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The following quote is by Turner (1509 – 1568), and to me, the spelling is incomprehensible. If the passage is re-written using spelling rules closer to those rules used in the present day, then how would the passage of text be spelled? We might go farther than changing the spelling. Additionally, we seek to know what is the meaning of the text, in contemporary language, such that someone not college-educated might understand it?

Of the apples of mandrake, if a man smell of them thei will make hym slepe and also if they be eaten. But they that smell to muche of the apples become dum . . . thys herbe diverse wayes taken is very jepardus for a man and may kill hym if he eat it or drynk it out of measure and have no remedy from it.... If mandragora be taken out of measure, by and by slepe ensueth and a great lousing of the streyngthe with a forgetfulness.'

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    "Expelling"? Is that a typo for "spelling"?
    – Barmar
    Commented Oct 10, 2023 at 4:14
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    I’m voting to close this question because asking for something to be rewritten is off-topic. Identify a specific feature of the passage you are having trouble with and ask a question about that.
    – Stuart F
    Commented Oct 10, 2023 at 8:56

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In modern spelling:

Of the apples of mandrake; if a man smell(s) of them, they will make him sleep, and also if they be eaten. But they that smell too much of the apples become dumb... this herb, diverse ways taken, is very jeopardous for a man and may kill him if he eat(s) or drink~(s) it out of measure and have (has) no remedy for it... If mandragora be taken out of measure, by and by sleep ensueth (ensues), and a great losing of the strength with a forgetfulness.

(Dumb = mute, not stupid. 'Jeopardous' isn't used today.)

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A poor and sorry attempt at translating the text into contemporary English is shown below:

There is a plant named "Mandrake". If a person heavily breaths in vapors from made from the fruit of the mandrake, then the vapors of mandrake fruit juice will make the man sleep. Also, if a person p eats the the root, then the eating the root will make a man sleep. People who breathe in too many odors from fruit of mandrake become unable to speak or form words. This here diverse ways taken is very dangerous for a man [sic]. It is possible that breathing in the vapors or eating fruit of the mandrake will kill a person if the person does not measure the amount carefully. It is possible that breathing in the vapors or eating fruit of the mandrake will kill a person if the person does not measure the amount carefully if the person has no emetic or antidote with them. If a person eats or sniffs a lot of mandragora, the person might fall asleep, lose the strength to move their arms and legs, and forget what happened while they were under the influence of the mandragora fruit.'

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  • Are you a native English speaker? "the eating the root" is not very idiomatic.
    – Barmar
    Commented Oct 10, 2023 at 4:15
  • "out of measure" means "to excess". That is, if he eats or drinks too much of it. (It doesn't matter how carefully you've measured an overdose.) And it reads "this herb", not "this here". This herb, taken in various ways, is very dangerous for a man.
    – TimR
    Commented Oct 10, 2023 at 10:02

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