A few moments ago while writing a comment on Mrs. Osbornes Antidote post I was struck by how much my words sounded like something I had read some time in the far past. Digging back in my various messy archives I found the source, I take no credit for the writing, or the spelling.
Fantasticks
by Nicholas Breton
(c1554-1626)
Milton elsewhere used fantastic as a noun too, meaning “someone given to showy dress”. But as a noun it could also mean “a fanciful composition”, and Fantasticks was the title chosen by Nicholas Breton (c1554-1626) for his curiously pleasing series of sketches, of hours, season and months.
It is long out of print, and several years ago Chistopher Howse of the Telegraph took the trouble to transcribe it over the period of a year. I thought it delightful and still do. Here is October, complete with its fanciful spelling.
OCTOBER
It is now October, and the lofty windes make bare the trees of their leaves, while the hogs in the Woods grow fat with the falne Acorns: the forward Deere begin to goe to rut, and the barren Doe groweth good meat: the Basket-makers now gather their rods, and the fishers lay their leapes in the deepe: the loade horses goe apace to the Mill, and the Meal-market is seldome without people: the Hare on the hill makes the Grey-hound a faire course, & the Foxe in the wood cals the Hounds to full cry: the multitude of people raiseth the price of wares, and the smoothe tongue will sell much: the Sayler now bestirreth his stumps, while the Merchant liveth in feare of the weather: the great feasts are now at hand for the City, but the poore must not beg for feare of the stockes: a fire and a paire of Cards keepe the ghests in the Ordinary, and Tobacco is held very precious for the Rhewme: The Coaches now begin to rattle in the street but the cry of the poore is unpleasing to the rich: Muffes and Cuffes are now in request, and the shuttle-Cocke with the Battel-Doore is a pretty house-exercise: Tennis and Baloune are sports of some charge, and a quicke bandy is Court-keepers commodity: dancing and fencing are now in some use, and kind hearts and true Lovers lye close, to keepe off cold: the Titmouse now keepes in the hollow tree, and the black bird sits close in the bottom of a hedge: In briefe, for the little pleasure I find in it I thus conclude of it: I hold it a Messenger of ill newes, and a second service to a cold dinner.
Farewell.
Boadicea's Chariot 
Excellent fayre LW. I love it. Perhaps you would post the rest over the coming 12 months. It reminds me of Edmund Spenser’s verse on Autumn, a particular favourite of mine. I shall go look for it and add it to the thread. Many thanks for this post, the information therein and for the autumnal sketch. (I shall look Breton up!) Much appreciated.
Then came the Autumn all in Yellow clad,
As though he joyed in his plenteous Store,
Laden with Fruits that made him laugh, full glad
That he had banish’d Hunger, which to-fore
Had by the Belly oft him pinched sore.
Upon his Head a Wreath, that was enroll’d
With Ears of Corn of every sort, he bore:
And in his Hand a Sickle he did hold,
To reap the ripen’d Fruits, the which the Earth had yold.
(Edmund Spenser)
All quite understandable except; ‘… and a quicke bandy is Court-keepers commodity…’ Couldn’t work that line out at all.
Bravo, could it be ‘brandy’?
It pertains to the playing of the games, bandy as to pass the ball to and fro? Tennis was ‘real tennis’ then and needed an indoor court with its own keeper no doubt.
Today we still use bandy as to bandy insults back and forth.
Those I knew, balounes I didn’t, my dictionary gives a second meaning to hit or kick a ball high in the air, an archaic spelling of balloon, which still means the same thing.
Apart from that not a lot changes does it?
Fascinating.