Obsolete Words in Bible and Prayer-book. 'Four sorts of poor there are with whom Thou deal'st, With such indifferency That none hath reason to complain.' That which is ordinary and commonplace, and which does not differ from the average by greater excellence, is little regarded; hence the sense which the word conveys now. เ St. James (i. 2-13 says) Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; and, God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man.' Yet we are taught to pray, 'Lead us not into temptation,' and we are told that God tempted Abraham.' In our version 'tempt,' like the word in the original for which it stands, signifies not only to solicit to evil,' but also to 'try,' or 'to put to the proof.' God tried Abraham that he might come forth as gold.' The Apostle counts temptations (i. e. trials) joyful, because the trying of our faith worketh patience. Satan inquires where may be found the spirit 'Who shall tempt The dark, unbottomed, infinite abyss ?'-Paradise Lost, ii. 405. It is much more common for words to degenerate in meaning than to attain a better sense, yet a few instances of this may be adduced. 'Debate' does not now imply more than 'discussion,' and may be temperate and amicable, but in older English it meant variance,' discord,' and even 'battle.' Isaiah (lviii. 4) classes it with strife, and St. Paul with murder, malignity, wrath, &c. (Rom. i. 29. 2 Cor. xii. 20) 'Emulation' has improved in meaning, being now commonly used of honourable and generous rivalry in a good cause; but it was once equivalent to envy' or 'jealousy.' Emulations are enumerated in company with hatred, variance, &c., among the works of the flesh in Gal. v. 20; and again, There was neither envy nor emulation among them' (1 Macc. viii. 16). Our translators in the beginning of their Preface write, Zeal to promote the common good... is welcomed with suspicion instead of love, and with emulation instead of thanks.' Naughty,' or 'naughtiness,' are now only employed in reference to children; at least when applied to grown-up persons it is understood that the censure conveyed is not very serious; but this was not the case when our version was made. I know thy pride and the naughtiness of thine heart' (1 Sam. xvii. 28). Lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness' (St. Jam. i. 21). We have also the form 'naught.' The water is naught' (2 Kings, ii. 19). It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer' (Prov. xx. 14). The strict meaning of the word is worthless,' that which is no whit, nothing at all. Jer. (xxiv. 2) speaks of very naughty figs.' So Latimer, The naughtiness of the silver was the occasion of dearth.' The Homilies use the word frequently, e. g. We have sinned, we have been naughty, we have offended.' 6 เ 'A high-minded person' is with us one of lofty principle, above any petty feeling or mean action, but in our translation the word has the bad sense of haughty' or supercilious.' Be not high-minded but fear' (Rom. xi. 20). See also 1 Tim. vi. 17; 2 Tim. iii. 4. ‘I will chastise this high-minded strumpet' (1 Henry VI. i. 5). 'God's Mysteries.'-Eight per Cent. 'Stout' and 'stoutness' have no longer that meaning of 'stubborn,' 'obstinacy,' which they have in our translation. Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord' (Mal. iii. 13). See also Isa. ix. 9; x. 12. Salisbury declares that he has seen Cardinal Beaufort as stout and proud as he were lord of all' (2 Henry IV. i. 1). Latimer says that Adonijah was a stout-stomached child.' This word 'stomach' is now only applied to a particular part of the body, and has not the bad moral signification that it possessed when it was equivalent to 'pride,' as in the Prayer-book version of Ps. ci. 7,'Whoso hath also a proud look and high stomach I will not suffer him.' Shakespeare describes another Cardinal (Wolsey) as "Of an unbounded stomach, ever ranking Himself with princes.'-Henry VIII. iv. 2. Fuller has the adjective stomachfull,' and among the poor I have heard a proud person called 'very stomachy.' 'Gifts' in some texts mean 'bribes.' 'A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment.' In the Bible version of Ps. xxvi. 10 it is written, Their right hand is full of bribes;' in the Prayer-book it is, full of gifts.' No such evil meaning would attach to the word now. Fuller says wittily of a man who obtained a, post by bribery to which he was not entitled by merit, His gifts were better than his endowments.' E 'God's Mysteries.' YES of mine, thus hungry, gazing Ye, our dead, for whom we pray not, You we stay not, and betray not Eight per Cent. CHAPTER VI. THER people had been asking the same question, How did Jenny get into the well? and somehow the truth leaked out while she was being carried to Lambert's room. Ingram soon began to recover when a little brandy had been poured down his throat, but Jenny showed no sign of life, and the news crept about among the anxious crowd that she was dead, and that Ingram's gallant rescue had been in vain. In a few moments after a hoarse roar began to be heard, and a gentleman, who Eight per Cent. was helping the doctor to restore Jenny, said to the policeman, 'You had better see what they are doing-that sounds dangerous.' The man left the room but returned a moment later. Clarkson, sir, and I think they'll kill him.' They've got Mr. Cowen rose instantly. At the door he found Lambert. 'What are they doing?' Serving Clarkson out a bit. They say he made his wife drown herself, and I guess it's about the truth.' The three made their way to the door of Clarkson's room, but they could not get any further; it was filled with a maddened crowd, which surged towards a corner where Clarkson had taken refuge behind a table. He had wrapped a tattered blanket round him, and left his bed to see what was going on in the court, but he had been recognised before he could escape, and the people had hunted him into his room. 'He's a dead man if they touch him,' whispered the policeman. And it was plain that Clarkson saw his danger; his face was white with terror, and he shrank behind the table, which for the moment barred him from his enraged neighbours. 'Can't we get at him?' asked Mr. Cowen; but even as he spoke he saw there was no room to stir. เ Speak to them, sir, they know you; it may stop them, but I don't think it will.' But before the clergyman could utter a word a woman, who had struggled to the front, turned round. Neighbours, this is no place to make a row. Polly Lucas, you go back.' 'We'll serve him out,' cried Polly. I guess he's thrown the little 'un down the well, along with her mother.' The assertion was made at random, but the women took up the cry. 'Ah! where's the child? Where's the little un?' exclaimed many voices; and a fresh rush was made towards the victim, who shrank closer to the wall as arms were stretched out to seize him. 'Where's the child?' again rang through the room. Bill Clarkson, where's the child ?' 6 Quick as thought Susan Lambert turned to the table and lifted something which had been covered over with a cloth. 'Here,' she said quietly; here's the child.' The crowd shrank back, and a silence fell upon them as Susan advanced a step with little Nellie's body in her arms. She saw her advantage, and was quick to use it. 'She died on her mother's lap; I were here and saw her go, and Jenny were welly crazed. I reckon she didn't rightly know what she were doing when she threw herself down the well.' เ 'But it was Bill drove her to it!' cried a voice. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't,' replied Susan calmly; anyway he'll have his pay: but I won't have no rows here afore this child as the Lord's taken to Heaven safe out of the wickedness of these housen. Get away, I say! I won't have no disturbance here. Can't you let him alone?' she continued, looking straight before her with watchful eyes which detected an inclination to resume the riot. 'Can't you let him be? there's worse afore him nor anything you can do. He's got the small-pox on him, and will die after this night's work as sure as if you killed him as he stands. Neighbours, give him a chance to turn to the Lord; he hasn't much time; he'll be off his head in twelve hours.' 'Stand aside, sir, they're coming out,' whispered the policeman. And the crowd, after a moment's hesitation, began to leave the room with an eager rush. The horror of small-pox and the sight of the dead child made the people anxious to escape. 'That's another near go,' said Ben, when they had closed the door. 'Susan, old woman, you did it neat.' They got Clarkson into bed, and then Susan said to Mr. Cowen, 'He's only got twelve hours, sir; happen not so much-you won't go?' 'No, I will speak to Ingram, and come back.' By this time Ingram was almost recovered. found for him by some one, and he was ready to go home. Mr. Cowen asked him to leave a message at the Rectory. Dry clothes had been Eight per Cent. They won't know where I am, for I had been dining in Hailesworth, and left early to get home in good time, when Lucas passed me with the rope, and called out that you were down the Stour Street well; so I fetched the doctor, and got here just as they brought you in.' Ingram shuddered, for the night's experience seemed like a dreadful dream rather than a reality. Mr. Cowen saw that he was much shaken, and whispered to Lambert to go home with him. So the two men walked up to Barnshill together, and Ben having delivered Ingram into his wife's hands, was prepared to turn round and come back at once, but Mrs. Ingram had him into the kitchen and gave him some supper, while he told the history of the evening; for Bill, feeling sick and weary, had gone straight to bed. So Mrs. Ingram heard the whole story, and gained an insight into the ways and customs of Stour Street, that was strange news to her. CHAPTER VII. THE excitement and fatigue did not hurt Ingram, and the next day he was as well as usual, but very unwilling to talk about his adventure, which was a great disappointment to the Barnshill gossips, who crowded to his shop in the hope of hearing all the details. But Mrs. Ingram did not see any reason why her husband's courage should not be known, and she was willing enough to tell the tale to all comers. Later in the day news came that Jenny Clarkson had recovered consciousness, but was so i that the doctor had sent her off to the hospital. Ben Lambert was the bearer of this tidings, for Mrs. Ingram had asked him to bring up word how they were going on, and he kept himself sober in order to fulfil his mission. He reported that Bill Clarkson was as bad as he could be, and had been off his head since five o'clock in the morning. 'My missus is looking after him; but none of the others will go a-nigh him.' Your missus seems a good woman,' remarked Mrs. Ingram. Ah, it's your parson has done that. There's more than one or two in the housen that he's turned round a bit. My missus now, she was a regular bad lot once, she was.' 'Same as you are now?' asked Mrs. Ingram, with a smile. Ben looked up. 'Yes, ma'am, you've hit it: we was all of a piece once, but she's a long way ahead of me now.' 'Don't you think you could follow her?' 'Not down in Hailesworth, not living in Stour Street; folks' religion must be terrible strong as keeps alive in our place.' Those words haunted Mrs. Ingram, as Jenny's words haunted her husband. Clarkson died on the following evening, and Mrs. Ingram, being curious to see Susan, invited Ben to bring her up to tea on Sunday. The honour was great, and the Lamberts were delighted; but it entailed certain difficulties, for they had no clothes fit to appear in. 'If you could make up your mind, Ben, to keep sober, we might do it; we could hire some clothes, if we'd got some money.' 'Well, old woman, I'll try.' And he tried so hard, that when they walked up to Barnshill on Sunday Ben had not been drunk for six days. |