“Martin drunke” in today’s WORK could be related to the feast of St. Martin, the Martin Marprelate controversies in which Nashe was deeply involved or something else entirely…otherwise the slightly archaic language is easily understood. I’ve put it into the list form popular with the kids these days!

WORK

Nor have we one or two kinds of drunkards only, but eight kinds.

• The first is ape drunke; and he leapes, and singes, and hollowes, and danceth for the heavens;

• The second is lion drunke; and he flings the pots about the house, calls his hostesse whore, breakes the glasse windowes with his dagger, and is apt to quarrell with anie man that speaks to him;

• The third is swine drunke; heavie, lumpish, and sleepie, and cries for a little more drinke, and a fewe more cloathes;

• The fourth is sheepe drunk; wise in his conceipt, when he cannot bring foorth a right word;

• The fifth is mawdlen drunke; when a fellowe will weepe for kindnes in the midst of ale, and kisse you, saying, ‘By God, captaine, I love thee. Goe thy wayes; thou dost not thinke so often of me as I doo thee; I would (if it pleased God) I could not love thee as well as I doo;’ and then he puts his finger in his eye, and cryes;

• The sixth is Martin drunke; when a man is drunke, and drinkes himselfe sober ere he stirre;

• The seventh is goate drunke; when, in his drunkennes, he hath no minde but on lecherie;

• The eighth is fox drunke – when he is craftie drunke, as manie of the Dutchmen bee, that will never bargaine but when they are drunke.

All these species, and more, I have seen practised in one company at one sitting; when I have been permitted to remain sober amongst them, only to note their several humours.

—Thomas Nashe
—from The Unfortunate Traveller and Other Works

WORD(S)

blet. noun or verb. To decay from the inside as do fleshy fruits; to rot without external signs. From French blet, blette (overripe, soft).

“After the period of ripeness, most fleshy fruits undergo a new kind of alteration; their flesh either rots or blets.” (John Lindley)

“These Chess-apples are very sharp and rough to the taste, but when kept like Medlars, till they ”blet“ or begin to decay, are far from unpleasant.” (Edward Step)

“The decomposition of the pericarp begins with fermentation, and, after having passed through the intermediate stage of bletting, ends in the total obliteration of the cellular structure.” (The Reader)

WEB

1. An interactive “Timeline of Slang Terms for Drink, Drunks and Drunkenness”.

2. From 1953–1960, Edward Gorey designed books (covers and/or text block design and typography) for Doubleday. View a collection of his work.

3. “So your a pedant? It’s nothing to be proud of”.

4. “…are you recalcitrant and brainy? Love words? Hyper-competitive? Not above a little larceny? Then you’ll definitely love One Up!” A word game.

5. Today in 1911, Paul Henning, creator of the Beverly Hillbillies television series (and writer of the music and lyrics of its iconic theme song), is born. Henning also created the popular series Petticoat Junction and was the executive producer of Green Acres. Watch a short (under 3 min) ►biography or a ►full-length interview. And, of course, enjoy the ear worm of a theme song!

REPRISES/RESPONSES/REJOINDERS/RIPOSTES

• Joseph Hutchison, who was featured in an early edition of this newsletter, was just appointed Colorado’s Poet Laureate.

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