OLD ENGLISH

Hwæt, ic swefna cyst secgan wylle, hwæt me gemætte to midre nihte siþþan reordberend reste wunedon. þuhte me þæt ic gesawe syllicre treow on lyft lædan leohte bewunden, beama beorhtost. Eall þæt beacen wæs begoten mid golde; gimmas stodon fægere æt foldan sceatum, swylce þær fife wæron uppe on þæm eaxlegespanne. Beheoldon þær engeldryhta fela fægere þurh forþgesceaft; ne wæs þær huru fracodes gealga, ac hine þær beheoldon halige gastas, men ofer moldan, and eall þeos mære gesceaft.

Translation: http://www.arts.gla.ac.uk/stella/readings/OE/ROOD.HTM 

Old English is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southern and eastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century. It is a West Germanic language closely related to Old Frisian and Old Saxon. Old English had a grammar similar in many ways to Classical Latin. In most respects, including its grammar, it was much closer to modern German and Icelandic than to modern English. It was fully inflected with five grammatical cases (nominative, accusative, genitive, dative, and instrumental), three grammatical numbers (singular, plural, and dual) and three grammatical genders (masculine, feminine, and neuter).

The Norman conquest of England in the 11th century gave rise to heavy borrowings from Norman French, which brought English closer to Romance languages. Finally, the Great Vowel Shift that took place in the 15th century marked the emergence of Modern English from Middle English.