The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 10.0586  Tuesday, 30 March 1999.

From:           Roy Flannagan <
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Date:           Monday, 29 Mar 1999 09:19:06 -0800
Subject:        Speaking of hedges, what exactly is a hedge-priest?

We need a theologically-minded historian for this one.  Shakespeare has
a hedge-priest in Two Gents, giving the impression that they were rural,
incompetent, and perhaps illiterate; and I was wondering if Sir Oliver
Martext was one.  Why is he lesser nobility?  And why "hedge-PRIEST"?
My OED is at home and I am at the office at the moment, but someone on
the list should be able to give us the benefit of specific knowledge.

Roy Flannagan