"Pynson & Elyot"---Opps, I forgot this neat ti(t/d)bit

[Eric Alan Weinstein]

The First English work with the word Dictionary in its title 
was the very well recieved "A Dictionarie or Syr Thomas 
Eliot, Knight", very well recieved and much refered to 
English/Latin job(by) of 1538. This is the El(i/y)ot who
wrote the popular volume called  "the Governor"
and who had been sent by  Henry 8 to find and kill 
Will Tyndale, which he happily managed to avoid doing
in any way shape or form, though others got 'em 
in the end.

This T. Elyot, now mostly forgotten, was a very great man 
in his day. What I'm going to say seems so odd,  I almost do 
not believe it. But it would appear to be true. 
He created new words in English to match his Latin terms;
words we all use today. The following words were
created as "inkhorn" neologisms:

"involve, superstitiously, exactly, articulate,
emulation, aggravate, activity, audacity, beneficence, 
clemency, democracy (!), education (!), frugality,
implacability, imprudence, liberty of speech (!),
loyalty, magistrate, mediocrity, sincerity, society(!)"

BEFORE ELIOT-----
The first and second English latin Dictionaries
("Promptorium", and "Ortus") had been issued by one 
Richard PYNSON (var. c,ch), printer of London.
(He was printer, not author, mind you.)
R. Pynson also published the first English to French 
dictionary, by one Jehan (John) Palsgrave.


Indeed, Pynson may have been printer for Elyot, but 
I can not prove it, as I have no secondary sorce material
indicating it; and the primary sorces are 1) locked up in
evil ugly St Panc BL, and hence unavailable for 10 months.

It seems in any case that this Richard Pynson was 
great-grandson of a Sheriff of London (elected 4 times) 
under Mayor Dick Wittington, One Thom Pynchon.

    I have no way of knowing if this naming is just a fluke,
or if this is in fact part of our Pynchon's family tree. Eliot of course
did his family tree, and even used the Earlier Eli(y)ot's material
in the Four Quartets (East Coker?).

Now, what was that about Bodine the Sailor?

Eric Alan Weinstein
E.A.Weinstein at qmw.ac.uk