The following account of Cornwall and its inhabitants at the commencement of the sixteenth century is taken verbatim et literatim, from Dr. Andrew Borde's quaint work—"The fyrst Boke of the Introduction of Knowledge,"—a work which has been described as the first "Handbook to Europe." It was completed in the year 1542, and is believed to have been published in 1547. The original work appears to be very scarce and no copy is to be found in the British Museum Catalogue of Printed Books. It was, however, edited with other of Dr. Borde's works for the Early English Text Society, by F. J. Furnivall. The present extract concerning Cornwall has been very kindly forwarded to the Editor, by Mr. J. Horsfall Turner, Editor of the Yorkshire County Magazine.
The apendex to the fyrst Chapter, treatinge of Cornewall, and Cornyshe men.
Iche cham a Cornyshe man, al che can brew
It wyll make one to kake,1 also to spew
It is dycke and smoky, and also it is dyn
It is lyke wash,2 as pygges had wrastled dryn (therein).
Iche cannot brew, nor dresse fleshe, nor vyshe
Many volke do segge, I mar many a good dishe
Dup the dore gos, iche hab some dyng to seg
Whan olde knaves be dead, yonge knaves be fleg
Iche chaym yll a fyngred, Iche swere by my fay
Iche nys not eate no soole sens yester daye
Iche wolde fayne taale ons myd the cup
Nym me a quart of ale, that iche may of it sup
A good gosse iche hav a toome, vyshe and also tyn
Dynke gose to me, or els iche chyl begyn
God watysh great colde, and fynger iche do abyd
Wyl your bedever gosse, come home at the next tyde
Iche pray god to coun him wel to vare
That whan he comit home, myd me he do not starre
For putting a straw dorow his great net
Another pot of ale good gosse, now me fet
For my bedaver wyl to London, to try the saw
To sew Tre poll pen, for waggyng of a straw
Now gosse farewell yche can no lenger abyde
Iche must over to the ale howse at the yender syde
And now come myd me gosse, I thee pray
And let us make mery, as longe as we may.
Cornwal is a pore and very barrē countrey of al maner thing, except Tyn and Fysshe. There meate, and theyr bread, and drincke, is marde and spylt for lacke of good ordring and dressinge. Fyrres and turves is their chief fewel, there ale is starke nought, lokinge whyte et thycke, as pygges had wrasteled in it, smoky and ropye and never a good sope, in noste places it is worse and worse, pitie it is them to curse, for wagginge of a straw they wyl go to law, and al not worth a hawe, playinge so the dawe.
In Cornwal is two speches, the one is naughty englyshe, and the other is Cornyshe speche. And there be many men and women the which cannot speake one Worde of Englyshe but all Cornyshe. Who so wyll speake any Cornyshe, Englyshe and Cornyshe doth folow.
E. One, two, thre, foure, fyve, six, seven, eyght, nyne, ten, alevyn.
C. Ouyn, dow, tray, peswar, pimp, whe, syth, eth, naw, dec, vnec.
E. Twelve, thertene, fortene, fyften, syxtene, seventine, eyghtyne.
C. Dowec, tredeec, peswardeec, pympdeec, whedeec, sythdeec, ethdeec.
E. Nyntyne, twenty, One and twenty, two and twenty, etc.
C. Nawdeec, Igous, Ouyn war igous, dow war igous, and so forthe tyl you come to thyrty. No Cornyshe man dothe nomber above xxx. and is named Deec warnegous. And whan they have told thyrty, they do begyn agayn, one, two, and thre, and so forth, and whan they have recoūted to a hondred, they saye kans. And if they nomber to a thousand, than thei say myle.
1. This word is still used by children in Lancaster quite innocently, and without hesitation, when they say, "I want to cack."
2. Wash, in Yorkshire, means urine. Till recently men went around with a horse and barrel to buy "wash" at the cottages weekly, for use in the woollen manufacture.