By the time anything resembling a language policy was introduced, English had already reached all corners of the globe. For example, English-speaking puritans were not the only Europeans to arrive in North America: Spanish, French, Dutch and German were also widely spoken.
immemorial - long past; beyond the limits of memory or tradition or recorded history; time immemorial. old - of long duration; not new; old tradition; old house; old wine; old country; old friendships; old money.
maim. 1  to deprive of the use of some part of the body by wounding or the like; cripple: The explosion maimed him for life. 2  to impair; make essentially defective: The essay was maimed by deletion of important paragraphs. 3  a physical injury, especially a loss of a limb. 4  an injury or defect; blemish; lack.