Early

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Old English (as an adverb) ǣrlīce (see ere, -ly2), influenced by Old Norse árliga . The adjective use dates from Middle English.

wiktionary

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From Middle English erly,  erlich,  earlich, from Old English ǣrlīċ,  ārlīċ(“early”, adjective), equivalent to  ere +‎  -ly. Compare Old English ǣrne(“early”), West Frisian earen(“early”). 

From Middle English erly,  orely,  arely,  erliche,  arliche, from Old English ǣrlīċe,  ārlīċe(“early; early in the morning”, adverb), equivalent to  ere +‎  -ly. Cognate with Old Norse árliga,  árla ( > Danish årle, Swedish arla, Norwegian årle, Faroese árla). 

etymonline

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early (adv.)

Old English ærlice "early, near the initial point of some reckoning in time," from ær "soon, ere" (see ere) + -lice, adverbial suffix (see -ly (2)). Compare Old Norse arliga "early." The adjective is Old English ærlic. The early bird of the proverb is from 1670s. Related: Earlier; earliest.