"considering cap" [antedated to 1573]

[Joel S. Berson]

Bonnie,

I'd like to pass the second quotation on to a friend (female!) who is 
not much up on 16th-century spelling.  May I assume that in "they 
will condemne their woer for a foole" it's "wooer"?  And I can't 
figure out what "serude" is in "yet as his audacity serude him".  "Seduce"?

Thanks,
Joel

At 7/6/2014 03:59 PM, Bonnie Taylor-Blake wrote:

>The OED gives as its first example of "considering cap" one from 1600.
>("Thinking cap," now better known, derives from "considering cap.")
>In Early English Books Online there are several earlier sightings,
>including the following from 1573, the earliest in that database.  I'm
>sending along the second earliest there as well, only because I'm fond
>of it.  And I'm relying on EEBO's transcriptions of both, but I've
>double-checked the page images and what follows for the text
>themselves look right.
>
>-- Bonnie
>
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>
>[Illegible] M. Stap. if we considered as you haue sayde, it would be a
>very meane determination of any thing. And yet if you would better
>haue considered, euen that you haue sayde, ye shoulde haue found this
>your saying, to haue bene sayde without your considering cappe.
>
>[From John Bridges, "The supremacie of Christian princes ouer all
>persons throughout theor dominions, in all causes so wel
>ecclesiastical as temporall, both against the Counterblast of Thomas
>Stapleton, replying on the reuerend father in Christe, Robert Bishop
>of Winchester: and also against Nicolas Sanders his uisible monarchie
>of the Romaine Church, touching this controuersie of the princes
>supremacie. Ansvvered by Iohn Bridges," London: printed by Henrie
>Bynneman, for Humfrey Toye,1573. p. 645; via EEBO.]
>
>-------------------
>
>Well, to the matter, though women are comonly full of toung, and ready
>of speeche, yet when they ar wooed, they muste be firste spoken to, or
>els they will condemne their woer for a foole: and therefore Simson
>hauing on his  considering cappe, although not a man of the greatest
>capacity, yet as his audacity serude him, he boldely brake forth into
>this salutacion.
>
>[From Nicholas Breton, "The vvorkes of a young wyt, trust vp with a
>fardell of pretie fancies profitable to young poetes, preiudicial to
>no man, and pleasaunt to euery man, to passe away idle tyme withall.
>Whereunto is ioyned an odde kynde of wooing, with a banquet of
>comfettes, to make an ende withall. Done by N.B. Gentleman," no
>information on publisher/printer or place of printing; publication
>date of 1577 included in preface; no page number, but this is to be
>found in Image 33 of the work at EEBO.]
>
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>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org