[bArray]

I can read back to 1500, but 1400 reads like a different language. To be fair this quite remarkable, given:

> Before the mid 1700s, there was no such thing as standardized spelling.

It felt like it was become more Germanic, and that appears true:

> The farther back you go, the more the familiar Latinate layer of English is stripped away, revealing the Germanic core underneath: a language that looks to modern eyes more like German or Icelandic than anything we’d call English.

[VorpalWay]

I found it was a gradual decline from "figuring out the overall gist from about half the words" in 1300, to "I have no idea" in 1100. Perhaps being a native Swedish speaker helped a bit. Some words definitely looked related and also made sense in context (but who know, false friend words do exist). I am curious as to what someone who can read Icelandic would make of this.

For example "grymme" as "cruel" (possibly related to modern English "grim"?)

Also: after reading the notes below about how the unusual symbols should be pronounced it becomes easier, if you slowly read it aloud to yourself. The 1300s is now mostly clear except a few unusual words.