The Survey of Cornwall
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Touching the perſonall eſtate of the Corniſh Inhabitants, to begin with their name in generall, I learne by master Camden (who, as the Arch-antiquarie Iuſtus Lipſius teſtifieth of him, Britanniae nebulas claro ingenij ſole illuſtrauit) that Ptolomey calleth them Damnonii, Strabo, Oſtidamnii, and Aretemidorus, Coſſini.
Touching their particular denominations; where the Saxons have not intruded their newer vſances, they partake in ſome ſort with their kinſmen the Welſh: for as the Welſhmen catalogize ap Rice, ap Griffin, ap Owen, ap Tuder, ap Lewellin, &c. vntill they end in the higheſt of the ſtock, whom their memorie can reach vnto: So the Weſterne Corniſh, by a like, but more compendious maner, intitle one another with his owne & his fathers chriſten name, and conclude with the place of his dwelling; as Iohn, the ſonne of Thomas, dwelling as Pendaruis, is called Iohn Thomas Pendaruis. Rich. his younger brother is named, Richard Thomas Pendaruis, &c. Through which meanes, diuers Gent. and others haue changed their names, by remoouing their dwellings, as Trengoue to Nance, Bonithon, to Carclew, the other to Reſcrowe, and many other. Moſt of them begin with Tre, pol, penn.Tre, Pol or Pen, which ſignifie a Towne, a Top, and a head: whenve grew the common by-word.
Neither doe they want ſome ſignification, as Godolfin, alias Godolghan, a white Eagle: Chiwarton, the greene Caſtle on the hill: which Gentlemen giue ſuch Armes; Reskimer, the great Dogges race, who beareth a Wolfe paſſant. Carnſew, alias, Carndrew, a black rock: his houſe Bokelly, which ſoundeth the loſt Goat: and a Goate he beareth for his coate: Carminow, a little Citie: Coſowarth, the high Groue, &c. And as the Corniſh names hold an affinity with the Welſh, ſo is their language deduced from the ſame ſource, and differeth onely in the dialect. But the Corniſh is more eaſie to bee pronounced, and not ſo vnpleaſing in ſound, with throat letters, as the Welſh. A friend of mine, one maſter Thomas Williams, diſcourſed once with mee, that the Corniſh tongue was deriued from, or at leaſt had ſome acquayntance with the Greeke: and beſides diuers reaſons which hee produced to proue the ſame, he vouced many wordes of one ſence in both; as for example:
This language is ſtored with ſufficient plenty to expreſſe the conceits of a good wit, both in proſe and rime: yet they can no more giue a Corniſh word for Tye, then the Greekes for Ineptus, the French for Stand, the Engliſh for Emulus, or the Iriſh for Knaue. Others they haue not paſt two or three naturall, but are fayne to borrow of the Engliſh: mary, this want is releeued with a flood of moſt bitter curſes, and ſpitefull nick-names. They place the adiective after the ſubſtantiue, like the Grecians and Latines, as Father ours, Margh gwydnMarch guiddn, horſe white, &c. Onen, dew, tri, peder, pymp, hwegh, seyth, eth, naw, deg, udnek, dowdhek, tredhek, peswardhek, pymthek, hwetek, seytek, etek, nownsek, ugens, dew ugens, kans, mil, deg mil.In numbering they ſay, 1 Wonnen, 2 Deaw, 3 Tre, 4 Pidder, 5 Pimp, 6 Whey, 7 Zith, 8 Eath, 9 Naw, 10 Deag, 11 Ednack, 12 Dowthack, 13 Tarnack, 14 Puzwarthack, 15 Punthack, 16 Wheytack, 17 Zitack, 18 Itack, 19 Naunzack, 20 Eygganz, 40 Deaw Eigganz, 100 Cans, 1000 Mille, 10000 Molla. Durda dhe'hwei. Durnostadha (Duw re rollo nos da dhywgh). Fatl'yw genowgh hwei? Da durdala dhe'hwei (Duw re dallo dhywgh hwei). Bedhowgh hwi lowenek. Bennath Duw genowgh. Hwor. Hora. [...] (Pronter). Grugyar. Kasek. Re'm lowta. War ow fay. Molleth Duw en dha [...] ('God's curses in your [...]'). Pedn an Jowl. Pedn broas. Pedn mosek.Durdatha why, is Good morrow to you. Terneſtatha, Good night. Fatlugan a why: How do you? Da durdalatha why: Wel I thanke you. Betha why lawanneck: Be you mery. Benetugana: Farewell. A ſiſter, they call Whoore: a whoore, whorra: a prieſt, coggaz: a partridge, grigear: a Mare, cazock. Relauta: by my troth. Warra fay: by my fayth. Molla tuenda laaz, ten thouſand miſchiefs in thy guts. Mille vengeance warna thy, a thouſand vengeances take thee. Pedn ioll, deuils head: Pedn brauze, great head: pedn mowzack, ſtinking head: and ſo in infinitum. Which termes, notwithſtanding thogh they witnes their ſpite on the one ſide, yet retayne they as great a proofe of their deuotion on the other: for the Lords Prayer, the Apoſtles Creed, and the ten commaundements, haue beene uſed in Corniſh beyond all rememberance. But the principall loue and knowledge of this language, liued in Doctor Kennall the Ciulian, and with him lyeth buryed: for the Engliſh ſpeach doth ſtill encroche vpon it, and hath driuen the ſame into the vttermoſt skirts of the ſhire. Moſt of the Inhabitants can no word of Corniſh; but very few are ignorant of the Engliſh: and yet ſome ſo affect their owne, as to a ſtranger they will not ſpeake it: for if meeting them be chance, you inquire the way or any ſuch matter, your anſwere ſhal be, My na vydnav kowsel Sowsnek ('I will not speak English')Meea nauidua cowzaſawzneck, I can ſpeake no Saxonage. The Engliſh which they ſpeake, is good and pure, as receyuing it from the beſt hands of their owne Gentry, and the Easſerne Marchants: but they diſgrace it, in part, with a broad and rude accent, and eclipſing (ſomewhat like the Somerſerſhire men) ſpecially in pronouncing the names: as Thomas they call, Tummas & Tubby: Mathew, Mathaw: Nicholas, Nichlaaz: Reignald, Reinol: David, Daaui: Mary, Maari: Frauncis, Frowncis: Iames, Iammez: Walter, Watty: Robert, Dobby: Rafe, Raw: Clemence, Clemmowe, &c. holding herein a contrary courſe of extenſion to the Italians abridgement, who terme Frauncis, Cecco: Dominick, Beco: Lawrence, Renzo: as alſo to the Turks, who name Conſtantinople, Stampoli: Adrianople, Adrina: an Olifant, Fil: and the Sicilians, who curtayle Nicholas, to Cola. Beſides theſe, they haue taken vp certayne peculiar phraſes, which require a ſpeciall Dictionarie for their interpretation: of which kinde are, Tis not bezibd (that is, fortuned) to me: Thou haſt no road (ayme), he will never ſcrip (eſcape) it, he is nothing pridy (handsome), as alſo boobiſh (lubberly), dule (comfort), lidden (by-word), ſhune (ſtrange), thew (threaten), skew (ſhunne), hoaſe (forbeare). To reproue one of lazines, they will ſay, Doeſt thou make Idle a coate? that is, a coate for idlenes? In coniecturing what number may effect a thing, they adde, or ſome: as two, or ſome: ten, or ſome: twentie, or ſome: id eſt, thereabouts. [...] Of better regard is Truro, alias, Truru, or Trifow, as the principall towne of the Hauen, priuiledged with a Mayraltie, and benefited with the generall Weſterne Seſſions, Coynages, Markets, Faires, &c. The ſhape of the towne, and Etymon of the name, may be learned out of this Corniſh propheticall rime.
Which is to ſay, Truro conſiſteth of three ſtreetes, and it ſall in time bee ſaid, Here Truro ſtood. A like miſchirf of a myſterie, they obſerve, that in taking T. from the towne, there reſteth ru, ru, which in Engliſh ſoundeth, Woe, woe: but whatſoever ſhall become therof hereafter, for the preſent, I hold it to haue got the ſtart in wealth of any other Corniſh towne, and to come behind none in buildings, Lanceſton onely excepted, where there is more vſe, and profit of faire lodgings, through the Countie Aſſizes. I wiſh that they would likewiſe deſerue praiſe, for getting, and imploying their riches, in ſome induſtrious trade, to the good of their Countrie, as the Harbours oportunitie inuiteth them. |
