Questions tagged [early-modern-english]
Early Modern English was used from the late 15th century to the mid to late 17th century.
169
questions
15
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4answers
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…down the primrose path
What is the origin of primrose used in the idiom primrose path, as defined by the Oxford Online Dictionary?
primrose path
The pursuit of pleasure, especially when it is seen to bring ...
3
votes
2answers
93 views
History of Neither Nor - Negative Meaning with Negative Verb Structure
I know that neither–nor yields a negative meaning if used in a sentence that has a positive verb structure. That is, when we say:
Neither George nor James goes to school.
we mean:
George does ...
-1
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0answers
25 views
What does “That she belov'd knows nought that knows not this:” mean and why does it begin with “That”?
In Act I, scene 2 of Troilus and Cressida, Cressida uses a double negation.
Women are angels, wooing:
Things won are done; joy's soul lies in the doing.
That she belov'd knows nought ...
0
votes
1answer
54 views
“in like manner” v. “in the like manner”
1."in like manner"
or
2."in the like manner"
I thought that the latter is correct, but more digging points to the former.
In Leviathan,of Hobbes, in like manner is used twenty five times, whereas ...
18
votes
3answers
3k views
What is the olden name for sideburns?
Upon search, I found out that sideburns has evolved from burnsides, named after the Civil War veteran and Rhode Island senator Ambrose Burnside. See here
But surely sideburns existed before him, so ...
2
votes
2answers
140 views
Articles before “covenant”?
As I was going through Leviathan I realized that in some places Hobbes left an article before covenant, despite not placing the word in quotation marks:
1. "God is King of all the Earth by his Power: ...
2
votes
0answers
41 views
Why there is no article before “heire”? [duplicate]
The following passage is from All's Well That Ends Well:
Shee is young, wise, faire,
In these, to Nature shee's immediate heire:
And these breed honour:
According to the research I did on Cambridge ...
1
vote
0answers
30 views
Is capitalization of the personal pronoun “I” a modern thing in English? [duplicate]
In an answer to a question I asked, the user included an extract from a text seemingly written in older English. Not Old English, but definitely older English, made evident by the fact it spelled e.g. ...
3
votes
1answer
188 views
Why do some early modern English writers use an apostrophe in art (ar't)?
For example, in Verses upon the duke of Buckinghams returne from the Ile of Rees (https://www.english.cam.ac.uk/ceres/ehoc/lessons/lesson1/index.html) the poet spells "art" as "ar't" in the phrase "...
5
votes
1answer
132 views
What was the pronunciation of the a in “trap” in early to mid Modern English in the UK?
I have often read that in Old and Middle English the "a" sound in words like "trap" was pronouned /a/. When it comes to modern English, Wikipedia suggests that this was raised to /æ/ in early Modern ...
3
votes
1answer
52 views
How is “ought” used in this King James Bible verse?
There's a use of the word "ought" from the Bible I don't understand.
I've highlighted the relevant word:
Acts 4:32
And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: ...
3
votes
1answer
94 views
Devil take the hindmost!
I came across the following old proverb in which I noticed that a bare infinitive verb is used after a singular subject.
Devil take ...
5
votes
2answers
552 views
What is the possessive case and the objective case of “ye?”
I know very well that archaically, "thou" is the nominative case for the modern day "you" while "thee" is the accusative case and that there is no distinction between the nominative and accusative ...
0
votes
1answer
71 views
Looking for a list of hapax legomena that have lost their meanings over time [closed]
These are words that have lost their meanings over time and can't be reconstructed from context, as it only appeared in that context once and not in others. I've searched with Google but came up empty....
3
votes
2answers
509 views
Origin of “rank hath its privileges”
It's often seen with "has," but the frequent appearance of "hath" suggests the saying may be much, much older. Early Modern English always suggests Shakespeare to me, but my Google-fu hath failed me ...
1
vote
2answers
412 views
Shakespeare's Macbeth “Conduct me to (mine) host” Mine host vs My Host
The first time I heard "mine host" in Shakespeare's Macbeth, I went to Wiktionary to see if it once was used instead of "my," however, I ended up with that it should not be followed by a noun but ...
1
vote
0answers
66 views
a conditional sentence with “had + past participle” in both the apodosis and the protasis
In older texts one finds this construction, which one may be tempted to call the past conditional second form (after the example of le conditionnel passé deuxième forme):
If you had lied to me, I ...
1
vote
3answers
222 views
Early Modern English: Shakespearean Insult [duplicate]
I think many are familiar with the famous line from Shakespeare:
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more
temperate.
What I seek to do is keep the analogy but change ...
3
votes
1answer
265 views
Conjugation of 'shall' in Early Modern English
In Shakespeare's Macbeth, the Third Witch says to Banquo: "Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none" (1.3.65); if I want to quote that line and write it in the third person singular, how should I ...
0
votes
2answers
132 views
What is the meaning of 'plain' dangerous?
I watched a movie and found a line saying:
It's just plain dangerous. They carry different diseases than we do.
I am wondering what the meaning of 'plain' dangerous is?
I checked Cambridge ...
90
votes
4answers
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Is that an “r” in “worship” in a text from 1591?
I was trying to see how the Spanish word merced was translated into English in the 16th century, when I found this entry in a dictionary from 1591 by Richard Percyvall:
I understand that the second ...
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1answer
89 views
Is there any evidence for “altercate” ever having been pronounced with stress on the second syllable?
In modern English, polysyllabic verbs ending in -ate are regularly stressed on the third-to-last syllable. (There are some (possible) exceptions, such as incarnate, impregnate, and elongate.)
But it ...
1
vote
2answers
185 views
What's the meaning of 'mean for sport' in a line from the movie, “The Help”?
I watched a great movie, The Help, released in 2011 and starring Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Jessica Chastain, and Octavia Spencer.
In the movie, there is a scene in which there is a conversation about ...
9
votes
2answers
358 views
How old is the practice of hyphenating compound adjectives?
In Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part One at 1.3.230 Hotspur refers to Hal contemptuously as
that same sword-and-buckler Prince of Wales
At Internet Shakespeare Editions the “Modern” ...
0
votes
3answers
100 views
The meaning of the dance title “All In a Garden Green”
There is a 17th century English dance/tune named "All in a Garden Green" (first published in John Playford's The English Dancing Master in 1651).
What is the most probable exact meaning of the title? ...
1
vote
1answer
176 views
Renaissance pronunciation of “thither”: θiðr or ðiðr?
I've seen the thread on voiced/unvoiced "thither," but it doesn't quite answer the question.
It seems like maybe the word began falling out of regular speech right around the time initial "th" was ...
2
votes
1answer
327 views
Third person present and past in King James Bible
I am currently reading the Gospel According to John in a King James Version of the Bible, and I cannot understand the use of the third person singular in some of the verses:
1:38 Then Jesus turned, ...
0
votes
0answers
44 views
Capitalization in 18th Century English [duplicate]
I have often wondered about the (seemingly) arbitrary capitalization of words in 17th & 18th century English, and again today, came across this quote by Edmund Burke in Sylvia Nasar's Grand ...
2
votes
1answer
349 views
Meaning of “care” in “ my care is like a shadow in the sun”
In the poem “On Monsieur’s Departure” attributed to Queen Elizabeth I of England, we find this passage:
My care is like my shadow in the sun
Follows me flying, flies when I pursue it,
Stands ...
0
votes
2answers
740 views
Why is it “Who be ye?” and not “Who are ye?” in archaic forms of English?
When I was looking for “ye” in a dictionary, I stumbled upon the phrase “Who be ye?”. But why is it “Who be ye?” and not “Who are ye?”? The modern equivalent of “ye” would be “you”, wouldn’t it? “Who ...
5
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3answers
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What is the grammar behind 'if either thee dislike'?
This sentence appears in Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet':
Juliet:
My ears have yet drunk a hundred words,
Of thy tone's uttering, and yet I know the sound.
Art thou not Romeo, and a Montague?
Romeo:
...
0
votes
2answers
368 views
'Anytime' and 'ever'
Actually I am a non native English speaker, of course I may come across many confusion but I don't care of those much,but curious some times to know about the things.
I know the meaning of 'Ever' ...
0
votes
1answer
143 views
Problem with “mine” while translating this phrase into early modern english
I'm translating a certain phrase from Japanese, and its roughly equivalent would be:
"It seems like it is my victory in this game as well"
Except for the fact the pronoun used to attribute "mine" ...
6
votes
1answer
239 views
Did 'lawyer' have a broader meaning in Shakespeare's time?
In Act 4, Scene 2 of Shakespeare's Henry VI, Part 2, Dick the butcher, one of Jack Cade's rebels, shouts:
The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers.
The rebels bring in the clerk of ...
1
vote
3answers
2k views
Appearances and usage of “believe on” instead of “believe in.”
I am curious as to how much "believe on" has been preferred in over "believe in," and how much it has appeared in writing and manuscripts. I know the King James Bible uses it in only two books of its ...
2
votes
1answer
120 views
What is the meaning of “yea, marie”?
The preface to John Calvin's Sermons on Deuteronomy says this:
For sufficient proofe whereof, and to the end it should not be thought that we do wrongfully & without cause giue inkling of the ...
22
votes
1answer
1k views
What is the meaning of “Apcie”?
On John Calvin's Sermons on Deuteronomy, he says:
"Not that god bringeth in any newe thing here: but for that he blameth the people for their foresaid lewdness, shewing that his doctrine had ben ...
4
votes
1answer
230 views
Is “Be ye…” subjunctive or imperative?
In Early Modern English, the second person plural (singular) declensions were:
Nominative: - Ye (Thou)
Oblique: - You (Thee)
--and--
Genitive: Your (Thy & Thine) & Yours' (...
3
votes
0answers
224 views
Does Early Modern English Have Ablative Case? [closed]
I was thinking the other day, and a phrase popped into my mind that sounds as if I have heard it before, and I quickly realized it is not grammatically correct {on the surface.} It is:
"Get thee mee ...
2
votes
2answers
723 views
In Early Modern English, is “beest” subjunctive or dialectal?
I am looking for better ways to translate between German and English, and I prefer Early Modern Engliſh, as a mode of speech, but mainly in written form, and I found out the other day that the ...
15
votes
4answers
1k views
Does “goodly” in this sentence in Hamlet mean “considerable” or "pleasing?
In Hamlet there is the following conversation:
GUILDENSTERN: Prison, my lord!
HAMLET: Denmark's a prison.
ROSENCRANTZ: Then is the world one.
HAMLET: A goodly one; in which there are ...
4
votes
2answers
461 views
What's up with the -es/-eth inconsistency in “O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus”?
This hymn was written more than a century ago, back when more people were aware of how Early Modern English arranged its conjugations. But in the second verse, there appears to be an inconsistency ...
2
votes
1answer
744 views
Meaning of “He is a fool that lovers prove”
I struggle to understand the meaning of the song "Though Philomela lost her love" by Thomas Morley. The song was published in 1602.
The lyric is:
Though Philomela lost her love,
fresh note she ...
7
votes
2answers
1k views
What does the word “wind” mean in this John Donne poem?
“Go and Catch a Falling Star”, by John Donne
Go and catch a falling star,
Get with child a mandrake root,
Tell me where all past years are,
Or who cleft the devil's foot,
Teach me to ...
10
votes
6answers
2k views
“Fool” meaning “baby”
The word is "fool."
The OED has been no help on this, but my copy of Hamlet makes reference to its having the meaning "baby" so when Polonius says "You'll tender me a fool" he is cautioning Ophelia ...
4
votes
1answer
150 views
“I no whitt reck”: Understanding this archaic line from Edmund Spenser's Faerie Queene
In this stanza from Edmund Spenser's 'Faerie Queene', I'm not sure what 'I no whitt reck' means, would appreciate any clarification.
‘O! but I feare the fickle freakes,’ quoth shee,
‘Of Fortune ...
4
votes
1answer
679 views
What is the meaning of 'wottest'?
I am interested in early versions of English, and while reading I've often encountered the word wottest being used. For example:
Then he said, "Galahad, son, wottest thou what I hold between my ...
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votes
1answer
334 views
What does the translator mean in English in this translation of a verse by the Urdu poet Ghalib? [closed]
Here is the translation of a verse by Ghalib [1797–1869], originally written1 in the Urdu language:
Neither Asad besought cruelty,
nor was thy tyranny fond of the insanity;
to whatever extent ...
1
vote
2answers
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If “thy” is an informal pronoun, then why does The Lord's Prayer use it to refer to God? [duplicate]
The commonly used version of this Christian prayer comes from the King James Bible
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come,...
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votes
4answers
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Word for a person who is always lying? [duplicate]
What is the most suitable word for a person who doesn't feel shame in telling a lie? Or is always lying?
Is 'Proud Liar' a good word?
