The History Of German Part: 2

The Franks

The Merovingian kings of the Germanic Franks conquered northern Gaul in 486 AD. In the fifth and sixth centuries the Merovingian kings conquered several other Germanic tribes and kingdoms and placed them under the control of autonomous dukes of mixed Frankish and native blood. Frankish Colonists were encouraged to move to the newly conquered territories. While the local Germanic tribes were allowed to preserve their laws, they were pressured into changing their religion.

Frankish Empire

Main article: Frankish Empire

Frankish Empire: Realm of Pippin III in 758 (blue), expansion under Charlemagne until 814 (red), marches and dependencies (yellow)

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire the Franks created an empire under the Merovingian kings and subjugated the other Germanic tribes. Swabia became a duchy under the Frankish Empire in 496, following the Battle of Tolbiac. Already king Chlothar I ruled the greater part of what is now Germany and made expeditions into Saxony while the Southeast of modern Germany was still under influence of the Ostrogoths. In 531 Saxons and Franks destroyed the Kingdom of Thuringia. Saxons inhabit the area down to the Unstrut river. During the partition of the Frankish empire their German territories were a part of Austrasia. In 718 the Franconian Mayor of the Palace Charles Martel made war against Saxony, because of its help for the Neustrians. The Franconian Carloman started in 743 a new war against Saxony, because the Saxons gave aid to Duke Odilo of Bavaria. In 751 Pippin III, mayor of the palace under the Merovingian king, himself assumed the title of king and was anointed by the Church. The Frankish kings now set up as protectors of the Pope, Charlemagne launched a decades-long military campaign against their heathen rivals, the Saxons and the Avars. The Saxons (by the Saxon Wars (772-804)) and Avars were eventually overwhelmed and forcibly converted, and their lands were annexed by the Carolingian Empire.

Middle Ages

Main article: Holy Roman Empire

The prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire. (left to right: Archbishop of Cologne, Archbishop of Mainz, Archbishop of Trier, Count Palatine, Duke of Saxony, Margrave of Brandenburg and King of Bohemia)

Holy Roman Empire, 10th century

Marienburg (Malbork) castle of the Teutonic Knights

Holy Roman Empire, 14th century

In 768 C.E. (Common Era) the Frankish king died, leaving his kingdom to his two sons—Charles and Carloman.^[4] When Carloman suddenly died in 771 C.E., Charles seized his brother's lands and made them part of his own kingdom.^[5] During the next two years, Charles consolidated his control over his kingdom and became more commonly known as "Charles the Great" or "Charlemagne".^[6] From 771 C.E. until his death in 814 C.E., Charlemagne extended the Carolingian empire into northern Italy and the territories of all west Germanic peoples, including the Saxons and the Bajuwari (Bavarians).^[7] In 800 C.E., Charlemagne's authority in Western Europe was confirmed by his coronation as emperor in Rome.^[8] The Frankish empire was divided into counties, and its frontiers were protected by border Marches. Imperial strongholds (Kaiserpfalzen) became economic and cultural centres (Aachen being the most famous^[9]).

Between 843 and 880, after fighting between Charlemagne's grandchildren, the Carolingian empire was partitioned into several parts in the Treaty of Verdun (843 C.E.), the Treaty of Meerssen (870 C.E.) and the Treaty of Ribemont^[10] The German empire developed out of the East Frankish kingdom, East Francia. From 919 C.E. to 936 C.E. the Germanic peoples (Franks, Saxons, Swabians and Bavarians) were united under Duke Henry of Saxony, who took the title of king. For the first time, the term Kingdom (Empire) of the Germans ("Regnum Teutonicorum") was applied to a Frankish kingdom, even though Teutonicorum at its founding originally meant something closer to "Realm of the Germanic peoples" or "Germanic Realm" than realm of the Germans. (In recent times this has been referred to as the "First Reich" with Bismarck's Prussian-built empire called the "Second Reich" and Hitler's rule called the "Third Reich.")

In 936 C.E., Otto I the Great was crowned at Aachen. He strengthened the royal authority by re-asserting the old Carolingian rights over ecclesiastical appointments.^[11] Otto wrested the powers of appointment of bishops and abbots from the dukes and other nobles within his empire.^[12] Additionally, Otto revived the old Carolingian program of appointing missionaries in the border lands. Otto continued to support the celibacy rule for the higher clergy.^[13] Thus, the ecclesiastical appointments never became hereditary.^[14] By granting land to the abbotts and bishops he appointed, Otto actually made these bishops into "princes of the Empire" (Reichsfürsten).^[15] In this way, Otto was able to establish a national church. In 951 Otto the Great married the widowed Queen Adelheid, thereby winning the Lombard crown.^[16] Outside threats to the kingdom were contained with the decisive defeat of the Magyars of Hungary near Augsburg at the Battle of Lechfeld in 955.^[17] The Slavs between the Elbe and the Oder rivers were also subjugated.

The papacy in Rome had fallen in decline in the years before Otto the Great became Holy Roman Emperor. During the years coincident with the reign of Otto the Great, the secularization of the papacy became complete as the pope became nothing more than a puppet to the local tyrant, Alberic II, son of Alberic I and Marozia, who controlled Rome from 932 C.E. until 954 C.E.^[18] A crisis was reached when Alberic's son and successor as tyrant of Rome, had himself elected pope as John XII.^[19] Otto marched on Rome and drove John XII from the papal throne and presided over a synod which deposed John XII.^[20] Otto then insisted on the election of his own candidate for pope, who was then seated on the papal throne as Leo VIII (963 C.E. through 965 C.E.). The people of Rome elected Benedict V (964 C.E. through 966 C.E.). However, Benedict V was prevented by Otto from taking the papal throne. Upon the death of Leo VIII in 965 C.E., Otto and the church agreed on a compromise choice for pope--John XIII. When John XIII died on September 6, 972 C.E., Otto insisted on his own candidate for the papacy who became Benedict VI. This series of interventions in papal affairs by Otto set a firm precedent for imperial control of the papacy for years to come.^[21] In 962, Otto I was crowned emperor in Rome, taking the succession of Charlemagne, and this also helped establish a strong Frankish influence over the Papacy.

The Kingdoms of Provence and Trans-Jurane Burgundy remained separate and independent kingdoms until during the reign of Otto the Great, the two kingdoms were merged into the single kingdom of Burgundy.^[22] Otto made the united kingdom of Burgundy a protectorate of the Holy Roman Empire.^[23] In 1033 the Kingdom of Burgundy was formally incorporated into the Holy Roman Empire during the reign of Conrad II, the first emperor of the Salian dynasty.

As noted above, the Roman Church had been in decline for some time. The Church had been secularized and had fallen under the control of a series of tyrants of Rome. The recent interference of the Holy Roman Empire in the affairs of the Church had not improved the condition of the Church, but merely changed its master. There was a strong impulse for sincere reform of the Church. However, this impulse for reform of the papacy and of the ecclesiastical hierarchy did not arise from the hierarchy itself. Instead this impulse arose from the monasteries. However, first the monasteries had to be liberated from secular control. The monastery at Cluny became the focal point of this impulse to reform the monasteries and later the Church hierarchy itself.^[24]

During the reign of Conrad II's son, Henry III (1039 C.E. to 1056 C.E.), the Holy Roman Empire supported the Cluniac reform of the Church - the Peace of God, the prohibition of simony (the purchase of clerical offices) and the celibacy of priests.^[25] Imperial authority over the Pope reached its peak. An imperial stronghold (Pfalz) was built at Goslar, as the Empire continued its expansion to the East.

In the Investiture Controversy which began between Henry IV and Pope Gregory VII over appointments to ecclesiastical offices, the emperor was compelled to submit to the Pope at Canossa in 1077, after having been excommunicated. In 1122 a temporary reconciliation was reached between Henry V and the Pope with the Concordat of Worms.^[26] The consequences of the investiture dispute were a weakening of the Ottonian National Church Reichskirche, and a strengthening of the Imperial secular princes.

The time between 1096 and 1291 was the age of the crusades. Knightly religious orders were established, including the Templars, the Knights of St John and the Teutonic Order.^[27]

From 1100, new towns were founded around imperial strongholds, castles, bishops' palaces and monasteries. The towns began to establish municipal rights and liberties (see German town law), while the rural population remained in a state of serfdom. In particular, several cities became Imperial Free Cities, which did not depend on princes or bishops, but were immediately subject to the Emperor. The towns were ruled by patricians (merchants carrying on long-distance trade). The craftsmen formed guilds, governed by strict rules, which sought to obtain control of the towns. Trade with the East and North intensified, as the major trading towns came together in the Hanseatic League, under the leadership of Lübeck.^[28]

The German colonization and the chartering of new towns and villages began into largely Slav-inhabited territories east of the Elbe, such as Bohemia, Silesia, Pomerania, and Livonia (see also Ostsiedlung).^[29]

Henry V, great-grandson of Conrad II became Holy Roman Emperor in 1106 upon the death of his father, Henry IV. Henry V's reign was born into a civil war which had continued from his fathers' reign.^[30] Hoping to gain complete control over the church inside the Empire, Henry V appointed Adalbert of Saarbruken as archbishop of Mainz in 1111 C.E.^[31] However, like Becket in England some fifty years later, once appointed as archbishop, Adalbert began to take his position seriously and began to assert the powers of the Church against secular authorities, i.e.. the Emperor.^[32] This precipitated the Crisis of 1111 C.E. which was really a continuation of the struggle between the Church and the Emperor known as the Investiture Controversy (noted above). The Church was re-asserting its right to appoint or "invest" persons to ecclesiastical offices within the Church. Although the immediate crisis was settled by the Concordat of Worms of September 23, 1122, the struggle between the Church and the Emperor continued in Germany in years that followed. Upon the death of Henry V in 1125, some magnates of the Empire supported the elevation of Henry's nephew, Frederick of Hohenstaufen, Duke of Swabia, to the Emperor's throne. However, opposition to Frederick was strong. Eventually, led by Adalbert and the Archbishop Frederick of Cologne, the magnates elected the popular Lothair Duke of Saxony as Emperor.^[33] Lothair was a capable leader in a difficult situation.^[34] To strengthen his position, Lothair married his only child, a daughter to Henry, Duke of Bavaria (also known as Henry the Proud).^[35] By this marriage, Henry the Proud also became heir to the duchy of Saxony.^[36] This made Henry the Proud the most powerful lord in the kingdom, as well as the logical successor of Lothair as the Holy Roman Emperor.^[37] However, upon the death of Lothair on December 4, 1137 C.E., the magnates refused to elect Henry the Proud, who many of the magnates feared. Instead, the magnates turned back to the Hohenstaufen family for a candidate. Frederick of Hohenstaufen was already dead. He had been succeeded as Duke of Swabia by his son, Frederick (the future Emperor Frederick Barbarossa). Accordingly, the magnates chose late Frederick's brother Conrad to become the Holy Roman Emperor as Conrad III. One of Conrad III first acts was to deprive Henry the Proud of his two duchies. This brought a civil war to southern Germany as the Empire divided into two factions. The first faction called themselves the "Welfs" after Henry the Proud's family name which was the ruling dynasty in Bavaria. The other faction was known as the "Waiblings" after the favorite residence of the Hohenstaufens in the town of Waiblingen.^[38] In this early period, the Welfs generally represented ecclesiastical independence under the papacy plus "particularism" (a strengthening of the local duchies against the central imperial authority).^[39] The Waiblings on the other hand stood for control of the Church by a strong central Imperial government.^[40] Because Church interests were involved in the struggle between these factions, this struggle in Germany had a counterpart that was carried on south of the Alps in Italy. There the Welfs faction was called the "Guelphs" and the Waiblings were called the "Ghibellines." The struggle between these two factions would continue for some time and, over time, the issues between the factions would bear no relations to the original principles of the factions.^[41]

Between 1152 and 1190, during the reign of Frederick I (Barbarossa), of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, an accommodation was reached with the rival Guelph party by the grant of the duchy of Bavaria to Henry the Lion, duke of Saxony.^[42] Austria became a separate duchy by virtue of the Privilegium Minus in 1156.^[43] Barbarossa tried to reassert his control over Italy.^[44] In 1177 a final reconciliation was reached between the emperor and the Pope in Venice.

In 1180 Henry the Lion was outlawed and Bavaria was given to Otto of Wittelsbach (founder of the Wittelsbach dynasty which was to rule Bavaria until 1918), while Saxony was divided.

From 1184 to 1186 the Hohenstaufen empire under Barbarossa reached its peak in the Reichsfest (imperial celebrations) held at Mainz and the marriage of his son Henry in Milan to the Norman princess Constance of Sicily. The power of the feudal lords was undermined by the appointment of "ministerials" (unfree servants of the Emperor) as officials. Chivalry and the court life flowered, leading to a development of German culture and literature (see Wolfram von Eschenbach).

Between 1212 and 1250 Frederick II established a modern, professionally administered state in Sicily. He resumed the conquest of Italy, leading to further conflict with the Papacy. In the Empire, extensive sovereign powers were granted to ecclesiastical and secular princes, leading to the rise of independent territorial states. The struggle with the Pope sapped the Empire's strength, as Frederick II was excommunicated three times. After his death, the Hohenstaufen dynasty fell, followed by an interregnum during which there was no Emperor.

Beginning in 1226 under the auspices of Emperor Frederick II, the Teutonic Knights began their conquest of Prussia after being invited to Chełmno Land by the Polish Duke Konrad I of Masovia. The native Baltic Prussians were conquered and Christianized by the Knights with much warfare, and numerous German towns were established along the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. From 1300, however, the Empire started to lose territory on all its frontiers.

The failure of negotiations between Emperor Louis IV with the papacy led in 1338 to the declaration at Rhense by six electors to the effect that election by all or the majority of the electors automatically conferred the royal title and rule over the empire, without papal confirmation.

Between 1346 and 1378 Emperor Charles IV of Luxembourg, king of Bohemia, sought to restore the imperial authority.

Around the middle of the 14th century, the Black Death ravaged Germany and Europe. From the Dance of Death by Hans Holbein (1491)

Around 1350 Germany and almost the whole of Europe were ravaged by the Black Death. Jews were persecuted on religious and economic grounds; many fled to Poland.

The Golden Bull of 1356 stipulated that in future the emperor was to be chosen by four secular electors (the King of Bohemia, the Count Palatine of the Rhine, the Duke of Saxony, and the Margrave of Brandenburg) and three spiritual electors (the Archbishops of Mainz, Trier, and Cologne).

After the disasters of the 14th century, early-modern European society gradually came into being as a result of economic, religious and political changes. A money economy arose which provoked social discontent among knights and peasants. Gradually, a proto-capitalistic system evolved out of feudalism. The Fugger family gained prominence through commercial and financial activities and became financiers to both ecclesiastical and secular rulers.

The knightly classes found their monopoly on arms and military skill undermined by the introduction of mercenary armies and foot soldiers. Predatory activity by "robber knights" became common. From 1438 the Habsburgs, who controlled most of the southeast of the Empire (more or less modern-day Austria and Slovenia, and Bohemia and Moravia after the death of King Louis II in 1526), maintained a constant grip on the position of the Holy Roman Emperor until 1806 (with the exception of the years between 1742 and 1745). This situation, however, gave rise to increased disunity among the Holy Roman Empires territorial rulers and prevented sections of the country from coming together and forming nations in the manner of France and England.

During his reign from 1493 to 1519, Maximilian I tried to reform the Empire: an Imperial Supreme Court (Reichskammergericht) was established, imperial taxes were levied, the power of the Imperial Diet (Reichstag) was increased. The reforms were, however, frustrated by the continued territorial fragmentation of the Empire.

The History of German Part:1

From wikipedia

The concept of Germany as a distinct region can be traced to Roman commander Julius Caesar, who referred to the unconquered area east of the Rhine as Germania, thus distinguishing it from Gaul (France), which he had conquered. This was a geographic expression, as the area included both Germanic tribes and Celts. The victory of the Germanic tribes in the Battle of the Teutoberg Forest (AD 9) prevented annexation by the Roman Empire. Following the fall of the Roman Empire, the Franks subdued the other West Germanic tribes. When the Frankish Empire was divided among Charlemagne's heirs in 843, the eastern part (now Western Germany) became East Francia, ruled by Louis the German. Henry the Fowler became the first king of Germany in 919. In 962, Henry's son Otto I became the first emperor of what historians refer to as the Holy Roman Empire, the medieval German state.

In the High Middle Ages, the dukes and princes of the empire gained power at the expense of the emperors, who were elected by the princes and crowned by the pope. The northern states became Protestant in the early 16th century, while the southern states remained Catholic. Protestants and Catholics clashed in the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648), which left vast areas depopulated. The Peace of Westphalia, which ended the war, is considered the effective end of the Holy Roman Empire and the beginning of the modern nation-state system. Although the Habsburg family continued to use the title "emperor", from this point on their authority was limited to Austria.

After the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815), Germany was reorganized and the number of states reduced to 39. These states were enrolled in an Austrian-led German Confederation. Nationalist sentiment led to the unsuccessful 1848 March Revolution. A German Empire was created in 1871 under the leadership of Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. The Reichstag, or elected parliament, had only a limited role in the imperial government. Unification was followed by an industrial revolution. By 1900, Germany's economy was by far the largest in Europe (and second only to the U.S. in the world). Defeated in the First World War (1914–1918), Germany faced territorial losses and war reparations. Emperor Wilhelm II abdicated and democracy was introduced under the Weimar Republic.

The Great Depression, which began in 1929, led to a polarization of German politics and to an upsurge in support for the Communist and Nazi parties. In 1933, the Nazis under Adolf Hitler were elected. The Nazis imposed a totalitarian regime and followed an expansionist foreign policy that led to World War II. After Nazi Germany's defeat, the country was divided into democratic West Germany and communist East Germany. In 1990, East Germany was reunited with West Germany. In recent years, Germany has become increasingly integrated into the European Union, notably with the "Europe 1992" effort to create a unified market and adoption of the euro, a Europe-wide currency, in 2002.

Pre-history

The earliest hominid fossils found in what is now Germany are Homo heidelbergensis (500,000 years old) and the Steinheim Skull (300,000 years old). The Neanderthals, named for Neander Valley, flourished around 100,000 years ago. The region was glaciated from 30,000 years ago to about 10,000 years ago. The Nebra sky disk, dated 1600 BC, is the oldest known astronomical instrument found anywhere. Northern Germany experienced the Nordic Bronze Age from 1700BC to 450BC and thereafter the Pre-Roman Iron Age. Differences between artifacts from northern Germany and those from southern Germany suggest the beginning of differentiation between the Germanic and Celtic peoples. In the first century BC, the Germanic tribes began expanding south, east, and west.[1]

Early history (56 BC to 260 AD)

Germany entered recorded history in June 56 BC, when Roman commander Julius Caesar crossed the Rhine. His army built a huge wooden bridge in only ten days. He retreated back to Gaul upon learning that the Suevi tribe was gathering to oppose him. The English word "Germany" is derived from the Latin Germania, a word first recorded in Caesar's writings.[2]

Under Augustus, the Roman General Publius Quinctilius Varus began to invade Germania (a term used by the Romans running roughly from the Rhine to the Ural Mountains), and it was in this period that the Germanic tribes became familiar with Roman tactics of warfare while maintaining their tribal identity. In AD 9, three Roman legions led by Varus were defeated by the Cheruscan leader Arminius in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. Arminius later suffered a defeat at the hands of the Roman general Germanicus at the Battle of the Weser River or Idistaviso in AD 16, but the Roman victory was not followed up after the Roman Emperor Tiberius recalled Germanicus to Rome in AD 17. Tiberius wished that the Roman frontier with Germania be maintained along the Rhine. Modern Germany, as far as the Rhine and the Danube, thus remained outside the Roman Empire. By AD 100, the time of Tacitus' Germania, Germanic tribes settled along the Rhine and the Danube (the Limes Germanicus), occupying most of the area of modern Germany. The third century saw the emergence of a number of large West Germanic tribes: Alamanni, Franks, Chatti, Saxons, Frisians, Sicambri, and Thuringii. Around 260, the Germanic peoples broke through the Limes and the Danube frontier into Roman-controlled lands.[3]

See also: List of meanings of countries' names

An English Slang

What it is?

If you want to want your English to sound "cool" and "with it", or if you want to understand the street English spoken around the world, then this list is for you!  On this page you will find what might be considered the most essential slang. Therefore we recommend any advanced learner of English try and learn at least some of these words. The page is arranged in alphabetical order, so just scroll down to check out the full list. If you can't find the meaning of any English slang, try leaving a message on our message board.

airhead: stupid person.
ace: excellent, great.
Adam and Eve - Rhyming Slang for 'believe'
aggro - short for aggravation or violence
amber fluid : beer
anorak - geek, nerd.
apples and pears - Rhyming Slang for 'stairs'.
armpit: dirty, unappealing place.
arse / ass [slightly offensive] (1): backside.
arse / ass (2): an unworthy person.
arse about/arsing about - to fool around
arse-about-face: something that is in a mess or crooked
arseholed: very drunk
arvo : afternoon
Aussie : Australian
awesome: great and impressive.
backhander (1): a payment given, normally in a secretive fashion.
backhander (2): hit someone.
ball (1): a fun time.
ball [slightly offensive] (2): a testicle.
ballistic - to go mad with rage
bang [slightly offensive](1): to make love
bang (2): a powerful effect.
banged up - to be put in prison.
bangers - another name for sausages.
barbie : barbecue, grill.
barf (1): vomit.
barmy - a foolish person, mad.
barney - row, violent argument.
beans: money.
beast [offensive] - an ugly woman.
beat: tired.
beemer: a BMW.
bent (1): a 'gay man'
bent (2): 'stolen'.
biggie: something important.
biker: a motorcycle rider.
bikkie : biscuit
bimbo - a young woman considered sexually attractive but of limited intelligence.
bird -  woman/girl/girlfriend
bitch [offensive] (1): a very unpleasant woman.
bitch [offensive] (2): complain.
bitchy [slightly offensive]: moody.
bitzer : mongrel dog (bits of this and bits of that!).
bladdered - very drunk
blag -  a robbery
bloke - man
blotto -  'very drunk'
blue (1) - XXX; dirty, hot, steamy, pornographic
blue (2): domestic fight or row.
bluey - pornographic film
boat race - Rhyming Slang for 'face'.
bod: body.
bonkers; go bonkers: crazy.
bonzer : great.
booboo: a mistake.
bovver - trouble, usually fighting.
booze: alcohol.
boozer (1): a pub
boozer (2): someone who likes alcohol.
Brahms and Liszt - Rhyming Slang for 'pissed' (drunk).
brass monkeys - cold weather
bread: money.
brew (1): tea or coffee.
brew (2): beer.
brill - short for 'brilliant'.
bull: bullshit; lie.
bullshit [offensive]: lie; dishonesty.
bugger - a mild form of abuse or an exclamation.
bunk-off - to be absent without permission
bunk-up - to make love.
bushed: extremely tired.
butt: the buttocks, bottom.
cabbage -  someone who is a bit slow or stupid
cakehole - mouth..
catch some rays: get some sunshine.
char / cha - tea.
cheesy: cheap; lacking in good taste.
chicken: coward.
chook : a chicken
chuck up: vomit
chuck a sickie : take the day off sick from work when you're perfectly healthy.
ciggy - slang for cigarette.
cock and bull story - a rubbish story, nonsense.
(to) cop it - to die, to get into trouble.
cool: excellent; superb.
cooler, the: gaol; jail; prison
couch potato: a person who watches too much television.
cozzie : swimming costume
cranky : in a bad mood, angry.
crap [slightly offensive] (1): something worthless.
crap [offensive] (2): excrement.
crap [slightly offensive] (3): falsehoods and lies.
crikey - an expression of astonishment.
crust - money / wage.
cushy - easy.
dead cert - something that is definite.
deck: to hit someone.
dicey: unpredictable; risky.
dickhead [slightly offensive] - an idiot, fool.
dill : an idiot.
ding-dong - argument or fight.
dipstick - idiot, fool.
dirt: extremely bad person.
dirty: offensive; pornographic.
div/divvy - stupid or slow person.
doodle - something thats easy / no problem.
dodgy - dubious person or thing.
dog [offensive] - an ugly girl.
done over - beaten up
dope - a slow or stupid person.
doobry - a nonsensical word used when you forget the name of something
dorky: strange; peculiar.
dosh - money.
dosser - down-and-out, tramp.
down under : Australia and New Zealand.
Drongo : a dope, stupid person.
dude: a male.
dump [slightly offensive] - to defecate.
dyke [offensive] - lesbian.
dynamite: powerful; excellent.
dinosaur: something out of date or old fashioned.
earbashing : nagging, non-stop chatter.
evil: great; excellent.
eyeball: to stare long and hard at someone or something.
eyepopper: something or someone visibly astounding.
fab: fabulous.
face-off: confrontation.
fag [offensive] (1): homosexual
fag (2): cigarette
family jewels - Rhyming Slang for testicles.
far out - splendid.
fart [offensive] (1): an escape of gas from the bowels.
fart [slightly offensive] (2): an unpleasant person
fat head - an idiot or dull person.
fender-bender: small accident.
filth [offensive] - the police.
fit - sexually attractive.
five finger discount - shoplifting.
flaky: unpredictable.
flashback: sudden memory.
flick (1): film; movie.
flick (2): to give something or somebody the flick is to get rid of it or him/her
floating : intoxicated
floozie - a mistress or girlfriend.
flommox - confuse
flutter - a bet (on horse racing or football)
footie - Abbreviated form for football.
for crying out loud ! - a expression of frustration or anger.
forty winks - a short sleep or nap.
fox: attractive, alluring person.
freebie: something that does not cost money.
French kiss : kissing with the tongue.
full monty - 'the whole lot', everything.
full-on - powerful, with maximum effort.
funny farm - mental hospital or institution.
funny money - counterfeit money.
gaff - house or flat.
gander - to look at.
geek: an unattractive person who works too hard.
get it: to understand something.
glitch: flaw.
gobshite [offensive] - someone who talks rubbish all the time.
go bananas: go slightly mad.
good onya : good for you, well done
goof (1): make a mistake.
goof (2): a silly and foolish person.
goof off: waste time.
goof up: make a mistake.
goofy: silly.
Gordon Bennet - an exclamation.
grand: one thousand dollars.
grass: marijuana.
greaser - slang name for a 1950's style man.
grog : alcohol, beer.
grub: food.
grubby: not clean.
grungy: unclean and stinky.
gut: a person's stomach; belly.
guts: courage.
gyno - gynaecologist
hacked off - fed up, annoyed.
hairy: difficult; dangerous.
ham-fisted - clumsy.
hammered - drunk.
handcuffs: an engagement ring or wedding ring
hang a left: make a left turn.
hang a right: make a right turn.
headcase - mad
hep: sensible; informed.
her ('er) indoors - wife, girlfriend.
hickey: a love bite on the skin.
hip: sensible; informed.
hole in the wall -  a cashpoint machine or bankomat.
hoo-ha - trouble; commotion.
hooker: prostitute.
horny:  in the mood for sex, sexually stimulated;.
hot (1):  sexy.
hot (2):popular.
hottie : hot water bottle
huff - bad mood.
humungous: really big.
hump (1) - to have sex.
hump (2) - bad mood.
hyper: overly excited.
icky: unpleasant.
I.D.: identification.
iffy - dubious, doubtful.
I'm outta here: I'm leaving; I'm departing.
in: fashionable.
ivories: teeth.
jack around: waste time.
jam (1): trouble.
jam (2): improvise (musically).
jamming, to be : going well.
jammy - lucky.
jerk: stupid or annoying person.
jock: someone good at sports.
K : a thousand.
keep your hair on - "keep calm".
kick back: relax and enjoy.
kick the bucket: die.
kip - sleep.
knackered - exhausted.
knees up - party.
knock: condemn, criticise.
knockout: beautiful woman; handsome man.
knock back : refusal (noun), refuse (transitive verb)
kook: peculiar person.
kraut [slightly offensive] -  German
laid back: relaxed; calm.
lairy - loud, brash.
lame: incompetent.
legless - very drunk.
limp wristed - a  gay man.
lip: cheeky talk.
loaded - someone with a lot of money.
loo : toilet
loser: a bungling and worthless person.
lost the plot - crazy/mad.
love handles: excess fat around the waist.
luvverly jubberly - wonderful, great, all is well.
make waves: cause problems.
malarkey - nonsense.
mate - friend
max, to the : maximum.
mega: big.
megabucks: a large amount of money.
mellow: relaxed.
mickey-mouse: unimportant; time-wasting.
minger [offensive] - an unattractive person (usually female).
mongrel : despicable person
moonie [offensive!] - to show one's bottom (arse) to unsuspecting onlookers.
moose [offensive] -  an ugly girl.
mozzie : mosquito
mug : a gullible person.
naff - something which is cheap and nasty.
naff off - a milder version off fu*k off.
nancy (nancy boy) - a homosexual.
nark - a police informer.
narked - to be annoyed.
neat: cool; great.
nick - to steal.
nipper - a small child.
no-hoper - somebody who'll never do well
nosh - food.
not cricket - not normal or correct.
not all there - someone who is stupid, not bright intellectually
not half! - cetainly, for sure.
not the full quid - someone who is stupid, not bright intellectually.
nuke (1): nuclear weapon.
nuke (2): destroy; delete.
nuke (3): cook something in the microwave oven.
nut (1): odd or crazy person.
nut (2): someone passionate about something.
nutter - crazy person.
nuts [slightly offensive]: testicles.
nutty - eccentric.
off your face - to be very drunk.
out of your tree - crazy, drunk or stoned.
pad: someone's home.
pants (1) -  an exclamation of frustration.
pants (2) -  bad or rubbish.
party: celebrate.
party animal: someone that loves parties.
paws: hands.
peanuts: very little money.
pee: to urinate.
pickled: drunk.
pig out: eat too much.
pigs ear: to make a mistake with something.
piss [slightly offensive] - to urinate.
pissed - drunk.
pissed (off): angry; upset.
piss-head - a habitual drinker or alcoholic.
piss-up - a big drinking session.
plank - an idiot.
plastered: drunk.
plonker - an idiot
pad: someone's home.
plonk (1) : cheap wine
plonk (2): sit down - as in "plonk your arse down there".
poop [offensive]: defecation; shit.
poop out: get tired and quit.
postie : postman
pot: marijuana.
prezzy : present, gift
pro - someone who's good at something; professional.
psycho: crazy person.
puke: vomit.
pumped (up): excited.
queer [slightly offensive] - a homosexual.
rabbit - talk.
racket (1): noise.
racket (2): an occupation.
racket (3): something that's dishonest or deceptive.
rat: a despicable person.
rat-arsed - drunk.
rear (end): buttocks.
(a) riot - something or someone very funny.
rip off (1): stealing.
rip off (2): fraud.
ripper : great, fantastic
rocking: great; excellent.
roll up - a hand rolled cigarette.
rosie lee - tea
rubbish: nonsense; not true.
ruck - a fight.
rug - wig, toupee.
rug rat: a child.
rum - odd, strange.
runs, the: diarrhoea.
scoff: to eat.
screw up: to make a mistake.
screw-up: a person who makes a mistake.
scum (offensive] - a despicable individual.
shades - sunglasses.
shag [slightly offensive] - to make love.
shagged-out - to feel tired.
shed-load - a huge amount.
shite - milder variation of the word shit.
shitfaced [slightly offensive] - very drunk.
shithead [slightly offensive]: a stupid, impolite person.
skint - to have no money
skosh - a little bit.
slapper [offensive] - a loose or easy woman.
smeghead - an idiot.
snog - to kiss
snookered: cheated, stuck.
solid (1): really good; cool.
solid (2): consecutive.
specs: eyeglasses.
split: to leave.
spunk [offensive] (1): semen
spunk (2): spirit.
spunk (3): an attractive man.
stoned: drunk from drugs or alcohol.
stunner - a very good looking woman.
street smart: knowledgeable about city life.
strewth : exclamation
 (I'll be) stuffed : expression of surprise
suck: to be bad and unacceptable.
sunnies : sunglasses
swagman : tramp
sweet - excellent, cool.
ta - thanks.
tacky - something of poor taste or style.
tanked (up) - to get very drunk.
tea leaf - Rhyming Slang for thief.
telly - television.
thick as shit [offensive]- very stupid.
thick as two short planks [offensive] - very stupid.
thingo : Wadjamacallit, thingummy, whatsit, something you don't know the name of!
thou: thousand.
threads: clothing.
ticker (1): the heart.
ticker (2): a watch.
tiddly - slightly drunk.
toss-pot [slightly offensive] - idiot.
totally: really; completely.
to the max: maximum.
troll -  an ugly girl.
(the) trots - diarrhoea.
trouble and strife - Rhyming Slang for 'wife'.
trout [offensive] - unattractive woman
turkey (1): failure; flop.
turkey (2): dumb person.
turn-off: something that repulses a person.
umpteen: many; countless.
up for it - to be willing to have a good time.
up the duff - to be pregnant.
Uncle Tom Cobley and all - a phrase meaning 'everyone'.
uptight: nervous; anxious.
veg out : relax in front of the TV (like a vegetable)
wad: a lot of money.
wanker - an idiot or an unpleasant person.
wasted: killed.
weed (1): marijuana.
weed (2): someone who is weak.
wheels: car; motorcycle.
whiz: someone who shows a special talent for something.
wicked - excellent, cool.
wimp: weak; feeble.
wimpy: weak.
wind up - to tease.
winks: sleep.
wuss : coward
x-rated - pornographic.
yabber : talk (a lot)
Yank: an American.
yob - a horrible or uncouth young man.
zeds - sleep.
zero - an unimportant person.
zilch - nothing
zip (1) -nothing.
zip (2) - energy; vigor.
zip it - shut up.
zit: pimple; acne.

Source http://www.world-english.org/slang_world.htm 

History of English Language

English is a West Germanic language that originated from the Anglo-Frisian dialects brought to Britain by Germanic invaders from various parts of what is now northwest Germany and the Netherlands. Initially, Old English was a diverse group of dialects, reflecting the varied origins of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms of England. One of these dialects, Late West Saxon, eventually came to dominate.

The original Old English language was then influenced by two further waves of invasion: the first by speakers of the Scandinavian branch of the Germanic language family, who conquered and colonized parts of Britain in the 8th and 9th centuries; the second by the Normans in the 11th century, who spoke Old Norman and ultimately developed an English variety of this called Anglo-Norman. These two invasions caused English to become "mixed" to some degree.

Cohabitation with the Scandinavians resulted in a significant grammatical simplification and lexical enrichment of the Anglo-Frisian core of English; the later Norman occupation led to the grafting onto that Germanic core of a more elaborate layer of words from the Romance languages (Latin based languages). This Norman influence entered English largely through the courts and government. Thus, English developed into a "borrowing" language of great flexibility, resulting in an enormous and varied vocabulary.

Proto-English

The languages of Germanic tribes gave rise to the English language (the Angles, Saxons, Frisians, Jutes and perhaps even the Franks, who traded and fought with the Latin-speaking Roman Empire in the centuries-long process of the Germanic peoples' expansion into Western Europe). Many Latin words for common objects entered the vocabulary of these Germanic peoples before any of their tribes reached Britain; examples include camp, cheese, cook, fork, inch, kettle, kitchen, mile, mill, mint (coin), noon, pillow, pound (unit of measurement), punt (boat), street and wall. The Romans also gave the English language words which they had themselves borrowed from other languages: anchor, butter, chest, copper, dish, sack and wine.
Our main source for the culture of the Germanic peoples (the ancestors of the English) in ancient times is Tacitus' Germania. While remaining quite conversant with Roman civilisation and its economy, including serving in the Roman military, they retained political independence. Some Germanic troops served in Britannia under the Romans (e.g. Saxon shore). We can be almost certain that Germanic settlement in Britain was not intensified until arrival of mercenaries in the 5th century as described by Gildas, since had the English arrived en-masse under Roman rule, they would have been thoroughly Christianised as a matter of course. As it was, the Angles, Saxons and Jutes arrived as pagans, independent of Roman control.
According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, around the year 449, Vortigern (or Gwrtheyrn from the Welsh tradition), King of the Britons, invited the "Angle kin" (Angles allegedly led by Hengest and Horsa) to help him in conflicts with the Picts. In return, the Angles were granted lands in the southeast of England. Further aid was sought, and in response "came men of Ald Seaxum of Anglum of Iotum" (Saxons, Angles and Jutes). The Chronicle talks of a subsequent influx of settlers who eventually established seven kingdoms, known as the heptarchy. Modern scholarship considers most of this story to be legendary and politically motivated, and the identification of the tribes with the Angles, Saxons and Jutes is no longer accepted as an accurate description ^[1], especially since the Anglo-Saxon language is more similar to the Frisian languages (some Frisians emigrated in Britain in the 3rd century) than any of the others.

Old English

The first page of the Beowulf manuscript

Main article: Old English language

The invaders' Germanic language displaced the indigenous Brythonic languages of what became England^[2][3][4]. The original Celtic languages remained in parts of Scotland, Wales and Cornwall (where Cornish was spoken into the 19th century)^[5]. The dialects spoken by the Anglo-Saxons formed what is now called Old English. The most famous surviving work from the Old English period is the epic poem "Beowulf" composed by an unknown poet; it is thought to have been substantially modified, probably by Christian clerics long after its composition.
Old English did not sound or look like the Standard English of today. Almost any native English speaker of today would find Old English unintelligible without studying it as a separate language. Nevertheless, about half of the most commonly used words in Modern English have Old English roots. The words be, strong and water, for example, derive from Old English; and many non-standard dialects such as Scots and Northumbrian English have retained many features of Old English in vocabulary and pronunciation.^[6][7][8] Old English was spoken until sometime in the 12th or 13th century^[9][10][11].
Later, English was strongly influenced by the North Germanic language Norse, spoken by the Vikings who invaded and settled mainly in the north-east of England (see Jórvík and Danelaw). The new and the earlier settlers spoke languages from different branches of the Germanic family; many of their lexical roots were the same or similar, although their grammars were more distinct.
The Germanic language of these Old English-speaking inhabitants was influenced by contact with Norse invaders, which might have been responsible for some of the morphological simplification of Old English, including the loss of grammatical gender and explicitly marked case (with the notable exception of the pronouns). English words of Old Norse origin include anger, bag, both, hit, law, leg, same, skill, sky, take, and many others, possibly even including the pronoun they.
The introduction of Christianity added another wave of Latin and some Greek words. The Old English period formally ended sometime after the Norman conquest, when the language was influenced to an even greater extent by the Norman-French-speaking Normans. The use of Anglo-Saxon to describe a merging of Anglian and Saxon languages and cultures is a relatively modern development. According to Lois Fundis ^[12], "The first citation for the second definition of 'Anglo-Saxon', referring to early English language or a certain dialect thereof, comes during the reign of Elizabeth I, from a historian named Camden, who seems to be the person most responsible for the term becoming well-known in modern times".

Middle English

Main article: Middle English

For about 300 years following the Norman Conquest in 1066, the Norman kings and their high nobility spoke only one of the langues d'oïl called Anglo-Norman, which was a variety of Old Norman used in England and to some extent elsewhere in the British Isles during the Anglo-Norman period and originating from a northern dialect of Old French, whilst English continued to be the language of the common people. Middle English was heavily influenced by both Anglo-Norman and, later, Anglo-French (see Anglo-Norman language, Characteristics).
Even after the decline of Norman, French retained the status of a formal or prestige language and had (with Norman) a significant influence on the language, which is visible in Modern English today (see English language, Word Origins and List of English words of French origin). A tendency for Norman-derived words to have more formal connotations has continued to the present day; most modern English speakers would consider a "cordial reception" (from French) to be more formal than a "hearty welcome" (Germanic). Another example is the very unusual construction of the words for animals being separate from the words for their food products e.g. beef and pork (from the Norman bœuf and porc) being the products of the Germanically named animals 'cow' and 'pig'.
While the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle continued until 1154, most other literature from this period was in Old Norman or Latin. A large number of Norman words were taken into Old English, with many doubling for Old English words. The Norman influence is the hallmark of the linguistic shifts in English over the period of time following the invasion, producing what is now referred to as Middle English. English was also influenced by the Celtic languages it was displacing, most notably with the introduction of the continuous aspect, a feature found in many modern languages, but developed earlier and more thoroughly in English.^[13][14] English spelling was also influenced by Norman in this period, with the /θ/ and /ð/ sounds being spelled th rather than with the Old English letters þ (thorn) and ð (eth), which did not exist in Norman. The most famous writer from the Middle English period was Geoffrey Chaucer and of his works, The Canterbury Tales is the best known.
English literature started to reappear around 1200, when a changing political climate and the decline in Anglo-Norman made it more respectable. The Provisions of Oxford, released in 1258, were the first English government document to be published in the English language since the Conquest.^[15] Edward III became the first king to address Parliament in English when he did so in 1362.^[16] By the end of that century, even the royal court had switched to English. Anglo-Norman remained in use in limited circles somewhat longer, but it had ceased to be a living language.

Early Modern English

Main article: Early Modern English

Modern English is often dated from the Great Vowel Shift, which took place mainly during the 15th century. English was further transformed by the spread of a standardised London-based dialect in government and administration and by the standardising effect of printing. By the time of William Shakespeare (mid-late 16th century), the language had become clearly recognizable as Modern English. In 1604 the first English dictionary was published.
English has continuously adopted foreign words, especially from Latin and Greek, since the Renaissance. (In the 17th century, Latin words were often used with the original inflections, but these eventually disappeared). As there are many words from different languages and English spelling is variable, the risk of mispronunciation is high, but remnants of the older forms remain in a few regional dialects, most notably in the West Country.

Modern English

In 1755, Samuel Johnson published the first significant English dictionary, his Dictionary of the English Language.
The main difference between Early Modern English and Late Modern English is vocabulary. Late Modern English has many more words, arising from two principal factors: firstly, the Industrial Revolution and technology created a need for new words; secondly, the British Empire at its height covered one quarter of the Earth's surface, and the English language adopted foreign words from many countries.

Historic English text samples

Old English

Beowulf lines 1 to 11, approximately AD 900

Hwæt! Wē Gār-Dena	in geārdagum,
þēodcyninga,	þrym gefrūnon,
hū ðā æþelingas	ellen fremedon.
Oft Scyld Scēfing	sceaþena þrēatum,
monegum mǣgþum,	meodosetla oftēah,
egsode eorlas.	Syððan ǣrest wearð
fēasceaft funden,	hē þæs frōfre gebād,
wēox under wolcnum,	weorðmyndum þāh,
oðþæt him ǣghwylc	þāra ymbsittendra
ofer hronrāde	hȳran scolde,
gomban gyldan.	Þæt wæs gōd cyning!

Which, as translated by Francis Gummere, means:

Lo, praise of the prowess of people-kings
of spear-armed Danes, in days long sped,
we have heard, and what honor the athelings won!
Oft Scyld the Scefing from squadroned foes,
from many a tribe, the mead-bench tore,
awing the earls. Since erst he lay
friendless, a foundling, fate repaid him:
for he waxed under welkin, in wealth he throve,
till before him the folk, both far and near,
who house by the whale-path, heard his mandate,
gave him gifts: a good king he!

Here is a sample prose text, the beginning of The Voyages of Ohthere and Wulfstan. The full text can be found at The Voyages of Ohthere and Wulfstan, at Wikisource.

Ōhthere sǣde his hlāforde, Ælfrēde cyninge, ðæt hē ealra Norðmonna norþmest būde. Hē cwæð þæt hē būde on þǣm lande norþweardum wiþ þā Westsǣ. Hē sǣde þēah þæt þæt land sīe swīþe lang norþ þonan; ac hit is eal wēste, būton on fēawum stōwum styccemǣlum wīciað Finnas, on huntoðe on wintra, ond on sumera on fiscaþe be þǣre sǣ. Hē sǣde þæt hē æt sumum cirre wolde fandian hū longe þæt land norþryhte lǣge, oþþe hwæðer ǣnig mon be norðan þǣm wēstenne būde. Þā fōr hē norþryhte be þǣm lande: lēt him ealne weg þæt wēste land on ðæt stēorbord, ond þā wīdsǣ on ðæt bæcbord þrīe dagas. Þā wæs hē swā feor norþ swā þā hwælhuntan firrest faraþ. Þā fōr hē þā giet norþryhte swā feor swā hē meahte on þǣm ōþrum þrīm dagum gesiglau. Þā bēag þæt land, þǣr ēastryhte, oþþe sēo sǣ in on ðæt lond, hē nysse hwæðer, būton hē wisse ðæt hē ðǣr bād westanwindes ond hwōn norþan, ond siglde ðā ēast be lande swā swā hē meahte on fēower dagum gesiglan. Þā sceolde hē ðǣr bīdan ryhtnorþanwindes, for ðǣm þæt land bēag þǣr sūþryhte, oþþe sēo sǣ in on ðæt land, hē nysse hwæþer. Þā siglde hē þonan sūðryhte be lande swā swā hē meahte on fīf dagum gesiglan. Ðā læg þǣr ān micel ēa ūp on þæt land. Ðā cirdon hīe ūp in on ðā ēa for þǣm hīe ne dorston forþ bī þǣre ēa siglan for unfriþe; for þǣm ðæt land wæs eall gebūn on ōþre healfe þǣre ēas. Ne mētte hē ǣr nān gebūn land, siþþan hē from his āgnum hām fōr; ac him wæs ealne weg wēste land on þæt stēorbord, būtan fiscerum ond fugelerum ond huntum, ond þæt wǣron eall Finnas; ond him wæs āwīdsǣ on þæt bæcbord. Þā Boermas heafdon sīþe wel gebūd hira land: ac hīe ne dorston þǣr on cuman. Ac þāra Terfinna land wæs eal wēste, būton ðǣr huntan gewīcodon, oþþe fisceras, oþþe fugeleras.

This may be translated as:

Ohthere said to his lord, King Alfred, that he of all Norsemen lived north-most. He quoth that he lived in the land northward along the North Sea. He said though that the land was very long from there, but it is all wasteland, except that in a few places here and there Finns [i.e. Sami] encamp, hunting in winter and in summer fishing by the sea. He said that at some time he wanted to find out how long the land lay northward or whether any man lived north of the wasteland. Then he traveled north by the land. All the way he kept the waste land on his starboard and the wide sea on his port three days. Then he was as far north as whale hunters furthest travel. Then he traveled still north as far as he might sail in another three days. Then the land bowed east (or the sea into the land — he did not know which). But he knew that he waited there for west winds (and somewhat north), and sailed east by the land so as he might sail in four days. Then he had to wait for due-north winds, because the land bowed south (or the sea into the land — he did not know which). Then he sailed from there south by the land so as he might sail in five days. Then a large river lay there up into the land. Then they turned up into the river, because they dared not sail forth past the river for hostility, because the land was all settled on the other side of the river. He had not encountered earlier any settled land since he travelled from his own home, but all the way waste land was on his starboard (except fishers, fowlers and hunters, who were all Finns). And the wide sea was always on his port. The Bjarmians have cultivated their land very well, but they did not dare go in there. But the Terfinn’s land was all waste except where hunters encamped, or fishers or fowlers.

Middle English

From The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, 14th century

Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote
And bathed every veyne in swich licour,
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram his halfe cours yronne,
And smale foweles maken melodye,
That slepen al the nyght with open yë
(So priketh hem Nature in hir corages);
Than longen folk to goon on pilgrimages

Glossary:

• soote: sweet
• swich licour: such liquid
• Zephirus: the west wind (Zephyrus)
• eek: also (Dutch ook; German auch)
• holt: wood (German Holz)
• the Ram: Aries, the first sign of the Zodiac
• yronne: run (German gerannt)
• priketh hem Nature: Nature pricks them
• hir corages: their hearts

Early Modern English

From Paradise Lost by John Milton, 1667

Of man's first disobedience, and the fruit
Of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste
Brought death into the world, and all our woe,
With loss of Eden, till one greater Man
Restore us, and regain the blissful seat,
Sing, Heavenly Muse, that on the secret top
Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire
That shepherd, who first taught the chosen seed,
In the beginning how the Heavens and Earth
Rose out of chaos: or if Sion hill
Delight thee more, and Siloa's brook that flowed
Fast by the oracle of God, I thence
Invoke thy aid to my adventurous song,
That with no middle Flight intends to soar
Above the Aonian mount, whyle it pursues
Things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme.

Modern English

Taken from Oliver Twist, 1838, by Charles Dickens

The evening arrived: the boys took their places; the master in his cook's uniform stationed himself at the copper; his pauper assistants ranged themselves behind him; the gruel was served out, and a long grace was said over the short commons. The gruel disappeared, the boys whispered each other and winked at Oliver, while his next neighbours nudged him. Child as he was, he was desperate with hunger and reckless with misery. He rose from the table, and advancing, basin and spoon in hand, to the master, said, somewhat alarmed at his own temerity—
"Please, sir, I want some more."
The master was a fat, healthy man, but he turned very pale. He gazed in stupefied astonishment on the small rebel for some seconds, and then clung for support to the copper. The assistants were paralysed with wonder, and the boys with fear.
"What!" said the master at length, in a faint voice.
"Please, sir," replied Oliver, "I want some more."
The master aimed a blow at Oliver's head with the ladle, pinioned him in his arms, and shrieked aloud for the beadle.