Original Passage
T. Yigh bimeh troth; aw dithert till meh teeth hacknt imeh yed agen. Boh that wurno o'; it begant be dark, an awr beawt scoance, in a strawnge country, five or suse mile from whom, so at aw manodert i'th filds aboon two heawrs, an cudno gawm wheer iwur, for aw moot as weel ha bin in a oon; an iv awd held op meh hont, aw cud no moor ha seent thin icon see a fleigh o'thee neaw; an heer it wur aw geet into a-gate. For aw thought aw yerd summut comin, an iv truth munbeh spokken, awr so fearfully flayd, at meh yure styode on eend, for theaw knows aw noather knew whooa nor whot it moot be.
M. True Tummus; no marvil at yo wurn so fleyd, it wur so fearfo dark.
T. Heaweer I resolvt t'mayth best ont, an up speck I: "Whooas tat?" A lad voyce onsert in a cryin din, "Eh law, dunno tay meh! dunno tay meh!" Nawe, navve, sed I, awll no' tathe belady; whooas lad arto? Whau, sed he, awm Jone o' Sall, o' Simmy, o' Mariom, o' Dick, o' Nethon, o' Sall, o' Simmy i'th Hooms lad; an awm gooin whom. Odd, thinks I t'mehseln thews a dreer name thin me; an here Meary I cudno boh think whot lung names sum on us han; for thine an mine are meeterly, boh this lad name wur so mitch dree-er at aw thought it dockt mine th' tone hawve.
M. Preeyo neaw, tell meh heaw theese lung names leetn?
T. Um—um—um; lemeh see—aw conno tell the greadly; boh aw think they'r to tell foke by.
M. Well, an heaw didnyo goo on wi th' lad?
T. Then (as I thowt he tawkt so awkertly) I'd ax him for th' wonust whot uncuths he'd yerd sturrin? I yerd noan, sed he, but at Jack o' Neds towd meh at Sam o' Jacks o' Yeds, Marler, has wed Mall o' Nans, o' Salls o' Pegs, at gwos obeawt beggin churnmilk, with pitcher with lid on. Then I asht him wheer Jack o' Neds wooant? Sed he, he's prentice wi Isaac o' Tims o' Nicks, o'th Hough-lone; an he'd bin at Jammy o' Georges o Peters, i'th Dingle, for hawve, a peawn o' treacle t' seawsn a beest puddin wi'; an his feyther an moother wooant at Rossenda, boh his gronny wur alyve, an wooant wi' his noant Margit, i'Grinfilt, at pleck wheer his nown moother coom fro.
Translation
T. Yes, by my troth (upon my word), I trembled until my teeth cut (shook) in my head again. But that was not all; it began to go dark, and I was without a lantern, in a strange (unknown) country (place), five or six miles from home, so that I wandered about in the fields for over two hours, and couldn’t work out where I was, for I might as well have been in an oven (it was very dark); and if I’d held up my hand, I could no more have seen (it) than I can see a flea on you now, and it was then that I found a path (or, possibly, got into a state). For (then) I thought I heard someone coming, and if the truth must be spoken (to tell the truth), I was so terribly frightened, that my hair stood on end, for, you know, I neither knew who or what it might be.
M. True (that’s right) Thomas; it’s not surprising that you were so frightened, it was so terribly dark.
T. However I decided to make the best of it, and I spoke up: “Who’s that?” A lad’s voice answered in a crying way (frightened), “Oh Lord, don’t take me! Don’t take me!" No, never, I said, I’ll not take you, by my Lady (mother of Jesus), who’s lad are you (who are you)? Well, said he, I’m the son of John of Sally of Sammy of Marion of Dick of Nathan of Sally of Sammy in the Hoom’s (a place); and I’m going home. God, I thought to myself you’ve a more tedious (more difficult) name than me; and here Mary I couldn’t but think what long names some of us have; for yours and mine are moderate (normal), but this lad’s name was so much more difficult that I thought it beat mine by half.
M. Pray you, tell me how these long names are met with (came about)?
T. Er, er, um; let me see – I can’t really tell you (I don’t really know); but I think they’re to tell (identify) folk by.
M. Well, and how did you get on with the lad?
T. Then (as I thought he spoke so entertainingly) I’d ask him straight up what strange stories he’d heard going around. I heard none, he said, but that Jack of Edwards told me that Sam of Jacks of Edmunds, Marler, has married Molly of Nans of Sallys of Margarets that goes about begging for buttermilk, with the jar with the lid on it. Then I asked him where Jack of Edwards lived? He said he’s apprenticed to Isaac of Tims of Nicks, of the Hoof Lane; and he’d been at James of Georges of Peters in the valley to buy half a pound of treacle to season a beest pudding (made from milk after calving) with; and his father and mother lived in Rossendale but his granny was alive and lived with his aunt Margaret in Greenfield, the place where his own mother came from.