The night after that (there) appeared an angel from heaven in their sleep, in a dream, and said to-them and commanded, that they should not wend again near Herod, but by another way wend to their lands.
In the days of Edward II (1307-27) flourished William of Shoreham, named from Shoreham (Kent), near Otford and Sevenoaks, who was appointed vicar of Chart-Sutton in 1320.

He translated the Psalter into English prose, and wrote some religious poems, chiefly relating to church-services, which were edited by T.Wright for the Percy Society in 1849.

His poem "On Baptism" is printed in _Specimens of Early English_, Part II.

I give an extract: In water ich wel the cristny her{1} As Gode him-self hyt dight{e}{2}; For mide to wessch{e}{3} nis{4} nothynge That man cometh to so light{e}{5} In lond{e}{6}; Nis non that habben hit ne may{7} That habbe hit wil{e} found{e}{8}.
This bethe{9} the word{e}s of cristning By thyse Engl{'i}ssch{e} cost{e}s{10}-- "Ich{11} cristni the{12} ine the Vader{13} name And Sone and Holy Gostes"-- And more, "Amen!" wane hit{14} is ised{15} thertoe, Confermeth thet ther-to-fore{16}.
{Footnotes: 1: _I desire thee to christen here_ 2: _ordaine it_ 3: _to wash with_ 4: _is not_ 5: _easily_ 6: _in (the) land_ 7: _there is noe that may not have it_ 8: _that will try to have it_ 9: _these are_ 10: _coasts, regions_ 11: _I_ 12: _thee_ 13: _Father's_ 14: _when it_ 15: _said_ 16: _that which precedes_ } In the year 1340, Dan Michel of Northgate (Kent) translated into English a French treatise on Vices and Virtues, under the title _The Ayenbite of Inwyt_, literally, "The Again-biting of In-wit," i.e.
Remorse of Conscience.

This is the best specimen of the Kentish dialect of the fourteenth century, and is remarkable for being much more difficult to make out than other pieces of the same period.