Þe cok bigan of him to rewe,And bouthe him cloþes, al spannewe.ll. 967, 968.It is originally a Norse form,O.N.spān-nȳr, literally, new as a chip of wood, the vowel ofspānhaving become short inM.E., and theO.N.nȳrreplaced by the native equivalentnewe.Spānis theO.N.cognate of our wordspoon,O.E.spōn, an article made out of wood when it first took shape.Tickle(gen. dial.use inSc.Irel.andEng.), insecure, unstable,&c., is used by Chaucer in theMilleres Tale:This world is now ful tikel, sikerly.l.240.‘Tickle’, ‘Nesh’, and ‘Lear’A word of almost the same meaning iswankle(Sc.n. and midl.counties toWor.Shr.Hrf.), insecure, tottering, also weak, delicate,O.E.wancol, used in the same senses.Swipper(Sc.n.Cy.Lan.), quick, nimble, is recorded in thePromptorium Parvulorum, ‘Swypyr, or delyvyr,agilis.’Nesh, meaning soft, brittle, delicate,&c.,O.E.hnesce; andrear, used of meat, eggs,&c., half-cooked, underdone,O.E.hrēr, are still in common use all over England.Lear, empty, hungry,O.E.lǣre(cp.Germ.leer), is found in almost all the Midland, Southern, and South-western counties. A curious relic of an obsolete verb is the participleforwoden(n.Cy.Yks.), in a state of dirt, desolation, and waste, generally caused by vermin, overrun, e.g. Oor apple cham’er is fair forwoden wi’ rattens and meyce. It is the same word asO.E.forworden, undone, perished, the past participle offorweorþan, to perish, a compound of the prefixfor-expressing destruction, andweorþan, to become, which remains to us in the Biblical phrase, ‘Woe worth the day!’Ezek.xxx. 2, and the dialectwae worth, orwa worth(Sc.n.Cy.Dur.Lakel.Wm.Yks.Lan.Der.), used as an imprecation, or as an exclamation of dismay on hearing fearful tidings.Time-honoured VerbsThis brings us to the third category, the time-honoured verbs, and truly their name is legion.Dow(Sc.Nhb.Dur.Cum.Wm.Yks.Lan.Chs.Der.Shr.e.An.), to thrive, prosper, to be good for something,&c.,O.E.dugan, to be strong, to avail (cp.Germ.taugen),M.E.dowen:Ȝif me be dyȝt a destyné due to haue,What dowes me þe dedayn, oþer dispit make?Patience,ll. 49, 50,c.1360.This verb contains the stem from which comes the adjectivedoughty:If doughty deeds my lady please,Right soon I’ll mount my steed.But even this is now archaic, and the verb has wholly disappeared from the standard speech, whilst it remains in various forms and meanings in the dialects. It is a saying in Yorkshire that: They never dow that strange dogs follow. Another current expression, ‘He’ll never dow, egg nor bird,’ occurs amongst Ray’sProverbs, 1678.Dowoccurs as a substantive meaning worth, value, in several phrases, as:to do no dow, to be of no use or value, e.g.A whussling lass an’ a bellering cowAn a crowing hen’ll du nea dow.Dree(Sc.Nhb.Lakel.Yks.Lan.Chs.Der.), to endure, suffer,O.E.drēogan,M.E.dreyen,drien. In a description of the building of the Tower of Babel, given in theCursor Mundi(c.1300), are the lines:Wid corde and plumbe þai wroght so hy,Þat hete of sune might þai nohut dry.ll. 2247, 2248.To dree one’s weird, to endure one’s fate, is a phrase now practically confined to Scotland, though this was not the case in the earlier periods of the language. It occurs, for instance, inCleanness, a poem probably written by the author ofSir Gawayne and the Green Knight, who was a Lancashire man:& bede þe burne[King Zedekiah]to be broȝt to babyloyn þe riche,& þere in dongoun be don to dreȝe þer his wyrdes.ll. 1223, 1224.Flite(Sc.Nhb.Dur.Cum.Wm.Yks.Lan.Der.Lin.), to scold, find fault,O.E.flītan, to strive, chide,M.E.flīten, to quarrel, contend:hou we shule flytenant to gedere smiten.King Horn,ll. 855, 856,c.1300.‘Heal’ and ‘Healer’Heal(gen. dial.use inSc.Irel.andEng.), to hide, conceal, keep secret,O.E.helan,str. vb.andhelian,wk. vb., to conceal,M.E.helen:Seynt Gregorie was a gode pope, and had a gode forwit,Þat no priouresse were prest, for þat he ordeigned.Þei had þanne beninfamis[betrayer of confession]þe firste day, þei can so yuel hele conseille.Piers Plowman,B. v. ll. 166-8,c.1377.Ahealeris a receiver of stolen goods, a common word in the proverb: the healer’s as bad as the stealer. The verb is also used in the sense of to cover, to wrap up, to tuck up with bed-clothes. The allied verbhill(n.Cy.Yks.Lan.Chs.Stf.Der.Not.Lin.Lei.Nhp.War.Wor.Shr.Oxf.Wil.), to wrap, cover with clothes, is a Scandinavian loan-word,O.N.hylja, to cover (cp.Goth.huljan):Hile me vnder schadou ofe þi wenges twa.Rich.Rolle of Hampole,Ps.xvi. 10,c.1330.Another verb of the same meaning ishap(gen. dial.use inSc.Irel.andn.counties toDer.Not.Lin.), which also occurs in our early literature:I pray þe Marie happe hym warme.York Plays,c.1400. Edited by Lucy Toulmin Smith,p.144.Hish(Sc.War.Nrf.), to make a hissing noise to hound on a dog, occurs in Wyclif’s Bible, ‘The Lord ... ȝaf hem in to stiryng, and in to perischyng, and in to hisshing,’2 Chron.xxviii. 8.Lout(Sc.Irel.Nhb.Yks.Hmp.), to stoop, bend, bow,O.E.lūtan,M.E.louten:Knelynge, conscience to þe kynge louted,To wite what his wille were, and what he do shulde.Piers Plowman,B. iii. ll. 115, 116.Latch(n.Cy.Dur.Yks.Lan.Der.e.An.), to catch, lay hold of,O.E.læccan,M.E.lacchen, to catch, seize. In a poem calledPatience, written by the same author asCleannessandSir Gawayne and the Green Knight, the word occurs in a striking and curiously realistic description of Jonah inside the whale: ‘Lorde! colde watȝ his cumfort & his care huge.... How froþe bot in-to þe blober[bubbling waves]watȝ with [by] a best lacched.’Lathe(n.Cy.Cum.Wm.Yks.Lan.Chs.), to bid, ask, invite, especially to invite to a funeral or wedding,O.E.laðian,M.E.laðien:þe king ......sende his sonde,oueral his kine-lond,and lette laþien him to,alle his enihtes.Laȝamon’sBrut,ll. 6667-73,c.1275.‘Nim’ and ‘Nimble’Nim(Sc.Nhb.Cum.Wm.Yks.Lan.Stf.Der.Not.Lin.Nhp.Lei.War.Ken.Som.Dev.), to catch up quickly, to take or catch up on the sly, to steal,O.E.niman, to take,M.E.nimen:Noe on anoþer day nymmeȝ efte þe dovene.Cleanness,l.481,c.1360.In this sense the verb is obsolescent in the dialects, but it is still used in the sense of to walk with quick, short steps, to walk briskly and lightly, or mincingly. Probably this meaning is a development of the earlier uses of the verb in the phrase ‘to take one’s way’, and hence simply, to go,cp.:Rys radly, he says, & rayke forth euen,Nym þe way to nynyue, wyth-outen oþer speche.Patience,ll. 65, 66,c.1360.ðanne he nimeð to kirke.Bestiary,l.93,c.1250.The standard adjectivenimbleis related to this old verb, so too is that apparently meaningless wordnimin the old nursery rhyme said or sung to a baby on one’s knee:The ladies they ride nim, nim, nim;The gentlemen they ride trim, trim, trim;The farmers they ride trot for trot;An’ the hinds they ride clot for clot;But the cadgers ride creels an’ aa, creels an’ aa.Nhb.Version.One is glad to give a local habitation and a name to a friend of such tender associations!Quop(Lei.Wor.Hrf.Glo.Oxf.Brks.), to palpitate, throb with pain,M.E.quappen, occurs in Chaucer’sTroilus and Creseyde(c.1374): ‘So that his herte gan to quappe,’Bk. III, l. 57, and also in Wyclif’s Bible: ‘And he [Tobie] wente out for to wasshen his feet; and lo! a gret fish wente out for to deuouren hym. Whom dredende Tobie criede out with a gret vois, seiende, Lord, he asaileth me. And the aungil seide to hym, Cach his fin, and draȝ it to thee. The whiche thing whan he hadde do, he droȝ it in to the drie, and it began to quappe befor his feet,’Tobitvi. 2-5.Ream(Sc.Dur.Cum.Yks.Lan.Lin.Nhp.Shr.), to shout, cry aloud, to weep, bewail,O.E.hrēman,M.E.rēmen:A longeyng heuy me strok in swone,& rewfully þenne I con to reme.Pearl,ll. 1180, 1181,c.1360.Speer(Sc.Irel.Nhb.Dur.Lakel.Yks.Lan.Chs.Der.Nhp.Som.), to search out, to ask, inquire,O.E.spyrian,M.E.spürien,speren,spiren:My will, myn herte and al my wittBen fully set to herkne and spireWhat eny man wol speke of hire.Gower,Confessio Amantis,Bk. VIII, ll. 1998-2000,c.1400.Shale(Dur.w.Yks.Nhp.e.An.Wil.Dor.), to walk crookedly or awkwardly, to shamble:Schouelle-fotede was that schalke, and schaylande hyme semyde,With schankez vn-schaply, schowande to-gedyrs.Morte Arthure,ll. 1098, 1099,c.1420.Chaucerian SurvivalsSnib(Sc.Irel.Rut.Lei.Nhp.Bdf.), to check, restrain, rebuke,M.E.snibben:Him wolde he snybbe scharply for the nones.Chaucer,Prologue,l.523.Swink(Sc.n.Cy.Yks.War.Hrf.Ken.), to work hard, labour, toil,O.E.swincan,M.E.swinken:Or swynke with his handes, and laboure.Prologue,l.186.The formswinked, oppressed, tired, also occurs, reminding us of Milton’s:...what time the labour’d oxIn his loose traces from the furrow came,And the swink’t hedger at his supper sate.Comus,ll. 291-3.Thole(Sc.Irel.Nhb.Dur.Lakel.Yks.Lan.Stf.Der.), to bear, suffer, endure,O.E.þolian,M.E.tholien,tholen:Ne sal nafre eft crist þolien deað for[to]lesen hem of deaðe.Ænes drihten helle brac his frend he ut brohteHim self he þolede deað for hem wel diere he hes bohte.Moral Ode,ll. 184-6,c.1170.Development of standard English ‘Wont’Won(Sc.Nhb.Dur.Cum.Wm.Lan.Chs.Der.), to dwell, live,O.E.wunian,M.E.wunien,wunen, andwonen, withowritten foruas inN.E.come,love,&c.A Schipman was ther, wonying fer by weste.Prologue,l.388.But in many districts this is said to be obsolescent in the dialects of to-day. The past participle of this verb,O.E.wunod,M.E.wuned, early came to be used in the sense of accustomed, for instance:She never was to swiche gestes woned.Clerkes Tale,l.339.Cp.‘Wunt, or vsyed:assuetus,’Promptorium Parvulorum. From this was developed the standard English formwont, which ought to be pronouncedwunt, but the graphicohas been taken for an originalo, and the spelling has influenced the pronunciation.Wontoccurs in a few of the Midland dialects as a verb meaning to familiarize, to domesticate, accustom, e.g. If you tek the cat, you’ll hev to butter her feet to wont her, an’ then it’s chanch if shay doon’t coom back ’ere agen (Lei.).Welk(Sc.n.Cy.Yks.Hrf.Bdf.Hrt.e.An.Ken.), to wither, to fade,M.E.welken:An oðer drem cam him bi-foren,vii eares wexen fette of coren,On an busk, ranc and wel tidi,And vii lene rigt ðor-bi,Welkede, and smale.Genesis and Exodus,ll. 2103-7,c.1250.Another verb with the same meaning iswellow(Yks.), which occurs in Wyclif’s Bible: ‘The reed and the resshe shal welewen,’Isaiahxix. 6.Yawl(Sc.Cum.Yks.Lan.Lin.Lei.Nhp.War.e.An.Som.), to howl, to bawl, is found inSir Gawayne:He[the boar]hurteȝ of þe houndeȝ, & þayFul ȝomerly ȝaule & ȝelle.ll. 1452, 1453.The more common verb in this sense isyowl(gen. dial.use inSc.Irel.Eng.),cp.‘Y shal weile and ȝoule,’ Wyclif,Micahi. 8.Wealth of old Verbs still survivingThe majority of the verbs given above are of such frequent occurrence in Old and Middle English, that to give just one quotation, chosen more or less at random, is apt to be misleading, yet space forbids any more exhaustive treatment. There are hundreds of these verbs still existing in the dialects, which could be illustrated from our older literature down the course of several centuries before they disappeared from the standard language. A few further examples are:greet(Sc.Irel.Nhb.Dur.Cum.Wm.Yks.Lan.Der.), to cry, weep,O.E.grǣtan;heald(Sh.I.n.Cy.Yks.), to lean, incline,O.E.hieldan;kythe(Sc.n.Cy.Nhb.Dur.Yks.), to make known, show, display,O.E.cȳðan;lofe(Sc.Cum.Wm.Yks.Lan.Chs.Stf.War.Shr.), to offer, offer at a price,O.E.lofian, to praise, to appraise, set a price on;pote(Sc.n.Cy.Cum.Wm.Yks.Lan.Chs.Der.Shr.Hrf.Glo.Som.Dev.Cor.), to kick, push with the hands or feet,O.E.potian;reese(I.W.Cor.), of grain: to drop out of the ear from over-ripeness,O.E.hrēosan, to fall down;lease(manydials.), to pick out, to glean,&c.,O.E.lesan, to gather, collect;mint(Sc.Irel.n.Cy.Nhb.Yks.Lan.Lin.Nhp.e.An.), to purpose, intend,&c.,O.E.myntan;retch(gen. dial.use inSc.andEng.), to stretch, extend,fig.to exaggerate, lie,O.E.reccan, to stretch, extend;sam(Wm.Yks.Lan.Der.Wor.), to gather or scrape together, to collect,O.E.samnian;smoor(Sc.Irel.Nhb.Dur.Lakel.Yks.Lan.Der.Lin.Lei.Nhp.e.An.), to smother, suffocate,O.E.smorian;tend(n.Cy.Wm.Lan.Chs.Stf.Nhp.Wor.Shr.Oxf.Som.Dev.Cor.), to kindle, light, setfire to,O.E.on-tendan;umbethink, orunbethink(Nhb.Lakel.Wm.Yks.Lan.Chs.Der.Lin.Shr.Dev.), to bethink oneself, to recollect,O.E.ymbeðencen, to think about, consider;walt(Sc.n.Cy.Yks.Lan.Chs.Der.Shr.Suf.), to totter, to lean to one side,O.E.wealtan, to roll, stagger.Dialect Survivals in the Authorized VersionIt is interesting to note how many of the archaic words of our Authorized Version of the Bible (1611) can be found remaining in the dialects. For example:blain(Sc.Dur.Yks.Lan.e.An.), a sore, an ulcer,O.E.blegen;bolled(Lin.Lei.), of corn or flax: ripe, in pod, in seed;botch(Yks.), a breaking-out on the skin;brickle(Yks.Lan.Chs.Nhp.Wor.Shr.Suf.Sur.Hmp.Dor.Som.), brittle, easily broken: ‘This man that of earthly matter maketh brickle vessels,’Wisdomxv. 13;chanel-bone(Lin.Som.), the collar-bone,Jobxxxi. 22, marginal note;charger(Yks.Chs.Sus.), a large platter, or meat-dish,A.Fr.chargeour;chest(Sc.Nhb.Suf.), to put into the coffin: ‘he[Jacob]dieth and is chested,’Gen.1, chapter heading;clout(var. dial.uses inSc.Irel.andEng.), a patch, a rag;cocker(Yks.Lan.Chs.Der.Lin.), to indulge, pamper: ‘Cocker thy child, and he shall make thee afraid,’Ecclus.xxx. 9;coney(Yks.Lin.e.An.Ken.Sus.Wil.Cor.), a rabbit;daysman(Sc.n.Cy.Nhb.), an arbitrator, an umpire;ear(n.Cy.Yks.Lei.Hrf.Ken.Wil.Som.), to till or plough land;fitches(gen. dial.use inSc.Irel.Eng.), vetches;leasing(Sc.Nhb.Yks.), lying, falsehood;let(Irel.Wm.Yks.Chs.Der.Lin.War.sw.Cy.), to hinder, impede;magnifical(Som.), grand, fine;marish(Sc.Irel.Yks.Chs.), a marsh,O.Fr.mareis;mote(Sc.Irel.Yks.I.W.sw.Cy.), an atom, a minute splinter of wood, or particle of straw;pill(Yks.Lan.Chs.Stf.Der.Not.Lin.Midl.Shr.e.An.Som.), to peel, strip off the outer bark;tabor(Chs.Stf.Lei.Nhp.War.Wor.Shr.Glo.), to rap, tap lightly;wist(Nhb.Yks.), knew, and known, in the phrasehad I wist(Nhb.Yks.Lan.), had I known,cp.:For feare of foole had I wist cause thee to waile,let fisgig be taught to shut doore after taile.Tusser,Five Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie, 1580.Wrought(Sc.Irel.n.Cy.Der.Suf.), preterite of to work: worked, laboured. Some of these old words and expressions have become so common that they must now be counted as colloquialisms, as, for instance, the phraseaway with, meaning to endure, put up with: ‘The calling of assemblies I cannot away with,’Isaiahi. 13,cp.‘I can nat away with my wyfe, she is so heedy,je ne puis poynt durer auecques ma femme, elle est si testue,’ Palsgrave,c.1530. Another now commonplace word isado, which has been immortalized by Shakespeare’s use of it in the title of one of his plays. It occurs inMarkv. 39: ‘Why make ye this ado, and weep?’cp.‘Ado or gret bysynesse,sollicitudo,’Prompt. Parv.Shakesperian Words in the DialectsIn the same way most of the obsolete Shakespearian words can still be traced in the dialects. The Shakespeare-Bacon theory, if not too dead and gone to be worth further combat, could easily be completely overthrown by any one who chose to array against it the convincing mass of evidence which proves Shakespeare’s intimate acquaintance with the Warwickshire dialect. Numbers of the words and phrases which Shakespeare used, and which we have since lost, still exist in his native county, and in the other counties bordering on Warwickshire. Some of them were at that date part and parcel of the standard vocabulary, and might be put by Shakespeare into the mouths of his highest personages; others again must even then have been regarded by him as dialect, and natural only to the speech of lower folk. It is Corporal Nym who saysshogfor move, jog: ‘Will you shog off?’Hen. V,II.i. 47; ‘Shall we shog? the king will be gone from Southampton,’Hen. V,II.iii. 47. It is a serving-man who uses the phraseto sowl by the ears: ‘He’ll go, he says, and sowl the porter of Rome gates by the ears,’Cor.IV.v. 213; and it is Mistress Quickly, the hostess of a tavern, who calls herself a ‘lone woman’ when she means she is a widow: ‘A hundred mark is a long one for a poor lone woman to bear,’2 Hen. IV,II.i. 35. But to classify after this sort all the old words in Shakespeare would entail aclassification of all the characters in the plays, and would thus be outside the scope of this book. I cannot therefore do more than give examples massed together irrespective of the question whether they were literary words or not in Shakespeare’s time:Bavin, a bundle of brushwood, a faggot,cp.:
Þe cok bigan of him to rewe,And bouthe him cloþes, al spannewe.ll. 967, 968.
Þe cok bigan of him to rewe,And bouthe him cloþes, al spannewe.ll. 967, 968.
Þe cok bigan of him to rewe,And bouthe him cloþes, al spannewe.ll. 967, 968.
Þe cok bigan of him to rewe,
And bouthe him cloþes, al spannewe.
ll. 967, 968.
It is originally a Norse form,O.N.spān-nȳr, literally, new as a chip of wood, the vowel ofspānhaving become short inM.E., and theO.N.nȳrreplaced by the native equivalentnewe.Spānis theO.N.cognate of our wordspoon,O.E.spōn, an article made out of wood when it first took shape.Tickle(gen. dial.use inSc.Irel.andEng.), insecure, unstable,&c., is used by Chaucer in theMilleres Tale:
This world is now ful tikel, sikerly.l.240.
This world is now ful tikel, sikerly.l.240.
This world is now ful tikel, sikerly.l.240.
This world is now ful tikel, sikerly.
l.240.
‘Tickle’, ‘Nesh’, and ‘Lear’
A word of almost the same meaning iswankle(Sc.n. and midl.counties toWor.Shr.Hrf.), insecure, tottering, also weak, delicate,O.E.wancol, used in the same senses.Swipper(Sc.n.Cy.Lan.), quick, nimble, is recorded in thePromptorium Parvulorum, ‘Swypyr, or delyvyr,agilis.’Nesh, meaning soft, brittle, delicate,&c.,O.E.hnesce; andrear, used of meat, eggs,&c., half-cooked, underdone,O.E.hrēr, are still in common use all over England.Lear, empty, hungry,O.E.lǣre(cp.Germ.leer), is found in almost all the Midland, Southern, and South-western counties. A curious relic of an obsolete verb is the participleforwoden(n.Cy.Yks.), in a state of dirt, desolation, and waste, generally caused by vermin, overrun, e.g. Oor apple cham’er is fair forwoden wi’ rattens and meyce. It is the same word asO.E.forworden, undone, perished, the past participle offorweorþan, to perish, a compound of the prefixfor-expressing destruction, andweorþan, to become, which remains to us in the Biblical phrase, ‘Woe worth the day!’Ezek.xxx. 2, and the dialectwae worth, orwa worth(Sc.n.Cy.Dur.Lakel.Wm.Yks.Lan.Der.), used as an imprecation, or as an exclamation of dismay on hearing fearful tidings.
Time-honoured Verbs
This brings us to the third category, the time-honoured verbs, and truly their name is legion.Dow(Sc.Nhb.Dur.Cum.Wm.Yks.Lan.Chs.Der.Shr.e.An.), to thrive, prosper, to be good for something,&c.,O.E.dugan, to be strong, to avail (cp.Germ.taugen),M.E.dowen:
Ȝif me be dyȝt a destyné due to haue,What dowes me þe dedayn, oþer dispit make?Patience,ll. 49, 50,c.1360.
Ȝif me be dyȝt a destyné due to haue,What dowes me þe dedayn, oþer dispit make?Patience,ll. 49, 50,c.1360.
Ȝif me be dyȝt a destyné due to haue,What dowes me þe dedayn, oþer dispit make?Patience,ll. 49, 50,c.1360.
Ȝif me be dyȝt a destyné due to haue,
What dowes me þe dedayn, oþer dispit make?
Patience,ll. 49, 50,c.1360.
This verb contains the stem from which comes the adjectivedoughty:
If doughty deeds my lady please,Right soon I’ll mount my steed.
If doughty deeds my lady please,Right soon I’ll mount my steed.
If doughty deeds my lady please,Right soon I’ll mount my steed.
If doughty deeds my lady please,
Right soon I’ll mount my steed.
But even this is now archaic, and the verb has wholly disappeared from the standard speech, whilst it remains in various forms and meanings in the dialects. It is a saying in Yorkshire that: They never dow that strange dogs follow. Another current expression, ‘He’ll never dow, egg nor bird,’ occurs amongst Ray’sProverbs, 1678.Dowoccurs as a substantive meaning worth, value, in several phrases, as:to do no dow, to be of no use or value, e.g.
A whussling lass an’ a bellering cowAn a crowing hen’ll du nea dow.
A whussling lass an’ a bellering cowAn a crowing hen’ll du nea dow.
A whussling lass an’ a bellering cowAn a crowing hen’ll du nea dow.
A whussling lass an’ a bellering cow
An a crowing hen’ll du nea dow.
Dree(Sc.Nhb.Lakel.Yks.Lan.Chs.Der.), to endure, suffer,O.E.drēogan,M.E.dreyen,drien. In a description of the building of the Tower of Babel, given in theCursor Mundi(c.1300), are the lines:
Wid corde and plumbe þai wroght so hy,Þat hete of sune might þai nohut dry.ll. 2247, 2248.
Wid corde and plumbe þai wroght so hy,Þat hete of sune might þai nohut dry.ll. 2247, 2248.
Wid corde and plumbe þai wroght so hy,Þat hete of sune might þai nohut dry.ll. 2247, 2248.
Wid corde and plumbe þai wroght so hy,
Þat hete of sune might þai nohut dry.
ll. 2247, 2248.
To dree one’s weird, to endure one’s fate, is a phrase now practically confined to Scotland, though this was not the case in the earlier periods of the language. It occurs, for instance, inCleanness, a poem probably written by the author ofSir Gawayne and the Green Knight, who was a Lancashire man:
& bede þe burne[King Zedekiah]to be broȝt to babyloyn þe riche,& þere in dongoun be don to dreȝe þer his wyrdes.ll. 1223, 1224.
& bede þe burne[King Zedekiah]to be broȝt to babyloyn þe riche,& þere in dongoun be don to dreȝe þer his wyrdes.ll. 1223, 1224.
& bede þe burne[King Zedekiah]to be broȝt to babyloyn þe riche,& þere in dongoun be don to dreȝe þer his wyrdes.ll. 1223, 1224.
& bede þe burne[King Zedekiah]to be broȝt to babyloyn þe riche,
& þere in dongoun be don to dreȝe þer his wyrdes.
ll. 1223, 1224.
Flite(Sc.Nhb.Dur.Cum.Wm.Yks.Lan.Der.Lin.), to scold, find fault,O.E.flītan, to strive, chide,M.E.flīten, to quarrel, contend:
hou we shule flytenant to gedere smiten.King Horn,ll. 855, 856,c.1300.
hou we shule flytenant to gedere smiten.King Horn,ll. 855, 856,c.1300.
hou we shule flytenant to gedere smiten.King Horn,ll. 855, 856,c.1300.
hou we shule flyten
ant to gedere smiten.
King Horn,ll. 855, 856,c.1300.
‘Heal’ and ‘Healer’
Heal(gen. dial.use inSc.Irel.andEng.), to hide, conceal, keep secret,O.E.helan,str. vb.andhelian,wk. vb., to conceal,M.E.helen:
Seynt Gregorie was a gode pope, and had a gode forwit,Þat no priouresse were prest, for þat he ordeigned.Þei had þanne beninfamis[betrayer of confession]þe firste day, þei can so yuel hele conseille.Piers Plowman,B. v. ll. 166-8,c.1377.
Seynt Gregorie was a gode pope, and had a gode forwit,Þat no priouresse were prest, for þat he ordeigned.Þei had þanne beninfamis[betrayer of confession]þe firste day, þei can so yuel hele conseille.Piers Plowman,B. v. ll. 166-8,c.1377.
Seynt Gregorie was a gode pope, and had a gode forwit,Þat no priouresse were prest, for þat he ordeigned.Þei had þanne beninfamis[betrayer of confession]þe firste day, þei can so yuel hele conseille.Piers Plowman,B. v. ll. 166-8,c.1377.
Seynt Gregorie was a gode pope, and had a gode forwit,
Þat no priouresse were prest, for þat he ordeigned.
Þei had þanne beninfamis[betrayer of confession]þe firste day, þei can so yuel hele conseille.
Piers Plowman,B. v. ll. 166-8,c.1377.
Ahealeris a receiver of stolen goods, a common word in the proverb: the healer’s as bad as the stealer. The verb is also used in the sense of to cover, to wrap up, to tuck up with bed-clothes. The allied verbhill(n.Cy.Yks.Lan.Chs.Stf.Der.Not.Lin.Lei.Nhp.War.Wor.Shr.Oxf.Wil.), to wrap, cover with clothes, is a Scandinavian loan-word,O.N.hylja, to cover (cp.Goth.huljan):
Hile me vnder schadou ofe þi wenges twa.Rich.Rolle of Hampole,Ps.xvi. 10,c.1330.
Hile me vnder schadou ofe þi wenges twa.Rich.Rolle of Hampole,Ps.xvi. 10,c.1330.
Hile me vnder schadou ofe þi wenges twa.Rich.Rolle of Hampole,Ps.xvi. 10,c.1330.
Hile me vnder schadou ofe þi wenges twa.
Rich.Rolle of Hampole,Ps.xvi. 10,c.1330.
Another verb of the same meaning ishap(gen. dial.use inSc.Irel.andn.counties toDer.Not.Lin.), which also occurs in our early literature:
I pray þe Marie happe hym warme.York Plays,c.1400. Edited by Lucy Toulmin Smith,p.144.
I pray þe Marie happe hym warme.York Plays,c.1400. Edited by Lucy Toulmin Smith,p.144.
I pray þe Marie happe hym warme.York Plays,c.1400. Edited by Lucy Toulmin Smith,p.144.
I pray þe Marie happe hym warme.
York Plays,c.1400. Edited by Lucy Toulmin Smith,p.144.
Hish(Sc.War.Nrf.), to make a hissing noise to hound on a dog, occurs in Wyclif’s Bible, ‘The Lord ... ȝaf hem in to stiryng, and in to perischyng, and in to hisshing,’2 Chron.xxviii. 8.Lout(Sc.Irel.Nhb.Yks.Hmp.), to stoop, bend, bow,O.E.lūtan,M.E.louten:
Knelynge, conscience to þe kynge louted,To wite what his wille were, and what he do shulde.Piers Plowman,B. iii. ll. 115, 116.
Knelynge, conscience to þe kynge louted,To wite what his wille were, and what he do shulde.Piers Plowman,B. iii. ll. 115, 116.
Knelynge, conscience to þe kynge louted,To wite what his wille were, and what he do shulde.Piers Plowman,B. iii. ll. 115, 116.
Knelynge, conscience to þe kynge louted,
To wite what his wille were, and what he do shulde.
Piers Plowman,B. iii. ll. 115, 116.
Latch(n.Cy.Dur.Yks.Lan.Der.e.An.), to catch, lay hold of,O.E.læccan,M.E.lacchen, to catch, seize. In a poem calledPatience, written by the same author asCleannessandSir Gawayne and the Green Knight, the word occurs in a striking and curiously realistic description of Jonah inside the whale: ‘Lorde! colde watȝ his cumfort & his care huge.... How froþe bot in-to þe blober[bubbling waves]watȝ with [by] a best lacched.’Lathe(n.Cy.Cum.Wm.Yks.Lan.Chs.), to bid, ask, invite, especially to invite to a funeral or wedding,O.E.laðian,M.E.laðien:
þe king ......sende his sonde,oueral his kine-lond,and lette laþien him to,alle his enihtes.Laȝamon’sBrut,ll. 6667-73,c.1275.
þe king ......sende his sonde,oueral his kine-lond,and lette laþien him to,alle his enihtes.Laȝamon’sBrut,ll. 6667-73,c.1275.
þe king ......sende his sonde,oueral his kine-lond,and lette laþien him to,alle his enihtes.Laȝamon’sBrut,ll. 6667-73,c.1275.
þe king ...
...sende his sonde,
oueral his kine-lond,
and lette laþien him to,
alle his enihtes.
Laȝamon’sBrut,ll. 6667-73,c.1275.
‘Nim’ and ‘Nimble’
Nim(Sc.Nhb.Cum.Wm.Yks.Lan.Stf.Der.Not.Lin.Nhp.Lei.War.Ken.Som.Dev.), to catch up quickly, to take or catch up on the sly, to steal,O.E.niman, to take,M.E.nimen:
Noe on anoþer day nymmeȝ efte þe dovene.Cleanness,l.481,c.1360.
Noe on anoþer day nymmeȝ efte þe dovene.Cleanness,l.481,c.1360.
Noe on anoþer day nymmeȝ efte þe dovene.Cleanness,l.481,c.1360.
Noe on anoþer day nymmeȝ efte þe dovene.
Cleanness,l.481,c.1360.
In this sense the verb is obsolescent in the dialects, but it is still used in the sense of to walk with quick, short steps, to walk briskly and lightly, or mincingly. Probably this meaning is a development of the earlier uses of the verb in the phrase ‘to take one’s way’, and hence simply, to go,cp.:
Rys radly, he says, & rayke forth euen,Nym þe way to nynyue, wyth-outen oþer speche.Patience,ll. 65, 66,c.1360.
Rys radly, he says, & rayke forth euen,Nym þe way to nynyue, wyth-outen oþer speche.Patience,ll. 65, 66,c.1360.
Rys radly, he says, & rayke forth euen,Nym þe way to nynyue, wyth-outen oþer speche.Patience,ll. 65, 66,c.1360.
Rys radly, he says, & rayke forth euen,
Nym þe way to nynyue, wyth-outen oþer speche.
Patience,ll. 65, 66,c.1360.
ðanne he nimeð to kirke.Bestiary,l.93,c.1250.
ðanne he nimeð to kirke.Bestiary,l.93,c.1250.
ðanne he nimeð to kirke.Bestiary,l.93,c.1250.
ðanne he nimeð to kirke.
Bestiary,l.93,c.1250.
The standard adjectivenimbleis related to this old verb, so too is that apparently meaningless wordnimin the old nursery rhyme said or sung to a baby on one’s knee:
The ladies they ride nim, nim, nim;The gentlemen they ride trim, trim, trim;The farmers they ride trot for trot;An’ the hinds they ride clot for clot;But the cadgers ride creels an’ aa, creels an’ aa.Nhb.Version.
The ladies they ride nim, nim, nim;The gentlemen they ride trim, trim, trim;The farmers they ride trot for trot;An’ the hinds they ride clot for clot;But the cadgers ride creels an’ aa, creels an’ aa.Nhb.Version.
The ladies they ride nim, nim, nim;The gentlemen they ride trim, trim, trim;The farmers they ride trot for trot;An’ the hinds they ride clot for clot;But the cadgers ride creels an’ aa, creels an’ aa.Nhb.Version.
The ladies they ride nim, nim, nim;
The gentlemen they ride trim, trim, trim;
The farmers they ride trot for trot;
An’ the hinds they ride clot for clot;
But the cadgers ride creels an’ aa, creels an’ aa.
Nhb.Version.
One is glad to give a local habitation and a name to a friend of such tender associations!Quop(Lei.Wor.Hrf.Glo.Oxf.Brks.), to palpitate, throb with pain,M.E.quappen, occurs in Chaucer’sTroilus and Creseyde(c.1374): ‘So that his herte gan to quappe,’Bk. III, l. 57, and also in Wyclif’s Bible: ‘And he [Tobie] wente out for to wasshen his feet; and lo! a gret fish wente out for to deuouren hym. Whom dredende Tobie criede out with a gret vois, seiende, Lord, he asaileth me. And the aungil seide to hym, Cach his fin, and draȝ it to thee. The whiche thing whan he hadde do, he droȝ it in to the drie, and it began to quappe befor his feet,’Tobitvi. 2-5.Ream(Sc.Dur.Cum.Yks.Lan.Lin.Nhp.Shr.), to shout, cry aloud, to weep, bewail,O.E.hrēman,M.E.rēmen:
A longeyng heuy me strok in swone,& rewfully þenne I con to reme.Pearl,ll. 1180, 1181,c.1360.
A longeyng heuy me strok in swone,& rewfully þenne I con to reme.Pearl,ll. 1180, 1181,c.1360.
A longeyng heuy me strok in swone,& rewfully þenne I con to reme.Pearl,ll. 1180, 1181,c.1360.
A longeyng heuy me strok in swone,
& rewfully þenne I con to reme.
Pearl,ll. 1180, 1181,c.1360.
Speer(Sc.Irel.Nhb.Dur.Lakel.Yks.Lan.Chs.Der.Nhp.Som.), to search out, to ask, inquire,O.E.spyrian,M.E.spürien,speren,spiren:
My will, myn herte and al my wittBen fully set to herkne and spireWhat eny man wol speke of hire.Gower,Confessio Amantis,Bk. VIII, ll. 1998-2000,c.1400.
My will, myn herte and al my wittBen fully set to herkne and spireWhat eny man wol speke of hire.Gower,Confessio Amantis,Bk. VIII, ll. 1998-2000,c.1400.
My will, myn herte and al my wittBen fully set to herkne and spireWhat eny man wol speke of hire.Gower,Confessio Amantis,Bk. VIII, ll. 1998-2000,c.1400.
My will, myn herte and al my witt
Ben fully set to herkne and spire
What eny man wol speke of hire.
Gower,Confessio Amantis,Bk. VIII, ll. 1998-2000,c.1400.
Shale(Dur.w.Yks.Nhp.e.An.Wil.Dor.), to walk crookedly or awkwardly, to shamble:
Schouelle-fotede was that schalke, and schaylande hyme semyde,With schankez vn-schaply, schowande to-gedyrs.Morte Arthure,ll. 1098, 1099,c.1420.
Schouelle-fotede was that schalke, and schaylande hyme semyde,With schankez vn-schaply, schowande to-gedyrs.Morte Arthure,ll. 1098, 1099,c.1420.
Schouelle-fotede was that schalke, and schaylande hyme semyde,With schankez vn-schaply, schowande to-gedyrs.Morte Arthure,ll. 1098, 1099,c.1420.
Schouelle-fotede was that schalke, and schaylande hyme semyde,
With schankez vn-schaply, schowande to-gedyrs.
Morte Arthure,ll. 1098, 1099,c.1420.
Chaucerian Survivals
Snib(Sc.Irel.Rut.Lei.Nhp.Bdf.), to check, restrain, rebuke,M.E.snibben:
Him wolde he snybbe scharply for the nones.Chaucer,Prologue,l.523.
Him wolde he snybbe scharply for the nones.Chaucer,Prologue,l.523.
Him wolde he snybbe scharply for the nones.Chaucer,Prologue,l.523.
Him wolde he snybbe scharply for the nones.
Chaucer,Prologue,l.523.
Swink(Sc.n.Cy.Yks.War.Hrf.Ken.), to work hard, labour, toil,O.E.swincan,M.E.swinken:
Or swynke with his handes, and laboure.Prologue,l.186.
Or swynke with his handes, and laboure.Prologue,l.186.
Or swynke with his handes, and laboure.Prologue,l.186.
Or swynke with his handes, and laboure.
Prologue,l.186.
The formswinked, oppressed, tired, also occurs, reminding us of Milton’s:
...what time the labour’d oxIn his loose traces from the furrow came,And the swink’t hedger at his supper sate.Comus,ll. 291-3.
...what time the labour’d oxIn his loose traces from the furrow came,And the swink’t hedger at his supper sate.Comus,ll. 291-3.
...what time the labour’d oxIn his loose traces from the furrow came,And the swink’t hedger at his supper sate.Comus,ll. 291-3.
...what time the labour’d ox
In his loose traces from the furrow came,
And the swink’t hedger at his supper sate.
Comus,ll. 291-3.
Thole(Sc.Irel.Nhb.Dur.Lakel.Yks.Lan.Stf.Der.), to bear, suffer, endure,O.E.þolian,M.E.tholien,tholen:
Ne sal nafre eft crist þolien deað for[to]lesen hem of deaðe.Ænes drihten helle brac his frend he ut brohteHim self he þolede deað for hem wel diere he hes bohte.Moral Ode,ll. 184-6,c.1170.
Ne sal nafre eft crist þolien deað for[to]lesen hem of deaðe.Ænes drihten helle brac his frend he ut brohteHim self he þolede deað for hem wel diere he hes bohte.Moral Ode,ll. 184-6,c.1170.
Ne sal nafre eft crist þolien deað for[to]lesen hem of deaðe.Ænes drihten helle brac his frend he ut brohteHim self he þolede deað for hem wel diere he hes bohte.Moral Ode,ll. 184-6,c.1170.
Ne sal nafre eft crist þolien deað for[to]lesen hem of deaðe.
Ænes drihten helle brac his frend he ut brohte
Him self he þolede deað for hem wel diere he hes bohte.
Moral Ode,ll. 184-6,c.1170.
Development of standard English ‘Wont’
Won(Sc.Nhb.Dur.Cum.Wm.Lan.Chs.Der.), to dwell, live,O.E.wunian,M.E.wunien,wunen, andwonen, withowritten foruas inN.E.come,love,&c.
A Schipman was ther, wonying fer by weste.Prologue,l.388.
A Schipman was ther, wonying fer by weste.Prologue,l.388.
A Schipman was ther, wonying fer by weste.Prologue,l.388.
A Schipman was ther, wonying fer by weste.
Prologue,l.388.
But in many districts this is said to be obsolescent in the dialects of to-day. The past participle of this verb,O.E.wunod,M.E.wuned, early came to be used in the sense of accustomed, for instance:
She never was to swiche gestes woned.Clerkes Tale,l.339.
She never was to swiche gestes woned.Clerkes Tale,l.339.
She never was to swiche gestes woned.Clerkes Tale,l.339.
She never was to swiche gestes woned.
Clerkes Tale,l.339.
Cp.‘Wunt, or vsyed:assuetus,’Promptorium Parvulorum. From this was developed the standard English formwont, which ought to be pronouncedwunt, but the graphicohas been taken for an originalo, and the spelling has influenced the pronunciation.Wontoccurs in a few of the Midland dialects as a verb meaning to familiarize, to domesticate, accustom, e.g. If you tek the cat, you’ll hev to butter her feet to wont her, an’ then it’s chanch if shay doon’t coom back ’ere agen (Lei.).Welk(Sc.n.Cy.Yks.Hrf.Bdf.Hrt.e.An.Ken.), to wither, to fade,M.E.welken:
An oðer drem cam him bi-foren,vii eares wexen fette of coren,On an busk, ranc and wel tidi,And vii lene rigt ðor-bi,Welkede, and smale.Genesis and Exodus,ll. 2103-7,c.1250.
An oðer drem cam him bi-foren,vii eares wexen fette of coren,On an busk, ranc and wel tidi,And vii lene rigt ðor-bi,Welkede, and smale.Genesis and Exodus,ll. 2103-7,c.1250.
An oðer drem cam him bi-foren,vii eares wexen fette of coren,On an busk, ranc and wel tidi,And vii lene rigt ðor-bi,Welkede, and smale.Genesis and Exodus,ll. 2103-7,c.1250.
An oðer drem cam him bi-foren,
vii eares wexen fette of coren,
On an busk, ranc and wel tidi,
And vii lene rigt ðor-bi,
Welkede, and smale.
Genesis and Exodus,ll. 2103-7,c.1250.
Another verb with the same meaning iswellow(Yks.), which occurs in Wyclif’s Bible: ‘The reed and the resshe shal welewen,’Isaiahxix. 6.Yawl(Sc.Cum.Yks.Lan.Lin.Lei.Nhp.War.e.An.Som.), to howl, to bawl, is found inSir Gawayne:
He[the boar]hurteȝ of þe houndeȝ, & þayFul ȝomerly ȝaule & ȝelle.ll. 1452, 1453.
He[the boar]hurteȝ of þe houndeȝ, & þayFul ȝomerly ȝaule & ȝelle.ll. 1452, 1453.
He[the boar]hurteȝ of þe houndeȝ, & þayFul ȝomerly ȝaule & ȝelle.ll. 1452, 1453.
He[the boar]hurteȝ of þe houndeȝ, & þay
Ful ȝomerly ȝaule & ȝelle.
ll. 1452, 1453.
The more common verb in this sense isyowl(gen. dial.use inSc.Irel.Eng.),cp.‘Y shal weile and ȝoule,’ Wyclif,Micahi. 8.
Wealth of old Verbs still surviving
The majority of the verbs given above are of such frequent occurrence in Old and Middle English, that to give just one quotation, chosen more or less at random, is apt to be misleading, yet space forbids any more exhaustive treatment. There are hundreds of these verbs still existing in the dialects, which could be illustrated from our older literature down the course of several centuries before they disappeared from the standard language. A few further examples are:greet(Sc.Irel.Nhb.Dur.Cum.Wm.Yks.Lan.Der.), to cry, weep,O.E.grǣtan;heald(Sh.I.n.Cy.Yks.), to lean, incline,O.E.hieldan;kythe(Sc.n.Cy.Nhb.Dur.Yks.), to make known, show, display,O.E.cȳðan;lofe(Sc.Cum.Wm.Yks.Lan.Chs.Stf.War.Shr.), to offer, offer at a price,O.E.lofian, to praise, to appraise, set a price on;pote(Sc.n.Cy.Cum.Wm.Yks.Lan.Chs.Der.Shr.Hrf.Glo.Som.Dev.Cor.), to kick, push with the hands or feet,O.E.potian;reese(I.W.Cor.), of grain: to drop out of the ear from over-ripeness,O.E.hrēosan, to fall down;lease(manydials.), to pick out, to glean,&c.,O.E.lesan, to gather, collect;mint(Sc.Irel.n.Cy.Nhb.Yks.Lan.Lin.Nhp.e.An.), to purpose, intend,&c.,O.E.myntan;retch(gen. dial.use inSc.andEng.), to stretch, extend,fig.to exaggerate, lie,O.E.reccan, to stretch, extend;sam(Wm.Yks.Lan.Der.Wor.), to gather or scrape together, to collect,O.E.samnian;smoor(Sc.Irel.Nhb.Dur.Lakel.Yks.Lan.Der.Lin.Lei.Nhp.e.An.), to smother, suffocate,O.E.smorian;tend(n.Cy.Wm.Lan.Chs.Stf.Nhp.Wor.Shr.Oxf.Som.Dev.Cor.), to kindle, light, setfire to,O.E.on-tendan;umbethink, orunbethink(Nhb.Lakel.Wm.Yks.Lan.Chs.Der.Lin.Shr.Dev.), to bethink oneself, to recollect,O.E.ymbeðencen, to think about, consider;walt(Sc.n.Cy.Yks.Lan.Chs.Der.Shr.Suf.), to totter, to lean to one side,O.E.wealtan, to roll, stagger.
Dialect Survivals in the Authorized Version
It is interesting to note how many of the archaic words of our Authorized Version of the Bible (1611) can be found remaining in the dialects. For example:blain(Sc.Dur.Yks.Lan.e.An.), a sore, an ulcer,O.E.blegen;bolled(Lin.Lei.), of corn or flax: ripe, in pod, in seed;botch(Yks.), a breaking-out on the skin;brickle(Yks.Lan.Chs.Nhp.Wor.Shr.Suf.Sur.Hmp.Dor.Som.), brittle, easily broken: ‘This man that of earthly matter maketh brickle vessels,’Wisdomxv. 13;chanel-bone(Lin.Som.), the collar-bone,Jobxxxi. 22, marginal note;charger(Yks.Chs.Sus.), a large platter, or meat-dish,A.Fr.chargeour;chest(Sc.Nhb.Suf.), to put into the coffin: ‘he[Jacob]dieth and is chested,’Gen.1, chapter heading;clout(var. dial.uses inSc.Irel.andEng.), a patch, a rag;cocker(Yks.Lan.Chs.Der.Lin.), to indulge, pamper: ‘Cocker thy child, and he shall make thee afraid,’Ecclus.xxx. 9;coney(Yks.Lin.e.An.Ken.Sus.Wil.Cor.), a rabbit;daysman(Sc.n.Cy.Nhb.), an arbitrator, an umpire;ear(n.Cy.Yks.Lei.Hrf.Ken.Wil.Som.), to till or plough land;fitches(gen. dial.use inSc.Irel.Eng.), vetches;leasing(Sc.Nhb.Yks.), lying, falsehood;let(Irel.Wm.Yks.Chs.Der.Lin.War.sw.Cy.), to hinder, impede;magnifical(Som.), grand, fine;marish(Sc.Irel.Yks.Chs.), a marsh,O.Fr.mareis;mote(Sc.Irel.Yks.I.W.sw.Cy.), an atom, a minute splinter of wood, or particle of straw;pill(Yks.Lan.Chs.Stf.Der.Not.Lin.Midl.Shr.e.An.Som.), to peel, strip off the outer bark;tabor(Chs.Stf.Lei.Nhp.War.Wor.Shr.Glo.), to rap, tap lightly;wist(Nhb.Yks.), knew, and known, in the phrasehad I wist(Nhb.Yks.Lan.), had I known,cp.:
For feare of foole had I wist cause thee to waile,let fisgig be taught to shut doore after taile.Tusser,Five Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie, 1580.
For feare of foole had I wist cause thee to waile,let fisgig be taught to shut doore after taile.Tusser,Five Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie, 1580.
For feare of foole had I wist cause thee to waile,let fisgig be taught to shut doore after taile.Tusser,Five Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie, 1580.
For feare of foole had I wist cause thee to waile,
let fisgig be taught to shut doore after taile.
Tusser,Five Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie, 1580.
Wrought(Sc.Irel.n.Cy.Der.Suf.), preterite of to work: worked, laboured. Some of these old words and expressions have become so common that they must now be counted as colloquialisms, as, for instance, the phraseaway with, meaning to endure, put up with: ‘The calling of assemblies I cannot away with,’Isaiahi. 13,cp.‘I can nat away with my wyfe, she is so heedy,je ne puis poynt durer auecques ma femme, elle est si testue,’ Palsgrave,c.1530. Another now commonplace word isado, which has been immortalized by Shakespeare’s use of it in the title of one of his plays. It occurs inMarkv. 39: ‘Why make ye this ado, and weep?’cp.‘Ado or gret bysynesse,sollicitudo,’Prompt. Parv.
Shakesperian Words in the Dialects
In the same way most of the obsolete Shakespearian words can still be traced in the dialects. The Shakespeare-Bacon theory, if not too dead and gone to be worth further combat, could easily be completely overthrown by any one who chose to array against it the convincing mass of evidence which proves Shakespeare’s intimate acquaintance with the Warwickshire dialect. Numbers of the words and phrases which Shakespeare used, and which we have since lost, still exist in his native county, and in the other counties bordering on Warwickshire. Some of them were at that date part and parcel of the standard vocabulary, and might be put by Shakespeare into the mouths of his highest personages; others again must even then have been regarded by him as dialect, and natural only to the speech of lower folk. It is Corporal Nym who saysshogfor move, jog: ‘Will you shog off?’Hen. V,II.i. 47; ‘Shall we shog? the king will be gone from Southampton,’Hen. V,II.iii. 47. It is a serving-man who uses the phraseto sowl by the ears: ‘He’ll go, he says, and sowl the porter of Rome gates by the ears,’Cor.IV.v. 213; and it is Mistress Quickly, the hostess of a tavern, who calls herself a ‘lone woman’ when she means she is a widow: ‘A hundred mark is a long one for a poor lone woman to bear,’2 Hen. IV,II.i. 35. But to classify after this sort all the old words in Shakespeare would entail aclassification of all the characters in the plays, and would thus be outside the scope of this book. I cannot therefore do more than give examples massed together irrespective of the question whether they were literary words or not in Shakespeare’s time:
Bavin, a bundle of brushwood, a faggot,cp.: