,~:-';n~;' [ ^ Southern Branch of the University of California Los Angeles Form L I a.e)3Vv This book is DUE on the last date stamped below J^^ -.0 j^ I *r,,,^33 ' WAY 2 9 • 1 AUG 12 ^i. ^^i 27194 c AUGl 31949 ^LI\W''"u wr JAN 19 1^ 7B Form L-9-1.5//I-10/25 / A- A-X^^^ ^ f. //c. HISTORY OF ENGLISH RHYTHMS. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. I. It is said, by such as professe the mathematicall sciences, that all things stand by proportion, and that without it nothing' could stand to be good or beautiful. Puttenham, Arte of English Poede, Lib. ii. c. 1. J. B. NICHOLS AND SON, 25, PARLIAMENT STREET. ) > O 1 J A HISTORY OF ENGLISH RHYTHMS BY EDWIN GUEST Esq. M.A. FELLOW OF CAIUS COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE. VOL. I. I oo'^S ALDI LONDON WILLIAM PICKERING 1838. lo5(o^ ' ^ t f ftcf ret* i t «.. « c*«e* * * * ( f*^ t ecc r tc C<<'CC. The very expression a hollotv sound shows how close is the association of a hollow space with depth and fullness of sound. Hence the broad vowels are sometimes used to express mere breadth and concavity. So high as heav'd the tumid hills, so low jDotvn sunk a hollow bottom, broad and deep. P.L.7. Hell at last, Yawning received them whole, and on them closed. P. L. 7. The observation of Bacon relative to the sound of ni/ may be generalized in like manner. There is no doubt that all the three nasals have a close affinity to any deep low sound ; such as a hum, a murmur, or the twang of a musical string slowly vibrating. The reason I take to be the distinctness with which the vibrations of the voice are heard in pronovmcing these letters, and the low deep tone in which they are generally spoken. Through the foul wo}nb of night The hum of either a7'mi/ stilly sounds. H 5. 4. Chorus. The shard-ior?ze beetle with his drowsy hums Hath runcj night's ijawniny peal. Macbeth. Where the beetle winds His small but sullen horn^ As oft he rises mid the twilight path Against the jnlgrhn borne in heedless hvM. Collins. The bum-cock humm'd wi' lazy drone, The kye stood rowtin i' the loan. Burns. Where each old poetic mountain Inspiration breath'd around, Every shade and hallowed fountain Murmur d deep a solemn sound. Gray. VOL. I. C . IS IMITATIVE SOUNDS. B. I. Even Johnson, notwithstanding the ridicule he has thrown upon enquiries of this natvire, has admitted that particular images may be " adumbrated by an exact and perceptible resemblance of sound." But the law of resemblance — that first great law of association — is not to be confined thus narrowly. If the mere sound of the words hiss and bah recall the cry of the animal, so may the muscular action, which the organs exert in pronouncing the words struggle, ivrestle, call up in the mind the play of muscle and sinew, usual in those encounters. Wherever there is resemblance there may be association. We will now enquire what means our poets have used to fix their associations in the reader's mind, more especially in those cases, in which the connecting link has been the disposition or the action of the organs. In the first place, we may observe that in making any continued muscular effort, we draw in the breath and com- press the lips firmly. Now this is the very position in which we place the organ S; when pronouncing the letters b, p. I have no doubt that to this source may be traced much of the beauty of the following verses. Behemoth, biggest born of earth, tipheavd His vastness — P. L. 7 The mountains huge appear Emergent^ and their broad bare backs upheave Into the clouds. P. L. /• The envious flood Kept in my soul, and would not let it forth. But smother'd it within my panting bulk. Which almost ^wrs^ to 5e^c/i in the sea. R?>. 1.4. But first from invvard grief His bursting passion mto plaitits thus pour' d. P. L. 9. AVho thrusting boldly twixt him and the blow. The burden of the deadly brunt did bear. F. Q. 4. 8. 42. A grievous burthen was thy birth to me R 3. 4. C. II. IMITATIVE SOUNDS. H) When the mind is seiz'd with fear and amazement, the lips open and voice fails us. If the surprize be sudden, a whispered ejaculation escapes, suppress'd almost as soon as utter'd. In this way I would account for that combi- nation of letters st, which Spenser and others of our older poets affect, whenever they have to describe this feeling. Its fitness for the purpose seems to lie in the sudden stop, which is given by the f to the whisper sound of the a' — letters, l^e it ol^served, which are formed without the agency of the lips. The {{iant self dismayed with that sound lu haste came rushing forth fiom inner bow r, AMth staring countnance stent, as one astound, And staggering steps, to wcet what sudden stour Had wrought that horror strange and dared his dreaded pou r. F. Q. 1.8. o. Stern was their look like wild amazed steers. Staring with liollow eyes and stij'' upstanding hairs. F. Q. 2. 9. 1.3. He answer'd not at all, but adding new Fear to his first amazement, staring wide With stoni/ eyes, and heartless hollow hue. Astonish' d stood. F. Q- 1.9.24. When too the sinews are overstretched, or shaken with sharp and jerking efforts, the same kind of broken breath- ing generally follows the strain upon them. The sound too is harsh and grating. Hence, in part at least, the effect produced by the combinations st, str, in the follow- ing passages ; Staring full ghastl// like a strangled man. His hair uprear'd, his nostrils stretched with struggling, His hands abroad display'd, as one that grasp'd And tugg'd for life. H 6, But th' heedful boatman strongly forth did stretch His brawny arms, and all his body strain. F. Q. 2. 12. 21. c 2 20 IMITATIVE SOUNDS. B. I. There is little doubt, however, that the chief link of as- sociation in these passages is the difficult muscular action, which is call'd into play in the prounciation of str. Under the influence of fear the voice sinks into a whis- jier. Hence in describing that passion, or such conduct as it generally accompanies — deceit or caution — Ave find the whisper-letters peculiarly effective. With sturdy steps came stalking on his sight A hideous giant, horrible and high. F. Q. 1. 7. S. The knight himself e'en trembled at his fall, So huge and horrible a mass it seein'd. F. Q. 1. 12.55. So daunted when the giant saw the knight. His heavi/ hand he heaved up on liigh. F. Q. 1. 7. 14. And pious awe, that feard to have offended. P. L. His fraud is then thy fear, which plain infers Thy equal fear that my frm faith and love Can by his fraud be shaken and seduc'd. P. L. 9. Fit vessel fittest imp oi fraud in whom To e)iter, and his dark suggestions hide. P. L. 9. The whisper letters p^ t, are sometimes used at the end of words with great effect, in representing an interrupted action. The impossibility of dwelling upon these letters, and the consequently sharp and sudden termination which they give to those words into which they enter, will suffi- ciently explain their influence. Till an unusual stoji of sudden silence Gave respite. Comus. Sudden he stops, his eye is fix'd, away ! Away ! thou heedless boy, Childe Harold, 1. All unawares Fluttering his pinions \ain, ])lumb down he dropt Ten thousand fathom deep Par. Lost, 2. The })ilgrim oft At dead of night, mid his orisons, hears C. II. IMITATIVE SOUNDS. 21 Aghast the voice of time ! disparting tow'rs, Tumbeling all precipitate, down dash'd, Rattling aloud, loud tliuudering to the moon. Dyers Ruins of Rome. Little effort is wanted, as Johnson once observed, to make our languasre harsh and rouo-h. It cost Milton no trouble to double his consonants, and load his hne with rugged syllables, when he descril^ed the mighty conflict between his angels. But soon obscur'd with smoke allheav'n appear'd From those deep-throated engines belch'd, whose roar Embowell'd with outrageous noise the air And all her entrails tore, disgorging foul Their dev'lish glut^ chaiu'd thunderbolts and hail Of iron globes. P. L. 6. But when he chose, he could also glide upon his vowels and make his language as smooth as the Italian. And all the while harmonious airs were heard. P. L. 9. Vs'iih. all that earth or heaven could bestow To make her amiable, on she came. P. L. 9. The serpent sly Insinuating wove with Gordian twine His braided train. P- L. Milton's verses, however, lose half their beauty when thus insulated. It is a remark of Cowper, that a rough hne seems to add a greater smoothness to the others ; and no one better knew the advantages of contrast than Milton, There can be little doubt that many of his harsher verses, some of which contain merely a bead-roll of names, were introduced for the sole purpose of heightening the melody of the lines which followed. -- SYLLABLE. B. I. CHAPTER III. SYLLABLE. The definition of a scientific term is seldom aided by its etymology. According to the Greek derivation, a syllable means a collection of letters, according to the Celtic* a ver- bal element. The first of these must have suggested to Priscian his well-known definition. The Latin gramma- rian pronounces a syllable, to be a collection of letters bear- ing the same accent, and formed by one impulse of the breath. Scaliger, more simply, and I think more sen- sibly, defines it to be a A-erbal element falling under one accent. The objection which attaches to both these definitions is the vagueness of the word accent. Among the Greeks and Latins accent meant tone, with us it means something Avidely different. There are also Greek syllables which receive both a grave and a sharp tone. It is true we call this union of the tones a circumflex, but this is merely an evasion of the difficulty ; or rather, we should say, it is a loose expresssion, on which an erroneous definition has been grounded. I am also far from sure that our English accent in all cases pervades the syllable. On some letters the stress is certainly more obvious than on others. These difficulties might be avoided, by defining a syllable to be a word or verbal element, which for rythmical pur- poses is considered as having only one accent. * In Welsh, eb is an utterance; fraetheh an oration, fraeth eloquent; dh'eb a proverb, dir true ; galareb a voice of mourning, galar mourning ; (jraetJieb a climax, gracfh a step ; silleb an elementary part of speech, a syl- lable, */// an element. Hence the Norman syllabe, and our English syllable. C. 111. SYLLxVBLE. 23 Properly, every syllable ought to have a distinct A^owel sound. Such is the rule which prevailed in the Greek and Latin, and I believe also in our earlier dialect. At present it is different. Tlius the word heaven is now con- sidered as of two syllables, though it has but one vowel, the second syllable consisting merely of a consonantal sound. It is probable that in the earlier periods of our language there was no such thing as a syllable thus merely conso- nantal. It is certain that the critics of Elizabeth's reign thought a vowel essential, and though many syllables were held to be doubtful, yet in all such cases there prevailed a difference of pronunciation, as to the number of the vowel- sounds. At present we have many words, such as hea- ven, seven, &c. which are used in our poetry sometimes as monosyllaliles, sometimes as dissyllables, yet in neither case have more than one vowel- sound. The only differ ence in the pronunciation is, that we rest somewhat longer upon the linal consonant, when we use them as dis- syllables. There can be httle doubt that at an earlier pe- riod these words would, in such a case, have been pro- nounced with two vowel-sounds, keav-en, sev-en, &c. as they still are in some of our provincial dialects. It is not quite easy to say, why all the early systems of syllabification should be thus dependent upon the number of the vowel-sounds. Every letter, except }), t, k, may be dwelt upon during a finite portion of time, and if we also except b, d, g, the consonants may be lengthened just as readily as the vowels. There is therefore only a partial objection to the system, which should even divide a word into its literal elements. If we excepted the six letters h, d, g,p, t, k, and joined them in pronunciation to those immediately preceding or succeeding, I can see no a p7'iori objection to a system even thus sin^ple. Musical com- posers take this liberty without scruple in adapting words to music, and often split a monosyllable into as many parts as it has letters. 2i FRENCH E FIXAL. B. I. The probable reason is the much greater importance of the vowel in the older dialects. In those lansjuaires which had a temporal rhythm, verse must have been spoken in a kind of recitative ; and such to this day is the manner in which the Hindoos recite their Sanscrit poems. The more grateful sound of the vowels would naturally point them out as best fitted for musical expression, and on these the notes would chiefly rest. Again, the tendency of language is to shorten the A^owels. Most of our present short vowels were pronounced by the Anglo-Saxons Avith the middle * quantity, and some with the long. Those knots of consonants too, which are so frequent in our language, unloose themselves as we trace them upwards. The vowels reappear one after the other, and as we advance we find their quantity gradually lengthening. There are dissyllables which expand themselves, even within the Anglo-Saxon period, tr six syllables, and the number might be doubled, if we traced them still further by the aid of the kindred dialects. This accumulation of conso- nants and shortening of the vowel made the voice rest the longer on the consonantal portion of the word, and seems at length to have paved the way for consonantal syllables. In tracing the gradual extinction of our syllables, I shall first call the reader's attention to the final e. The loss of the initial syllable Avill then be considered ; and afterwards the case of those vowels which have at any time melted into diphthongs, or have otherwise coalesced into one syllable. The loss of the vowel before different consonants will then be matter of investigation ; and we shall conclude the chapter by noticing such syllables as are formed by the coalition of two or more distinct words. FRENCH e FINAL. The following are instances of French substantives which retained their final e after they were introduced into our lanofuaae : * See chaj). v. C. III. FRENCH E FINAL. 25 Upon her knees she ganto falle. And with j sad coi(n\tenun\ce : knel|eth still|,* Till she had herd, what was the lordes will. Chau. The Clerkes Tale. As to my dome ther is non that is here Of El oquen\ce: that ] shall be | thy pere|. Chau. The Frankeleins Prologue. Than hadjde he spent]: all | \\\?, pUlos\ophi\e, Ay Questio quid juris ! vvolde he crie. Chau. Prolucjue. And God that siteth hie in Magistee, Save all this corn\payni\e : gret | and smal|e. Thus have I quit the miller in his tale. Chau. The Reeves Tale. Till Erevvyn wattir fysehe to take he went, Sic fan\tasi\e : fell | in his | intent.] Wallace, I. 370. We find this syllable preserved also in the plural. And min ] ben aljso : the mal\adi\es col]de. The derke tresons and the castes olde. Chau. The Kn'ightes Tale. He was ajangler and a goliardeis. And that ] was most] : of sinjne and harjlotrijes, AVel coude he stelen corne and toUen thries.f Chau. Prologue. We also have the e, which closes the French adjective. — This ilke noble queue On her shoulders gan sustene Both the amies, and the name Of tho 1 that had[de : larg\e fam|e. Chau. House of Fame. * The vertical line always follows an accented syllable, and the colon (:) indicates the place of the middle pause, of which we shall have to say more in Chapter VII. t Thries is always a dissyllable in Chaucer. 26 ENGLISH E FINAL. B. I. A larg\e man| he was | : with ey|en step|e, A fairer burgeis is ther noii in Chepe. Chau. Prologue to Cant. Tales. His conferred sovereignty was like A larg\e sail| : full | with a forejright wind] That drowns a smaller bark. Fletcher, Prophetess. In rotten ribbed barck to passe the seas. The for|raine landes| : and straung\ie sites | to see] Doth daungers dwell. Tiiherville to his Friend P. ENGLISH e FINAL. The most frequent vowel endings of Anglo-Saxon substantives were a, e, u. All the three were, in the fourteenth century, represented by the e final. We meet, however, with substantives in e which have two, and in some cases three, Anglo-Saxon substantives cor- responding to them ; and when we find all the three end- ings in Anglo-Saxon, it is difticult to say which is repre- sented by the e. Even when we only know of one Anglo- Saxon ending, there is always a possibihty of the others existing, though they may not have fallen within the com- pass of our reading. 1 shall first give examples of the e which answers to the Anglo-Saxon a. All the Anglo-Saxon nouns in a are masculine, and belong to what Rask terms the first declension, as tiaina a name, thna time, mona the moon. And hast bejaped here duk Theseus, And falsjely changjed hastj : they na7n\e t\ms\ — Chau. The Knightes Tale. A knight ther was, and that a worthy man. That fro | the tim\e : that | he firste ] began] To riden out, he loved chivalrie, Trouth and honour, fredom and curtesie. Chan. Prologue. His sadcl was of rewel bone. His bridel as the sonne shone. Or as I the mon\e light]. Chau. Sire Thopas. C. III. ENGLISH E FINAL. 2^ The Anglo-Saxon nouns in e belong to various genders and declensions. A great number of them are feminines and neuters belonging to the first declension. Among the feminine nouns are sunne the sun, hcorte the heart, rose the rose ; eare the ear, is neuter. There are also mascu- line and neuter nouns in e, which belong to other declen- sions. Thus the day they spende In revjeb till| : the son\ne gan | descend|e. Chau. The Clerkes Tale. And thus | with good | hope : and | with Ae?-^]e blithj They taken their leave. Chau. The Knightes Tale. Fresher than the May with flowres ixewe For I with the ros\e col|our : strof | hire hevv|e. Chau. The Knight's Tale. He smote me ones with his fist. For that I rent out of his book a lefe. That I of the stroke] : myn er\e wex | al defe.| Chan The Wif of Bathes Prol. Nouns in u were generally feminine, as scohi school, lufu love, scemnu shame, lagu law ; but there Avere also some masculines belonging to another declension, as sunu a son, wudu a wood, &c. Full soth I is sayde| : that lov\e ne | lordship] W'ol nat, his thankes, have no felawship. Chau. The Knightes Tale. It is I a sham,\e : that | the pejple shal| So scornen thee. Chau. The Second Nunnes Tate. \A'ith empty womb of fasting many a day Receiv|ed he | the law\e : that | was writ[en VV'ilh Goddes finger, and Eli wel ye witen — He fasted long. Chau. The Somjmoures Tale. No raaister sire quod he, but servitour. Though I I have had | in schol\e : that | honour]. Chau. The Sompnoures Tale. Beforje hire stood] : hire son\e Cup]ido] Upon his shoulders winges hadde he two. Chau, The Knightes Tale. 28 ENGLISH E FIXAL. B. I. And as she cast lier eie aboute. She sigh clad in one suite a route Of ladies, wher they coraen ride A|longe unlder : the M;ooe/|c?esid|e. Cower. We also have the Anglo-Saxon ending the, a distinct syllable. And vvel I wot withouten help or grace Of thee, I ne may | my strencj\the : not | avail |Ie. Chau. The Knightes Tale. I preise wel thy wit. Quod I the Frank|elein : cousid|erint^ | thy ijoii\the So felingly thou spekest, sire, 1 aloue thee As to my dome, ther is non that is here In eloquence that shall be thy pere. Chau. The Frankelelnes Pro!. Such of these endings as survived tiU the sixteenth cen- tury changed the e for y, and were gradually confounded with the adjectives of that termination. There can he httle doubt that the helly and woody of the following extracts w^ere the Anglo-Saxon /telle and ivudu. Free Helicon and franke Parnassus hylls Are hel\ly haunts] : and ranke | pernicjious ylls|. Baldwin M. for M. Collingbourne, 2. The satjyrs scorn | iXxciv ivood\y kind]. And henceforth nothing fair but her on earth they find. Fairy Queen. There were a few Anglo-Saxon adjectives, which ended in e, as ge-trewe true, neive new. A trew\e swink|er: and | a good | was he|. Living in pees and parfite charitee. Chau. Prologue. And swore \ his othj : as | he was tr€w\e knight]. Chau. The Knightes Tale. She was wel more blissful on to see Than is | \.\iznew\e: perjjenetje tree. Chau. The Miller es Tale. An adverb was also formed from the adjective by the addition of an e; a formation which flourished in the time C. III. THE E OF INFLEXION. 29 of Chaucer, and cannot be considered even now as obso- lete. The e has indeed vanished, and the word, thus robbed of a syllable, is considered merely as the adjective used adverbially. It is, however, the legitimate though corrupt descendant of the present adverb, and such root has it taken in the language, that not all the efforts of our grammarians have been able to weed it out. And I in a cloth | of gold ] : that brigh\te shone]. With a coroune of many a riche stone. Upon hire hed, they into hall hire broiighte. Chau. The Clerkes Tale. Command|eth himi : and/w^l^e blevve | the fire|. Chau. Chanones Yemannes Tale. Wei I coude he sit|te on hors] : and/ffj/r|e rid]e. Chau. The Prologue. There is, however, one caution to be given. The super- lative of the adjective ends in ste, that of the adverb in st. A knight ther was, and that | a worthy man, 'J'liat I fro the tim|e : that | he Jirste | began| To riden out, he loved chivalrie. Chau. Prologue. THE e OF INFLEXION. In the history of literature there are few things more remarkable than the position which is now occupied by Chaucer. For the last three centuries he has been read and praised and criticised, yet neither reader, eulogist, or critic, have thought fit to investigate his language. When does he inflect his substantive ? when his adjective ? These are questions, which obtrude themselves in the study of every language, yet who has ventured to answer for our early English ? One of the difficulties in the way of this enquiry, is the number of dialects, which prevailed in the country from the eleventh to the fifteenth century. There is a Avide distinction between the language of Layamon and of Chaucer, yet it is by no means easy to say whether this 30 THE E OF INFLEXION. B. I. marks a difference of dialect, or is merely the change which our language underwent in the course of two cen- turies. I shall therefore confine myself to the dialect of our earliest classic, and notice the language of other writers, only as they serve for the purposes of illustration. In the time of Layamon the dative singular in e still survived, and it seems to have been occasionally used as the accusative singular, just as the datives of the personal pronouns invaded the province of their accusatives. I suspect this dative had become obsolete before the time of Chaucer; yet there are lines which it is difficult to account for without its assistance. Thus, in the couplet which opens the poem, ^Miaiiue that April with his shoures sote The drought of March had perced to the rote — there is little doubt that rote is a dissyllable, for it rhymes with sote, which seems clearly to be the plural adjective agreeing with slwures. Now the common form of this substantive is a monosyllable rot, and unless rote be its dative we must conclude there is another substan- tive rote of two syllaljles — a conclusion which, though I would not contradict it, seems improbable. If however Chaucer used the dative, it must have been so rarely as much to lessen the value of this discussion. There seems to be no doubt that Chaucer used the old genitive plural in «, the final vowel being represented, as in other cases, by e. We find in old English menne, horse, othe, answering to the Anglo-Saxon manna, horsa, atha, the respective genitives plural of man, hors, and ath. Tueye feren lie hadde That he with him ladde Al|le rich|e 7nenu\e son|es. And alio suythe feyre gomes. Geste of King Horn. For ye aren men of this molde, that most wide vvalken And kuovven countries and courtes, and men ye kinne places. Both princ|es pal|eis : and poujie men\ne cot|es. Piers Plowman. C. III. THE E OF INFLEXION. Everie year this freshe Male 31 These lustic ladies ride aboute. And I must nedes sew her route In this maimer, as ye nowe see. And trusse her hallters forth with me. And I am but j her hors\e knavje. Gower. Confess'io Amantls. That is, " and I am only their horses' groom." — in Anglo- Saxon, Jteora horsa knabe. We now come to a verse which iDOth Urry and Tyrwhitt have done their best to spoil. Chaucer begins his exqui- site portrait of the Prioress with these lines ; Ther was also a nonne a Prioresse, That of hire smiling was ful simple and coy. Hire gret|est oth\e : n'as | but by | seint Loy. Where othe is the genitive plural after the superlative, "her greatest of oaths." The flow of the verse is as soft as the gentle being the poet is describing. But its beauty was lost on the Editors. They seem to have shrunk from making othe a dissyllable (a reluctance that would be per- fectly right if that word were in the nominative), and so, without the authority of a single manuscript, they intro- duced this jerking substitute ; Hire gret|est othe j : n'as | but by Seint | Eloy| — a change which not only mars the rhythm of one of the sweetest passages that Chaucer ever wrote, but also brings us acquainted with a new saint. " Sweet Saint Loy " was well known, but I never met with St. Eloy in English verse.* The plural adjective takes e for its inflexion, as the Anglo-Saxon endings would lead us to expect. In illus- trating this and the following rules, I shall, as much as possible, select examples which contain the adjective both * When the English guns swept off the famished Frenchman as he was gathering his muscles, Churchyard tells us Some dearly bouglit tlieir muscles evry week, Some sacrifisde their horse to snefe Saint Loy. Sieye of LeitJi, 7. Lindsay, indeed, in one of his poems, has trriffen the word at full length Eloy, but, I have little doubt, elided the e in pronunciation. 32 THE E OF INFLEXION. B. I. with and without its inflexion. The reason for so doing is obvious. Men loveden more derknessis than light, for her werkis weren yvele, for ech man that doeth yvel hateth the liglit. Wiclif. Jon. 3. In these lay a gret multitude of syke men, blinde, crokid, and drye. Wiclif. Jon. 5. A frere there was, a wanton and a mery, A limitour, a ful solemne man. In all the orders foure is non that can So much of dalliance and fayre language — His tippet was ay farsed full of knives And pin|nes for to giv|en :fai/r\e wiv|es. Chau. Prologue. In ol\de day|es : of | the king | Artour, | Of which that Bretons speke gret honour. The Wif of Bathes Tale. When the adjective follows the definite article the, or the definite pronouns this, that, or any one of the posses- sive pronouns, it takes what is called its definite form. In the Anglo-Saxon, the definite adjective dilFers from the other in its mode of declension ; in the old English the only difference is the final e. How may ony man entre into the house of a strong man, and take awei his vessels, but first he bynde the stronge man, &c. Wiciif. Matt. 12. At Leyes was he, and at Satalie, Whan I they were won|ne : and in | the gret\e see| At many a noble armee had he be. Chau. Prologue. Wel| can the tvis\e po|et : of | Floren|ce, That highte Dant, speken of this sentence. Chau. Wif of Bathes Tale. And up I he rid|eth : to | the high\e bord|. Chau. The Squiers Tale. Sike lay this husbondman, vvhos that the place is. — O der|e niais|ter : quod | this sik\e manj. How have ye faren sin that March began. Chau. The So)npnou7'es Tale. C. III. THE E OF INFLEXION. 33 Wliite was hire smok, and brouded all before, And eke behind, on hire colcre aboutc. Of coleblak silk, within and eke withoute. The topjes of | : hire ivhit,\e vol|uper|e Were of the same suit of hire colere. ChciK. The Milleres Tale. These rules prevail very widely in the Gothic dia- lects. They will not, however, explain aU the cases in which the definite adjective is used, either in the Anglo-Saxon or in the old English dialect. The suliject is too difficult and extensive to he discussed here. We will, however, no- tice one rule, which may be of importance to the gram- mar of both these languages. The passive participle, and those adjectives which partake of its character, may, I think, be treated at any time as indeclinal^le. We shall find many examples, when Ave examine the rhythms of our Anglo-Saxon poets. Of the old English verb, as used by Chaucer, it may be observed, that the first person singular and the three per- sons plural of the present tense end in e; so also the im- perative mood and the infinitive ; I put\te me | : in thy | protecltion,| Diane! and in thy disposition. Chau. Knightes Tale. hi olde dayes of the king Artour, Of which I that Bretjons spek\e: gret | honoiir]. Chau. Wif of Bailies Prohgae. Than longen folk to gon on pilgiiiuages. And palmers for to seken strange stroiides. To ser\ve haljwes : couth | in sun|dry lond|es. Chau. Prologue. The past tense generally ends in de or ede, but some- times it is the same as the participle in d or ed. I beheve these two forms of the perfect to be independent, and not derived the one from the other. We shall not stop to discuss the question, but I cannot pass by the strange hypothesis of Tyrwhitt. That critic supposes the de to be the same as ed, with a transference of the vov.el ; representiiig in VOL. I. D 34 THE E OF INFLEXION. B. I. short the ending intermediate between the old termination and the present. Every one, who lias opened an Anglo- Saxon grammar, knows, that de is the old and proper ter- mination of the perfect, and though I will not assert that the other M'as never used by the Anglo-Saxons (indeed, I think I have actually met with it in one or two instances), yet every English scholar is aware, that it was only a short time before Chaucer, that it played any considerable part in our language. As I have more than once spoken of Tyrwhitt, in terms very different from the eulogies which are commonly paid him, I would make one observation. I admit that when an art is in a state of advancement, such as is the present state of English criticism, it is disingenuous to dwell upon the casual blunders, or the minute inaccuracies of those who have preceded us. Tyrwhitt deserves our thanks for the manly experiment of editing our oldest classic, and for accumulating a decent share of general knowledge, to serve for his occasional elucidation. But what can we say of an editor who Avill not study the language of his author ? — of one, who ha\ang the means of accuracy (at least to a great extent) within reach, passes them by, and judges of Chaucer's grammar in the fourteenth century by that of Pope in the eighteenth ? A Dane or Norwegian, with a competent knowledge of Anglo-Saxon, would have been a better judge of Chaucer's syntax than his English editor. That Chaucer sometimes dropt the e final is certain. Hire is always a monosyllable, whether it represents the A.S. hire (her) or the A. S. heora (their). It was also lost in other cases when it followed r, and perhaps when it fol- lowed other letters, though I would not assert as much, without the benefit of a better edition than Tyrwhitt's. Many French writers in the fifteenth and sixteenth centu- ries discarded their e final ; some more generally than others. Marot, who wrote in the reign of Francis, dropt it in three words, and in three only. The day will no doubt come, when we shall be able to give a list of all the words, in which Chaucer has taken the same lilierty. c. HI. 35 INITIAL SYLLABLE. In the present section, we shall treat of such initial syl- la])les as have occasionally disappeared from our language, and will begin with the initial vowel; He'll woo I a thoulsand : 'jJohit \ the day [ of marjriage. Make friends, invite, yes and proclaim the bands. Yet never means to wed. Tamhig of the Shrew, 3, 1. I'll not I be tied | to hours j : nor 'point\ed timesj. Same, 3, I . And keep | the time | I 'point \ you : for j I'll tell | you A strange way you must wade through. Fletcher. The Mad Lover, 4, 3. That I am guiltless of your father's death. It shall I as levjel : to | your judgjment 'pear], As death doth to your eye. Hamlet, 4, 4. No faith I so fast, | quoth she | : but flesh | does 'pair\, Flesh may impair, quoth he, but reason can repair. F.Q. 1. 7. 41. The wrath|ful winjter: 'proch\ing on | apace]. With blustering blasts had all ybarde the treene. Sackville. M. for Mag. The Induction. His ovvne dear wife, whom as his life he loved, Hee durst | not trust, | : nor 'proche | unto | his bed|. Sackville. M.for M. Buckingham, 53. When he had done the thing he sought, And as | he would | : \-om\plisht and com|past all. Sackville. M.for M. Buckingham, 53. Therefore have done, and shortly spede your pace. To ^quaynt \ yourself | : and comjpany | with grace]. Barclay Schip of Foles. Lay fear aside, let nothing thee amaze, Ne have | despaire ] : ne 'scuse \ the want | of time). Higgins. M. for Mag. King Albanact, 2. I shifted him away, And laid | good 'sense \ : upon j your eclstacyj. Othello, 4. \. D 2 3G INITIAL SYLLABLE. B. I. From temple's top where did Apollo dwell, I 'sajjd I to rtye : | but on | the church | 1 fell|. Higgins. M for Mag. King Bladud, 22. Several verbs, even at this day, are used sometimes with^ and sometimes without tlie vowel, as to espy^ to escape, to establish. Sec. There are also substantives that throw away tire vowel. Apprentice has been pronounced prentice from the days of Chaucer to the present ; apothecary, also, and imagination, not unfrequently lost their first syllables ; Be 1 not abused | with priests] : nor 'poth\ecar\ies, They cannot help you. Fletcher. Valentinian, 5.2. Thus time we waste and longest leagues make short, Sail seas in cockles, have and wish but for't, Makjing to take | : your 'm(ig\ina\iions \ From bourn to bourn, region to region. Per. 4. 4. My brain, methinks, is as an hourglass. Wherein | my 'mag\i)ia\fions : run | like sands |. Ben Jonson. Every Man in his Humor, 3. 3. Words compounded with the old preposition a, often lost it in pronunciation ; My lord, I shall reply amazedly. Half sleep, \ half vvak|ing : but | as yet | I swear] I cannot truly say how 1 came here. M. N. D. 4. 1. But home-bred broiles call back the conquering king, \Varres thun]der 'bout \ : the Brit]aine coasts | doth ring]. Niccols. M. for M. Arthur. The Argument. THE INITIAL be. This prefix is found elided in the Avorks of almost all our dramatists, but in some cases there is reason to be- lieve, that the word which is represented thus shorn of a syllable, is in fact the root of the compound, instead of being its remnant. We find long not unfrequently writ- ten for belong, and sometimes we have the word written at full length, altliough the rhythm requires but one C. Til. INITIAL SYLLABLE. 37 syllaljle. Now, even in Chaucer's time, lonfj was used in the same sense without the prefix, or any mark of eUsion ; and, as both Dutch and Germans haA-e Icmg-en, to reach at, the probabihty is that Jong is an independent verb. Gin, though sedulously written 'gin, and sometimes begin by modern editors, may also be traced back to the times of Wiclif and Chaucer. I do not however recollect meet- ing with it in Anglo-Saxon ; another of its compounds, angynn-an, being generally used. The ehsions which fol- low are among the least doubtful ; Let pitjy nof. | be beUev\ed : there | she shook | The holy water from her heavenly eyes Lear, 4, 3. And believe \ me, gen [tie youth | : tis I | weep for | her. Fletcher. Loyal Subject. 5, 2. Now^ Sir, if ye have friends enow. Though re|al friendsj : I brieve \ are few|. Yet if your catalogue be fu', I'se no insist ; But gif ye want ae friend that's true, I'm on vour list. Burns Epistle to Lapraik. Those domestic traitors, bosom-thieves, ^^'hom custom hath call'd wives ; the readiest helps To betray \ the headjy huslbands : rob | the eas|y. Ben Jons on. So Demophou, Duke of Athenes, How he forswore him falsely, And trai\ed Phil|hs wick|edly|. Chau. House of Fame. O belike \ his majjesty ] : hath some | intent | That you should be new christened in the Tovv'r. Richard 3, 1. 1. Yet even in these cases there may be doubts as to the elision of any syllable. The Germans have trieg-en, to betray, why should not we have to tray? The blieve however of Burns points clearly to the loss of a syllable, supposing that the word is, as it ought to be, written ac- cording to the pronunciation. 38 INITIAL SYLLABLE. B. I. There are also certain adverbs and prepositions which are commonly written as though they had lost this prefix, ^fore, 'cause, &c. These, however, are found as monosyl- lables in some of our earliest English authors, and it would perhaps be safer to consider them as distinct words, and to write them accordingly. We shall have less trouble with the prefix dis, than with the one we have just considered. Most of the words, into which it enters, have been derived from foreign sources, and their origin carefully traced and ascertained. Still, however, their is difficulty in fixing upon the date of the corruption. It is undoubtedly of a very early antiquity, and probably of the twelfth century. Each bush | a bar | : eacli spray | a ban]ner 'splai/ed,\ Each house a fort our passage to have stayed. Mh'7\ for Mag. p. 414. A storm Iu|to a cloud I of dust | . 'sperst \ hi the air | The weak foundations of that city fair. Spenser. Visions of Bellay. And 'sdtiin\ful pride | : and \vil,ful arlrogauce. Spenser. Mother Hubbard^ s Ta/e. I 'sdained \ subjecjtion | : and | thought one | step liigh|er Would set me highest. P. L. 4. 50. And king Ardreus, tyrant vile ! His aged father 'stroyde. Higcjins . M for M. King Porrex. When 1 he is 'strest | : than | can he svviin | at vvil]|, Great strength he haS;, both wit and grace there tilL Waltace. Hee thought by cruell feare to bring His subjects under, as liiui Hked best, But loe I the dread | : wherewith | himself | was 'strest. Sackville. M.forM. Buc/cinghcan, 39. Labour had glen it up for good^ Save swains their folds that beethng stood, While Echo, listning in the wood. Each knock | kept 'slinct\ly countjing. Clare. C. III. VOWEL COMBINATION'S. 'A\) But as he nigher drew he easily Might 'scern | that it | was not| : his svvcet[est sweetj. F. Q. 3. 10.22. I once thought that the disciple of the following verse fell under the present rule, and Avas to be pronounced 'sciple, And bitter penance with an iron whip ^Vas wont him once to disciple every day. F. Q. I. 10.27. but elsewhere, when used as a word of three syllables, Spenser accents it dis\ciple\, and we often find it Avritten disple in the early part of the sixteenth century. Such was doubtless its pronunciation in the line before us. It may be observed here, though it does not strictly fall under the present head of our subject, that Shakespeare has used 'cide for decide, To 'cide \ the quar|rel : are | irapanleled A host of thoughts. Sotmet 46. VOWEL COMBINATIONS. We are now to consider such syllables, as are rendered doubtful by the meeting of two vowel sounds. We will begin with those which contain the sounds represented by ai/' and ow\ There were many dissyllables in the Anglo-Saxon, which contained in the first syllable the diphthong ce, fol- lowed by a (/. All these have now lost the g, and Ijecome monosyllables, asfager fair, stager stair, sn<£gel snail. We learn, from the mode of spelling that prevailed some centuries back, and from the pronunciation which still lingers in our proA-inces, that the first change was that of the g into a y, faijer, stayer, &c. &c. The next step seems to have been to drop the y, and pronounce the words /rt-ir, sta-ir, &c., and to this mode of pronunciation our present orthography was accommodated, lliey finally became monosyllables. 10 VOWEL COMBIXATIOXS. B. I. There were other words which had also g for the mid- dle letter, and a or u in the first syllable ; these generally turned the ff into iv, as agen own, fugel fowl ; a use of the ic which was already known to the Anglo-Saxon, for example, xxvfeower four. By degrees the w was dropt, and after some further time these words also became mono- syllabic. The dissyllables containing y and w seem to have been once so numerous in our language, that many words, both English and foreign, were adapted to their pronunciation, and thus gained a syllable ; scur, A. S. became shower, and jleur, Fr. became flower. Change of pronunciation has again reduced them to their original dimensions. And soft I unto | himself | : he say\ed fie ! | Upon a Lord, that vtoII have no mercie. Chau. The Knlyhtes Tale. Beseech|ing him | : w'lih. pray \er and | with praise|. Spenser. F. Q. 1. 5. 41. Nor crab|bed oaths | : nor praf/\ers make | him pause|. Hall. Satires 3. 6. She's com|ing up | the sta\irs : now \ the mnslic — Fletchers Valentm'ian, 2.5. Ttie light whereof Such blaz|ing bright|uess : through | the a\er threwj. That eye mote not the same endure to view. F. Q. 1.8. 19, Save hazell for forks, save sallow for rake, Save hullver and thorn [ : thcreof^«|// to make|. Tusser. April Husbandry. So spake | th' archan|gel : Mi\chael \ then paus'd|. P. L. 12. Or on I each Mi\chuel \ : and La|dy day| Took he deep forfeits for each hour's delay. Hall. Sat. 5. 1 Where ] is thy poic\cr then| : to chive | him back|. R. III. 1. 4. cm. VOWEL COMHIXATIOXS. 4\ End|iiig in I : a s?iow\e)' still| When the gust has blown its fill II Penseroso. So man|y ho\i(rs : must | I tend | my flock|, So man|y ?io\urs : must | I take | my rest[. So man|y ho\zirs: must | I conjtemplate|. H 6, 2. 4. Let ev|ery hil|lock : he fo\ue)' feet \vide|, The better to come to on every side. Tusser. March Husbandry. Yet u'here, how, and when ye intend to begin. Let evjer the fin jest be first | sotven in|. Tusser. October Husbandry. I wol mysclven gladly with you ride, Right 1 at min ow\en cost | : and be | yourguid|e. Chaii. Prol. When the long o or its equivalents, "U'ere followed by a short vowel, Milton often melted them into a diphthong, in cases which have not been sanctioned by subsequent usage ; Or if Sion's hill Delight I thee more I : or Sil\o(is brook, | that flow'd] Fast by the oracles of God. P. L. 1 . And with more pleasing light Shad\oicy sets off | the face | : of things|, in vainj If none regard. P. L. 5. \Miy dost thou then suggest to me distrust, KnovAng who | I am | : as I | know who | thou art| ? P. R. 1. The feljlows of | his crime | : the foljowers rath[er. P. L. 1. THE SYLLABLES i', e' , if'. When the long i is followed by a short vowel, the latter is elided among the vulgar even to this day. There is no mispronunciation which now strikes the ear more offen- sively ; yet little more than a century ago, and it must have been general. 42 VOWEL COMBINATIONS. H.I. And all the prophets in their age shall sing, Of great | Messiah \ shall singj : Thus laws | and riglits| Established, &c. P. L. 12. March | to yoor sev|eral homes] : by Nio\bes stone|. BenJonson. Cytdheas Revels, fi. II. 'Tis worse than murder To do I upon I respectj : such vio\le)it outjrage. Lear, 2. 1. • God in judgment just. Subjects I him from | without | : to vio\lent lords.] P.L. 12. The mouse | may some | time help j : the lion \ at neede|, The lyttle bee once spilt the eagles breed. Dolman. M for M. Hastings, 21. Your several colours. Sir, Of I the pale cit|ron : the | green lion | the crow]. B. Jons. The Alchemist, 22. Who tore | the Uon\ : as | the lion tears | the kid|. Samson Agon, Half on foot, Ha\i flying \ behoves | him nowj : both oar j and sailj. P. L. 2. With flowers fresh their heads bedeckt. The fairies dance in flelde. And wanton songs in mossye dennes. The Drids \ and Sat|yrs yielde|. Googe's Zodiake of Life. Taurus. His knights | grow rio\tQUS : and | himself | upbraids | us On every trifle. Lear, 1.3. The noise Of riot I ascends]: above ] their loft] iest tow'rs]. P. L. 1. Pluck the lin'd crutch from the old limping sire, With I it beat out ] his brains] : 7-'«V]^y and fear] Decline, &c. T. of A. 4. 1. Is jne\ty thus | : and pure | devo]tion paid] ? P. L. 11. C. III. VOWEL COMBINATIONS. 43 Thy words with grace divine Imbued j bring to | their sweet |ness : no | satie\tif P. L. 8. And 1 with satie\ty seeks] : to quench | his thirst] — T. of the Shrew, 1. 1. Who, having seen me in my worst estate, Shunn'd | my abhorr'd | socie\tii : but | now find|ing Who 'twas that so endur'd, with his strong arms He fasten'd on my neck. Leea', 5 3. For so|litude | sometimes] : is best ] soc/e\t//. P. L. i). as well might recommend Such soljitude ) before] : choicjest socie\ty. P.R. 1. 303. Tliese verses of Milton have bewildered the critics. Mitford and Todd both give to society four syUables. The former reads the verse with six accents, For sol]itude ] sometimesj: is best ] socijety] the latter ends it with tv/o unaccented syllables, For soljitude | sometimes] : is best | soci]ety. Neither of these rhythms is to be found in the Par, Lost. There is little doubt that Tyrwhitt scanned these lines in the same wav as Todd. He talks of Milton usina; the sdrucciolo ending in his heroic poems. These are the only verses which in any way countenance such a notion. The elision of the vowel after the long e is rare. For when, alas ! I saw the tyrant king Content not only from his nephues twayne To rive ] worlds blisse] : but al]so all | worlds bemg\, Sans earthly gylt ycausing both be slayne, My heart agrisde that such a wretch should raigne. Sackville. M.forM. Buckingham, 49. As being \ the conjtraryj : to his ] high will] Whom we resist — P. L 1 . 44 VOWEL COMBINATIONS. B. I. Seeing too | much sad|iiess : hath j coiigeal'd | your 'olood]. T. of the Shrew, Indtiction, 2. The elision after the long u is stiU more rare. Full many a yeare the world lookt for my fall. And when I fell I made as great a cracke As doth an oak, or mighty tottring wall, That whirl|ing wind [ doth bring| : to ruin \ and wracke. Churchyarde. M.for M. fVolsey, 69. When the short i or short e Avas folloAved by a, as it sounds in pate, Milton and his contemporaries sometimes melted the vowels into a diphthong ya. In modern prac- tice we carefully distinguish between them. With tears "Watering the ground, and with our sighs the air Frequenting, sent from hearts contrite, in sign Of sor|row unfeigu'd] : and hii\))iilia\iio)i meek] — P. L. 10. To conquer Sin and Death, the two great foes, ^y hu\milia\tion : and | stong suf|fe ranee] — P. R. 1. Let me Interpret for him, me his advocate And pro\pitia\tion : all | his works | on me| Good or not good ingraft. P. L. 12. Instructed that to God is no access Without I media\tor : whose | high of |fice now| Moses in figure bears. P. L. 12. Then | doth the thea\tre: ech|o all | aloud, | With glorious noise of that applauding crowd. Hall's Sat. 1. 3. In the country, even to this day, the accent is thrown upon the middle syllable, thea\tre, but the word is always pronounced as having three syllables. When the short i or short e was followed by a short vowel, they often formed two syllables in cases where we now always melt them into a diphthong, or elide the first vowel. C. III. VOWEL. COMBINATION'S. 45 A broche of gold ful sliene. On which was first ywriten a crowned A, And af |ter, ajraor vinlcit : orn'nia\. Chau. Prol. But I the captiv'd| : Acra\sia \ he sent]. Because of travel long, a nighcr vay. F. Q. 3. 1. 2. Five summers have I spent in farthest Greece, Roam|ing clean through | the bounds| . of A\sia\. Com. of Errors, 1.1. The vines ] and the o\siers : cut | and go set|, If grape be unpleasant, a better go get. Tusser. Februari/ Husbandry. Himself | goes patch'd| : like some | bare cot\ti/er\. Lest he might aught the future stock appeire. Hall. Sat. 2. He vaunts his voice upon a hired stage. With high|-set stepsj : and princelly ca)-\riage\. Hall. Sat. 1.3. When the words end in ence, ent, or an, the additional syllable now sounds very uncouthly. Well coude he fortunen the ascendent Of I his imag|es : for | ius pa\tient\. Chau Prol. Th' unskil|ful leech] : mur|.dered Xii?, pa\tient\, By poison of some foul ingredient. Hall. Sat. 2. 4. Conjtrary to : \\\Q^o\WA.n an\cients\, Whose words were shorty and darksome was their sense. Hall. Sat. 3 book. Prol. Whose scep|ter guides] : the flowjing o\cean\. B. Jon. Cynthia s Rev. 55. No airy fowl can take so high a flight — Nor fish can dive so deep in yielding sea — Nor fearful beast can dig his cave so low — As ] that the air| : the earth ] or o\cean,\ Should shield them from the gorge of greedy man. Hall, Sat 3. 1. But bv far the most common instance of this resolution of syllables occurs in our substantival ending ion. From 40 VOWEL COMBIXATIONS. B. I. the 11th to the 17th century this termination expanded into two syllables whenever the verse required it. Full swe|telyl : herd|e he confes\slon\, And p]eas|ant was] : his ab\solu\tion\. Chuu. Prol. He can the man that moulds in secret cell Un|to her ha|)|py : mun\sioti \ attaii)|. F. Q. 2. 3. 4. 1. 'Tis the list Of those that claim their offices this day By cus|tom of I : the cor\ona\tion\. H S, 4. I. My muse would follow those that are foregone. But can|not with] : an Eng|lish/(i«|/o«|. Hall. Sat 3. Prol. Before we close this section I wordd add a word or two respecting the diphthong ea. This diphthong, though its re])resentative still keeps its place in our orthography, has long since been obsolete. In our pro^dnces, however, where it still lingers, we often hear it resolved into a dissyllable, e-at, gre-at, me-at, &c. I have watched with some care, to see if it ever held the place of a dissyllable in our poetry, as in such case our Anglo-Saxon and early English rhythms might be seriously affected. My search has not been successful, and the result has been a strong conviction, that the ea, which so freqently occurs in our Anglo-Saxon poems, was strictly diphthongal. I think, however, that in one or two instances this reso- lution of the diphthong has actually taken place, as in the following stave. Now shall the wanton devils dance in rings, In ev|ery mead| : and ev|ery he\cJh hore|. The elvish fairies and the gobelins. The hoofed satyrs silent heretofore. Hall. Elegii on Dr. Whitaker. This English diphthong will, of course, not be con- founded with the ea that occurs in certain French words, and which was not unfrequently resolved into two syl- lables. C. IIT. XASALS AXn LIQUIDS. 4, That tlier n' is crtlie, water, fire, nc aire, Ne cre\a(u?-\e : that of | hem ma|ked is] That may me hele or don comfort in this. Chau. The Knightes Tulc. NASALS AND LIQUIDS. The subjects of the present section are tlie nasals m, n, ng, and tlie hquids /and r. Of these letters two, namely, n and /, occasionally form consonantal syllables ; the re- maining three cannot form a syllable without a vowel. The following are instances of the vowel having been dropt and the syllable lost. But always wept, and wailed night and day As blas|ted blosm \ thro heatj : doth lan|guisli and | decay]. F. Q. 4. 8. 2. Amongst them all grows not a fairer flower Than is ] the bloosm\ : of come]ly courltesy], AMiicli, though it on a lowly stalk do bower, Yet brancheth forth in brave nobility. F. Q. G. 4. The short vowel was sometimes elided before the 7n, even Avhen the consonant was found in another syllable. Hewn ] out of ad\amant rock] : with engjiues keen]. F.Q.I. 7.33. As if ] in ad\ainant rock ] it had | been pightj. F. Q. 1.11. 2.). Legit\imate Edjgar : I ] must have ] your land]. L. 1.2. Far be the thought of this from Henry's heart. To make J a shara]bles ; of I i\iQ par\liamrnt house'. Si/fi, 1. 1. They ] were a feare] : un]to the enjmyes* eye.] Churchyard. Siege of Leith. I profess Myself ] an e)}\emy : to ] all othjer joy]. Lear, 4.4. * This author always makes enemy a dissyllable, and spells it as in the text. 48 NASALS AND LIQUIDS. B. I. So spake | the en\cmtj -. of ] mankind, [ enclos'd| In serpent. P. L. 9. And next to him maUcious Envy rode Upon a rav'nous wolf, and still did chaw Between | his cank|red tceth| : a ven\omous toadj. F. Q. 1. 4. 30. These things did sting His mind | so ven\omozisly\ : that burnjing shame] Detains him. Lear, 4. 'I. And what have kings that privates have not too. Save cer\e7nom/\ : save gcnjeral Cfr|(?H«o«7/|, And what | art thou] : thou ijdol cer\emo>iy\ — Henry 5, 4. 1 . On the other hand we now always drop the penultimate e of French words in 7Jienf, which once formed an inde- pendent syllable. Thus by on assent We ben I accord|ed : to \\ih jicg\ement\. Chau. Prol. And who | that wol| : my jvg\einent \ withsay|. Shall pay for all we spendcn by the way. Chau. Prol. For of his hands he had no government, Ne car'd | for blood| : in his [ aveug\ement\. F.Q. 1. 4. 34. Then many a Lollard would in forfeitment. Bear pajper faglgots : o'er \ the pav\emeni\. Hall Sat. He came | at his| : command\ement \ on hi|e, Tho' sente Theseus for Emilie. Chau. The Knightes Tale. The wretched woman whom unhappy hour Hath now | made thrall| : to your | command\ement\. F. Q. 1. 2. 22. The word regiment is now also generally made a dis- syllable, though we occasionally hear it pronounced with three syllables, as in the verses, The re\ghnent\ : was wiljling and | advanc'dj. Fletcher. oadicea, 2. 4. C. III. NASALS AND LIQUIDS. 49 The reg\iment\ : lies half | a mile | at least] South from the mighty power of the King. R 3, .5. 3. M, we have said, cannot form a syllable without a vowel. This rule holds both as regards our spelling and our })ro- nunciation ; but one or two centuries ago the termination sm was often pronounced som, as it is among the vulgar to this day. Great Solomon sings in the English quire. And is become a new-found sonnetist. Singing his love, the holy spouse of Christ, Like as she were some liglit-skirts of the East, In mighjtiest iiik\hornis\ms : he 1 can thith|er wrestj . Hall. Sat. 1. 8. All this I by s!/l\logis\m trua'] In mood and figure he would do. Butler's Hudibras. Enthu\sias\m s past | redem|ption Gone in a galloping consumption. Burns Letter to John Goudie. These words should have been written as pronounced, inkhornisoiH, sijlJogisom, &c. N is one of the two letters, which form consonantal syllables. It is difficult to say when it lirst obtained this pri\'ilege, but it could hardly have been so early as the reign of Ehzabeth. In that reign, Gabriel Harvey ob- jected to Spenser's use of heaven, seven, &c. as dissyllables, the same not being " authorized by the ordinarie use and custom." He would have them written and spoken " as monosyllaba, thus, heavn, seavn, &c." I think there- fore that heaven, seven, &c. were commonly j^ronounced then, as now, with only one vowel ; and that when Spen- ser and his contemporaries made them dissyllables, they imitated an obsolete, or rather a provincial dialect, and pronounced them with two vowels. This latter mode of pronunciation has left traces liehind it ; even yet we may occasionally hear heav-en, sev-en, &c. among the vulgar. VOL. I. E 50 NASALS AND LIQUIDS. B. I. There are four terminations into which n enters, an, en, in, on ; of these en is now merely consonantal,* as in even ; an and on, sound like wi, as in Roman, reason ; and in retains its proper sound as in griffin. Our poets use en as a syllable v/henever it suits their convenience ; though, generally speaking, the only difference in the pronuncia- tion is a lengthening of the n. The terminations an, on, and in, are now commonly used as syllables; although Milton and some of his contemporaries elide the vowel, and tack n to the preceding syllable, when their rhythm reqviires it. Heaven s \ is the quar|rel : for | heaven s sub|stitute| Hath caus'd his death. R 2, 1.2. Ed I ward's seven sons| : whereof | thyself | art one,| Were | as seven phi|als : of | his sa|cred blood,] Or seven \ fair branch |es : spring] ing from j one root] . R 2, 1.3. And Palamon, this woful prisoner. Was risen, \ and romled : in ] a chanibre ] on high] . Chau. The Knightes Tale. Seems another morn Risen \ on mid noon] : some great ] behest ] from heaven] To us perhaps it brings. P. L. 5. In anjy case] : that migh|te/«//e«], or hapjpe. Chau. Prol. Fallen cherjub to | be weak] : is misjerajble. P. L. One of our leading reviews scanned the last verse thus, Fal]len cher]ub, to be weak] : is misjeralble. and Mitford almost laughs at the notion of heav'n and ffiv'n being pronounced as monosyllables ! The following are examples of the termination on, * This is too unqualified ; even educated men often pronounce ?isen, chosen, with two syllables, rizun, chozun, &c. C. III. NASALS AND LIQUIDS. 51 Fardest * from him is best Whom reason \ hath e|quaird : force ] hath made | supreme | Above his equals. P. L. 1. Charon \ was afraid] : lest thirsjty Gul|lion| Should have drunk dry the river Acheron. Hall. Sat. 3. G. There is sometimes the same elision of the vowel, and the same loss of a syllable, in the middle of a word ; And thereto had he ridden no man ferre, As wel I in Cri^ten\dom : as | in Heth|enes|se, And ever honoured for his vvorthinesse. Chaic. Prol. Though I of their names] : in heaven\iy rec]ords now | Be no memorial. P. L. 1. My curse upon your whinstane liearts. Ye Edin\burgh gen] try ! A tithe o' what ye waste at carts. Wad stow'd his pantry. Burns. It may be here observed, that the elision of the vowel is generally the first step towards corruption. Ecrnburg was merely introductory to E'enboro'. The short vowels were also very frequently elided before w, when that letter began the foUowing syllable. Un]to ourselves :| it haj}\neth oft ] among]. Drat/ton. M.forM. Cromwell, 120. My council swaied all, For still 1 the king] : would | for the card\nall call]. Drayton. M.for M. Wolsey, 35. They are but blinde that wake when fortune sleeps, They worke in vayne that strive with streame and tide. In doubjle guide ! they dwell] : that dest\nye keeps]. Drayton. M.forM. Wolsey, \7. Dest\iny by death ] : spoiled fcejble najture's frame]. Hall. Elegy on Dr. Whitaker. * Our Editors will not believe that even Milton could write English ; and "correct" \\\s fardest, perfet, and other barbarisms of the like kind, without the least hint to the reader. e2 52 NASALS AND LIQUIDS. B. I. Pride pricketli men to flatter for tlie prey, T'oppresse | and poll | : for maint\nance of ] the samel. Chalm. M. for M. North/olke, 8. And each In oth|er's count\enance read ] : his own [ dismay. P.L. 2. I was despisde, and banisht from my bliss, Discount\naunste, fayne | : to hide | myself | for shame |. Higglas. M. for M. King Emerianus. AVisdom in discourse with her Los|es discount\enanc d : and | like fol|ly shows]. P. L. 8. Ignom'ny was further corrupted into ignomy ; Thy ig\no7ny \ : sleep with | thee in | thy grave]. 1 H4, 5. 4. Hence broth|er lackjey : ig\nomy | and shamej Pursue thy life. Tro. and Cress. 5. When the termination en followed r, it often formed a syllable, in cases where the vowel is now elided, as horen, toren, &c. Eke Zea|land's pit|eous plaints | : and Hol]land's tor\en hair. Spenser. Mourning Muse of Thestylis. When ng followed the short i at the end of a word or syllable, the vowel appears sometimes to have been elided among our dramatists ; Having nei|ther sub|ject : wealth, | nordiladem|. 2 H 6, 4. I. Sometimes he angers me With telling \ me of | the mold- | warp : and | the ant. H4, 3, 1. Buck\ingham, doth York | : intend ] no harm | to us | ? 2// 6, 5. I, Humph|rey of Buck\ingham : I | accept | thy greet|ing. 2 H6, 5. 1. Why Buck\i)igha7n is | the traijtor : Cade | surpris'd | ? 2 H6, 4. 8. My Lord Cobhara, With whom [ the Kenjtish men | : will ivilling\lij rise|. 3 H6. C. in. NASALS AND LIQUIDS. 53 This oath | I willhigly take | : and will | perform |. 3 H6, I. 1. Our dramatists use a very irregular metre, and are therefore not the safest guides in a matter of this kind ; but when we find a word recurring again and again, in situations where our prevailing rhythms require the sub- traction of a syllable, I think we may fairly conclude such to have been the pronunciation of the poet. L, I believe, in pronunciation no longer follows any consonant at the end of a word or syllable excepting d, t, r. In the language of the present day, we generally hear a short u before it. The difference between it and the letter n in this respect must, I think, be obvious if the pronun- ciation of evil be compared Avith that of heaven. The first sounds clearly with two vowels e-vul, but if we were to pronounce the latter hev-un it would at once strike us uncouth and vulgar. In the Anglo-Saxon, / was very generally used without a vowel, as adl sickness, sivegl the sky, susl sulphur. In the early English we changed this mode of spelling, and adopted the French ending le in the place of /, writing settle, for instance, instead of the A. S, sell. We have preserved this orthography, except in cases where / fol- lows r, although we have since changed the pronunciatioi . We will first give examples in which the vowel has been ehded, and a syllable lost in consequence ; What evil j is left j undone | . when man [ may have | his will I ? Man ever was a hypocrite^ and ever will be still. Tussers Omnipotence of God. Each home-bred science percheth on the chair. While sa|cred arts | : grovel \ on the ground|sel bare]. Hall. Sat. 2. 3. Foul devil, | for God's | sake hence : j and trouble | us not[. R3, 1. 2. But when to sin our biass'd nature Jeans, The care|ful devil \ : is still | at hand | for means|. Dry den, Abs. &,■ Arch. 54 NASALS AND LIQUIDS. B. I. This noble \ exam[ple : to | liis shepe | he yaf|. Chau. Prol. So noble \ a mas|ter fallen | : all gone], and not] One friend to take his fortune by the arm, And go along? T. of A. A. \. AVhen this adxace is free, I give, and honest, Pro\bal to think|ing : and | indeed | the course | To win the Moor again. Othello, 2. 3, Probal is found in all the early editions, and is clearly a corruption of jrrobahle. It shows, if any proof were wanting, that the French ending able, was commonly used by our early English writers as one syllable. Such w'as it considered by Chaucer, who makes the Avord able corre- sponding to the French habile, a dissyllal^le. ]Milton made this ending one or two syllables, as best suited his verse, and such w'as the common practice of his contem- poraries. At present it is always pronounced abid, and of course fills the place of tW'O syllables. When it was so used by our early English poets, they seem, at least in some cases, to have accommodated their spelling to it ; to have written, for example, fabill for fable, and delectabill for delectable. This orthography, and in all probability the pronunciation which corresponded with it, prevailed chiefly in the North. And thus with fained flattery and japes He made ] the per|sone : and ] the peple | his apes|. Chan. Prol. Anon I ther is ] a noise ] : of peple \ begone]. Chau. Prol. There was also a nonne, a prioresse. That I <;f her sinil|ing : was | ful simple | and coy|. Chau. Prol. The wisest heart Of Solomon he led by fraud to build His temjple right | against | : the temple \ of God| P. L. And his next son, for wealth and wisdom faiu'd. The clouded ark of (iod, till thei. iu tents A\'and|enng, shall in | a glo|rious : icmple\ erishrine|. P.L. 12. C. 111. NASALS AND LiIQUIDS. 55 This house Is little, I the old j man : and | his |)eo|ple can|not Be well bestowed Lear, 2. 4. Oft fire is without smoke. Peril I without show | : there|fore your harjdy stroke], Sir knight, withold. F.Q. 1- l- !-• Of sou|dry doujtes : thus they jangle \ and tret|e. Chan The Sqiiieres Tale. Wer't I not all one | : an emp|ty eagle \ were set j To guard the chicken from a hungry kite. As place Duke Humphrey for the King's Protector r 2 H 6, 3. 1. And I for this mir\acle : in | conclu|sion|. And by Custance's meditation. The king, and many another in that place. Converted was, thanked be Cristes grace. Chau. Man of Lawes Tale. Contempt, that doth incite Each single- jsol'd squire | : to set | you at | so liglit |. Hall's Sat. 2. 1 . How, I Sir I this getit\'man : you | must bear | withal |. B. Jons. Alchemist, 1.1. Where nought but shadowy forms were seen to move, As Idle\ness fanc|ied in | her dreamjing mood|. Thomson. I 'd rath|er hear |: a brazlen candle\stick turn'd. 1 H4,3,\. In the quartos we have can-stick, which appears to have been a common corruption in the time of Shakespear. In hke manner, from ev'I and dei^' I come ill and deil ; and there can be no doubt tliat genfman, by a further corrup- tion, has become our slang term gernman. Thomson seems to have made idleness a dissyllable, in imitation of Spenser, -".vhose stanza he had adopted. The short vowels, w^hen they formed independent sylla- l)les before /, were frequently elided, and even at the pre- sent day the same license is occasionally taken. 5(i NASALS AND LIQUIDS. B. I. What can you say to draw A third ] more op\ulent : than [ your sis|ter ? Speak]. Lear, 1 . ] . Beef I that erst Herc\ules* held| : for finjest fare]. Hall. Sat. III. 3. Partic\ular pains] : partic\ular thanks | do ask|. B. Jotis. Cynthia's Revels, F. 11. Thus was the building left Rldic\ulous, and \ the work] : confulsion nam'd|. P.L 12. And approve The fit I rebuke] : of so ] ridic\idous heads]. B. Jons. Cynthia's Revels, F. 1 . Over there may flie no fowl but dyes Choakt ] vf'ith. tX\e i}est\lent savjours : that ] arise]. Sackville. M. for M. Induction 3 1 . Keep safejly and ivar\ihj : thy ut|ter most fence]. Tusser. Sept. Husbandry. In worst ] extremes] : and on [ \\ie 2}er\ilous-\ edge] Of battle. P.L.I. The sun who scarce uprisen ^\\ot par\al ell to \ the earth] : his dew]y ray]. P. L. 5. No serjvant at ta]ble : use sauc\ly to talk]. Tusser. The shot was such there could no sound of drumme Be efls]7y heard ] the time] : I you ] assure]. Churchyard. Siege of Leith. For I in publique weal Lorde Chanc\lour was] : and had ] the great ] broad seal]. Drayton. M.for M. Wolsey, 37. His aniner too he made mee all in haste. And threefolde giftes he threwe upon me still. His couns\lour straight] : like|vvise was Wol]sey plastej. Drayton. M.for M. Wolsey, 15. * Hence Shakespeare's Ercles. f Hence parlous, so common among our Elizabethan writers. C. III. NASALS AND LIQUIDS. 5^ Some of our poets of the seventeenth century pro- nounced the vowel, in cases where it is now rejected. So neither this travell may seem to be lost. Nor thou I to repent | of this tri\fling cost|. Tusser. Tum\bluig all] : precip|itate | down dash'd|. Dyer's Ruins of Rome. Which 1 when in vain] : he tride | with struff\gling,\ Inflam'd with wrath his raging blade he heft. F.Q.I. 11.39. Let secjond broth|ers : and | poornes\tlings\ Whom more injurious nature later brings Into this naked world, let them assaine To get hard pennyworths. Hall. Sat. 2. 2. And as | it queinte| : it mad|e a2vhis\teling\, As don these brondes wet in her brenning. Chuit. The Knight es Tale. My eiyes these lines with tears do steep. To think | how she| : through guile|ful hand\eling\, Is from her knight divorced in despair. F.Q. 1.3.2. Both starjing fierce| : and hold|ing ?[f/e///| The broken reliques of their former ciuelty. F. Q. 1. 2. lO". For half I so bold\eli/\ : can ther | no man| Sweren and lien as a woman can. Chau. The Wif of Bathes Prol. But trew\ely\ : to teljlen at|te last|. He was in church a noble ecclesiast. Chau. Prol. For trew\ely\ : comfort | ne mirthje is non| To riden by the way, dumbe as a ston. Chau. Prol. Some words, in the North of England and in Scotland, re- tain the short vowel, when it follow^s an r, even to this day. That done | the ear\l : let|ters wrotej Unto each castle, fort, and hold, &c. Flodden Field. 4/5. Ye'll try | the war\ld : soon | my lad |. Burns. 'Twas e'en, the dewjy fields were green, On ev|ery blade | -. the pear\ls hLing[. Burns. 58 NASALS AND LIQUIDS. B. I. In the modern pronunciation of our language, r follows no consonant at the end of a word or syllable. In the Ano-lo-Saxon and early Enghsh dialects such a combina- tion was common, and in the latter was expressed by the French ending re. In all these cases w^e now interpose a short u before the r, and though Ave retain the spelling in a few instances, as in acre, sepidcre, 7nitre, &c. yet these words are always pronounced with the short vowel, akur, sejmlkur, mitur, &c. We will, as before, begin with those cases in which the final syllable has been lost ; And Palainon Was risen ] and roin|ed : in | a chambre \ on liigli], In which he all the noble citee sigh. Chau. The Knightes Tale. As Christ | I count | my head | : and I j a member \ of his|, So God I trust for Christes sake shall settle me iu bliss. Tusser's * Belief. Every tedious stride I make. Will I but remember \ me : what | a deal [ of world | I wander. i2 2, 1.3. N' is creature living That ever \ heard such | : anotli|er wai|menting|. Chau. Knightes Tale, I must j not suffer \ this : yet | 'tis but | the lees j And settlings of a melancholy blood. Comus. Deliver | us out | of all : this be|sy drede|. Chau. Clerkes Talt. Th' Allgiver \ would be | unthank'd | : would be j unprais"d|. Comus. And where ) the river \ of bliss | : through midst j of heav|en Rolls o'er Elysian fields. P. L. 3. And he hadde be sometime iu Chevachie In Flandres, \ in Ar|tois : and | in Pic|ardi|e. Chau. Prol. * The extreme precision of Tusser's rhythm i-enders his authority, in a case of this kind, of great vahie. C. III. NASALS AND LIQT'IDS. 59 By water \ he sent | them home | : to ev|ery lanrl. | Chau. Prol. Her glor|ious glitter \ and light [ : doth all | men's eyes | amaze |. F. Q. 1. 4. 16. In proud rebellious arms Drew after | him the | third part | : of heav|en's sons[. P. L. 2. And after into heaven ascend he did in sight. And sitjteth on | the right | hand there | : of God | the falher\ of might. Tusser's Belief. If I by your art, j : my dea\r est father, \ you havej, Put the wild waters in this roar, allay them. Tempest, 1 , 2- Three voUies let his memory crave O* pouth'r I an lead, j Till Echo answer from her cave, Tam Samson's dead. Burns. Whether sayest | thou this | in er|nest : or | in play r [ Chau. The Knightes Tale. See whe'r \ their basjest met|al : be | not moved|. Julius Ccesar, 1. I. Either thou | or I | or both | : must go j with liim|. R. and J. 'i. \ . And neither \ by trea|son : nor | hostil|ity | To seek to put you down. We have one of the best proofs of the ehsion, iu the further corruptions such words have undergone, ov'r be- came o'er, ev'r ere, oth'r or^ wheth'r whe'r; and in those dialects which are so intimately connected with our own, as almost to make part of the same language, we find these letters similarly affected. Thus in the Frisic yaer is father, moar mother, broer brother, foer fodder. With a shght change in the orthography, we find the same words in the Dutch. Tliis seems to point clearly to a similar cause of corruption in all these dialects. The elision of the vowel I believe to have been the first step. As this final syllable is so important an element in tlie 60 NASALS AND LIQUIDS. B. I. regulation of our rhythms, one or two more instances of its loss may, 1 think, be useful ; In his rising seem'd A. inllar \ of state [ : deep \ in his front ] engrav|en Deliberation sat. P. L. 2. ^\lio shall go Before | them in 1 a cloud | : and pillar \ of fire|. P. L. 12. Stud|ied the grammar \ of state | : and all ] the rules |. B. Jons. Cynthia's Revels, 3. 4. Check This hidjeous rash|ness : or answer | my life, j my judg|ment. Lear, 1. 1. In the following examples the vowel is elided at the end of a syllable ; Tie I up the liber\tine : in | a field | of sweets]. A. and CI. 2. 1. What trowen ye that whiles I may preche, And winnen gold and silver for I teche. That I I wol liv|e m pover\te : wil|fully|. Chau. The Pardoneres Tale. Tske, pover\ties part | : and let | prowde forjtune go|. Sir T. More. Book of Fortune. My kingldoni to | : a beggar\li/ den|ier|, 1 do mistake my person all this while. R 3, 1.2. In the next examples the elided vow^el is found in a different syllable from that of the r; Since T^ed\d\mg bar\barisms : gan ] be in | request]. Hall. Sat. 2. 3. And specially from every shires ende Of Engjlelond ] : to Can\terhiry \ they wend |e. Chau. Prol. So born I was to house and land by right. But in a bagg to court I brought the same. From Shrews\brije toune | : a seate | of an|cient fame]. Churchyard. Tragicall Discourse, (i9. p. L. 1. R. 1. 1 P. L. 1. R 1. 1 C. III. NASALS AND LIQUIDS. (J 1 Des\perate revenge | : and bat|tle dan|gerous|. P. L. 2. And I I the while ] : with sprits \ wehiy | bereft|. Beheld the plight and pangs that did hiin strayne. Sackville. M. for M. Buckingham, 87. The capjtain notes | : what sol|dier hath | most spreet\. Churchyard. Trag. Disc. 64, You that couhl teach them to subdue their foes. Could or|der teach 1 : and their | high sp'rits \ compose]. Waller. Panegyric. For this infernal pit shall never hold Celes|tial spirits \ in bon|dage : nor | the abyss | Long under darkness cover. Tendering the precjious safe]ty : of | my prince |. Of daunt|less courjage : and | consid\erate pridej. On some apparent danger seen in him Aim'd I at your high|ness : iwinveterate mal|ice. Turning our tortures into horrid arms Against | the tort\urer : when | to meet | the arms | Of his almighty engine he shall hear Infernal thunders. P- L, Of corm\rant kinde ] : some cram|med ca|pons are]. The moer they eat the moer they may consuem. Churchyard Tragicall Disc. Tim\orous and sloth |fnl : yet | he pleas' d ] the ear|. P.L.I. Hum\orists and hypjocrites j : it would | produce], Whole Raymond families and tribes of Bruce. Dry den. Mac Flecknoe. A re|creant | : and most ] degen\erate trai|tor. R 2, 1. 1. The second verse quoted from Milton, is thus scanned by Tyrwhitt ; Celes|tial spirjits in bonldage nor | the abyss], and is produced to show that the third foot sometimes contained three syllables ! In several cases, however, the vowel was retained where we now reject it ; and so common must have been this 62 NASALS AND LIQUIDS. B. I. mode of pronunciation, that we find it followed in many words which never properly contained an e. We find other words which inserted the short vowel after the long i or the long e, and thereby increased their dimensions by a syllal^le. As you liketh it sufficetli me,— Then } have I got | the mais\terie | quod she| . The Wif of Bathes T. 196. Here | may ye see | wel : hovv [ that gen\ieri\e Is not annexed to possession. Chau. The Wif of Bathes Prol. I here confess myself the king of Tyre, Wlio frigh|ted from] : his coun\try \ did wed | The fair Thaessa. Per. 5. 3. Then to him stepping, from his arm did reach Those keys, | and made ] himself] : free en\terance\ . F. Q. 1.8. 34. The raven himself is hoarse That croaks ] the fa|tal : en\trance \ of Dun|can, Under my battlements. Macbeth. That he is dead, good Warwick^ 'tis too true. But how I he died | God knows] : \iot Hen\ry\ . 2 H6, 3. I. The Em\peress, \ the mid|vvife: and | myself] . Titus And. 4. 2. Crying with a loud voice. " Jesus maintain your royal Excellence," With " God I preserve ] : the good | Duke Hum\phreij\ ." 2H a, 1. 1. Exceplting none | : but good | Duke Hum\phrey\ . 2 H6, 1. 1. Courage yields No foot j to foe I : the flashjing/lre flies]. As from a forge. F. Q. 1. 2. 17. The prattling things are just their pride. That sweet]ens all | : their ^']re side] . Burns. C. Ill, THE CLOSE LETTERS. 63 Slutteiy to such neat excellence display'd Should make [ d€st\re : vo|mit enipltiness] . Cyniheline, \. 7 A gen]tleman | of Ty\re : my | name Peijicles. There 's many a soul Shall pay ( full de\arhj \ \ for this | encoun|ter. 1 H\, 5. 1. Arcite unto the temple walked is Oifi\erce Mars [ : to don [ his sac|rifice| . Cliau. The Kuightes Tale. Their God himself, griev'd at my Uberty, Shot man|y at me | with | : ji\erce intent] . F. Q. 1. 9. 10. THE CLOSE LETTERS. In the present section we shall discuss the remaining letters of our alphabet, and will begin with the close letters. Of these there are six, h, j), d, t, g, k. Adjectives in able and ible are sometimes pronounced as if the first vowel were elided. It is extremely difficult to say when this corruption first began. In the following verses-,- Some time to increase his horrible cruelty The quicke with face to face engraved he. Sackville. M.for M. Buckingham, 43. Let fall Your horrible pleasure. Here I stand your slave. Lear, 3. 2. it is clear that horrible is a dissyllable, but whether the i should be elided, and the w'ord pronounced horrble, or ible should be pronounced as one syllable, may be doubted. As, however, we know that ible was often pronounced as one syllable, and have no distinct evidence that the pre- sent corrupt pronunciation was then prevalent, it would be safer, perhaps, to retain the vowel. 64 THE CLOSE LETTERS. B. I The loss of the vowel before ^ or c is very rare, Nor the time nor place Will serve | our long | : inter\g(itor\ies. See | Posthumus, &c. Cijmbeline, 5. 5. Thou evler young | : fresh, lov'd, | and del\icate vvoojer. T. of A. 4. 3. And now and then an ample tear roll'd down Her del\icate cheek | : it seem'd | she was j aqueen| Over her passion. Lear. Perfuin|ed gloves | : and del\'icate chains | of am|ber. B. Jons. Every Man out of his H. 2.4. The elision before d and / is far more common. The participle and preterite in ed, was often pronounced in our old English without the vowel. In Anglo-Saxon the participle ended sometimes in od or ed, sometimes in d simply. I do not, however, find that the elisions in our old English correspond with the latter class of Anglo- Saxon verbs ; on the contrary, in some couplets, as in the following, we have the same verb both a monosyllable and a dissyllable. For 1 in this world | : he Iov\cd no [ man so|. And he | Inved\\\m \ : as ten|derly ] again|. Chau. The Knightes Tale. Good milch-cow and pasture good husbands provide, The res\due good hus|vvives : know best [ how to guide| . I'usser. April Husb. The King, at length, sent me beyond the seas, Embas\toifr then | : with mes|sage good | and greate] . Drat/ton. M.forM. Wolsey, \4. Know Cade 1 we come | : ambass\adot(rs to \ theCom|nions — 2H6, 4. 8. Helroes and herjoines shouts | : confusd\ly rose] . Pope's Rape of the Lock. Edmund, I arrest thee On cap\ilal trea\son : and [ in thy | arrest | This gilded serpent, Lear, 5. 3, C. III. THE CLOSE LETTERS. 65 I arrest thee, York, On cap\ital trea|son : gainst [ the King | and Crown]. 2H6,D. 1. Needs | must the ser|pent now j : his cap\ital bruise| Expect with mortal pain. P. L 12. They all are met again. And are | upon | : the Med\iterra\n€an flote| Bound sadly home for Naples. Tetnpesf, 1. 2. The rest | was mag\namm\it>/ : to | remit}. Samson Ayoii. Pro|per f/e/b?'H?|/f^ shows | not: in j the fiend] So horrid as in woman. Lear, 4. 2. Human\ity must | perforce ] • prey ] on itself]. Lear, 4. 2. He knew not Caton, for his wit was rude, That bade [ a man | shulde wedje : his si\miUtude\. Chau. The MUleres Tale. Would I the nobil\iti) : lay ] aside | their ruth], And let me use my sword, I'd make a quarry. Cor. 1.1. Whose parents dear whilst equal destinies Did run aboute, and their felicities The favourable heavens did not envy. Did spread ] their rule j : through all | the terr\itories\. Which Phisou and Euplirates floweth by. F. Q. \. 7. 43. Sorrow Would be I arar]%.- most | belov'd j if all] Could so become it. Lear, 4. 3. There is, however, one w-ord in ty, which now always drops its penultimate vowel, though such vowel was re- tained as late as the 17th century. For she J had great ] doubts ] : of his saf\ctii\. F.Q. 1. 11. 13. Nor fish can dive so deep in yielding sea. Though The Jtis self I : should swear | her saf\eti/\. Hall. Sat. 3. I. . VOL. I. P 66 B. I. THE DENTALS. We now come to the dental letters, /" and th. She's gone ( a man\ifest ser|pent : by | her sting] — Sam. Agon, Scarf 1 up i\\e pit\iful eye \ -. of ten|der day| — Macbeth, 3. 2. Hast thou, according to thy oath and bond, Brought hlth|er Henjry Her\eford: thy ] bold son| ? R 2, 1. 1. Eth, the ending of the third person singular, often lost its vowel. In the Anglo-Saxon the third person ended in ath, eth, or th, and the last ending was most prevalent. Many of our old English verbs, which formerly ended in ath, elided the vowel; though such pronunciation was more usual in those verbs, which took th for their Anglo- Saxon termination : thinkHh, lyth, (fifth, eomth, &c. were probably the direct descendants of the elder forms, thincth, lith, gifth, cymth, &c. Drowned in the depth Of depe desire to drinke the guiltlesse bloud. Like I to the wolf | : with greedjy lookes | that lepth\ Into the snare. Sackv'ille. M. for M. Buckingham, .5. High God, in lieu of innocence. Imprinted hath that token of his wrath. To shew 1 how sore | : blood-guilt jiness | he hat'th\. F. Q. 2.2.4. His sub [tie tongue [ : like drop|ping hon|ey ?He/^7//| Into the heart, and searcheth every vein. That ere he be aware, by secret stelth. His power is reft. F. Q. 1. 9. 31. This contraction prevailed very generally among the poets of the West. It occurs no less than five times in the following simile from Dolman, C. III. THE SIBILANTS. 6/ So mid the vale the greyhound seeing stert His fearful foe pursu'th, before she fieri' th. And where she turnth, he turnth her there to beare^ She one prey prick' th, the other safeties fear. M.for M. Hastings 24. THE SIBILANTS. In discussing the siljilants, the first question relates to the contraction of es, the ending of the plural and of the genitive singular. There is no douht that this syllable was occasionally contracted before the time of Chaucer, and by that author frequently ; For him J was lev|er han \ : at his | beddes head], A twenty bokes clothed in black or red Than robes rich, &c. Chau. Prol. In mor|tal bat\tailes : had|de he ben [ fiften|e. Chau. Prol. It is still used when the substantive ends in a sibilant, and even in other cases was occasionally met M'ith as late as the early part of the seventeenth century ; Arose the doughty knight All heal|ed of | his hurts | : and woun\des wide|. F.Q. 1. 12. 52. Were I great Sir Bevis, I would j not stay | his coai|ing : by j your leav\es. B. andFlet. Knight of the Burning Pestle. Farewell 1 madame | : my Lor6?|e5 vvorth|y raoth|er. Sir Thomas More. Until he did a dying widow wed^ Whiles I she lay dot|ing : on | her death\es bed|. Hall. Sat. 4, 1. No contraction was more common than that of the superlative. It was the owl that shriek'd, the fatal bellman That gives | the stern st \ good night | : he is | about | it. Macbeth, 2. 2. F 2 ()8 THE SIBILANTS. B. I- Or I when they meant | : to fare | the finst \ of all | They lick'd oak-leaves besprent with honey-fall. Hall. Sat. 3. 1. Thus I the greatest man | : in Eng|land made | his end]. Drayton. M. for M. Cromwell, 131. So farre my princes prayse doth passe Thefa\moust queene | : that ev|er was]. Puttenham. Parthenides, 16. Sometimes s and / belong to different syllables ; She has in her all the truth of Christians, And all | their con|stancy | ; mod\esty was made | When she was first intended. Fletcher Valenthiian, \. \. Wilt I thou then serve | the Phil\ist'me : with | that strength |, That was expressly given thee to annoy them. Samson Agon. r the dead of night The m'in\isters for | the pur|pose : hurjried thence | Me and thy crying self. Teynp. 1 . 2. To plainness honour's bound When maj\sty stoops | to fol|ly : reverse | thy doom|. Lear, 1.1. In the following examples the vowel belongs to an in- dependent syllable ; I had I in house | : so man|y of\sars still | Which were obayde and honour'd for their place. That carelesse I might sleepe or walke at will. Drayton. M. for M. Wolsey, 2G. A silver flood Full I of great vir|tues : and j for med\cine good]. F. Q. 1.2. 29. Her grace is a lone woman And ve|ry rich | : and if | she take | a.phant\'sie She will do strange things. B. Jons. The Silent Woman, 1 . 2. Our pow'r Shall do 1 a court\esy : to | our wrath, | wliich men| May blame, but not control. Lear, 3. 7. C. III. COALITION OF WORDS. 69 In his raging mind He curs'd | all court\sy: * and ] unru|ly vvindj. Hall. Sat. 3. 5. With blood I of gullt|less babes | : and in\nocents true|. F. Q. 1. 8. 35. The in\>iocent prey | : in haste | he does | forsake |. F.Q. 1. 6. 10. In death [ avowling : the in\nocence of \ her son]. F.Q. 1. 5.39. Sluic'd I out his in\nocent soul [ : through streams | of blood|. R2, 1. I. Bidding the dwarf with him to bring away The Sar\azens shield | : sign | of the cou|queror|. F. Q. 1.2.20. And Brit|on fields | : with Sa)'\azens blood | bedy'd[. F. Q. 1. 10. 7. COALITION OF WORDS. We have now only to consider those cases in which a syllable has been lost by the meeting of two words. The synalsepha or coalition of two vowels, is now tole- rated in very few instances. We may elide the vowel of the definite article before its substantive, and sometimes, though more rarely, the vowel of to before its verl)^ but the ear is offended, if the to is made to coalesce with a narrow vowel as, t' insist, or the article with a broad one, as in the verses. So spake | the ajwstaie an [gel : tho" ] in pain|. P. L, 1. Ttie earth cumjber'dand [ the wing'd | air: dark ] withplumes|. Comus. Formerly this union of the vowels was far more general. Chaucer melts the final e into the following word without * As from phanfsie caxae /"unci/, so from courfsy came courtsy. 70 COALITION OF WORDS. B. I. scruple, and in some cases the Anglo-Saxons took the same license. We also find Chaucer occasionally using the same liberty in other cases. His successors (fully alive to the convenience) followed his example, till Milton pushed this, as every other license, to the utmost. So frequently does it occur in the works of this poet, that several critics, among others Johnson, have given him credit for its invention, or rather, we should say, its in- troduction, for they suppose it borrowed from the Latin. We will first give instances where the final vowel is narrow ; It is I reprev|e: and con\trurij of \ honourj For to be hold a common hasardour. Chau. The Pardoneres Tale. And thereto he was hardy, wise, and rich. And pit|ous| : and just ] and «Z|«rft// yUch\e. The Squieres Tale. And you that feel no woe when as the sound Of these my nightly cries ye hear apart. Let break | your sounjder sleep] : and pit\i/ aitc/ment\. Sjjenser. August. As marks | to which | : my 'ndeav\ours steps | should bend|. B. Jons. Cynthia s Revels, 6. 10. Stif |ly to stand 1 on this| : and 2)roud\ly approve] The play, might tax the maker of self-love. B. Jons. Epil. to Cynthia'' s Revels. Pas|sion and ap|athy| : and glor\y and shame]. P. L. 2. In the folloAving examples the final vowel is broad. Then was gret shoving bothe to and fro, 7^0 lift him up and muckle care and wo. So unweil\dy was| : this se|ly pal|led gost|. The Manciples Prologue. And with | so exceed\ing fu|ry : at | him struck]. That forced him to stoop upon his knee, F. Q. 1.5. 12. C. III. COALITION OF WORDS. 71 Her doubtful words made that redoubted knight Suspect I her truth| : yet since | no untruth \ he knew] Her fawning love with foul disdainful sprite He would not shew. F. Q. 1.1. 53. No ungrate\fi(l food] : and food | alike | those pure] Intelligential substances require. As doth your rational. P. L. 5. Angjuish and doubt [ and fear| : and sorrov} and pain]. P. L. 1. Vouchsafe with us Two on\ly who yet| : by sov|ran gift ] possess] This spacious ground, in yonder shady bower To rest. P. L, 5. The pronoun it not only coalesces with a vowel, as be't, o't, &c. but sometimes also with a consonant, as is't, ivitJit, &c. If the ill spirit have so fair a house. Good things | will strive | to dwell | with't. Tempest, 1, 2. You taught I me lan[guage : and | my prof |it ont \ Is I know how to curse. Tempest, 1 . 2. If he may Find mercy in the law^ 'tis his ; if none. Let I him not seeVt | of us 1 : by day | and night | He's traitor to the height. ^8, 1.2. I say I it is I not lost ] : Fetch' t \ let me see | it. — Othello, 3. 4 His sword Hath I a sharp edge | : its long, | and it may [ be said | It reaches far. H 8, 1. 1. We find 't before a vowel in 'tis, and even before a con- sonant in the passage — Which done, quoth he, " if outwardly you show Sound, I 7 not avails] : if in|wardly ] or uo|." Drayton. M.forM. Cromwell, \ 67. 72 Coalition of words. b. i. To also coalesces very freely with the word that follows it, whether verb, substantive, or pronoun. W'hen I she was dear } to us : we ] did hold | her so|. Lear, 1.1. Married your roy|alty : was wife | to ijour place], Abhorr'd your person. CymbeUne, 55. For I a short day ] or two \ : retire | to your own j house. Fletcher. Loyal Subject, 2 1. Who well them greeting, humbly did request. And ask'd | to what end \ they clomb [ : that heav'n|ly height]. F Q. 1. 10. 49. From whence to England afterward I brought. Those slights of state deliver'd unto me, Inf which \ were then | : but ver]y few ] that sought]. Drayton. M.for M. Cromwell, 38. Toivhomi\\\xs \ the porjtress : of j hell-gate | replied]. P. L. 2. Since you prove so liberal To refuse \ such means | as this | : maintain | your voice | still 'T will prove your best friend. Fletcher. Loyal Subject, 2. I. The frier low lowtiug, crossing with his hand, T' speak \ with contriltion, quoth j he : I | would crave;. Drayton. M.forM. Cromwell, 104. His is frequently joined to the preceding word, as are also the verb is and conjunction as. Pond]ering on his voyjage: for | no nar]row frith] He had to cross. P. L. 2. Go tell I the Duke | and his wife | : I'd speak | with them|. Lear, 2. I . A blink | o' rest's \ a sweet | eDJoy]ment. Burns. They're nae | sae wretched' si ane | wad think]. Though constantly on poortith's brink. Burns. Burns has more than once joined the verb to the word that followed instead of preceding it. C. III. COAI.ITIOX OF WORDS. 73 I doubt na whiles that thou may thieve, Wixat then ? poor beastle thou maun live, A daimen Icker in a thrave 'Sa sina' I request,] I "11 get a blessiu wi" the lave. And never uiiss't. Burns. Verbs beginning with iv sometimes elided it, and coal- esced with the word preceding, thus, in old English, we have nas for ne ivas, not for ne wot, nere for ne were, &c. And by that Lord that cleped is St. Ive, l^ere \ thou our brojder : shuldjest thou | not thriv|e. Chau. The Sompnoures Tale. I tell 1 you to I my grief [ : he was base|ly mur|der'd. Fletcher. Valentinian, 4. 4. You icere best | to go ] to bed | : and dream | again]. 2 H(i,b. I. Make ] it not strange | : I knew | you were one ] could keep] The buttry hatch still lock'd. Alchemist, 1.1. Wit|ness these wounds ] I do | : they loere fair]ly giv'n|. Fletcher. Bonduca, 1. I. / would, ive would., &c. are still commonly pronounced Td, we'd, &c. yet we often find them written at full length, in places where the rhythm only tolerates one syllable. It would be useless to point out the coalition of the verb have with the personal pronouns. We, however, are constantly meeting with these contractions v\Titten at full length, we have, you have, &c. for we've, you've, &c. The first personal pronoun seems to have been occa- sionally omitted before its verb, as in the phrases, 'pray tliee, 'beseech thee, ike. I suspect it was omitted more frequently than the texts warrant us in asserting. I honour him Even I out of your | report | : But 'prai/ \ you tell [ me Is she sole child to the King ? Ci/mb. 1.1. Your voicjes. Lords, | 'beseech \ you : let ( her will] Have a free way. 0th. 1. 3. 74 COALITION OF WORDS. B. I. I presume \ she's.still ) the same [ : I would | fain see | her. Fletcher. Loyal Subject, 5. 2. And, Father Card'nal, I have heard you say. That we shall see and know our friends in heaven^ If that 1 be so I : / shall see | my boy | again]. King John, 3. 4. The article the was frequently pronounced tfi, and more particularly wlien it followed a preposition. The same pronunciation still prevails in the north. In Carr's Craven Dialogues, we meet with Wi, oth\ toth', forth\ byth', &c. also antJi aiid autJi, &c. for and the, all the, &c. Amongst the rest rode that false lady faire. The foul Duessa, next unto the chair Of proud I Lucifjera | : as one | otK train|. F.Q.\. 4 37. And the Rom|ish rites | : that with | a clear|er sight| The wisest thought they justly did reject. They after saw that the received sight Not altogether free was from defect. Drayton. M.forM. Cromwell, 97. The flames Driven backwards slope their pointing spires, and roll'd In bil|lows leave, ] i'the * midst| : a hor[rid vale|. P. L. While Me jol|ly Hours | : lead on | propitious May|. Milton. Sonnet. Whose shrill saint's bell hangs in his lovery, While the rest | are dam|ned: to | the plumb|ery|. Hall. Sat, 5. 1. The fox was howling on the hill, y^Mc? Me dis|tantech|oing glens | reply[. Burns. Ith' and oth' are often written i'the, o'the. This is a common but gross blunder. In the first place the vowel is not elided, and, secondly, the prepositions are written as if contracted from in and of; but i and o are independent * This is, I believe, the only instance of such contraction in the P. L. C. III. COALITION OF WORDS. 75 l^repositions, which may be traced backJ;hrough every cen- tury to the times of the Heptarchy. In giving the many extracts I have quoted, I have scru- pulously adhered to the spelling of my authors, or rather of their editors : Tyrwhitt's Chaucer, Steevens's Shakespeare, and Todd's Milton have been chiefly referred to, Tonson's Sjienser, and either Giftbrd's or Tonson's Ben Jonson. 76 ACCENT. B. I. CHAPTER IV. ACCENT, As the word is now used, means the stress which is laid upon a syllable during pronunciation ; and in a more restricted sense, that particular stress, which defines the rhythm of a verse or sentence. The latter might perhaps be termed the rhythmical accent. It is of merely relative importance, and may be either one of the strong or one of the weak accents in the sentence ; but must be stronger than that of any syllable immediately adjoining. We shall mark the rhythmical accent, as in the last chapter, by placing a vertical line after the accented syllable. It has been matter of dispute, udiat constitutes the stress which thus distinguishes the accented syllable. Mitford, who deserves attention both as a musician and a man of sense, has entered deeply into this inquiry, and concludes with much confidence that it is merely an in- creased sharpness of tone. WaUis, who is at least an equal authority, assumes it to be an increase of loudness. I cannot help thinking that the latter opinion is the sounder one. There are two reasons, which weigh strongly in my mind against the conclusion of Mitford. It is admitted on all hands, that the Scots give to the accented syllable a grave tone. Now, if our English accent consisted merely in sharpness of tone, it would follow that in the mouth of a Scotchman our accents would be misplaced. This, however, is not so ; the accents follow in their pro- per place, and our verses still keep their rhythm, though C. IV. ACCENT. / / pronounced with the strange intonations of a Fifeshire dialect. Again, in a whisper there can he neither gra^-ity nor sharpness of tone, as the voice is absent ; yet even in a whisper the rhythm of a verse or sentence may be distinctly traced. I do not see what answer can be given to either of these objections. But though an increase of loudness be the only thing essential to our English accent, yet it is in almost every instance accompanied by an increased sharpness of tone. This, of course, apphes only to the prevaihng dialect. The Scotchman, we have seen, pronounces his accented syllable with a grave tone, and in some of our counties I have met with what appeared to be the circumflex. But the Eno-lishman of education marks the accented syllable with a sharp tone ; and that in all cases, excepting those in which the laws of emphasis require a different intonation. Besides the increase of loudness, and the sharper tone which distinguishes the accented syllable, there is also a tendency to dwell upon it, or, in other words, to lengthen its quantity. We cannot increase the loudness or the sharpness of a tone without a certain degree of muscular action ; and to put the muscles in motion requires time. It would seem, that the time required for producing a per- ceptible increase in the loudness or sharpness of a tone, is greater than that of pronouncing some of our shorter svllables. If Ave attempt, for instance, to throw the accent on the first syllable of the verb become, we must either lengthen the vowel, and pronounce the word bee\come, or add the adjoining consonant to the first syllable, and so pronounce the word bec\ome. V\e often find it covenient to lengthen the quantity even of the longer syllables, when we wish to give them a very strong and marked accent* Hence, no doubt, arose the vulgar notion, that accent al- ways lengthens the quantit}" of a syllable. It is astonishing how widely this notion has misled 78 ACCENT. B. I. men, whose judgment, in most other matters of criticism, it would be very unsafe to question. Our earlier writers, almost to a man, confound accent with quantity; and Johnson could not have had much clearer views on the subject when he told his reader that in some of Milton's verses, " the accent is equally upon two syllables together and upon both strong, — as Thus at their shady lodge arrived, both stood, Both turn d, and under open sky adored The God that made both sky, air, earth and lieaven." Ever)^ reader of taste would pronounce the words stood, turn'd, with a greater stress, than that which falls upon the words preceding them. But these Avords are at least equal to them in quantity ; and Johnson fell into the mistake, at that time so prevalent, of considering quantity as identical with accent. Even of late years, when sounder notions have prevailed, one who is both critic and poet, has declared the word Egypt to be the only spondee in our language. Surely every one would throw a stronger accent on the first syllable than on the second ! In every word of two or more syllables there is one, which receives a stronoer accent than anv of the others. This may be called the verbal accent, as upon it depends the accentual importance of the word. When the word contains two or more syllables there may be a second accent ; this, of covirse, must be subordinate to the first, and is commonly called the secondary accent. When a word of three syllables has its primary accent on the first, ovir poets have, in all ages, taken the liberty of giving a secondary accent to the third syllable, if their rhythm required it. Thus harmony, victory, and many others of the same kind, are often found in our poetry with the last syllable accented. The rule applies to words of any number of syllaliles, provided the chief accent falls on the last syllal^le but two. An ignorance of this principle has led the Danish phi- C. IV. ACCENT. 79 lologist Rask, into much false criticism. He objects to the Anglo-Saxon couplet, Getim|brede| He built Temple Gode. To God a temple. because the first verse has but one accent ; and supposes that heah^ or some such word, may have been omitted by the transcriber. The verse, however, has two accents, for a secondary one falls on the last syllable de. He pro- nounces another verse, consisting in like manner of one word,