This is the introductory material from Robert Cawdrey's 1604 dictionary A Table Alphabeticall.
See the main entry under A Table Alphabeticall for details about the content.
To the right honourable,
Worshipfull, vertuous, & godlie
Ladies, the Lady Hastings, the Lady
Dudley, the Lady Mountague, the Ladie
Wingfield, and the Lady Leigh, his Christian friends,
R. C. wisheth great prosperitie in this
life, with increase of grace, and peace from GOD
our Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord and
onely Saviour.
By this Table (right Honourable & Worshipfull) strangers that blame our tongue
of difficultie, and uncertaintie may heereby plainly see, & better understand those
things, which they have thought hard. Heerby
also the true Orthography, that is, the true
writing of many hard English words, borrowed
from the Greeke, Latine & French, and how to
know one from the other, with the interpretation thereof by plaine English words, may be learned and knowne. And children heerby may be
prepared for the understanding of a great number of Latine words: which also will bring much
delight & judgement to others, by the use of this
little worke. Which worke, long ago for the most
part, was gathered by me, but lately augmented
by my sonne Thomas, who now is Schoolemaister in London.
The Epistle
Now when I had called to mind (right honorable and Worshipfull) the great kindnesse, and
bountifulnes, which I found in that vertuous &
godly Lady, Lucie Harington, your Honours
and Worships mother, and my especiall friend in
the Lord. When, and at such time as the right
Worshipfull Sir James Harington Knight,
your Ladiships brother was my scholler, (and
now my singuler benefactor) when I taught the
Grammer schoole at Okeham in the County of
Rutland: In consideration whereof, and also
for that I acknowledge my selfe much beholding
and indebted to the most of you, since this time,
(beeing all naturall sisters) I am bold to make
you all joyntly patrons heereof, and under your
names to publish this simple worke. And thus
praying, that God of his unspeakeable mercies,
will blesse both your Honors and Worships, I doe
with all good wishes to you all, with all yours, as
to mine owne soule, humbly take my leave. Coventry this xxvii of June. 1604.
Your Honors and Worships, ever
ready in Christ Jesus to be commaunded, Robert Cawdrey.
To the Reader
Such as by their place and calling,
(but especially
Preachers) as have occasion to speak publiquely before the
ignorant people, are to bee admonished, that they never affect any strange
ynckhorne termes1, but labour to speake so
as is commonly received, and so as the most
ignorant may well understand them: neyther seeking to be over fine or curious, nor
yet living over carelesse, using their speech,
as most men doe, & ordering their wits, as
the fewest have done. Some men seek so far
for
outlandish English, that they forget altogether their mothers language, so that if
some of their mothers were alive, they were
not able to tell, or understand what they say,
and yet these fine English Clearks, will say
they speak in their
mother tongue; but one
might well charge them, for counterfeyting
the
Kings English. Also, some far journied
gentlemen, at their returne home, like as they
love to go in forraine apparrell, so they will
pouder their talke with over-sea language.
He that commeth lately out of
France, will
talk
French English, and never
blush at the
matter. Another chops in with English
Italianated, and applyeth the
Italian phrase to
our English speaking, the which is, as if an
Orator, that professeth to utter his minde in
plaine Latine, would needs speake Poetrie,
& far fetched colours of strange antiquitie.
Doth any wise man think, that wit resteth in
strange words, or els standeth it not in wholsome matter, and apt declaring of a mans
mind? Do we not speak, because we would
have other to understand us? or is not the
tongue given for this end, that one might
know what another meaneth? Therefore,
either wee must make a difference of English, & say, some is learned English, &
othersome is rude English, or the one is Court
talke, the other is Country-speech, or els we
must of necessitie banish all affected Rhetorique, and use altogether one manner of
language. Those therefore that will avoyde
this follie, and acquaint themselves with the
plainest & best kind of speech, must seeke
from time to time such words as are commonlie
received, and such as properly may expresse
in plaine manner, the whole
conceit of their
mind. And looke what words wee best understand, and know what they meane, the
same should soonest be spoken, and first applied, to the uttrance of our purpose. Therfore for this end, foure things would chiefly
be observed in the choise of wordes. First,
that such words as wee use, should be proper unto the tongue wherein we speake. Againe, that they be plaine for all men to perceive. Thirdly, that they be apt and meete,
most properly to set out the matter. Fourthlie, that words translated, from one signification to another, (called of the Grecians
Tropes,) be used to beautifie the sentence, as
precious stones are set in a ring, to commend
the gold. Now such are thought apt words,
that properly agree unto that thing, which
they signifie, and plainly expresse the nature
of the same. Therefore, they that have regard of their estimation and credite, do warily speake, & with choise, utter words most
apt for their purpose. In waightie causes,
grave wordes are thought most needfull,
that the greatnes of the matter, may the rather appeare, in the vehemencie of theyr
talke. So likewise of other, like order must
be taken.
Albeit some, not onely doe not
observe this kind of aptnesse, but also they
fall into much fondnes, by using words out
of place, and applying them to divers matters, without all discretion.
If thou be desirous (
gentle Reader) rightly and readily to understand, and to profit
by this Table, and such like, then thou must
learne the
Alphabet, to wit, the order of the
Letters as they stand, perfecty without
booke, and where every Letter standeth: as
(b) neere the beginning, (n) about the middest, and (t) toward the end. Nowe if the
word, which thou art desirous to finde, begin with (a) then looke in the beginning of
this Table, but if with (v) looke towards
the end. Againe, if thy word beginne with
(ca) looke in the beginning of the letter (c)
but if with (cu) then looke toward the end
of that letter. And so of all the rest. &c.
And further understand, that whereas all
such words as are derived & drawne from the
Greek, are noted with this letter, (g) . And
the French are marked thus (f) but such
words as are derived from the latin, have no
marke at all.
1 An "ynckhorne" is an inkhorn, or inkwell, and "ynckhorne termes" are the kind of arcane or obscure words and phrases which a scholar might use, but which never turn up in normal speech. -- explained at http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/savinglight-1.html