| William of Palerne (William and the Werewolf) | |
|---|---|
| by anonymous | |
 Detail of the frontispiece of a French edition of Guillaume de Palerne (c. 1635) | |
| Original title | Guillaume de Palerme |
| Translator | William |
| Written | c. 1200 (French) c. 1350 (English) |
Guillaume de Palerme ("William of Palerne") is a French romance poem, later translated into English where it is also known as William and the Werewolf. The French verse romance was composed c. 1200, commissioned by Countess Yolande (who is generally identified as Yolande, daughter of Baldwin IV, Count of Hainaut).[1]: 214–15 The prose version of the French romance, printed by N Bonfons, passed through several editions.[2]
The English poem in alliterative verse, commissioned by Humphrey de Bohun, 6th Earl of Hereford, was written c. 1350 by a poet named William.[1]: 215 A single surviving manuscript of the English version is held at King's College, Cambridge. The Oxford English Dictionary has cited this poem as being the earliest known use of singular they in written English.[3]
- ^ a b Laura A. Hibbard (1963). Medieval Romance in England. New York: Burt Franklin.
- ^ Chisholm 1911.
- ^ Baron, Dennis (2018-09-04). "A brief history of singular 'they'". Oxford English Dictionary Blog. Retrieved 2023-09-16.
The Oxford English Dictionary traces singular they back to 1375, where it appears in the medieval romance William and the Werewolf.