explanation of Obsolete Words and Phrases in the English Bible, Apocrypha, and Book of Common Prayer. By the Rev. John Booker, A.M. 4th ed. Dublin, 1859.

On the Authorized Version of the New Testament, &c. By R. C. Trench, D.D. 2nd ed. Lond. 1859.

Motes upon Crystal: or Obsolete Words of the Authorized Version of the Holy Bible, &c., Part 1. By the Rev. Kirby Trimmer, A.B. London, 1864.

It is my intention at some future time to extend the plan of the present work to the other English Versions of the Bible, so as to form a complete Dictionary of the archaisms which they contain, and to illustrate a well-marked period in the history of the English language. For this, however, I must wait for more leisure than I can at present command.

WILLIAM ALDIS WRIGHT.

TRINITY COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE,

23 Jan. 1866.

THE BIBLE WORD-BOOK.

A.

I. AT the time of the printing of our Authorized Version (1611) the usage of a or an before words beginning with h was by no means uniform. Thus we find 'a half' (Ex. xxv. 10), 'a hurt' (Ex. xxi. c.), 'a hairy man' (Gen. xxvii. 11), 'a hammer' (Jer. xxiii. 29), 'a hole' (Ex. xxxix. 23*), 'a hard thing' (2 Kings ii. 10), 'a harp' (1 Chr. xxv. 3), a high wall' (Is. xxx. 13), 'a horseman' (2 Macc. xii. 35), ‘a hot burning' (Lev. xiii. 24), and so on; while, on the other hand, we more frequently meet with 'an half' (Ex. xxxvii. 6*), ‘an hammer' (Judg. iv. 21), ‘an hole' (Ex. xxviii. 32), 'an hairy man' (2 Kings i. 8), 'an hard man' (Matt. xxv. 24), ‘an harp' (1 Sam. xvi. 16), ‘an high hand' (Ex. xiv. 8), 'an horse' (Ps. xxxiii. 17), 'an hundred' (Gen. xi. 10), 'an hot burning oven' (2 Esd. iv. 48). The former usage appears on the whole to be exceptional, and we may infer that at the beginning of the 17th century the sound of h had much less of the aspirate in it than it has at the present day.

2.

A or An is used with participles in a manner which is now obsolete. Thus 'a dying' (Luke viii. 42), ‘a fishing' (John xxi. 3), ‘an hungred' (Matt. iv. 2), as in the following examples.

When the prophet came unto him, and said......'Set thy house in order, for thou shalt surely die, and not live' (2 Kings xx.), it struck him so to the heart that he fell a weeping. Latimer, Serm. p. 221.

* Altered in modern editions.

On a time the king had him out a hunting with him, he made bim see his mother, with whom he grew familiar. North's Plutarch, Themistocles, p. 139.

Whereas in the meantime we see Christ's faithful and lively images, bought with no less price than with his most precious blood, (alas, alas!) to be an-hungred, a-thirst, a-cold, and to lie in darkness. Latimer, Serm. p. 37.

Thou now a dying say'st thou flatterest me.

Shakespeare, Rich. II. II. 1.

This prefix a- or an- is generally said to be a corruption of the Anglo-Saxon particle on-, but more probably the two are essentially identical and only different dialectical forms of the same. An- with its abbreviation a- is said to characterize the dialect of the southern counties, while onand o- mark the northern dialect. In many instances the two forms remain side by side, as in aboard and on board, aground and on ground (Shakespeare, 2 Hen. IV. IV. 4), a high* and on high, afoot and on foot, asleep and on sleep (Acts xiii. 36; A.S. on slap), aloft and on loft (Chaucer, Man of Law's Tale, 1. 4697), abed and on bed (Chaucer, Wife of Bath's Tale, 1. 6509), apart and on part (Chaucer, Shipman's Tale, 1. 14667), alive and on live (Chaucer, Wife of Bath's Prol. 1. 5587). Compare also the A.S. forms on-ginnan and a-ginnan, to begin, on-weg and a-weg, away. On the other hand, most of the words which formerly had the prefix have rejected it. Of this class are abow, acool, adaunt, adraw, afire, &c. &c. In a work (2 Chr. ii. 18) the prefix is the same as in ado. Compare Shakespeare, 2 Hen. IV. IV. 3.

So that skill in the weapon is nothing without sack; sets it a-work.

3. Used with numerals (Luke ix. 28).

And everich of these riotoures ran,

for that

Til thay come to the tre, and ther thay founde
Of florins fyn of gold y-coyned rounde,

Wel neygh a seven busshels, as hem thought.

Chaucer, Pardoner's Tale, 14186,

One heaved a high to be hurl'd down below.

Shakespeare, Rich. III. IV. 4.

And there were not found a two hundred men slaine, and eight knights of the round table in their pavilions. King Arthur, c. 63, vol. I, p. 121.

Edward 4 left much fayre yssue, that is to witte, Edward the Prynce a thirtene yeare of age, &c. Sir T. More, Works, p. 35.

4. Redundantly, in the phrase 'in a readiness' (2 Cor. x. 6).

When al thynges were prepared in a redynes and the day of departinge and settynge forwarde was appoynted... the whole armye went on shypboorde. Hall, Rich. III. fol. 16b.

Abate, v.t. (Lev. xxvii. 18; Deut. xxxiv. 7; Wisd, xvi. 24; Ecclus. xxv. 23; 1 Macc. v. 3). Literally, to beat down, from Fr. abbattre; hence to lower, depress, diminish, weaken the force of anything. In this sense it is equivalent to 'bate,' which is merely an abbreviated form.

You would abate the strength of your displeasure.

Shakespeare, Mer. of Ven, v. I. Haply, my presence

May well abate their over-merry spleen,

Which otherwise would grow into extremes.

Id. Tam. of Shrew, Ind. 1.

It is true, that Taxes levied by Consent of the Estate, doe abate Mens Courage lesse. Bacon, Ess. 29, p. 121.

Abhor, v.t. (Te Deum). Lat. abhorreo, to have the hair stand on end with terror' (from horreo 'to bristle'); hence to shrink from with dread.' In the old canon law, according to Nares, it was technically employed in the sense of 'to protest against, reject solemnly.' In Calvini Lexicon Juridicum we find Abhorrere, alienum esse.' Thus Shakespeare, Hen. VIII. II. 4:

Therefore I say again

I utterly abhor, yea, from my soul
Refuse you as my judge.

It is used in the A.V. to express several different Hebrew