82
Middle English Whilom
Whilom has also developed pragmatic (non- referential) functions as a
marker of textual structure. Here whilom means ‘once upon the time’ and
carries global scope. While there is one early example (7a), the usage seems
to have become common in the late fourteenth century and continued in use
through the sixteenth century (7b– 7k), falling off in use in the seventeenth cen-
tury (7l– 7m) except as a deliberate (and archaic) stylistic device:^13
(7) a. Hit ilamp whilon þt ðerto eoden hundtenti ʒ e iudeiscræ monnæ (1175 History
of the holy rood- tree 388 [HC])
‘It happened once upon a time that a hundred Jewish men went there’
b. Wherof a propre tale I rede,/ As it whilom befell in dede (1390 Gower,
Confessio amantis 3.2361– 62)
‘Whereof a proper tale I read, as it formerly happened in deed’
c. a tale I rede,/ Which fell whilom be daies olde,/ So as the clerk Ovide
tolde./ Ther was whilom a lordes Sone ... (1390 Gower, Confessio amantis
1.2272– 75)
‘I read a tale which happened formerly by days of old as the clerk Ovid told.
There was once upon a time a lord’s son ...’
d. Now hier of what ensample it is./ Whilom be olde daies fer/ Of Mese was the
king Theucer (1390 Gower, Confessio amantis 4.3514– 15)
‘Now here is an example of it. Once upon a time by olden days far distant
Theucer was the king of Mese’
e. Whilom , as olde stories tellen us,/ Ther was a duc that highte Theseus (1387–
1400 Chaucer, CT A.Kn. 859– 60)
‘Once upon a time, as old stories tell us, there was a duke who was named
Theseus’
f. Whilom ther was dwellynge in Lumbardye/ A worthy knyght, that born was
of Pavye (1387– 1400 Chaucer, CT E.Mch. 1245– 46)
‘Once upon a time there was dwelling in Lombardy a worthy knight that was
born in Pavia’
g. “Oon of the gretteste auctour that men rede/ Seith thus: that whilom two
felawes wente/ On pilgrimage” (1387– 1400 Chaucer, CT B2.NP 2984– 86)
‘One of the greatest authors that people read says thus: that once upon a time
two fellows went on a pilgrimage’
h. Whylom ther was in a small vyllage/ As myn auctour maketh rehersayl (1497
Lydgate, Here begynneth the chorle [and] the byrde [EEBO])
‘Once upon a time there was in a small village, as my author says’
i. Whylome , as antique stories tellen vs/ Those two were foes the fellonest on
ground (1590– 96 Spenser, Fairie queene IV.ii.32.1– 2)
‘Once upon a time, as ancient stories tell us, those two were the fi ercest foes
on the ground’
13 The following nineteenth- century example displays its use as an archaic “storytelling” device:
(i) Whilom there did dwell a barber in one of the most populous streets of this city (1854
Shillaber, Life and sayings of Mrs. Partington and others of the family [COHA])