Whoever will take the pains to examine these interpretations will find, that they are almost all taken from SKINNER’S Etymologicon Linguae Anglicanae[5].  In many cases, where the words are really ancient, the interpretations are perfectly right; and so far Chatterton can only be considered in the light of a commentator, who avails himself of the best assistances to explane any genuine author.  But in 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.”