Oc æf þu villt værða fullkomenn í froðleic, þa næmðu allar mallyzkur en allra hælz latinu og walsku, þviat þær tungur ganga wiðazt en þo tynþu æigi at hældr þinni tungo.
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And if you wish to become perfect in knowledge, you must learn all the languages, first of all Latin and French, for these idioms are most widely used; and yet, do not neglect your native tongue or speech. -- Konungs skuggsjá, 1250~, 'liberal' translation by Laurence Marcellus Larson, 1917.