Important texts for the reconstruction of the evolution of Middle English out of Old English are the Ormulum (12th century), the Ancrene Wisse and the Katherine Group (early 13th century) and Ayenbite of Inwyt (ca. 1340).

Gewrit on Middelenglisce

Ormulum, 12. gearhund
This passage explains the background to the Nativity:
{| cellpadding="8"
| Forrþrihht anan se time comm  þatt ure Drihhtin wolldeben borenn i þiss middellærd  forr all mannkinne nedehe chæs himm sone kinnessmenn  all swillke summ he wolldeand whær he wollde borenn ben  he chæs all att hiss wille.
| Forþrihte sona cwom se timeþe ure Dryhten woldebwon geborenn in þissum middangeardefor ealles mancynne niede,ceas he sona kinsmen,eall swylce he wolde,and hwær he wolde beon geborennhe ceas eall æt his willan.
| (3494–501)
|}

Epitaph of John the smyth, died 1371

An epitaph from a monumental brass in an Oxfordshire parish church:
{| cellpadding="8"
| Original textman com & se how schal alle ded li: wen yolk comes bad & baremoth have ben ve awaẏ fare: All ẏs wermēs yt ve for care:—bot yt ve do for god ẏs luf ve haue nothyng yare:yis graue lẏs John ye smẏth god yif his soule hewn grit
| Onwendod Man, cyme and seo hu sceallon eall deada menn liegan: þæn cymþ bad and bare,we have nothing when we away fare: all that we care for is worms:—except for that which we do for God's sake, we have nothing ready:under this grave lies John the smith, God give his soul heavenly peace
|}

Wycliffes Biblioþece, 1384
From the Wycliffe's Bible, (1384):

Chaucer, 1390s
The following is the beginning of the general Prologue from The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. The text  was written in  a dialect associated with London and spellings associated with the then-emergent Chancery Standard.

Gower, 1390
The following is the beginning of the Prologue from Confessio Amantis by John Gower.

Fruman

Brunner, Karl (1962) Abriss der mittelenglischen Grammatik; 5. Auflage. Tübingen: M. Niemeyer (1st ed. Halle (Saale): M. Niemeyer, 1938)
Brunner, Karl (1963) An Outline of Middle English Grammar; translated by Grahame Johnston. Oxford: Blackwell

Utwearda hlencas
A. L. Mayhew and Walter William Skeat. A Concise Dictionary of Middle English from A.D. 1150 to 1580
Middle English Glossary
 With grammatical introduction, notes, and glossary.

Englisc sprǣc