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Re: CHAT: Must Needs? (WAS: Lighting Some Flames: Towards conlang artistry)

From:Roger Mills <romilly@...>
Date:Monday, March 18, 2002, 4:39
Raymond Brown wrote:

>At 8:40 pm -0500 14/3/02, Elliott Lash wrote: >>In a message dated Thu, 14 Mar 2002 4:21:47 PM Eastern Standard Time, >>Raymond Brown <ray.brown@...> writes: >[snip] >>> But, yes, anyone who aspires to become a true artist must needs learn
the
>>> skills of his crafts first. >> >>[SNIP] >> >>Must needs? I thought that was only a 19th century construction! > >Ah, we Sussexmen are a bit behind the times ;)
It's certainly a (literary only) archaism to older American ears like mine; quite likely utterly unknown to many of the Younger Generation (Mr. E. Lash excluded!) 8-)))
>It's not unfamiliar to me; but the alternative form "needs must" does sound >a bit weird :)
The memory alert is ping-ing, and the image of a wicked Max Beerbohm cartoon involving IIRC Roger Fry (now obscure 19th C. critic) is wavering on the screen, captioned: "We needs must love the Highest".