The Jackal (Book 2)

"Those were drinking days, and most men drank hard". Dickens refers to these habits as "Bacchanalian propensities". Here we meet Mr Stryver, the lawyer with a "florid countenance" whose face is likened to a flower seeking the sun.

Vocabulary:
carousing - drinking plentiful amounts of alcohol and enjoy oneself with others in a noisy, lively way
glib - fluent and voluble but insincere and voluble
repast - meal, banquet, feast e.g. a "compact repast"

Old English and Middle English

Mitchell and Robinson, A Guide to Old English, is an excellent start into Old English studies, and emphasises to the student mastery of the basic structure of Old English and attention to the basic formations of the language.

The study of Old English yields many interesting insights. For example, Northumbrian and Mercian were considered different dialects of English. A great deal of England was under Danelaw.