Dogluthy/Dogluthi
		In the January An Gannas, Ken George suggests, ‘We can add the word ludh to the Vocabulary to mean tired out.I am doubtful about this. The syllable luth is found three times in Bewnans Ke as part of the verb dogluthy and the noun luthky.The first example of dogluthy is in stanza 145. ‘Alas that I am dogluthy[s?]’ (It is written like this in the Oliver Padell transcript) It is spoken by Tewdar who is very angry with Ke but there is no reason to think he is tired as well. Michael Polkinhorn who has translated the whole play on the internet (except for the many gaps) has suggested foutu as a translation of dogluthys but perhaps we should be a little bolder as is Nicholas Williams in his dictionary where there is a long column on the four letter English word beginning with f***. If Michael’s suggestion is correct (and I think it is) dogluthys could be an obscene word meaning, in this case a mixture of tiredness and anger (I’m f****!d)The second example of dogluthy is found in stanza 382 te a yl ov dogluthy. As Ken writes, Queen Gwinevere says this to Modred when he wants make love to her. At first she is unwilling but after a short time she takes pity on him and in words which are very clear although inappropriate in our more courteous times she offers to do it. ‘You may f***k me!’ She also says they should go to her bedroom to find a private place. Surely she does not mean ‘Thou mayest tire me out’ as Ken suggests! (There are examples of obscene language in The Miller’s Tale in Chaucer, the works of Rabelais in French and Bocaccio in Italian, not forgetting the famous lines in ‘The Death of Pilate’ 2355-2357Yes, you must kiss my arse holefor its head is very long indeed out of my arseThe example of the noun mentioned by Ken is luthky found in stanza 344. ‘I, Hirtasy, King of Parthia will also oppose Arthur the false luthky’. The precise meaning of the word in context is not clear, but it is clear that King Hirtasy wants to support the Emperor of Rome against King Arthur who will not be a loyal vassal or pay tribute according to the feudal custom. It is difficult to believe he is saying that Arthur is tired as Ken suggests. It is an inappropriate word, obscene perhaps, spoken by Hirtasy against Arthur showing that he is terribly evil. I will not try to translate it to English! Michael Polkinhorn suggested it should be brathky (cur), but Ken is right to point out the connection with dogluthy which is more likely, perhaps,I suggested to Michael that doghluth is derived from the two English words dog and lust. It would be reasonable, perhaps, to add it to our vocabulary were not N. J, Williams already suggesting two other words to translate the English four letter word mentioned above and I am sure we don’t need any more! Ray Edwards