A World of Errors DISCOVERED IN THE New World of Words OR General English DICTIONARY AND IN NOMOTHETES OR THE INTERPRETER OF LAW-WORDS and TERMS By Tho. Blount of the Inner Temple Esquire PROV 27.5 Melior est manifesta correptio quam amor absconditus In the SAVOY Printed by T.N. for Abel Roper John Martin and Henry Herringman at the Sun in Fleetstreet over-against St. Dunstans Church at the Bell in St. Pauls Churchyard and at the Blew Anchor in the Lower Walk of the New Exchange 1673. TO THE READER MVst this then be suffered A Gentleman for his divertisement writes a Book and this Book happens to be acceptable to the World and sell a Book-seller not interessed in the Copy instantly employs some Mercenary to jumble up another like Book out of this with some Alterations and Additions and give it a new Title and the first Author 's out-done and his Publisher half undone Thus it fared with my Glossographia the fruit of above Twenty years spare hours first published in 1656. Twelve Moneths had not passed but there appeared in Print this New World of Words or General English Dictionary extracted almost wholly out of mine and taking in its first Edition even a great part of my Preface onely some words were added and others altered to make it pass as the Authors legitimate off-spring In these Additions and Alterations he not seldom erred yet had not those Errors been continued with new supplies to a Second and third Impression so little was I concerned at the particular injury that these Notes in great part collected from his first Edition had never reproached his Theft to the World First therefore this gallant Peice faces it with a pompous Frontispiece wherein are sculped our two famous Universities the Pictures of Sir Francis Bacon Sir Henry Spelman Mr. Selden Camden and others of our most Learned Men of the last Age with a Scholar of each Vniversity in his Formalities And the Title Page affirms the work to be very necessary for strangers as well as our own Countreymen As if our Author intended the World should believe his Book to be the Fac totum of all Great Britains learning and himself the Parent of so immense a Production Soon after we find a Catalogue prefixed of the names of divers Learned Persons of this Age Eminent in or contributary to any of those Arts Sciences or faculties contained in the following Work Whereby the Author would at least obscurely insinuate that those Learned Persons had contributed to or assisted him in it thereby to advance its reputation but I believe nothing less having heard some of the cheif of them utterly disown both the Author and his Work Thus does the Book pride it self in vanity and outward form but when you come to the substance you will find Dr. Skinners Judgment both of it and the Author most true In one place he says Et pro more Authoris exponitur absurdissime In another Ridicule ut solet omnia In a third Ubi notare est miserimam Authoris ignorantiam c. What then will Strangers think of it what our own Countreymen They will say Canis festinans caecos parit catulos That such a Dictionary cannot be hudled up in Eight or ten Moneths nor without much industry and care though the Author be never so learned For we read of an Italian Dictionary that was Forty years in compiling by the joynt-labor of several Learned Men and that Sir Francis Bacon after he had written his Instauratio Magna did year by year for Twelve years revise and alter it before he would commit it to the Press All Writers may modestly claim the benefit of Humanum est Errare but certainly our Author has transgressed the bounds of that Indulgence For I did not read half his Book to pick up these with many more Exceptions What then would a more knowing Reader discover that should seriously peruse the whole Miserimam Authoris ignorantiam But that which cheifly incited me to this publication was in some measure to redeem the Terms of the Common Law of the Land from the scandal of a most Barbarous and Senceless Interpretation which too too often occurs through his Book though all other subjects have not scaped too without their share in his mistakes As first for Words of Ecclesiastical use How grosly hath he abused the two common words Candlemass and Ember-week Are we not like to have an accurate account of obsolete difficult or foreign words from him who stumbles so miserably at plain Ember-week There being a particular Devotion ordered for those weeks in the Liturgy of the Church of England But he still fancies himself under a Commonwealth and a Church without Bishops as appears in Sequestration Down Court of Peculiars Perhaps he hath been more versed in Military Affairs alass no his interpretation of Blunderbuss and Dag shews how little he is to be trusted with Weapons He hath also given a fair specimen of his skill in Sea-Terms by interpreting Balass and Jetson nay he hath shewn an extraordinary endeavor and dexterity in mistaking else he could never have erred in those things that are common in all Trading and Commerce as Gallon Pipe Cloue Weigh c. But to the Particulars in order as they lie A World of Errors DISCOVERED In the New World of WORDS OR General English DICTIONARY AMesse A Priests Hood or Cap which he weareth in the Quire Both the word itself is mistaken and the signification The word is Amice from amictus which is a Linnen Cloth with two long strings which the Priest puts about his Neck and ties the strings about his middle Amoctise To kill It has a more usual and proper signification viz. To grant Alien or give Land in Mortmain Ancient Demeasn a term in Common Law signifying a publick tribute by a Tenure whereby all Mannors belonging to the Crown in the days of Edgar or Saint Edward did hold There is nothing of a Publick Tribute nor of Edgar in the Point Ancient Demain is a Tenure whereby all the Crown-Mannors in the days of Edward the Confessor or William the Conqueror were held and the number of them particularly appears in Domesday under the title Terra Regis Balasse A Saxon word signifying Gravel laid in the bottom of a Ship to keep it upright He mistakes the word for Ballast which is a Dutch word nor does it signifie onely Gravel but any other ponderous substance Balasse hath a different signification Baronage A Tax or Subsidy of Aid to be levied for the King out of the Precincts of Baronies The word had never any such signification till now Rex Baronagium suum is taken for the King and all His Subjects or the whole Parliament representing them according to Selden in his Titles of Honor. Bastard Signifies in the Common Law one begotten out of Wedlock One may be begotten out of Wedlock yet be no Bastard by our Authors leave Beacon and Beads He derives
from the Dutch which are Saxon words as Dr. Skinner will inform him in his Etymologicon linguae Anglicanae Bigamy The marriage of two Wives at the same time which according to Common Law hinders a man from taking holy orders Here our Author speaks some truth at peradventure For he that marries two Wives at the same time commits Felony and the punishment of Felony is Death which suppose it be by hanging may very well hinder him from taking holy Orders I find he does not understand the word Blunderbusse A long Gun that will carry Here long stands for short by a new figure Bordlanders The Demeans that the Lords keep in their hands for the maintenance of their Board or Table He should have said Bordlands for Bordlanders are the Tenants that held such Lands called in Domesday Bordarii Bowsing in Faulconry is when c. This c. is a new way of explicating words Brigandine French An ancient kind of Amor Also a kind of Ship or Pinnace This last is a Brigantine Brudunsium A Town in Italy Sure he aim'd at Brundusium a City of Calabria by the Adriatick Sea Buckwheat A Herb growing in Woods This is otherwise called French Wheat and is a sort of Grain much sown in Wales and some parts of England and used for feeding Swine and Poultry Calcedon A word used by Lapidaries being a certain Forbe-vein in a Ruby or Saphire This was an Errata of the Printer in the first Edition of Glossographia whence our Author misunderstandingly borrowed it it should be Fowle-vein for there is no such word as Forbe Camuledunum or Camoledunum The cheif Town of Essex in England Vulgarly called Colchester or rather Maldon This is most usually written Camalodunum a name never given to Colchester but to Maldon which is not the cheif Town of Essex Candlemass The second day of February so called as some think because about that time they left of burning Candles at Mass which was between Four and five of the Clock This is so ridiculously absurd that as some think none but our Author ever Printed the like if between Four and five of the Clock relate to the morning 2 Febr. then they must say Mass in the dark if to the afternoon then it sutes with Colonel Barksteads wisdom who in the Rump time committed a Papist for being at an Evening Mass as he called it at an Ambassadors House in Long acre Chace French A Warren He might as well have said a Bull is an Ox for Chace and Warren so they are written differ as much Cloue A Law Term the two and thirtieth part of a weight Weight for Weigh makes it unintelligible yet so it has pass'd in all three Impressions of his Book Conventual Church A Parish Church It is no Parish Church as most men except our Author know A Cord of Wood A parcel of Fire-wood set out as the Coal-fire containing in measure How shall we understand this without an Oedipus Corporation Lat. In the Civil Law signifieth a Body Politick c. It is not a Civil-Law term The Civilians call it Vniversitatem or Collegium Corsary French A Courrier This comes from the Italian Corsaro and signifies a Pirat or Pirats-ship which the Author might have learnt from our weekly Gazets The Decimal Chain A certain Mathematical Instrument for the measuring of Land which is to be divided into ten equal parts each of which containeth about nineteen in length Here we are put to a subaudi or else it is nonsence Descalsas Spanish A sort of Fryers in Spain that go barelegged Barefoot he should have said for so the word imports and those Fryers are elswhere as well as in Spain Dislodge A term in hunting applied to a Buck when you first raise him I see our Author is no good Huntsman for it is rowze a Buck and dislodge a Stag. Doublet A precious Stone consisting of two peices joyned together Nor good Lapidary for a Doublet is no precious Stone but a counterfeit consisting usually of two peices of Glass artificially put together with a foyl in the midst answerable in colour to that Stone you would have it resemble But it is ordinary with him to take counterfeit for right Downe The name of a Town in Ireland formerly a Bishops See I doubt our Author still fancies we are under a levelling Commonwealth for Downe is now as formerly a Bishops See Droit Signifieth in Common Law a double right the right of possession and the right of the Lord. Sometimes our Author when he borrows out of another Book swallows an Erratum of the Printer and puts it down sence or not sence Here he fancied an Erratum when there was none for this word in our Law-Expositors is Droit-droit or Dreit-dreit signifying a double right that is Jus possessionis jus dominii which he thought to correct by making a single Droit to signifie a double right and by translating Jus Dominii the right of the Lord. Ember Week In Latine Cineralia the week before Lent wherein by the ancient Institution of the Church people were to fast and the Bishop used to sprinkle Ashes on their Heads saying Remember O Man that thou art ashes and to ashes thou shalt return Imber signifying in the Saxon tongue Ashes whence our word Embers cometh We will for once enumerate the Errors in the Exposition of this one word 1. He concludes there is but one Ember-week of four well known 2. Cineralia is Latine for Ash-wednesday 3. The Ember-week he aimed at is not before Lent but in the first whole week of Lent 4. By no Institution were people to fast the week before Lent 5. The Bishop did not sprinkle Ashes on their Heads but made a Cross on their Foreheads with Ashes 6. The words were Memento homo quia pulvis es Dust not Ashes 7. Imber in the Saxon Tongue does not signifie Ashes nor in truth is there any such word And 8 by consequence our word Embers cannot come from thence Our Author ought to do some penance to expiate these faults Emergent An Emergent occasion is taken for a business of great consequence Well guessed An Emergent occasion is that which rises unexpectedly out of some other and was not foreseen Enquest In Common Law is the tryal of causes both Civil and Criminal by the Jury It is not the tryal it self but that Inquisition which the Jury makes in all Causes Civil or Criminal touching the Matter in Fact in order to their Verdict and the Tryal Errant A Justice which rides the Circuit from the Latine word Errare This is an errant mistake for it does not alone signifie such a Justice the Latine in the Statute of Marlebridge is Justiciarii Itinerantes which Sir Edward Coke sometimes Englishes Justices in Eire sometimes Justices Itinerant and the Mirror cap. 6. says in French Que sont ore apels Justices Errants If our Author had said that Errant is sometimes used for a Knight Errant it had been more allowable Exigent Lat. A
Writ that lieth It is directed to the Sheriff to call five County days under pain of Outlary It should be to call the party five County days otherwise it is nonsence Ex parte Latis A Writ that lieth This is an Errata in Cowels Interpreter whence our Author took it right or wrong it matters not It should be Ex parte talis Extrajudicial That which is done out of Court That which is done in Court may be Extrajudicial Faloque French A Boat or Barge by some called a Brigantine Faloque is a little Boat with four Oars and a Brigantine as our Author himself says elswhere is a small Ship or Pinnace Feversham A flourishing Town in Kent Where King Steven founded an Abbey for the Monks of Clugny c. This Towns name is Faversham and the Abbey however at first intended was stocked with the Monks of S. Bennets Order as we read in Monastichon Favershamiense a late ingenuous Book Franchise Royal Is where the King Grants to a person and his heirs to be quit or the like To be quit of God knows what Francis A proper name of Man or Woman Francis is the Mans name Frances the Womans Franck-chace A liberty belonging to a Forester by which all men having Land within such a compass are prohibited to cut down Weeds without his view Though we should allow Weeds for Wood to be the Printers fault yet the rest is erroneous Frithsoken A surety or defence from the Saxon words Frid i. e. Peace and Socen i. e. To seek Neither is the Explication true nor the Derivation The Saxon words are Frith Peace and Soc a Liberty or Power So that Frithsocne signifies a Power or Jurisdiction of keeping the Peace Gainage In Common Law is Land held of the Baser kind of Sokemen or Villains Sufficiently mistaken We never till now read of Land held of Villains who had no property but Ad voluntatem Domini Gallon Spanish A measure containing two quarts Our Author had better omitted this word since every Alewife can contradict him Garnishment French Signifieth in Common Law the issuing forth a Writ of Scire facias against the Plaintiff for an Action of Detinue of Charters brought against the Defendant Perfect nonsence Garnishment in Law signifies a Warning If you will know particularly how the word is used you had need find out a better Expositor then our Author Grand Sergeanty A certain kind of service whereby the Lords of Scrivelby in Cheshire held their Land which was to come well armed c. If the Author had well explicated the word his mistaking Cheshire for Lincolnshire had been the more pardonable Goman Saxon A married man and Gron a Saxon word signifying a Fenny place Neither of them for ought I know are at all of kin to that Language For thus the Learned Dr. Skinner on the word Goman Author meaning ours dicit esse vocem Angl. Sax. sed solens hallucinatur To Grown The Foresters say A Buck growneth But what it means you must learn elswhere for this is all he says of the word Hankwit or Hangwit Saxon A Theif escaped out of Custody It is a Mulct or Fine for hanging a Theif unjustly Hocktide A certain Festival time celebrated about Candlemass for the death of Hardiknute the last King of the Danes it is also called Blazetide in Latine Fugalia Hocktide was celebrated the second week after Easter for expulsion of the Danes after the death of Hardicanute And Fugalia signifies a Feast solemnised in remembrance of driving the Kings out of Rome Iansenism The opinion of Cornelius Jansenus Bishop of Tyre For Cornelius Jansenius Bishop of Ypre in Flanders Ichidian A Motto or Devise heretofore belonging to the Arms of the Princes of Wales He might have learned to have written this better from some Sign in London viz. Ic-dien the old Saxon was Ic-pegn i.e. I serve Ietson The same as Flotson They are no more of kin then the Land is to the Sea for Jetson is that which being cast out of a Ship in danger of Wreck is found upon the shoar and the other is that which is found floating upon the Sea Innocents-day 28 Dec. Wherein Mass used to be said for the Souls of the Innocent Children slain by Herod Certainly Mass was never said for the Souls of Saints and Martyrs who are in glory But in the Mass or Church-service of the day there is a particular commemoration of those Martyred Children Inquisition The name of a Grand Council instituted by Ferdinand the Catholick King of Spain And in the word Dominicans Saint Dominick is said to be the Author of this Inquisition So apt our Author is to forget himself Frigida es nigra es es non es Chione Ioynder In Common Law is the coupling of two in a soite one against another We allow soite to be the Printers fault yet the rest is nonsence It is the joyning of two in a suit against a third person Iopoena For Jôpaean and Justices a Writ for Justicies Such we meet with almost in every Page Knight Baronet Is a new distinct order erected by King James Whereas before that time there were Baronets that were not Knights A Baronet quatenus such being created by Letters Patent is no Knight nor was there ever any Baronets before King James Institution of them Howbeit anciently the word Baronet was sometimes used for Baneret and sometimes for Baro minor Lease If it be in writing it is called a Lease by Indenture if by word of mouth a Lease Parcel A Lease Parol he should have said Leet Sax. A Law day whence Court-Leet is a Court or Jurisdiction containing the third part of a Shire and comprehending three or four Wapentakes or Hundreds This is an imperfect fragment taken out of Cowels Interpreter who says indeed that Court Leets had anciently such large Jurisdictions but have not so now Lemstir A Town of Herefordshire Is now a days very famous for Wool which is called Lemster-Ore A gross mistake Lemster-Ore from the Latine Ora is a Territory or Compass of Ground of about two miles round the Town so called and the Wool had never any such denomination Libertatibus allocandis A Writ that lieth for a Citizen or Burgess of a City who refusing or deferring to allow his priviledge is impleaded before the Kings Justices Capiat qui capere potest Make sence of this that can Lungis French A tall slim Man that hath no length to his heighth Quasi A low gross Man that has no thickness to his bulk Lutheranism The Doctrine of Martin Luther who being first a Monk of the Order of S. Augustine There were nor are any Monks of S. Austins Order but Fryers Mac An Irish word signifying as much as Son in English or Fitz in Welsh I see our Author is no Britain nor Frenchman else he would have understood that Fitz is borrowed from the French not Welsh Mallevertes The name of an ancient Family in Yorkshire Mistaken for Mallivery
had been better omitted the word being no where used in Domesday for a wood of any kind as I confidently believe and our Author cites no place Serjeanty Serjeantia signifies in Law a Service that cannot be due from any Lord to his Tenant but to the King only This is a new Service due from a Lord to his Tenant Severance Is the singling or serving of two or more that are joyned in one Writ here Severance is Permittance Nor is this any better sence Soke Clamat cognitionem Placitorum infra suum 40 s. Suum for Summam Solidata terre Breve Regis Johannis vicecomitatus Angliae This Vicecomitatus for Vicecomitibus was an Errata in the Law-Dict and noted at the end of the Book but out Author did not design to correct but augment Errors Sullings In Domesday Book according to Mr. Agars interpretation are taken for Alders I have so great a respect for Mr. Agar that I am not satisfied this Interpretation is his no question but it is the same with Swolings i. e. Carucatae plough-Plough-Lands Team With their Childrens Goods and Chattels in his Court So it is in the Law Dictionary but in the Errata he might have seen it thus corrected With their Children Goods and Chattels Tenure What may make a Tenure and what not See Perkins Revelations 70. Perkins the Learned Lawyer had no Revelations that I ever heard of Theft Theft from the Prison or in presence of the owner is properly called Robbery Prison for Person makes a wide difference Thwertnick Absque alieno capiendo pro executione facienda For absque aliquo Tolsester Though this Word lay fair before him in the Law Dictionary yet he hath committed three Errors in transcribing six lines Trial He concludes with Pat. 3 R. Joh. m. 3. In fidelitate Leulini Omitting what follows in the Law Dictionary and is most to the purpose viz. In fidelitate Leulini statuitur de triatione differentiarum dicti Leulini c. Tylwith Familia tribus Doctor Davy's Welsh Dictionary from whence he had this word would have furnished him many more as able Law-words as this Vassal Skene verbo Lignantia saith Skene hath no such word in his Book as Lignantia Verdetor Vindarius Is a Judicial Officer of the Kings Forest Both the words mistaken for Verderer Viridarius Vi laica removenda Vntil the Bishop of the Plea where such Church is hath certified Any one may certifie this to be nonsence Villaine Our Villains Regardant to Mannors were Glebae Abscriptitii tied to Turk What had our Villains to do with the Turk Walkers There are Foresters assigned by the King who are Walkers within a certain space of Ground to their care Somewhat omitted to make it sence Warscot Immunis liberi quieti For Immunes liberi quieti Westminster Epist ejus ad diu Edwardum For divum The word in mine is abbreviated thus ad Div. Edw. which our Author it seems did not understand IF our Author have any further occasion to make use of the Law Dictionary he may take notice of these Additional Errata's In Chron. Table of Hen. 8. for 1059. read 1509. In Gleab read vel terra dele a. In Gildable for aliqui read aliorum qui. In Grossome for Titles read Tiles In Hatratium read from the Fr. Haras a Race of Horses and â—ares kept for breed In Honor for Mardstone read Maidstone In Kings Swanherd read Cignorum In Miskening for Mistzeninge read Miskening In Prepensed dele yet In Stoc read Malefactor pro In Tassum read duobus Tassis In Tolt for Juris read Curiae In Wardwite read Castro In Xenia read omnia FINIS * In his Etymologicon Linguae Angl.