[Ads-l] Help reading a 1721 Boston newspaper

[Joel Berson]

Unfortunately, the below went only to Garson.

And Guy, not "bombard" as sound of a Brittanic musical instrument.


Joel
      From: Joel Berson <berson at att.net>
 To: ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> 
 Sent: Monday, September 14, 2015 1:36 AM
 Subject: Re: Help reading a 1721 Boston newspaper
   
Thank you, Garson and Douglas.  I see that Perry Miller read it as "Bombast", which is at least somewhat more likely in context than "a cannon shot" (bombard).


Joel

 

     From: ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>
 To: Joel Berson <berson at att.net> 
 Sent: Monday, September 14, 2015 12:26 AM
 Subject: Re: Help reading a 1721 Boston newspaper
   
It looks like the writer of "The New England Mind" may have examined
the same text:

https://books.google.com/books?id=kVHFWP8ic0wC&q=bombast#v=snippet&

Garson

On Sat, Sep 12, 2015 at 12:17 PM, Joel Berson <berson at att.net> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:      American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:      Joel Berson <berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Help reading a 1721 Boston newspaper
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I would be grateful for help (ideally from more than one person) in reading=
>  a line from the Boston Gazette of 1721 (Aug.. 28 to) Sept. 4.=C2=A0 On pag=
> e three there is a letter "To the Author of the Boston Gazette".=C2=A0 Its =
> second paragraph contains the text "but whether a ? loose wild pedantick Sc=
> hool Boy performance ..."
>
> The letter is signed "W. Anti-inoculator" (William Douglass).=C2=A0 I am no=
> t able to identify the writer characterized as a "School Boy" performer.
>
> I have two possible readings for the questioned word, "Bombard" (n. 1.a or =
> 1.c) or "Bombast" (n. 3.a).=C2=A0 "Bombast" seems more likely to me given t=
> he context (speech) and the appearance of the next-to-last letter (more lik=
> e a long s than an r).
>
> Thanks,Joel
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
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