A Topographico-Spagyrical description of the Oyly-Well
September 18, 2009 4:10 AM   Subscribe

 
Fascinating use of capitalization and italics.
posted by molecicco at 4:33 AM on September 18, 2009


Wott ffcum wilt cure mye ffcab?
The Gothic Lolita was interesting too.
posted by tellurian at 4:49 AM on September 18, 2009


After some digging [groan] they're interesting well illustrations actually (that's twice tonight I've been too quick off the mark), thanks.
posted by tellurian at 5:02 AM on September 18, 2009


Imagine my disappointment when I realized the oyl mentioned in the article had nothing at all to do with Olive Oyl or Popeye.
posted by digsrus at 6:18 AM on September 18, 2009


People used to go to significant amounts of trouble to actually use their words. Nice stuff. I was stricken right off by this fabulous construct:

"when that execrable Regicide and Usurper, Oliver Cromwell, with his rebellious and sacrilegious complices. " People just don't use execrable enough any more.


"The second is, that these waters are only Rain-water, which having insinuat it self into the veins of the earth, maketh way for its own egress, by the most convenient passages."

I presume "insinuat" there to be a past tense, of which I wholly approve. Also, I think I need to forward this on to the caving list I subscribe to. It might positively influence the composition of trip reports.
posted by Devils Rancher at 6:33 AM on September 18, 2009


I think I'm going to write my next RFI response like this.
posted by jquinby at 6:54 AM on September 18, 2009


After some digging [groan] they're interesting well illustrations actually

Hell YES my next band name is "Doom Well of St. Madron".
posted by FatherDagon at 7:56 AM on September 18, 2009


Yes, the Doom Well of St. Madron is full of Win.
posted by everichon at 8:40 AM on September 18, 2009


I think you may have buried the lede, yegga; this whole page looks interesting. I was aware of neither water cults nor holy (oyly!) wells. Rich stuff.
posted by everichon at 8:43 AM on September 18, 2009


".. heal all salt-scabs and humours, that trouble the outward skin of man; commonly the head and hands are quickly healed by the virtue of this Oyl. It renders a marvellous sweet smell."

Sounds like coal-tar, but I never knew that could occur naturally as a liquid. I have smellled it on freshly broken jet though.

"Dr. Ia. Hart also maketh mention of it, to the same purpose, in his Dyet of the diseased"

Now there's another catchy title for something: Diet of the Diseased.
posted by mdoar at 10:38 AM on September 18, 2009


You people like the language and spelling here, you would love Burton's "Anatomy of Melancholy".

What I wonder is, what if you found that well, whever it was, and dug an oil (or oyl) well there. Would you get a gusher?
posted by Faze at 2:00 PM on September 18, 2009


This is 7 flavours of awesome, as is the main page.
Thanks for this.
posted by thatwhichfalls at 7:47 PM on September 18, 2009


Nobody's brought it up in a bit over 24 hours so I might as well confess to being married to Feorag (whose collection of material on holy wells includes this piece).
posted by cstross at 2:35 AM on September 19, 2009


mdoar: It turns out that the well in question produces water ... heavily contaminated with oil, because it's filtered through a bed of oil shale.
posted by cstross at 4:12 AM on September 20, 2009


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