The 'Universal Character' by Cave Beck, M.A., schoolmaster of Ipswich, was printed in 1657. It was a very early attempt at a language "by which all the Nations in the World may understand one another". His new language was simple in design, but more than a little odd in execution. Every page of his 8,000-word dictionary holds little gems of long-forgotten English - 'adust', 'an ouche collar' ,'a gammot or incision knife', 'the brayne tunnel'; not forgetting of course 'the night mare - a disease'.Despite its quirkiness - and the slapdash efforts of the printer - Beck's Universal Character is still considered important as oneof the first of its kind in Europe.The work has now been transcribed from the original publication, complete with all the author's oversights and the printer's mistakes. A foreword places Beck's work in context, explaining its structure and contents. Anyone interested in the 17th century will find here a gold-mine of words and underlying thoughts