He at once began to copy the glosses in the older MS., with slight occasional variations in the grammar; but he soon tired of his task, and turned it over to Owun, who continued it to the end.

The result is that the Northumbrian glosses in this MS., throughout the three last Gospels, are of no great value, as they tell us little more than can be better learnt from the Durham book; on the other hand, Farman's Mercian gloss to St Matthew is of high value, but need not be considered at present.
Hence it is best in this case to rely, for our knowledge of Old Northumbrian, on the Durham book _alone_.
It must be remembered that a gloss is not quite the same thing as a free translation that observes the rules of grammar.

A gloss translates the Latin text word by word, in the order of that text; so that the glossator can neither observe the natural English order nor in all cases preserve the English grammar; a fact which somewhat lessens its value, and must always be allowed for.

It is therefore necessary, in all cases, to ascertain the Latin text.

I subjoin a specimen, from Matt, v 11-15.
eadge aron ge mith thy yfle hia gecuoethas iuh and mith thy 11.