large/8677/old_coast_road_1402_librivox_64kb_mp3/oldcoastroad_10_edwards_64kb_45
large/8677/old_coast_road_1402_librivox_64kb_mp3/oldcoastroad_10_edwards_64kb
English
8677
The records of Kingston are valuable, not only because they tell the tale of this particular spot, but because they are delightfully typical of all the South Shore towns. THE RECORDS OF KINGSTON ARE VALUABLE NOT ONLY BECAUSE THEY TELL THE TALE OF THIS PARTICULAR SPOT BUT BECAUSE THEY ARE DELIGHTFULLY TYPICAL OF ALL THE SOUTH SHORE TOWNS
 three hundred years ago. Governor Bradford, who was Governor for thirty-seven years, was a man of remarkable erudition. Cotton Mather says of him: "The Dutch tongue was become almost as vernacular to him as the English; the French tongue he could also manage; the Latin and the Greek he had mastered; but the Hebrew he most of all studied." Therefore if the curious spelling of his history strikes us as unscholarly, we must remember that at that time there was no fixed standard for English orthography. Queen Elizabeth employed seven different spellings for the word "sovereign" and Leicester rendered his own name in eight different ways. It was by no means a mark of illiteracy to spell not only unlike your neighbor, but unlike yourself on the line previous. But it is more than quaint diction and fantastic spelling which fascinates us as we turn over, not only the leaves of Bradford's famous history, but the pile of fading records of various kinds of this once prosperous shipbuilding town. AS SWEETLY TO DAY AS IT DID THREE HUNDRED YEARS AGO GOVERNOR BRADFORD WHO WAS GOVERNOR FOR THIRTY SEVEN YEARS WAS A MAN OF REMARKABLE ERUDITION COTTON MATHER SAYS OF HIM THE DUTCH TONGUE WAS BECOME ALMOST AS VERNACULAR TO HIM AS THE ENGLISH THE FRENCH TONGUE HE COULD ALSO MANAGE THE LATIN AND GREEK HE HAD MASTERED BUT THE HEBREW HE MOST OF ALL STUDIED THEREFORE IF THE CURIOUS SPELLING OF HIS HISTORY STRIKES US AS UNSCHOLARLY WE MUST REMEMBER THAT AT THE TIME THERE WAS NO FIXED STANDARD FOR ENGLISH ORTHOGRAPHY QUEEN ELIZABETH EMPLOYED SEVEN DIFFERENT SPELLINGS FOR THE WORD SOVEREIGN AND LEASTER RENDERED HIS OWN NAME IN EIGHT DIFFERENT WAYS IT WAS BY NO MEANS A MARK OF ILLITERACY TO SPELL NOT ONLY UNLIKE YOUR NEIGHBOUR BUT UNLIKE YOURSELF ON THE LINE PREVIOUS BUT IT IS MORE THAN QUAINT DICTION AND FANTASTIC SPELLING WHICH FASCINATES US AS WE TURN OVER NOT ONLY THE LEAVES OF BRADFORD'S FAMOUS HISTORY BUT THE PILE OF FADING RECORDS OF VARIOUS KINDS OF THIS ONCE PROSPEROUS SHIPBUILDING TOWN
large/8677/old_coast_road_1402_librivox_64kb_mp3/oldcoastroad_10_edwards_64kb
file
download/librilight/large/8677/old_coast_road_1402_librivox_64kb_mp3/oldcoastroad_10_edwards_64kb.flac