early, soon. Exm. Leet rather, a little sooner. Why do you up so rathe? why do you rise so early? In Kent the word RAID and REAR are used in the same sense. See raid and rear.
·adv Early; soon; betimes. II. Rathe ·adj Coming before others, or before the usual time; early. ...
Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
early fruit. Suff. ...
A glossary of provincial and local words used in England by Francis Grose