Awhile back I wrote a blog entry on reading 15th/16th century English. I thought I’d follow up with another offering, except it’s not just more 15th/16th century English. Instead, it’s English from that period from Scotland. A whole different ballgame. Rather than delay the inevitable, let’s have a go at it.First, we take a look at The warkis of the famous and worthy Knicht Schir David Lydesay of the Mont Alias, Lyon king of Irmes (1574). The book is a commentary on Biblical and theological issues with a lot of opinion mixed in. Near the beginning he offers an account of “The miserabill Transgresioun of Adam.” The spelling her should give you an idea that this will be some rough sledding
Most of the book with the exception of the preface is printed in black letter, what we would now call “Old English.” Depending on the font it can be difficult to read, sometimes not. Here’s what he has to say about Adam:
Father, how happinit ye mischanced (Quod I) schaw me the circumstance:
Declare me that cairfull care,
How Adam lost that pleasand place from him, and his succession.
E. (Quod he) efter my rude Ingyne,
I sall rehers the that rewyne:
Queen God the Plasmatour of all,
Into the Heuin Emperiall:
Did creat all the Angellis bricht,
He maid ane Angell most of micht.
To quhome he gain preeminence,
Abuse Thame all in Sapience:
Because all other he did prefer,
Namit he wes bricht Lucifer.
He was so plesand and so fair,
He thoucht him self without compair:
And grew so gay, and glorious,
He gan to be presumpteous.
And thoucht that he wild set his fait,
Into the North, and mak debait:
Again the Maieste Deuyne,
Quhilk wes the cause of his rewyne…… (pp. 27-28)
It will take more than a stiff drink to translate this little bit but I’ll give it a go:
Father, how happened you mischanced (Quoted I) [to] show me the circumstance:
Declare [to] me that careful care,
How Adam lost that pleasant place from him, and his succession.
He (Quoted he) after my rude engine,
I shall rehearse that ruin:
When God the Plasmator [creator] of all,
Into the Heaven Imperial:
Did create all the Angels bright,
To whom he gave preeminence,
Imbued them all in Sapience [wisdom]:
Because all other he did prefer,
Named he was bright Lucifer.
He was so pleasant and so fair,
He thought himself without compare:
And grew so gay, and glorious,
He began to be presumptuous.
And though that he would set his fate,
Into the North, and make debate:
Again the Majesty Divine,
Which was the cause of his ruin.
Right off the bat there are several differences here between English English and Scottish English. Considering the date of publication (1574) the Scottish English here has some Germanic elements such as the use of “ch” for “gh” as in “bricht” instead of “bright.” The letters “t” and “d” are also often transposed. One other oddity is that instead of spelling words that in modern English would have a “wh” instead have “Qu.” For example, “Queen” instead of “when” and “quhome” instead of “whom.”
Let’s take a look at another text. This is from The Palis of Honoure by Gawayne Douglas (1553):
Quhairfore my seluyn was richt fore aghast.
This wilderness abominable and wast
(In quahom na thing wes nature confortand)
Was dyrk as toyk the quhilk the see upcast,
The quhislyng wynd blew mony byttir blast,
Runtis tat lit and oneth myght I stand,
Out throu the code I crap on fut and hand,
The tyuar stank, the trees clattreyt fast,
The soil was not bot marres, slyik, and sand.
Whew. This will be tricky:
Wherefore my soul was right for aghast.This wilderness abominable and vast
(in whom nothing was nature comforted)
Was dark as took that which the sea upcast,
The whistling wind blew many bitter blast,
R that light and only might I stand,
Out through the cold I crept on foot and hand,
The air stank, the trees clattered fast,
The soil was not but marsh, slick, and sand.
I may not have gotten it all correctly, but I think it’s pretty close. If you read the original spelling out loud you can hear the Scottish accent. Give it a try.
One more, this from The three Tailes of the three Priests of Peblis (1603) which records some bawdy tales about the clergy.
This pamphlet has two columns on each page, one in black letter and one in Roman font, each telling a different story. One of the stories in the Roman font begins:
Thair was a ritch man, quhilk lay fair sick in his bed like to die, quhairfoir his eldest sone came to him and besechit him to giue him his blessing. To quhome the Father said, Son, thou sal have Gods blessing and myne, and becaus thou has bene euer rude of condicions I giue and bequeath the al my Land. To quhome he answered and said: nay Father, I trust ze sall lyue and occupy them your self be Gods grace.
This text isn’t as bad to modernize so I’ll give it a try:
There was a rich man, which lay fair sick in his bed like to die, wherefore his eldest son came to him and beseeched him to give him his blessing. To whom the Father said, Son, thou shall have God’s blessing and mine, and because thou has been ever rude of conditions I give and bequeath thee all my Land. To whom he answered and said: nay, Father, I trust ye shall live and occupy them yourself be God’s grace.
There are a few interesting things in this text. As with the previous example “qu” replaces “w” in words such as “which.” Also, the letter “z” replaces “y.” The reason for that is a leftover from Old and Middle English. A now extinct letter that looks like a thunderbolt was used for “y.” The upper part of the letter looks like a “z.” As with other early texts “u” and “v” are transposed, and words such as “condition” are spelled “condicion,” a “c” replacing a soft “t.”
