On Fri, 11 Feb 2000, Alan Baragona wrote:
> ... one item is "an angell's cote and over hoses of apis skinns."
> I couldn't find anything in the OED about "apes' skins," and I
> don't know offhand where else to look.
Could this be the scribe's feeble attempt at a pun? Over-hoses sound
like buskins, which are worn over the hose, and apis is Latin for "bee".
It's pretty far-fetched, but at least an alternative to "apes".
__________________________________________________________________________
William Ingram Professor of English The University of Michigan
3058 Tisch Hall Ann Arbor MI 48109-1003 e-mail: [log in to unmask]
phone (departmental) 734 764-6330 fax (departmental) 734 763-3128
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
