many other instances, where the words are either not ancient
or not used in their ancient sense, the interpretations are totally
unfounded and fantastical; and at the same time the words cannot be
altered or amended consistently with any rules of criticism, nor can
the interpretations be varied without destroying the sense of
the passage. In these cases, I think, there is a just ground for
believing, that the words as well as their interpretations came from
the hand of Chatterton, especially as they may be proved very often to
have taken their rise either from blunders of Skinner himself, or from
such mistakes and misapprehensions of his meaning as Chatterton, from
haste and ignorance, was very likely to fall into.

I will state first some instances of words and interpretations which
have evidently been derived from blunders of Skinner.

ALL A BOON. E. III. 41. See before, p. 315. _A manner of asking a
favour_, says Chatterton.

Now let us hear Skinner.

"=All a bone=, exp. Preces, Supplex Libellus, Supplicatio, vel ut jam
loquimur Petitio viro Principi exhibita, ni fallor ab AS. Bene, unde
nostrum _Boon_ additis particulis Fr. G. A _la_. Ch. Fab. Mercatoris
fol. 30. p. i. Col. 2."

The passage of Chaucer which is referred to, as an authority for this
word, is the following, Canterb. Tales, ver. 9492.

"And alderfirst he bade them _all a bone_," i.e. he made a request to
them all. So that Skinner is entirely mistaken in making one phrase of
these three words; and it is surely more probable that the author of
the poems was misled by him, than that a really ancient writer mould
have been guilty of so egregious a blunder.

AUMERES. E. III. 25. is explained by Chatterton to mean _Borders of
gold and silver_, &c. And AUMERE in AE. 398, and Ch. 7. seems to be
used in the same sense of _a border of a garment_. And so Skinner has
by mistake explained the word, in that passage of Chaucer which has
been mentioned above [See p. 316, where the true meaning of _Aumere_
is given].

"=Aumere= ex contextu videtur _Fimbria_ vel _Instita_, nescio an a
Teut. =Umbher=, Circum, Circa, q. d. Circuitus seu ambitus. _Ch_. f.
119. p. I.C. I."

BAWSIN. AE. 57. _Large_. Chatterton. M. 101. _Huge, bulky_. Chatterton.

Without pretending to determine the precise meaning of Bawsin, I think
I may venture to say that there is no older or better authority for
rendering it large, than Skinner. "=Bawsin=, exp. _Magnus, Grandis_,
&c."

BRO