168 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 279. 



of Words, as the most copious English dictionaries 

 produced about that time. In using these two 

 books I had often been struck with the remark- 

 able similarity of the explanations of obsolete 

 words, and concluded that one must have copied 

 from the other, or else both from some common 

 source. 



Mr. Wat's question led me to examine more 

 closely. My first reference was to Blount's Glos- 

 sograpkia, of which the only edition accessible to 

 me at present is the fifth, printed in 1681. In 

 this Gowts does not appear, but we have " Goutes, 

 common sinks or sewers." Of the other words 

 mentioned by Me. Way we have the following 

 only : — Hames, Heck, Mond, Paisage, Posade, 

 Spraints, Tanacles, Ruttier, Wreedt, Bagatell, 

 Berry (explained thus, "a dwelling-place or 

 court : the chief house of a manor, or the lord's 

 seat, is so called in some parts of England to this 

 day, especially in Herefordshire, where there are 

 the Berries of Luston, Stockton," &c.), Griffe 

 graffe, Himple, Tampoon, Vaudevil. I concluded, 

 therefore, that this could not be the dictionary 

 cited. I then turned to Edward Phillips's New 

 World of Words, or a General English Dictionary, 

 the third edition, 1671, fol. Here Gowts does 

 not appear in any form, but all the other words, 

 with exactly the explanations cited by Skinner ; 

 so that I at once concluded that it must be the 

 first edition of this book which he quotes, and iu 

 which probably the author's name does not appear, 

 but merely his initials E. P., and it is possible 

 that Goivts would there be found. 



It appears that the first edition of Blount's 

 Glossographia was published in 1656, and in 

 1658 the first edition of Phillips's World of 

 Words. There was naturally a rivalry between 

 the two publications. Not having any of the 

 earlier editions of the Glossographia at hand, I 

 cannot say who commenced the attack, but in the 

 preface to this third edition of the World of 

 Words, Phillips thus glances at some of the defects 

 of his rival : 



" I do not deny, indeed, but that there are many words 

 in this book (though fewer than in other books of this 

 kind) which I would not recommend to any for the purity 

 or reputation of them ; but withall I have set my mark 

 upon them, to beware of them either in discourse or 

 writing ; and if any of them have chanc't to have escap't 

 the Obelisk, there can arise no other inconvenience from 

 it but an occasion to exercise the choice and judgement 

 of the reader (especially being forewarned), who if he 

 have a fancj' capable to judge of the harmony of words, 

 and their musical cadence, cannot but discern when a 

 word falls naturally from the Latin termination, when 

 forc't and torn from it, as Imbellick, which might indeed 

 come from Jmbellicus, if any such word were ; but how 

 they can handsomely deduce it from ImhelHs, is hard to 

 resolve ; if this be bad, imprescriptible is worse, being de- 

 rived neither I nor anybody else know how, since Pra- 

 scriptuns is the nearest they can go. Nor less to be ex- 

 ploded is the word Suicide, which may as well seem to 

 participate of Sus, a sow, as from Sid. There are also, 



worth the pains of avoiding, certain kind of mule-words, 

 propagated of a Latin sire and Greek dam, such as Acri- 

 logie, Aurigraphy, and others ejusdem farince." 



Now these words are to be found in Blount's 

 Glossographia ; and smarting under this mild 

 censure, and perhaps from being interfered with 

 by a learned and able rival, it appears that he 

 published a pamphlet in 1673 in folio, so that it 

 might be bound with his rival's book, under the 

 following title : 



" A World of Errors discovered in the New World of 

 Words, or General English Dictionary ; and Nomothetes, 

 or the Interpreter of th§ Law." 



The Nomothetes being also a rival publication to 

 Blount's Law Dictionary. This pamphlet I have 

 not seen. 



Skinner, although he has so copiously availed 

 himself of Phillips in regard to obsolete words, 

 has not been grateful to him, but deals out his 

 censure on many occasions. Thus in voce 



" Borith, Author! Diet. Angl. apud quern solum occurrit, 

 exp. herba qua fnUones maculas pannis eximunt ; utinam 

 vulgatius herbse nomen protulisset, vel cujus provinciae 

 propria sit, hsec vox nam certfe communis non est, osten- 

 disset ; interim proclive et justum est ipsum banc, ut et 

 multas alias, ex proprio cerebro finxisse existimare." 



Under the word Cosh, after giving the explan- 

 ation of Phillips, he says : " ridicule ut solet 

 omnia ; " and under Dag he thus breaks out : 



" Vox qui hoc sensu in solo Diet. Angl. occurrit, ubi 

 notare est miserrimam Authoris ignorantiam, qui Tor- 

 mentum bellicum manuariura minus a pistoll exponit, et 

 dictum putat h Dacis, qui primi hoc armorum genere usi 

 sunt. Imb ultimi omnium Europae populorum. v. Dag, 

 in Et. Gen." 



We turn to Dagger in the Etymol. Generale, and 

 find the absurdity on the part of Skinner, who 

 there says : 



" Author Diet. Angl. Dag et Dagger, k Dacis gente 

 nobili dicta putat, quod unde resciverit nescio. Satis 

 feliciter alludit Gr. ®riy<a, Acuo ! " 

 Under the word Collock Skinner says: ''Credo 

 igitur Authorem hie, ut fere semper, somniasse ; '^| 

 and under Rigols, " Author somniando, ut solet," 

 &c. In other places, "pro more Authoris exponitur 

 absurdissime," &c. The Etymologicon is a highly 

 valuable book, no doubt ; but the tables might well 

 be turned upon its author in regard to absurd 

 etymologies. Skinner was a Lincolnshire man, 

 and has°preserved to us many local words. He 

 was no doubt of the family referred to by your 

 correspondent Chaktham, at p. 128. of this volume. 

 He died in 1667, and his book, which was not 

 published until 1671, did not receive the advan- 

 tage of his own ultimate revision. 



The dictionary of Phillips is interesting as well 

 as useful, for in it we fancy we trace the influence 

 of the compiler's uncle, the illustrious Milton. 

 There are many references to poetic fable, and, 

 amonty others, one which would certainly have 



