[Sidenote: Doubteth master Speight's ability in the exposition of old words, but commendeth his diligence and knowledge.] IN THE EXPOSITIONE of the olde wordes, as yo{ u} shewe greate diligence and knowledge, so yet in my opynione, unlesse a manne be a good saxoniste, french, and Italyane linguiste, (from whence Chaucer hathe borowed manye woordes,) he cannott well expounde the same to oure nowe vnderstandinges, and therefore (thoughe I will not presume of much knowledge in these tounges) yt semeth yet to mee, that in your expositione, soome woordes are not so fullye and rightlye explaned as they mighte bee, althoughe peradventure yo{ u} haue framed them to make sence. Wherefore I haue collected these fewe (from many others lefte for moore leysure) whiche seme to mee not to be fully explaned in their proper nature, thoughe peradventure yo{ u} will seme to excuse them by a metaphoricall gloose.
[Sidenote: Aketon or Slevelesse jacket of plate for the war.] Aketon or Haketone you expounde a jackett w{ i}thoute sleves, without any further addit{ i}one, that beinge an indiffynyte speache, and therefore may be entended a comone garmente daylye vsed, suche as we call a jerken or jackett withoute sleues: But _haketon_ is a slevelesse jackett of plate for the warre, couered withe anye other stuffe; at this day also called a jackett of plate, suche aketon Walter Stapletone, Bishoppe of Excester and Custos or Wardene of Londone, had vppon hym secretlye, when he was apprehended and behedded in the twentyeth yere of Edwarde the seconde.
[Sidenote: A besant is a besant, and not a duckett.] Besante you expounde a duckett, But a duckett ys farre from a besante, bothe for the tyme of the invent{ i}one, and for the forme; and as I suppose for the valewe, not withstandinge that Hollybande in his frenche-Englishe dictionarye make yt of the valewe of a duckett, whiche duckett is for the most part eyther venetiane or spanyshe, when the Besante ys mere Grekishe; a coyne well knowen and vsed in Englande (and yet not therefore one auncient coyne of Englande, as Hollybande sayethe yt was of france,) emongst the Saxons before, and the Normans after the Conqueste; the forme whereof I will at other tyme describe, onlye nowe settinge downe, that this besante (beinge the frenche name, and in armorye rightlye accordinge to his nature, for a plate of golde,) was called in Latine Byzant{ i}um, obteyninge that name because yt was the coyne of Constantinople sometyme called Bizant{ i}um; and because you shall not thinke this any fic{ ti}one of myne owne, I will warrante the same with Williame of Malmesberye in the fourthe booke De Regibus, who hathe these wordes: Constantinopolis prim{ u}m Bizantiu{ m} dicta forma{ m} antiqui vocabuli preferu{ n}t imperatorii nu{ m}mi Bizantiu{ m} dicta; where one other coppye for nummi Bizantiu{ m} hath Bizantini nu{ m}mi, and the frenche hath yt besante or Bezantine, makinge yt an olde coyne of france, (when he sholde haue sayed one olde coyne in France and not of France,) of the valewe of a duckette.