[144]. Andrew Borde speaks of ‘Flaunders, Hanway, and Braban, which be commodious and plentiful contreys.’—Boke of the Introduction of Knowledge.
[145]. An act passed in 1464 speaks of tonnage upon wines brought into England ‘by eny Marchaunt Alien, as well by the Marchauntes of Hance and of Almayn, as of eny other Marchauntes Alien.’ (Rot. Parl. Ed. IV.) Bishop Coverdale’s exposition of the 22nd Psalm is entitled, ‘A very excellent and swete exposition upon the two and twenty Psalme of David, called in Latyn, “Dominus regit me, et nihil.” Translated out of hye Almayne in to Englyshe by Myles Coverdale, 1537.’
[146]. The old form of ‘Dutch’ was ‘Douch’ or ‘Dowch.’ Skelton in his ‘Parrot’ says that, besides French, Lattyn, Ebrew,
‘With Douch, with Spanysh, my tong can agree.’
Our ‘Dowch’s’ and ‘Douch’s’ still preserve this spelling.
[147]. Our ‘Sarsons’ may be metronymically descended from ‘Sare’ or ‘Sarra.’ Skelton, in ‘Elynore Rummyng,’ speaks of
‘Dame Dorothe and lady Besse,
Dame Sare, our pryoresse.’
Nevertheless the same writer, in his ‘Poem against Garnesche,’ addresses a Saracen thus—
‘I say, ye solem Sarson, alle blake is your ble.’