Dialogues in French and English

by William Caxton

[37^8-30]. This emphatic praise of the writer’s craft is not in Michelant; probably it expresses Caxton’s own sentiments.

[38³⁶]. Enprintees, which Caxton amazingly renders ‘enprinted,’ is doubtless a mistake for enpruntes, borrowed. The occurrence of this mistake shows that the passage must have been in Caxton’s original, though it is not in Michelant’s text. Caxton’s account of the bookseller’s stock is much fuller than that in Michelant, but apparently this is not due, as might naturally be supposed, to his own interest in the subject.

[44¹⁷]. Formaketh, literally adopted from the Flemish vermaect, repairs.

[44²⁶]. Filleule is god-daughter, not ‘daughter.’ The Flemish has dochterkine, which, though literally = ‘little daughter,’ was used for ‘god-daughter.’

[46¹]. It is curious that the names beginning with S and T, which appear in Michelant, are omitted by Caxton. Possibly a leaf was missing in his original.

[50²²]. From this line to the end seems to be an addition by Caxton.

[ [CAXTON’S DIALOGUES]

[Or ‘A Book for Travellers,’ Typ. Ant. i. 315: or ‘A Vocabulary,’ Blades, ii. 133.]

[TABLE OF CONTENTS.]

FRENSSHE.		ENGLISSH.
Cy commence la table		Hier begynneth the table
De cest prouffytable doctrine,		Of this prouffytable lernynge,
Pour trouuer tout par ordene		For to fynde all by ordre
Ce que on vouldra aprendre.		That whiche men wylle lerne.	[4]
[PAGE]
Premierment, linuocacion de la trinite;	[3]	Fyrst, the callyng of the trinite;
Comment on doibt chescun saluer;	[4]	How every man ought grete othir;
Les meubles aual la mayson;	[6]	The catayllys langyng to the house;	[8]
Les noms des chars & de beestes1;1 beestis	[10]	The names of flessh and of bestis;
Et doysiaulz priues & sauuages;	[10]	And of byrdes tame and wylde;
Les noms des poyssons de mer;	[11]	The names of fysshes of the see;
Et des poyssons des Ryuiers;	[12]	And of fysshes of the Riuers;	[12]
Les noms de compenaiges;	[12]	The names of whyte mete;
Les noms des fruis darbres;	[13]	The names of the fruytes of trees;
Les noms des pluiseurs arbres;	[13]	The names of diuerse trees;
Les noms des potages;	[13]	The names of potages;	[16]
Les noms des communs beuurages;	[14]	The names of comyn drynkes;
La marchandyse des draps	[14]	The marchandise of clothe
Des diuerses villes et festes;	[18]	Of diuerse tounes and fayres;
Les marchandises des laines;	[19]	The marchandyse of wulle;	[20]
Les noms des cuyrs & des peaulx;	[19]	The names of hydes and of skynnes;
Les noms des apotecaires;	[19]	The names of the apotecaries;
Les noms des Oyles,	[20]	The names of Oyles,
Des coleurs des paintres;	[20]	Of the colours of paynters;	[24]
Les noms des crasseries,	[20]	The names of coriars,
Des aluns et daultres tainctures;	[20]	Of alume and of othir colours;
Les noms des tous metauls;	[21]	The names of all metals;
Les noms des merceries;	[21]	The names of merceryes;	[28]
Les noms des pluiseurs graines;	[22]	The names of diuerse graynes;
Des prelats de saincte eglyse,	[22]	Of the prelates of holy chirche,
Du pape, cardinaulz, euesques,	[22]	Of the pope, cardinals, bisshops,
Archeuesques, abbes, et officiaulx,	[23]	Archebisshops, abbotes, and officials,	[4]
Des moynes et gens de lordene;	[23]	Of monkes and folke of ordre;
De lempereur, roys, et roynes,	[22]	Of themperour, kynges, and quenes,
Des ducs, countes, et princes,	[24]	Of dukes, erles, and princes,
Barons, cheualiers, escuyers;	[24]	Barons, knyghtes, and squyers;	[8]
Les noms dhommes et des femmes,	[25]	The names of men and of wymmen,
Et des mestiers, selon lordre de a b c;	[26]	And of craftes, after thordre of a b c;
Les grandes festes et termes de lan;	[28]	The grete festes and termes of the yere;	[12]
Des orfeures, tisserans, & foulons1,1 foulous	[31]	Of goldsmythes, weuers, and fullers,
Tondeurs, pigneresses, fileresses;	[32]	Sheremen, kempsters, spynsters;
Des lormiers et armurers,	[33]	Of bridelmakers and armorers,	[16]
Des tailliers & Vieswariers,	[34]	Of tayllours and vpholdsters,
Des taincturiers2 & drappiers,2 taiuc-	[35]	Of dyers and drapers,
Des boulengiers & cordewaniers,	[35]	Of bakers and shoomakers,
Des escripuains & arceniers,	[36]	Of skriueners and boumakers,	[20]
Des moulniers & bouchiers,	[37]	Of mylnars and bochiers,
Des poissonners & teliers,	[38]	Of fysshmongers and of lynweuers,
Des chaudeliers3 & libraries,3 chan-	[38]	Of ketelmakers and librariers,
Des gauntiers & corbelliers,	[40], [38]	Of glouers and of maundemakers,	[24]
Des painturers & vsuriers,	[39]	Of paintours and vsuriers,
Des couureurs de tieulles & destrain,	[40]	Of tylers and thatchers,
Des charpentiers & feultriers,	[39]	Of carpenters and hatmakers,
Des chauetiers et boursiers,	[41]	Of cobelers and pursers,	[28]
Des cousturiers et especiers,	[42]	Of shepsters and spycers,
Des coultiers et hosteliers,	[42]	Of brokers and hosteliers,
Des touriers et cuueliers,	[43]	Of kepars of prisons and coupers,
Des mesuriers et messagiers,	[44]	Of metars and messagiers,	[32]
Des chartons et changiers,	[45]	Of carters and chaungers,
Des monnoyers et pastesiers,	[45]	Of myntemakers and pybakers,
Des jougleurs & teneurs,	[46]	Of pleyers and tawyers,
Des vairriers et serruriers,	[46]	Of makers of greywerke and lokyers,	[36]
Des gorliers et huchiers,	[46]	Of gorelmakers and joyners,
Des parcenniers;	[47]	Of parchemyn makers;
Et les parolles que chescun	[49]	And the wordes that eueryche
Pourra apprendre pour aler		May lerne for to goo	[40]