Addenda
1. Further Observations on the Value of Renaissance Punctuation Marks
In Tiger’s Heart in Woman’s Hide I propose that Renaissance punctuation makes more sense as musical rather than grammatical notation, although I could not corroborate the claim. (What I propose there is that we treat the punctuation as a series of breath marks, like rest marks in music.) I have in the meanwhile found the following French language manual published contemporaneously with my story that corroborates as well as corrects what I have proposed:
G. D. L. M. N. [G. De La Mothe N.] The French alphabet.... At London :
Printed by R. Field, and are to be sold b[y H.] Jackson, dwelling in
Fleetstreet, benea[th] the conduit, at the sign of S. John the
Evangelist, 1592.
[pp.70-2]
What doth this mark , signify being at the end of a word? This mark , which is called comma, showeth us in reading, or speaking that we must either read or speak thetherto, without any staying or breathing, and being there we must breath a little, then follow, because the whole sense of the sentence is not yet perfect, as Qui a bon voisin, a bon matin.
What do these two points : signify? This mark : which is called colon, teacheth us that we must stay there twice as much as the comma, and that the sentence is not yet endeth, as
Les choses faictes avec deliberation, apportent honneur a qui les faict, si belles sont bien faictes : & au contraire deshonneur au conseiller, si elles sont mal faictes.What doth this point alone . signify? This mark . teacheth us that the sentence is ended, and that we must there breath long twice as much, as at the Colon at least, as
L’homme rusé, par long usage,
N’est folement avantureux :
Et qui par son peril est sage,
S’appelle sage mal?heureux.
The author, G. De La Mothe, does not treat the semi-colon (;), which I suggest in my book is half the length of the period. He suggests the colon (:) fulfilled that function and after reconsideration, I have come to agree with him. It appears I was suffering from a semantic hangover by which I gave the colon more value than the semi-colon, when in fact the opposite appears to have been true. (By way of reflective corroboration I offer the observation that many authors at this time do not use the semi-colon at all.) It makes sense then to offer the following revision to the text that appears on pp. v-vi of my prologue.
| . | full stop | a pause equivalent to the time it takes one to fully fill the lungs with air |
| ; | three-quarter stop | a pause three-quarters the length that given the full stop |
| : | half stop | a pause half the length that given the full stop |
| , | quarter stop | a pause a quarter the length that given the full stop |
My remarks on the embedded comma and the meaning of the question mark in declarative sentences remain unchanged.
30 March, 2007
2. Correction To Dating of Abraham Fraunce's Emmanuel
In volume 1, I placed Abraham Fraunce's Emmanuel after Thomas Nashe's letter, 'Something to read for them that list', published in September of 1591.
I have in the meanwhile come across the Stationers' Register entry for the item dated 9 February 1591. It is there entered together with The Countess of Pembroke's Ivy Church to William Ponsonby.
On the basis of this date, Emmanuel cannot possibly have been written in reaction to Nashe's letter or piracy. At what date it appeared in print in the booksellers' stalls remains more conjectural although it must have been before the end of the year.
On the basis of what appears, it could have been before, at the same time as, or later than Nashe's letter of September.
Although what it specifically would relate about Mary Sidney does not change, the Stationers' dating must be given specific consideration.
18 May, 2007