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LATIMER'S ENGLISH.
M. J. PETERS, '95.
Latimer wrote at the time when the renascence
was transforming English thought. At
first bitterly opposed to reform, he soon became one
of its most ardent advocates and ended a long life,
spent in teaching what he conceived to be the truth,
in 1555 at the stake.
Nearly all his writings consist of sermons and are
typical of the prose productions of that remarkable
period. Since these sermons were intended largely
to appeal to the common people and as Latin had
not yet aquired enough influence, these sermons
are free from that classic pedantry which is so frequent
at a later period. In fact, Latimer's English
as well as that of his contemporaries, points back
to the period of Middle-English. How little Latimer,
in spite of his enthusiasm for the new learning,
believed in employing Latin in the ritual of the
church can be seen in the following words:
"What he the words that the minister speaketh
to the ignorant people when he giveth them ashes
upon Ash-Wednesday, but that they must be
spoken in Latin?"
If he does give his hearers a Latin phrase he is
always careful to give a translation along with it,
and at times is not satisfied with giving a simple
English equivalent, but several words or even
phrases are thrown in to make sure that his audience
will grasp the full meaning of the Latin. Such
translations not only indicate a desire on the part
of the writer to be clear, but also indicate a want of
confidence among the learned men of that age in
the power of Euglish to express exactly the sense
of the Latin words. English was regarded as much
inferior to Latin. Latimer proceeds to translate
the sentence, "SICUT LEO RUGIENS CIRCUIT QUAERENS
QUEM DEVORET," thus: "He goeth about like a
roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour......
CIRCUIT, he goeth about every corner of his diocese
he goeth on visitation daily, and leaveth no place
of his cure unvisited; he walketh round about from
place to place, and ceaseth not. SICUT LEO, as a lion
— that is strongly, boldly, fiercely, and proudly
with haughty looks, with a proud countenance
and stately braggins etc."
The fact that Latimer clung to the language of
the common people, accounts for the strength and
explicitness of his words. The Anglo-Saxon element
makes up a large part of his vocabulary, yet
he does not hesitate to use other words if they serve
his purpose better. He may be read today and
understood without great difficulty. Now and
then we find obsolete words and expressions as
"let" in the sense of hinder, "new," in the sense of
novel, "by-and-by," for immediately, or an obsolete
form, as "brake" for broke, but on the whole his
vocabulary presents little difficulty.
His idioms at times conflict with those of present
English and some of his expressions are ungrammatical.
He uses the nominative absolute,
employs the infinitive in cases where at present its
use would be inadmissible, has quaint inversions
and in general quite often conflicts with modern
usage. Some of these peculiarities are formed in
the following examples:
"It was a goodly pulpit that our Saviour, Christ
had gotten Him there. "It was a chance," used in
connection where present idiom would require "by
chance." "But ah, good God, that would give thee
a time of repentance after His threatening." "I
was new come out of a sickness whereof I looked to
have died and weak 1 was." "Nor it liked me
not." "Now choose thee." etc.
Latimer's sentence and paragraph structure is
careless. Style in the sense of artistic finish is
entirely wanting. Most of his sentences are short
and in his longer sentences there is lacking the
unity and completeness that would entitle them to
be called periods. Indeed, by substituting periods
for commas and semi-colons, most of them could be
changed into short, abrupt sentences without making

Images from this collection may be downloaded for non-commercial educational and research purposes on the condition that The University of South Dakota, Archives and Special Collections is credited as the source. For permission to use a particular item for any other purpose, such as publishing, video production, exhibits, product presentations, interior design, or advertising, you must contact The University of South Dakota, Archives and Special Collections. The user is responsible for all issues of copyright.

LATIMER'S ENGLISH.
M. J. PETERS, '95.
Latimer wrote at the time when the renascence
was transforming English thought. At
first bitterly opposed to reform, he soon became one
of its most ardent advocates and ended a long life,
spent in teaching what he conceived to be the truth,
in 1555 at the stake.
Nearly all his writings consist of sermons and are
typical of the prose productions of that remarkable
period. Since these sermons were intended largely
to appeal to the common people and as Latin had
not yet aquired enough influence, these sermons
are free from that classic pedantry which is so frequent
at a later period. In fact, Latimer's English
as well as that of his contemporaries, points back
to the period of Middle-English. How little Latimer,
in spite of his enthusiasm for the new learning,
believed in employing Latin in the ritual of the
church can be seen in the following words:
"What he the words that the minister speaketh
to the ignorant people when he giveth them ashes
upon Ash-Wednesday, but that they must be
spoken in Latin?"
If he does give his hearers a Latin phrase he is
always careful to give a translation along with it,
and at times is not satisfied with giving a simple
English equivalent, but several words or even
phrases are thrown in to make sure that his audience
will grasp the full meaning of the Latin. Such
translations not only indicate a desire on the part
of the writer to be clear, but also indicate a want of
confidence among the learned men of that age in
the power of Euglish to express exactly the sense
of the Latin words. English was regarded as much
inferior to Latin. Latimer proceeds to translate
the sentence, "SICUT LEO RUGIENS CIRCUIT QUAERENS
QUEM DEVORET," thus: "He goeth about like a
roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour......
CIRCUIT, he goeth about every corner of his diocese
he goeth on visitation daily, and leaveth no place
of his cure unvisited; he walketh round about from
place to place, and ceaseth not. SICUT LEO, as a lion
— that is strongly, boldly, fiercely, and proudly
with haughty looks, with a proud countenance
and stately braggins etc."
The fact that Latimer clung to the language of
the common people, accounts for the strength and
explicitness of his words. The Anglo-Saxon element
makes up a large part of his vocabulary, yet
he does not hesitate to use other words if they serve
his purpose better. He may be read today and
understood without great difficulty. Now and
then we find obsolete words and expressions as
"let" in the sense of hinder, "new," in the sense of
novel, "by-and-by," for immediately, or an obsolete
form, as "brake" for broke, but on the whole his
vocabulary presents little difficulty.
His idioms at times conflict with those of present
English and some of his expressions are ungrammatical.
He uses the nominative absolute,
employs the infinitive in cases where at present its
use would be inadmissible, has quaint inversions
and in general quite often conflicts with modern
usage. Some of these peculiarities are formed in
the following examples:
"It was a goodly pulpit that our Saviour, Christ
had gotten Him there. "It was a chance," used in
connection where present idiom would require "by
chance." "But ah, good God, that would give thee
a time of repentance after His threatening." "I
was new come out of a sickness whereof I looked to
have died and weak 1 was." "Nor it liked me
not." "Now choose thee." etc.
Latimer's sentence and paragraph structure is
careless. Style in the sense of artistic finish is
entirely wanting. Most of his sentences are short
and in his longer sentences there is lacking the
unity and completeness that would entitle them to
be called periods. Indeed, by substituting periods
for commas and semi-colons, most of them could be
changed into short, abrupt sentences without making

Images from this collection may be downloaded for non-commercial educational and research purposes on the condition that The University of South Dakota, Archives and Special Collections is credited as the source. For permission to use a particular item for any other purpose, such as publishing, video production, exhibits, product presentations, interior design, or advertising, you must contact The University of South Dakota, Archives and Special Collections. The user is responsible for all issues of copyright.