James (Stuart) Modernization Guide
Thov doth feeleſt thyne braine wracked. Here are my notes as to what I sometimes modernized, which may be useful if you want to actually read some of the original works (or are reading comparable 17th English documents). James' writing style is distinct & unlike many authors of the time or since, and some writings bleed into Middle Scots and I've also included bits of that as well. Even when he was King of England much of his Middle Scots remained in later publications.
James' vocabulary is also so extensive such that, I think he may have known and used more English words than anyone else in the English language. This is not an exaggeration. If you calculate Flesch-Kincaid against a typical King James document even from what he wrote as a teenager, it will have a level of 17.5+ which is college level (the one implemented by Microsoft in Word appears to be largely nonfunctional and rated James' writings at 7th grade, that's a laugh).
- Anything ending in 'eth' to 's'
- ay / aye = yes / certainly / always / although (really an affirmation, I try to associate it best within the sentence, usually "certainly", it could be best just to leave it as "aye", but at the same time it's fairly archaic unless you're already familiar with Scots as some still use it today)
- weale = weal (I translate all to 'prosperity' as weal is too arcahic for most)
- shall = will
- ye = you (since 'you' isn't actually a proper replacement to ye, some compromises have to be made contextually in rare circumstances, but oh well. We don't use 'ye' anymore so it's not fitting for modernization)
- unto = to (sometimes, as certain situations call for 'unto' and not 'to')
- hath = has
- thorow = through
- burthens = burdens
- bruit = it appears James meant "brute" for this, which is rare
- murther = murder
- traist = trust
- rent = wrent
- vanting = vaunting
- sodaine / sodain = sudden
- corbies = ravens
- satyricke / satyrick = satiric
- wrayle / rayle / raile = rail (in this sense it's referring to the secondary usage, as in 'to rail against someone' and not literal railings or bars)
- Ireland-men = Irish
- adioyning: adjoining
- barbars = barbarians
- subalterin = subaltern
- meet = proper (while I like the archaic form myself, hardly anyone uses 'meet' to mean proper/just anymore so it's best just to flip it to something equivalent)
- unmeet = unsuitable
- unmeetest = most unproper
- reft, reave = raid, raided, stealing
- way-taking / waytaking = removal or stealing
- hoords / hoordes = hords
- rehabled = rehabilitated
- hag-buts / hagbuts = firearms
- betwixt = between (only sometimes because James uses both)
- sponke = spark
- gar / garre = usually make (action) or causing, unfortunately usually requires extra vocabulary to properly translate it
- physicke / physick / physic (doctors of physic) = physician
- whiles = sometimes, at times
- undanted = undaunted
- paction = agreement
- therefro = therefrom
- kythe / kithe = become
- wreake = wreak (as in to wreak havoc)
- assoone / assoon = as soon
- jove = jupiter (using jupiter because it's what more people know)
- oftner = more often
- sliddriest = slickest
- courteours = courtiers
- unspeered = unasked (not asked/inquired about)
- middesses = extremes (usually a comparison of two things, which is also related to 'midst' as you can see in the word)
- ingyne = ingenuity
- rash-headie / heady-rash = rash headed
- anent = conerning
- aage = age
- ditted = closed (as in closing your mouth)
- indited/endited = to write/compose/create
- charity = strongest-love (I didn't think using 'love' by itself was appropriate because James already uses 'love' in many parts, so strongest-love seems like the most suitable replacement for charity. Modern audiences will think the Jacobean charity is literal charity so I didn't want to leave it at charity)
- maist = while the middlescots would be "most"? I seen James used it as "may"; which means 'maist' can also double as English's "mayest". There are no guard rails with English back then like there are today, you were expected to just know (especially when flipping between English and Scots).
- compeiring = appearing
- celeretie (celerity) = swift movement
- tentations = successive steps
- accompted = accounted
- airths = (comes from ærð), cardinal directions
- feated = equipped (although this may be context dependent)
- contemned = despised, not to be conflated with the similar 'condemned'
- hither = here, could also require multiple words depending on context
- man-child = male child
- wiles = stratagems (context dependent)
- fro = from
- tyners = losers
- withal = additionally (context dependent)
- hinmost = hindmost
- Turk(s) = Muslim (an archaic term used in the 17th century)
- in sunder = asunder
- victuals = food / provisions / sustenance
- evanished = vanished
- aforegoing = preceding
- lets = hindrances
- durst = dared
- wracke = wreck
- cornet = cornett (this was a subtle one unless you're already familiar with musical instruments. Obviously James had no knowledge of our modern brass cornets, but rather the cornett: of course in the 17th century this distinguishing wasn't necessary).
- appearandly = apparently
- Bragges = ??? I don't know for this one as James' use appears to be novel. It could refer to crags. I've just modernized it as "brags".
- dairned = ??? conceal ???