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Before dictionaries, people spelled things… well, however they wanted to. A word could easily be spelled a dozen different ways -- each different way by an equally competent writer. English, besides, is an ever-changing language, drawing its influences from Saxon, French, Gaelic, Latin, and many more languages. The famous Noah Webster learned 26 different languages in order to properly understand the history of each word. The first reliable dictionary of the English language was not created until 1755, long after other languages'; for example, Arabic dictionaries had been around since the eighth century! Noah Webster's dictionary in the mid-1800s was an attempt to unify American English and spelling. Today, our affinity for spelling has led to such events as national spelling bees, and good spellers are given special deference. But before there were rules (laws) to spelling, mistakes (sins) were not "reckoned."
