Yesterday's Words

Myne woorcke creepeth a head veary hoverly.

Yes it does.

Wednesday I only got six pages edited and formatted.

What? You didn’t catch that first sentence?

It’s is perfectly clear 16^th Century English; it says, “ My work creeps ahead very slowly”.

But it says that in the style of the English language used in the diaries of Richard Rogers and Samuel Ward, two puritans of the Elizabethan era.

Ward was one of the translators of the King James Bible.

Back on December 28, 2006, “We Are Party People” and on January 3, 2007, “Fun In My World” (see my blog archives in the sidebar) I wrote blog postings about my work on these diaries.

Working with photocopies of a 1933 transcript, I am trying to turn the diaries into readable English for today’s readers.

What fun!

So many words have changed spelling since 1587 that as I entered these diaries in Word on my computer, Clippie, that little talking paperclip man on the Help menu, pops out and says, “There are too many spelling and grammatical errors in Rogers.doc to continue displaying them. To check the spelling and grammar of this document, chose Spelling and Grammar from the TOOLS menu”.

Thus, Word refuses to underline misspellings in red.

So I have to change them myself. One at a time.

Words like: godes, inioy, whi, thei, maryed, thinck, and lookeinge.

Which mean: God’s, enjoy, why, they, married, think, and looking.

Yes, words do change.

Even today.

Why, when a young lady offered to show me her bling, I got all excited till I found out she was showing nothing but a stupid charm bracelet!

So I am updating Ward’s and Rogers’ Elizabethan language as best I can.

I hope to make these diaries readable for people today because they show each writer’s walk with Christ; therefore, they help me in my own walk.

Few books help me more than the diaries, journals (and blogs) of other Christians. And when I read my own diaries from years past, they help me live my life today a little better.

Seeing where I’ve been helps me see where I’m going.

Richard Rogers enjoyed that same experience

On September 2, 1587, Rogers read some of his own past journal entries and said:

And lookeinge backe, I acknowledge that my course hath been farre unbeseeminge one who hath so longe geven name to the gospel …. Oh what had become of me if God had put me to my plundge in many trials as he might have done? For I had been utterly unable to have stood. Would it might please the lord to geve me cause of greater reioiceinge hereafter, and that I may keepe in this harty and sensible feeleinge of care, watch fulness and vew of mine estatee that I might nether covertly desire to inioy that liberty which I could not soundly approve to my conscience in pleasure and profits. … For my mind hath been all the daye longue with the lorde.

In my blog archives (on the sidebar) for January 3, 2006, “I Owe A Debt To Dracula”, I wrote about how I’ve kept a daily journal for 25+ years and what my diary means to me in daily life.

That’s why I’m slugging through these ancient papers to make them available to modern readers. We are all in the same boat.

———

My mind is going!

Each morning I pack Ginny’s lunch for her to take to work. This morning I realized that I’d packed the last breakfast bun and would need more to finish out the week.

I called my daughter Jennifer and asked her to drive me to the grocery store for some breakfast buns.

While I was in Publix, I bought a few extra things since I was already there, essentials like carrots and ice cream.

Paid $25 for two sacks of groceries.

Got home and found I had forgot to buy any breakfast buns. Not a one. And that’s the only reason I’d gone to the store in the first place.

I need to get my mind out of the 16^th Century and into this one.