The alt.usage.english FAQ   

• "ye"="the"

  (Word Origins)
  
  

  
     The "y" here is a representation of the obsolete letter thorn,
  which looked like "b" and "p" superimposed, and was pronounced
  [T] or [D] (the same as modern "th").  The pronunciation of "ye" in
  "Ye Olde Curiositie Shoppe" as /ji/, which you sometimes hear, is a
  spelling pronunciation.
  

  
  
  Source: [Mark Israel, 'Word Origins: "ye"="the"', The alt.usage.english FAQ file,(line 4393), (29 Sept 1997)]
  
  
  
  

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