Analysing EME extracts

Extract 1 (1701)

Rules for Behaviour in Company

Enter not into the Company of Superiors without command or calling; nor without a bow.

Sit not down in presence of Superiors without bidding.

Sing not nor hum in thy mouth while thou art in company.

Stand not wriggling with thy body hither and thither but steddy and upright.

In coughing or sneesing make as little noise as possible.

If thou cannot avoid yawning, shut thy Mouth with thine Hand or Handkerchief before yt, turning thy Face aside.

When thou blowest thy Nose, let thy Handkerchief be used, and make not a noise in so doing.

Gnaw not thy Nails, pick them not, nor bite them with thy teeth.

Spit not in the Room, but in a corner, and rub it out with thy Foot, or rather go out and do it abroad.

Extract 2 (1664)

Colonel Hutchinson was of a very spare diett and temperate both in meates and drinkes, not much given to sleepe; an early riser when he was in Health, he loved not to goe very soone to bed; he never was at any time Idle, and hated to see any one elce soe. In all his naturall and ordinary inclinations and composure* there was somthing Extraordinary and tending to Vertue, beyond what I can describe or can be gatherd from a bare dead description; there was a life of Spirit and Power in him that is not to be found in any copie drawne from him. To summe up therefore all that can be sayd of his outward frame and disposition, wee must truly conclude that it was a very handsome and well furnisht Lodging prepard for the reception of that prince who in the administration of all excellent Virtues reignd there a while, til he was called back to the pallace of the universall emperor.

Extract 3 (1588)

It resteth I speake a word or two of the Naturall* inhabitants, their natures and maners, leauing large discourse thereof vntill time more conuenient hereafter: nowe onely so farre foorth, as that you may know, how that they in respect of troubling our inhabiting and planting, are not to be feared; but that they shall haue cause both to feare and loue vs, that shall inhabite with them.

They are a people clothed with loose mantles* made of Deere skins, & aprons of the same rounde about their middles; all els naked; hauing no edge tooles* or weapons of yron or steele to offend* vs withall, neither know they how to make any: those weapõs that they haue, are onlie bowes made of Witch hazle, & arrowes of reeds; flat edged truncheons also of wood about a yard long, neither haue they any thing to defe˜d* the˜selues but targets* made of barcks; and some armours made of stickes wickered together with thread. […]

In respect of vs they are a people poore, and for want of skill and iudgement in the knowledge and vse of our things, doe esteeme our trifles before thinges of greater value.

Extract 4 (1653)

S^r

I was soe kinde as to write to you by the Coachman, and let mee tell you, I think ‘twas the greatest testimony of my freindship that I could give you, for truste mee I was soe tyrd with my Journy, so dosed* with my Colde, and soe out of humor with our parteing, that I should have done it with great unwillingnesse to any body else. I lay a bed all next day to recover my self, and risse* a thursday to receive your letter with ye more Ceremony. I founde noe fault with the ill writeing, ‘twas but too Easy to reade, my thinketh,* for I am sure I had done much sooner then I could have wished, but in Earnest I was heartily troubld to finde you in so much disorder.* I would not have you soe kinde to mee, as to bee cruell to your self, in whome I am more concern’d; noe, for godsake let us not make afflictions of such things as these, I am affrayde wee shall meet with too many Reall on’s.*

Extract 5 (1594)

Answere me, quoth he, my wise young Wilton, is it true that I am thus vnderhand dead and buried by these bad tongues?

Nay, quoth I, you shall pardon me, for I haue spoken too much alreadie, no definitiue sentence of death shall march out of my wel meaning lips, they haue but lately suckt milke, and shall they so sodainly change theyr food and seeke after bloud?

Oh but, quoth he, a mans friend is his friend, fill the other pint Tapster,* what sayd the king, did hee beleeue it when hee heard it, I pray thee say, I sweare to thee by my nobility, none in the worlde shall euer be made priuie, that I receiued anie light of this matter from thee.

That firme affiance,* quoth I, had I in you before, or else I would neuer haue gone so farre ouer the shooes, to plucke you out of the mire. Not to make many wordes (since you will needs know) the king saies flatly, you are a miser & a snudge*, and he neuer hopt better of you.

Contextual information

male-orientated. It reinforces the message that boys are inferior, and their elders are superior: they are expected to be respectful and subservient. The style is formal but direct with mostly simple, monosyllabic lexis – appropriate for the target audience. There is a purposefully archaic tone which perhaps mirrors the style of the King James Bible (1611) to give greater authority to the content. Many of the grammatical features used here were not common in 1701.

In the eighteenth century, social status was closely linked to conduct – learning the rules supposedly allowed readers to recognise the fine distinctions that separated one class from another. Advisory self-help guides gave readers the opportunity to copy the behaviour of others in the hope of improving their position in life.

Contextual information

Extract 2 (biography, 1664)

This extract is from the biography of Colonel John Hutchinson (1615-1664), which was written shortly after Hutchinson’s death by his wife Lucy to honour his life. The book was a piece of private writing, originally written only for a close family audience, but it was printed by a descendent in 1806.

Hutchinson was a Parliamentary colonel in the English Civil War, and held Nottingham castle and town for Parliament against the Royalist forces. Later, he was one of the judges at the trial of King Charles 1, and was one of those who signed the king’s death warrant. The extract is taken from a section entitled ‘To My Children’, which gives an overview of the Colonel’s personality. The reader is given a vivid and detailed description of Colonel Hutchinson's positive qualities – the religious metaphors at the end are typical of the period and provide a fitting climax to the laudatory representation of Hutchinson.

Contextual information

Extract 3 (travel writing, 1588)

This extract is taken from a book by Thomas Hariot. Hariot was a cartographer (map-maker), mathematician, astronomer and linguist who joined Sir Walter Ralegh in an attempt to establish a colony called ‘Virginia’ on Roanoke Island (now North Carolina). His report focuses on the native inhabitants and their way of life, and on the plants, minerals and resources which could be traded. His aim was to inform his readers, but also to encourage investment and settlement. He was the only colonist who could speak the Algonquin language of the Native Americans and he therefore played a central role in the success of the expedition.

Hariot’s aim is to provide objective evidence for the people who will ultimately settle in Virginia (named after Queen Elizabeth, the ‘Virgin Queen’). The tenor is therefore formal and the style impersonal. Because the primary function is informative, the language tends to be neutral, focusing on details which are observable. There is little sense of the wider landscape - the emphasis is on communicating a sense of the native inhabitants. Hariot’s observations are intended to inform contemporary readers, but modern readers may feel uncomfortable with the sense of colonial superiority which emerges in places.

Contextual information

Extract 4 (personal letter, 1653)

This extract is taken from a letter written by Dorothy Osborne to William Temple. Both came from upper class families, and both their fathers had knighthoods. The couple fell in love in 1648, but both families opposed the marriage on economic grounds. As a result, they conducted a secret courtship, and wrote frequent letters to each other. Dorothy was under intense pressure to accept a husband chosen by her family, but her love for William Temple remained constant, and they finally married on 25 December 1654.

To modern readers the letter may seem very formal in places, but this was the style of the period. Although serious in places, the tone is often ironic and playful, giving an insight into Dorothy’s personality. She clearly conveys her love for William when she says that she was so ill and tired that she would not have written the letter to anyone else, and in her concern that William is upset. Some of the syntax is complex and often loosely structured, but there is a clear spoken voice, and much of the lexis is monosyllabic and straightforward.

Contextual information

Extract 5 (narrative, 1594)

This extract is taken from An Unfortunate Traveller, Or the Life of Jack Wilton by Thomas Nashe. The main character, Jack Wilton, is a rogue – he cheats the people around him and exploits their weaknesses. In this extract, he is having a secret meeting with the cider-maker in the alehouse. Jack intends to trick the cider-maker into believing that the king wants to have him hanged as a traitor. Fearing for his life, the cider-maker is persuaded to give out free cider to all the soldiers.

Nashe’s use of a first-person narrative encourages the reader to engage with Jack Wilton even though he is a rogue. We are aware that he is tricking the cider-maker, but Nashe also makes sure we see the cider-maker as a fool. The use of direct speech allows each character to present themselves directly to the reader.