“After that” subordinate clauses
+ main clauses with periphrastic did
1n0825
And after that they had partook of the fruit of the tree,
they did cast their eyes about as if they were ashamed.
1n1711
And after that I had made bellowses that I might have wherewith
to blow the fire, I did smite two stones together that I might make fire.
1n0721
And after that they had done praying unto the Lord, we did again travel on our journey toward the tent of our father.
1n1614
And after that we had slain food for our families, we did return again to our families in the wilderness to the place of Shazer.
1n1617
And after that we had traveled for the space of many days, we did pitch our tents for the space of a time,
1n1633
And after that we had traveled for the space of many days, we did pitch our tents again,
1n1821
and after that I had prayed, the winds did cease and the storm did cease and there was a great calm.
2n0507
And after that we had journeyed for the space of many days, we did pitch our tents.
er0621
And after that they had numbered them, they did desire of them the things which they would that they should do before they went down to their graves.
er1010
And after that he had established himself king, he did ease the burden of the people,
er1017
And after that he had seen many days, he did pass away, even like unto the rest of the earth,
mi0910
and after that they had done this thing, they did murder them in a most cruel manner,
The closest biblical passage is Jeremiah 31:19, in which periphrastic “did bear” occurs in a following sentence. See also John 6:23, which has a preceding “did eat” in an adverbial clause.
Archaic “after that” usage was primarily usage of the sixteenth century and earlier. Javier Calle Martín, “ ‘When That Wounds Are Evil Healed’: Revisiting Pleonastic That in Early English Medical Writing,” Studia Anglica Posnaniensia 52.1 (2017): 5. It was used in the sixteenth century at five times the rate of the seventeenth century; and it was used at an even higher rate in the fifteenth century. Affirmative periphrastic did usage (nonemphatic, noncontrastive) strengthened after 1530 but faded during the seventeenth century. Alvar Ellegård, The Auxiliary Do: The Establishment and Regulation of Its Use in English (Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell, 1953), 157. Thus the strongest intersection of these time periods was during the second half of the 1500s.
This late sixteenth-century syntax is like other aspects of the text, such as its personal relative pronoun usage, which reflects a similar time depth.
1n0825 and 1n1711 have bellowses and partook, word forms commonly thought to qualify as bad grammar that Joseph Smith was responsible for. However, like the surrounding usage, both the double plural bellowses and the leveled past participle partook occurred in the early modern period. See, for example, 1591,
Outside of the Book of Mormon, the highest rate of textual usage occurred between the years 1550 and 1625. The largest early modern database,
The author who employed this syntactic combination the most appears to be the Londoner Thomas Nichols, whose translation of Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War was published in 1550 (a triple translation, from Greek to Latin to French to English). Here is the first of Nichols’s fifteen instances:
1550,
After that the Athenians had heard both parties,
they did put the matter into deliberation two times.
after that the Corinthians had chased the Corcyrians, they did return [51]
after that they were landed, they did burn their ships [xci]
after that they were returned, the others did chase them back again [131]
after that many opinions had been spoken, Hermocrates did speak unto them [221]
after that they were arrived, they did send again thither [cxlii]
after that Hermocrates had ended his advertisements, all the people did choose himself [339]
after that Hermocrates had thus spoken, Euphemus did speak in this manner [343]
after that they were arrived at the seaside, they did break their order [clxxxii]
after that he was arrived, did immediately give order for to execute his enterprise [375]
after that the storm had long endured, the Syracusans did put the Athenians to flight [391]
after that he had sailed a little way, there suddenly did come a great wind [cciiii]
after that they had sojourned there one day, they did take the ships of the Chians [413]
after that he had well furnished Iasus, did come to Milet [413]
after that they were returned, he did speak and publish more openly [443]
[49] After that the Athenyans had harde both parties, they dyd put the matter into deliberatyon two tymes. [51] After that the Corinthians had chased the Corcyriens to the entrye of the sea, they dyd retourne to receyue their shippwrackes and shyppes skatered abroade and brused, [xci] after yͭ they were landed, they did burne their shippes, [131] after that they were retourned to their said baguaige, yͤ other did chase them back again, [221] And after that manye opynyons hadde bene spokenne, . . Hermocrates . . dydde speake vnto them, in thys manner. [cxlii] after that they were aryued at Drestie at their departure from Orestium, they did sende agayne thider [339] After that Hermocrates had ended hys aduertysements, all the people founde them good, and dyd chose hymself for one of the Capytayns [343] After that Hermocrates had thus spokene, Euphemus the Athenyan arose vp and dydde speake in thys manner. [clxxxii] after that they were arryued at the sea syde in the sight of their shippes, they did breake their order, [375] Demosthenes, after that he was arryued, dyd immediatly geue order for to execute his enterpryse [391] Fynally after that the storme had longe endured, the Syracusains and theire allyes did put the Athenyans to flyght, [cciiii] And after that he had sailled a lytle way, there soubdainly did come a great wynde, whiche parted & skatered abroade his ships, [413] But being there arryued, and vnderstanding the departure of the ennemys, after that they had soiourned there one daye, they dyd take the ships of the Chians, [413] In the begynning of winter, Tissaphernes, after yt he had wel furnished [I]asus, did come to Milet, & there made payment to ye souldiars, which were in the ships, [443] after yͭ they were retourned without doing any thing, he did speake & publishe more openly.
Joseph Smith dictated twelve examples of this archaic combination in the space of approximately 47,000 words, while Nichols wrote fifteen in approximately 256,000 words. If Joseph worded these sentences, then he was truly an elite pseudo-archaic author. His elite status is supported by many aspects of Book of Mormon English, such as how he dictated “more part” phraseology, “it must needs be,” subjunctive, modal shall and should, “of whom hath been spoken,” and so forth.
The book found to have the second most instances of the combined syntax was a 1612 translation of a history of Venice (5×). The translator’s usage was usually part of a relative clause or an adverbial clause, as in this example:
1612,
who after that he had transported the Ducall state to Rialto, did there beginne his gouernment with better augurie,
In the 1690s (~175 million words), only three original instances were found.
1692,
After that he had spoken thus, I did observe by the Countenance of the other two persons that had not yet spoken, that this Discourse did not displease them;
1693,
For after that Eustathius had been forc’d to leave it, many Catholicks did always separate from those Bishops, that some would have set over them.
1700,
After that they had crucified the Lord Jesus,
then they did know, and own him to have been a Prophet;
In two cases, the archaic periphrastic did was not in the main clause: 1691,
After this decade, original examples of this combined syntax all but vanished from the textual record. In the
1654,
Howbeit, after that shee had acquainted him with her delivery,
he did certainly assure himselfe that it was her sonne,
This seventeenth-century translation of Cervantes’s The Lady Cornelia (the second book in a collection of six novels) does not mention a translator by name. The translation is attributed to Thomas Shelton in an eighteenth-century revision: 1742,
1656,
That is, Christ, who is the true God, after that he had finished all actual obedience on earth, did in the power and strength of his Godhead yield up himselfe to the wrath of his Father,
This 1656 text was reprinted in several eighteenth-century collections, such as The works of [. . .] John Bunyan 2, 3rd edition (1767) (the combined syntax is found on page 441). It is also found in: 1771,
1775,
and after that Lyr had been a certen tyme with Maglawn, his daughter Goronilla did grudge that her father had such great attendance on him,
Only one original example was found in
1790,
After that Boswel thus had said, / Our pastor did proceed / To pray’r,
I might have missed some eighteenth-century instances, and an improved
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