[Ads-l] "old boy" = the devil, 1692; antedates OED3 [1737], 1782

[Peter Grund]

The new edition of the Salem documents (Rosenthal et al. 2009. Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt. CUP. pp. 194-195) puts the date of Nichols's deposition at April 19, 1692. Also, note the terms "old nick" and "old cratten" used later on in the same deposition.

Peter
      From: Hugo <hugovk at GMAIL.COM>
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 Sent: Thursday, September 15, 2016 2:53 PM
 Subject: Re: "old boy" = the devil, 1692; antedates OED3 [1737], 1782
   
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Subject:      Re: "old boy" = the devil, 1692; antedates OED3 [1737], 1782
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This looks like a picture of the original manuscript:

http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/texts/tei/swp?term=Abigail%20How&div_id=n69.5&chapter_id=n69

http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/archives/ecca/medium/ecca1157r.jpg

This 1892 book precedes this testimony with:

---
Abigail was examined before the magistrates on June 29. At her trial
in September, the following testimony was given:-
---

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=chi.12794499;view=1up;seq=247

Hugo


On Wed, Sep 14, 2016 at 8:05 PM Joel Berson <berson at att.net> wrote:

> "lidea Nichals aged about 17 years testifieth and saith that about a yeare
> & halfe agoe I asked abigaille hobs how she darst lie out a nights in ye
> woods alone she told me she was not a fraid of any thing for she told me
> she had sold herselfe boddy & soule to ye old boy."
>
> Records of Salem Witchcraft, copied from the Original Documents.  Vol. 1.
> Privately printed for W. Elliot Woodward, Roxbury, Mass., 1864.  Page 177.
> Google Books, full view.
>
> Deposition assuredly 1692, but I cannot determine the month and day.
>
>
> Antedates OED3 "old boy" sense 4.  [1737], 1782--.
>
> Joel

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