I reckon even Fantome would admit that language may have evolved a little bit over the last 10 centuries
That he would, and does. While his Saxon progenitors' text of Beowulf appears today entirely a strange and foreign tongue, progressively, high masters of prose and verse, as language evolved,
became increasingly severe and disciplined applying clear expression to the crafting of their finest works. Most digression, for instance, they'd strike out as sloppy waffle of little or no relevance. Off topic they rarely were.
Thread drift only happened at frayed hems.