English, c. 10th century:
"Ælfred kuning wæs wealhstod ðisse bec, hie of boclædene on englisc wende, swa hio nu is gedon. Hwilum he sette word be worde, hwilum andgit of andgite, swa swa he hit þa sweotolost andgitfullicast gereccan mihte for þam mistlicum manigfealdum weoruldbisgum þe hine oft ægðer ge on mode ge on lichoman bisgodan. Ða bisgu us sint swipe earfoþrime þe on his dagum on þa ricu becoman þe he underfangen hæfde, þeah da þas boc hæfde geleornode of lædene to engliscum spelle gewende, geworhte hi eft to leode, swa swa heo nu gedon is; nu bit for Godes naman he halsað ælcne þara þe pas boc rædan lyste, þæt he for hine gebidde, him ne wite gif he hit rihtlicor ongite þonne he mihte; forþamþe ælc mon sceal be his andgites mæðe be his æmettan sprecan pæt he sprecð, don þæt þæt he deþ."
English, c. 14th century:
"Whilom, as olde stories tellen us, ther was a duc that highte Theseus; of Atthenes he was lord and governour, and in his tyme swich a conquerour, that gretter was ther noon under the sonne. Ful many a riche contree hadde he wonne, what with his wysdom and his chivalrie; he conquered al the regne of Femenye, that whilom was ycleped Scithia, and weddede the queene Ypolita, and broghte hir hoom with hym in his contree, with muchel glorie and greet solempnytee, and eek hir yonge suster Emelye."
English, c. 16th century:
"I will tell you. The barge she sat in, like a burnish'd throne, burn'd on the water: the poop was beaten gold; purple the sails, and so perfumed that the winds were love-sick with them; the oars were silver, which to the tune of flutes kept stroke, and made the water which they beat to follow faster, as amorous of their strokes. For her own person, it beggar'd all description: she did lie in her pavilion --cloth-of-gold of tissue-- o'er-picturing that Venus where we see the fancy outwork nature: on each side her stood pretty dimpled boys, like smiling Cupids, with divers-colour'd fans, whose wind did seem to glow the delicate cheeks which they did cool, and what they undid did."
English, c. 19th century:
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."
English, c. 20th century:
"It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. Winston Smith, his chin nuzzled into his breast in an effort to escape the vile wind, slipped quickly through the glass doors of Victory Mansions, though not quickly enough to prevent a swirl of gritty dust from entering along with him."
English, c. 21st century:
"Smtms I feel lke thrwng my hnds up n th air I knw I cn count on U. Smtms I feel lke syng lrd I jst dnt cr bt Uv gt th lv I need 2 c me thru. Smtms it seems tht th gng is jst 2 ruf nd thngs go wrng no mttr wht I do. Nw and thn it seems tht lf is jst 2 mch bt Uv gt th lv I need 2 c me thru. Whn food is gn U r my dly meal whn frnds r gn I knw my svyrs lv is real, Ur lv is real!"
(+1 internet to anyone who gets all the referencess!)
