I was looking at Robert of Gloucester's Metrical Chronicle (ca.1330 CE), especially the earlier bits he cribbed from Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanni�. I was struck by this passage especially:
Quote:
�o bi�oȝte vortiger � mest of alle �inge �
Hou he miȝte do quoyntelucost � �at he him sulf were king �
Vor �at was alwei is �oȝt � & �eruore the monek he nom �
To be king vor he was nyce � & ne cou�e no wisdom �

Then Vortigern understood; above all things;
How he might carry out most cunningly; that he himself were king;
For that was always his thought; and therefore he took the monk;
to be king because he was foolish; and he knew not no wisdom;
Here we have nice meaning 'foolish' and a full-blown double negative.

Ceci n'est pas un seing.