# Latin/English(?): perlige



## panjandrum

This word was handwritten in faded brown ink, just before an ornately-printed FINIS, at the end of a book printed in 1647.

It was the only annotation in the book.

What does it mean?

It does not appear in my OED, and although there are a number of finds in Google, none of them seems to be appropriate.


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## pieanne

Is this supposed to be in English?


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## shamblesuk

Could it be Latin (going by finis)?


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## pieanne

(Going by finis)? 
Could you please explain?


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## panjandrum

It could be Latin, but it doesn't relate to anything Latin that I can find. I would have expected English (the book is in English), or else something familiar in Latin - like Finis.

Of course my 17th century English and Latin are a little bit hazy


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## Joelline

Obvious suggestion:  Could it be a person's name?

Obvious question #1: Have you consulted an antiquarian book-seller?

Obvious question #2 (echoing pieanne):  Are you sure it's English?  Most of the google hits are German or Dutch, so have you asked this question on the German-English WR site?

Finally, "I don't mean to be insulting, but I have to ask" question:  how familiar are you with 17th century handwriting?  Are you sure it actually says *perlige*?  Could 1 or more of the letters actually have another modern equivalent? (there are lots of hits for a "17th century handwriting" search).


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## panjandrum

Joelline:
Thanks for very sound questions.

It is unlikely to be the person's name (can't find any name references).

The guy who owns the book is a book nut and has never seen this before. I don't know if he's asked an antiquarian bookseller. He may have asked me first 

Good point about the other forums. If I don't succeed here, I'll wander elsewhere.

Excellent point about my familiarity with 17th century handwriting. Again, I think the owner should be OK on this - but that doesn't mean that he got it right, and of course the original writer may have got it wrong.


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## panjandrum

Inspired by Joelline, I wrote perlige badly, left it for a while, and had a look:
p*r*l*g*
with e o i as possibilities?

An inspired find in the OED is perlegate, an ancient verb meaning to read through _(per + legere ...)_

Off to the Other Languages forum ...


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## Jana337

In German, perlig means "having the shape of a pearl". 
The -e is appended to indicate plural or declination. But it does not make sense if there are no other words around.

Jana


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## Joelline

OK, last question:  is there a slight space after "per" and could the "i" be an "e"?  

If so, this could be the two-word Latin phrase, "per lege."  

"Libertas *per lege"* (the state motto of some state in the US--I've forgotten which)  =  Liberty *through law*.  

At http://www.ejcl.org/91/art91-3.txt , there is the explanation that "Governing *per lege* means that power should be exercised through the adoption of laws, _inter alia_ with a view to ensuring legal certainty and equality."


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## estefanos

A guess only, but perhaps "per legi" was meant, with the meaning of "I read it through".  Maybe the note was made by someone with little Latin and less Greek.


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## panjandrum

Per legi - I have read it through.

That seems very likely.

I'll suggest that to the book-owner next time I see him.
Many thanks to all.


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## Whodunit

panjandrum said:
			
		

> Per legi - I have read it through.
> 
> That seems very likely.
> 
> I'll suggest that to the book-owner next time I see him.
> Many thanks to all.


 
"perlegi" is one word and means "I read (it) through", right. But why don't you scan the handwritten part for us?


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