Thieves' cant: a printed secret vocabulary from 1567 (England, 1567)
Record: the document says itPattern: documents line upLens: our readingOpen: not yet provenCode: a stated code
Year: 1567 · Places: Europe
SUMMARYThieves' cant: a printed secret vocabulary from 1567 (England, 1567) [Connections: Word coding & Masonic method, Nov 5, 2026]
RECORDThomas Harman's A Caveat or Warening for Commen Cursetors (3rd ed., 1567) has a section headed "Peddelars Frenche," where he presents "the leud, lousey language of these lewtering Luskes and lasy Lorrels" (p. 82). His glossary (pp. 82–84) includes Darkemans (the night), Lightmans (the day), Bowse (drink), Cassan (cheese), Ken (a house), and Quyer (nought, worthless). He also notes that a "Iarke" is "a seale in their Language" (p. 60). His stated aim was to expose these dealings "to the end that they might be stopt" (p. 21)
WITNESShostile. Harman was a magistrate writing to expose and suppress
CODEThis is a documented secret vocabulary with a glossary written by an outsider
PATTERNReal secret vocabularies leave word lists (glossaries) behind, and they are written down by enemies as often as by users
LENS (WW9)A "secret language" claim is strongest when there is a glossary of the period. Without one, it is Lens
OPENnone for the words listed
SOURCEEETS Extra Series IX (1869), ed. Viles & Furnivall, Awdeley's Fraternitye of Vacabondes, Harman's Caueat… (Project Gutenberg #56307), pp. 21, 60, 82–84.