The first part of the elementarie vvhich entreateth chefelie of the right writing of our English tung, set furth by Richard Mulcaster.

Cap XVIII. Of proportion.

I Call that proportion, when a number of words oflike sound ar writen with like letters, or if the like sound haue not the * 1.1 like letters, the cause why is shewed, as in hear, fear, dear, gear, wear, the like proportion is kept: in where, here, there it faileth by prerogatiue, bycause our custom, hath won that writing in such aduerbs of place: in mere it faileth by enfran∣chisement, bycause it commeth of the latin merus, ra, rum. And therefor proportion, as all other rules, consisteth vpon gene∣rall precept and priuat exception.

This rule of proportion, hath allwaie bene of great account, * 1.2 for directing of speche and pen, as theie that be learned in the matter of speche, and the writers of that argument, do know of themselues, without my alleging of anie Analogi∣arie autors of anie foren tung, Latin or other. And in the ordering of our tung, it serueth vs, as it were for another ge∣nerall table. For as in the generall table, where euerie par∣ticular word is set down by order of the alphabete, we haue regard to the first letter, and thereby serue our own necessi∣tie in case and cause of serch: so in the rule of proportion, where we set down all words of one sound, vnder one form of writing, with particular note when the proportion fai∣leth, we regard that syllab which leadeth the proportion, and the vowell or dighthong in it, which giueth the life and sound to the syllab, and respect som multitude of words of one sort and sound, as in the alphabete we regard euerie particular, without eieing anie mo, then that, which we seke. All the words

in our English tung com within the compas of proportion, vpon som occasion or other: either bycause there is none but it hath mo of the same sound, or but it maie haue mo in time, seing new occasions brede new words. Again, all the words which we vse in our tung, be either monosyllabs, that is but of one syllab, which be the most of our naturall English: or * 1.3 bissyllabs of two, whereof there be som certain English, & as manie strangers: or polysyllabs, of mo then two, which be alltogether enfrauchised, sauing som certain English deriua∣tiues or compounds, which fall not within this rule, bycause theie haue titles of their own.

Wherefor cōsidering our mere English words be mostwhat monosyllabs, I wil deall with them first, then with the bissyl∣labs, last of al, with the polysyllabs, by order of the vowell or diphthong, which leadeth the syllab, & therefor the proportiō. I call that a syllab, which hath one sounding vowell in it, how * 1.4 manie consonants soeuer either go before or com after it, as, no, one, able, whistle, driuen, raken, thoughts, thrise, frok, shritch, strength, staruedst, frumpst. For the qualifying and silent e, encrease no syllabs, as neither the passant in most places, which shalbe noted hereafter. All which letters children wold be taught to spell togither, holding such a filling, e, as no soun der, to make a new syllab thereby, as har-den, wri-ten, for har den, writen, two syllabs by misspelling for, two monosyllabs in natur.

Here by the waie the reader shall vnderstand that in this rule of proportion I will not medle with anie deriuatiue which coms of other, whether contract, as scratcht, of scratched, or plurall numbers, as matches of match, or anie such else, where the putting to of one letter or mo, doth cause the difference: sauing onelie where the deriuatiue in sense, semeth a primatiue in form, as the pluralls of man, mous, hous, foot, cow, be, men, mice, lice, fete, kine. which form semeth rather to be originall, then deriued of anie other.

A

No English word ēdeth in, a, but in aie, as decaie, assaie, which * 1.5 writing & sound our vse hath won. A, alone is the English arti∣cle,

which cometh generallie next before substātiues, as a mane, a man, onelesse som adiectiue part them, as, a tall man, a long mane. This a ioyning with substantiues by waie of composi∣tion, so altereth their force, as theie signifie in dede, quite ano∣ther thing. For whē we saie, he cums apase, he goes aside, he looks aloft, he went along, we mean not the same, that we do in these speches a swift pase, a sore side, a windie loft, a lōg waie. The presi∣dent of this cōpound a, causeth vs oftimes to write forē words, with single consonants, which duble the same in their own tung as abbaie, abbandon, abbase, abbate: with one b, abaie, abandon, abase, abate, bycause of their analogie & proportiō with a baie a bādie, a base, a bate, which be known English terms, & being vttered quik bring furth the same soūds. Neither is it anie won∣der that our tung vseth a single consonant, where the originall dubleth, as báse, of bassus, pase, of passus. This, a, before vow∣ells, diphthongs, and the aspiration h, is an, as an epistle, an auditour, an honest man. Where the question is, whether e, in ane be nedefull, considering in our speaking the, n, semeth to ioyn with the vowell that followeth, according to that rule which teacheth vs, that a consonant cumming betwene two vowells must be spelled with the latter, as be-ne-fi-ci-all one∣lesse the words be compound, as an-ò-ther, ab-o-lish. bycause then the simple syllab kepeth hir own combination still, as in the examples before. And bycause it semeth to be so in these words, an-other, an-hell, an-honest man, as if theie were but one word compounded of two, the qualifying e, doth seme nede∣lesse, as it is in those words, which be deriued from the quali∣fied terminations, and begin their addition with som vowell, as praie, praing, amase, amasing, repute, reputing, depraue, depra∣ueth, where the qualifying e, is left out, and the consonant be∣fore it is put to the next syllab. And semeth it not to be so in all those words, which end in the qualifying e, before another word beginning with a vowell, as mine own?

Blab, drab, grab, hab, nab. and with the qualifying e, babe. * 1.6 Băble, răble, brăble, dăble: and bāble, stāble, āble, sāble,

where I make the difference by the notes of the long and short time, not daring to duble the b, for making of two syllabs, by dubling the b, which maie not be here, the silent e, sounding

not, and the words therefor being monosyllabs, bycause there be not two sounding vowells or diphthongs, which are requi∣red in the making of two syllabs. * 1.7

C, alone endeth no syllab but with the qualifying e, after it, as ace, trace, race, face, which termination by ce, I take to be most naturall for this sound in our tung, both bycause manie enfranchised words haue the same end, as face, grace, space, and ase, with the s, and it is lightlie the termination of enfran∣chised words, case, pase, base, so it turneth verie much to the, z, as amase, rase, crase, whereas ace with the, c, soundeth still one like the naturall full, s.

Monosyllabs, that is naturall English words of one syllab, * 1.8 seme to be writen with c, as the enfranchised polysyllabs be, tabernacle, barnacle, triacle, spectacle, but theie ar indede wri∣ten with, k, as hakle, cakle, takle, shakle, both bycause of their primitiue, hak, take, shake, and also bycause k, goeth before l, after a vowell, but not before, as in clamp, cling, clout. where c, leadeth and not k.

Act, fact, contract. and such com from the Latin, and be * 1.9 therefor writen with ct. but bakt, pakt, thwakt, rakt, crakt, and such be English words contract bakt of bakked, pakt of pakked &c. and be therefor writen with k, after their primitiue, ha∣uing their a, short and quik, whereas nākte, bākte, rākte, cum∣ming of rake, nake, bake, ar to be writen with the qualifying e which kepeth the originall a, sharp. Som write backt &c. with c, before the k, but wrong, bycause c, cummeth not before k but when theie be to be referred to diuers syllabs, as ac-know∣ledge, like accompanie, where the same consonant being du∣bled emporteth two syllabs. * 1.10

Ache, brache, with the qualifying e, for without the e, t, go∣eth before ch. as patch, snatch, catch, smatch, watch. The strōg ch. is mere foren, and therefor endeth no word with vs, but is turned into k, as stomak, monark (whose originalls be stomach, * 1.11 monarch with ch. in the Greke.) Bad, swad, glad, and with e, glade, made, shade. Adle, crādle, lādle, stādle with ā long: swădle, sadle, fadle, with ă short, the single syllab admitting the distin∣ction by time, and not by dubling the letter, for dubling the * 1.12 syllab withall. Badge, madge, fadge, where d, is necessarie by∣cause

otherwise, ā, wold sound long and sharp, as in page, age, rage, asswage. If, e, followed not the, g, the, a, were flat, & the, g, strong, as nag, bag, swag. In words of two or mo syllabs the, d, before, g, is not allwaie so nedefull, bycause the tung staieth not so sore vpon their last syllabs, as it doth vpon the monosyllab. Chaf, staf, graf, draf, and with, e, chafe, safe, rafe. * 1.13 Craft, shaft, graft, waft. Snafle, with a single, f, being but one syllab. Drag, brag, lag, and with, e, cage, wage, sage, age. pāgle with ā long, dragle with, a, short. Armagh, slagh, bagh, is a fo∣ren termination. Smak, pak, trak, crak, and with, e, take, rake, wake. akle was tuched before in acle. Ale, male, pale, dale, with the qualifying, e, is an ordinarie and a common termination, with vs. But where, a, in the end before a fingle, l, soundeth plane, al, I find none but certaine childish terms, as Mal for Marie, Lal, Dal, & som such. Bycause, a, in the end hath comon lie a duble, ll, after it, & soundeth on the diphthong, as thrall, crall, wall, which it doth also before a single, l, when a conso∣nant followeth next, as thraldom, walking. Shall, our common term foundeth not vpon the diphthong, and yet for companie sake will haue a duble, ll, whose force, that it is not diphthong∣like, it appeareth in the deriuatiue, l, cumming before, t, & not sounding in shalt, as in malt, halt. Alb. which in our ordinarie * 1.14 speche we sound, aub, turning the, l, into, u, and so we enter∣tain, l, generallie before most of our consonants. For tho we write calm, balm, talk, walk, chalk, calf, calues, salues: yet we pronounce them so as if theie had no, l, but onelie the duble, w or single, cawm, bawm, taulk, waulk, chauk, caulf, cawues sawues Ald. is the comon termination of participles contract, as cald, for called, apald, for apalled, gald, for galled. Yet som few there * 1.15 be of that ending, which ar mere originalls, as scald, bald, ald. Calf, half, walk, talk, calm, shalm, palm, faln, a contract for fal∣len. yalp, scalp, false, halse, with the silent, e, which is familiar to * 1.16 the enfranchised words and their followers. Malt, salt, falt, salue, salues, calf, calues, the, f, still bewraying his kinred with v, the consonant. Dram, cram, dam, and with, e dame, name, * 1.17 shame, blame. Amble, shamble, scramble, scamble. Cramp, stamp lamp. Ample, strample. Lamb. And why not lam, as Lammasse, daie? and not lambmasse, with the b? Chams, champs, lamps, de∣tiues, * 1.18

Man, can, bran. And with the qualifying, e, mane, cane, * 1.19 brane. Glance, france, chance. Where, a, before the, n, soundeth like a diphthong, tho, u, be not to be writen. An∣cle, rancle, and why not ankle, rankle, seing rank is a simple? * 1.20 Hanch, stanch, panch. Brand, hand, sand. Handle, dandle, candle, rang, bang, swang, and with the qualifying, e, range, grange, strange, wrangle, strangle, angle, frank, crank, rank, bank, scant, * 1.21 pant. Scantle, scantling. I vse no example of anie combination with, re, bycause I take it better to end in er, as falter, rather thē faltre &c. Scrap, lap, hap, clap, rap, & with, e, ape, rape, scape, * 1.22 tape. Māple, stāple, with the a lōg, aple, grable, with the a, short. apt is ā originall strāger, our words in apt be deriuatiues, as hapt trapt, capt, flapt, for happed, trapped, capped, flapped. Iaques for * 1.23 Iakes the, e, passant falling vpon the, s, is an enfranchised word. We vse not, q, in the end, but still in the beginning of a syllab, bycause, u, followeth him of necessitie, as quagmire, quilt, re∣quire, squint. War, far, car. and with the qualifying e, ware, * 1.24 fare, care. Marble, garble, warble. Sparcle, and why not sparkle bycause of spark? Sarce, parce, with the shrill and long ā farse, arse, with the short and flat a, e, cumming in, not as a qualifi∣er, but as incident to the long, s. by natur of enfranchisement. * 1.25 Arch, parch, starch. Hard, mard. Scarde, larde, garde, warde, with the qualifying, e, to lengthen the, a. Hardle, fardle. Barge large, targe, charge, without d, before g, gargle. wharf, scarf, dwarf. Bark, park, mark, cark, chark. Marle, carle. Warm, harm charm, farm, barm. Barn, warn, and with the qualifying, e, barne, yarne, scarne. Scarp, harp, sharp, warp. Art, smart, cart, wart, thwart, and with the qualifying e, tarte, parte, darte. Startle, starue, swarue, carue. As and was sound as oft vpon * 1.26 the, z, as vpon the strong, s, and therefor the duble ss, with the silent e, is vsed in our tung to expresse the vowell which sit∣teth hard vpō the, s, as passe, glasse, grasse. Whose dubling, as that also of ll, maie be found out by the deriuation, as in passe, pas∣sing, misse, missing. grasse, grassie &c. in promis, promising, pur∣pos, purposing. Otherwise the qualifying e, helpeth to reduce the single s. as case, casing, wise, wiser, repōse, reposing, blase, rase, amase. Ask cask, flask, mask. Hāsle, tāsle, dāsle. Swash, slash, * 1.27 dash, pash, Spasm, enfranchised Greke. Clasp, hasp, wasp, grasp,

past, last, fast, and with the qualifying e, paste, taste, waste, * 1.28 wrastle, castle, pastle. Squat, scrat, plat and with the qualifying e, strate, late, plate, prate, pratle, tatle, ratle, satle. Wax, axle. Waue, slaue. Bath, path, wath, & with e, bathe, scathe, and hath * 1.29 of the same sound without e, an ordinarie word won by prero∣gatiue. Where this is to be noted in generall of, th, that nounes ending in th. sound strong, as bath, south, mouth, touth, breth: * 1.30 but verbs weak, as bath, south, touth, mouth, breath.

E

What e, soundeth in the end, when there be no mo vowells in the syllab, then it self, and that it is somtime silēt, but to good purpos, somtime passant, scarse perceptible, & thē like the quik i, it hath bene tuched allredie. VVeb, neb, eb. Keble, treble. Gréce, pece, flece the right English termination. For, ese with s, altereth, * 1.31 as these, & exception from ease, seas, cease, where the ods of our writing, tho it seme verie hard, is easilie made euen. for ease is the naturall termination, as please, disease: seas is the natu∣rall plurall number of sea: cease is the naturall enfranchise∣mēt of cesso the latin. Speche, beseche, eche, breche, leche, with the * 1.32 qualifying e, all the other that be writen without, e, haue a, t, as fetch, stretch, retch, saue ech the common distributiue. Ecle, better with k, as spekle, frekle, bycause of the primiue frek, spek. * 1.33 Detect, elect, and such be Latin enfranchisements. pekt, chekt, nekt, be English contracts, of pek, pekked, chek, chekked. Tred shred, sled, and with the qualifying e, brede, lede, nede, spede. * 1.34 Hedge, sedge, ledge, the polysyllabs enfranchised kepe their origi∣nall, as priuilege, college, neither doth the last syllab pitch so hard in anie word of two or mo syllabs, as it doth in a monosyl∣lab, and therefor no maruell if the pitching letter be left out. Medle, nédle. what difference in proportion? as in nedles, the * 1.35 plurall of nedle, and nedelesse the adiectiue? Bredth of brode.

All the primitiues whose ēding diphthong is, ea, as bread, tread, * 1.36 weal, heal, steal, in their deriuatiues form lightlie vpon the bare e, as bredth, tredth, welth, helth, stelth.

Thefe, lefe, chefe, befe. Theft, cleft, reft, of cleue, theue, reue. Where besides other notes * 1.37 the kinred betwene, f, and u. appeareth still, Eg, leg, peg, meg,

and with the qualifying e. lege, sege. Nek, brek, chek, pek, and with the qualifying, e, meke, cheke, leke, shreke, weke, pekle kekle. * 1.38 E. falleth somtime hard vpon the l, & then the ll, is dubled, as shell, spell, knell, fell, somtime sharp, as fele, rele, knele, with the qualifying e, sometime light with the, e, passant before, l, as driuel, riuel, sniuel, rauel, which in the like proportion, is the silent e, after l, as wifle, snafle &c. in which words the e, is so quik as I dare not hold them for bissyllabs. Belch. Held, keld. * 1.39 Elf, shelf, pelf, self. Yelk. Kelk. Elm. VVhelm. Teln, feln. be out worn English words for tell, fell. Else, as bells, fells, nells be deri∣uatiues. Felt, swelt, smelt. Where se the proprietie of our tung, in * 1.40 the duble sense of smelt, the primitiue of the fish, and the con∣tract smelt for smelled of smell. Welth, stelth noted before. Delue, * 1.41 shelue. Stem, kem, nem, wem. and with the qualifying, e, steme, seme, deme, eme. Trēble. Hemp. Kemp. tēpt. Tems. E, falleth vpon the, n, somtime full, as Then, ten, when, men, ken, somtime shrill with the qualifying e. as Quene, kene, sene, grene, somtime pas∣sant, where it encreaseth no syllab, in my opinion, as writen, driuē, shriuen, gotē, shoten, threaten. And why maie not so manie letters be spelled together for one syllab, as well as in thwakst? Whence, hence, sence for sithens. Ense with s. is enfranchised, as * 1.42 sense, fense, spense. End, mend, lend, send. Tench, wench, quench bench, wrench. Henge, reuenge. I find no termination in eng, without e, if anie hereafter fall out, ing, wilbe the leader in proportion, as wing, thing. Pence the plurall number of penie. * 1.43 Pens the plurall number of pen. Shent, pent, ment. Gentle. Step, skep, & with, e, stepe, kepe, crepe, wepe, depe. Threap, thrept. Steple, peple. Kept, precept. Er, is commonlie the end of such words, as haue mo syllabs then one, where it sounds quik, as thither, hi∣ther. Aker, taker. Falsifyer, cunninger, anger. Er, to go astraie: & with the qualifying e, bere, mere, where, there, here, which be * 1.44 exceptiōs from the terminatiō in ear, the diphthong. Her the feminine and hir, be so enterchangeable frinds, as theie maie be vsed indifferētlie.

This word enterchāgeable giueth me to make this note, that, g, in hir weak natur with the qualifying, e, after, in cōpositiō or deriuation, kepeth, e, still, onelesse the additiō fol lowing begin either with e, or i, with the which vowells, g, is gentle, as with a. o. u. it is not.

Herb with the h. not herd, ferce,

serch, perch: Berd, ferd, herd, serge. without a. Term, ferm, and * 1.45 why not lern without a? seing ea, in the deriuatiues fauoreth e, so much, as threap, thrept, lear, lerning? verse, reherse. the prouf by rehersall, perse, herse

Pert, desert, the most of these sorts be bissyllabs or aboue: * 1.46 besides that, a, dealeth verie much before the r. By deserue, pre∣serue, conserue, it should appear that either we strain the Latin * 1.47 s, to our sound, or that theie had som sound of the z, expres∣sed by s, as well as we. Which is trew, and appeareth in their deriuatiues from the Greke {is}. Finesse, contract for finenesse, by∣cause nesse is the addition, as in holinesse, sumptuousnesse, glad∣nesse, with the duble ss. bycause the e. sitteth hard vpon the ss. * 1.48 Besides that we borow the form of the french, tho in the sound of the silent e, we differ from them. Frese, chese, gese. Desk, fresh, flesh. Brest, nest, chest. Nestle, pestle, tresle. Fet, net, let, * 1.49 whet, and with the qualifying e, fete, strete, lete, nete, mete. Fetch, stretch. Netle, setle, ketle, bétle, bédle. Sleue, reue, greue, yex, vex, next, text, téthe, séthe.

I

I said before that i, ending the last syllab, and sounding loud was expressed by y. as qualify, exemplify, for manie good cau∣ses, considering we haue admitted y, for a vowell: And that the quik ending i, is allwaie qualified by e, as verilie, trewlie. In which kinde of coplement ie, is euer vowellish, & neuer con∣sonant, like the weak ge: tho in the beginning of syllabs as ién∣king and such, ie, and ge, be all one, as in Latin peiero, & ege∣ro. Before consonāts in the last syllab i. soūdeth thus. Squib, rib, crib, and with the qualifying e, bribe, scribe, gibe. Crible, pible, trible, bīble, bible. Ice, mice, slice, nice, vice, spice. (which word * 1.50 is vsed much with vs for spece, as a spice of an agew, for a kind of an agew, species) In wise & such, the s. is ēforced by verie deriua∣tiō & cōpositiō, besides the zeddish sound, as wisdom, where, c, before the, d, wold haue sounded vpō the, k. I find none of this * 1.51 sort, but which, rich, & shriche, with, e. The rest haue, t, before ch as stitch, pitch, fitch, witch, Strict, conuict, & such be latin enfran∣chisments. * 1.52 Pikt, likt, kikt, be English contracts, of pik, lik, kik, likked, kikked: as likte, slikte, of like slike, with the qualifying, e, in

both: Icle, as pikle rather with k, vpon cause alledged in akle, and * 1.53 ekle. Bid, kid, hid, & with the qualifying, e, wide, ride, stride. Fridge, bridge, ridge. Ridle, fidle, with, i, short, iādle brīdle, with i, long, biden, riden, hiden. Stif, if, skif, and with the qualifying e, wife strife. Shift, lift, clift, shrift. Trifle rifle, & with the i, short, misle whistle. Twig, swig, prig, gig, gig, nigh, high. Night, might, right, slight, lighten, gigle, giglet, prik, tik, stik, & with the qualifying e, like, tike, prikle, sikle; sicle, enfranchised. Thiken, chiken, quiken. I, lighting full vpon the, l, dubleth it, as shrill, spill, will. The sin∣gle, l, with the qualifying e, after, while, begile, bile, filch, milk, silk. Quilt, tilt, spilt, hilt, filth. Swim, grim, brim, and with the qua∣lifying, e, grime, slime, time, lime. Thimble, nimble. Simple, pimple, * 1.54 Shrimp, imp. Win, twin, pin, chin, and with the qualifying, e, wine, twine, pine, chine, quince, ince, rince, wrinch, winch, stinch, clinch, not, cumming betwen ch, and the consonant before. Twinkle, inkle, pinkle, pinkt, winkt, deriuatiues contract. Wind, frind, bind, and with the qualifying e, kinde, finde, minde, hinde, trindle, kindle, spindle. Thing, swing, wring, & with the e, twinge, singe, swinge, cringe. Swingle, ringle, single, surcingle, tingle. Drink, ink, shrink. Squint, flint, stint, and with e, pinte, lintle. Strip * 1.55 whip, slip, and with the qualifying e, stripe, wipe, ripe. Triple, criple. Whipt, stript, hipt, wipte, stripte, with the originall e. Stir, fir, sir, and with e, Sire, fire, tire, mire, desire, require, hire, wire. * 1.56 Circle enfranchised. Chirch, of kirk, birch. Yirk, girk, irk. Bird, gird, girdle, girle. Whirle, firm, chirm, girn, chirp, Birt, flirt, squirt mirtle, kirtle. Birth, mirth, girth, first, thirst. I, lighting hard vpon the s, dubleth it ss, as, hisse, misse, kisse, sauing, is, this, y••is. With e after s, it soundeth most what vpon the z, as wise, sise, yet in the same form we write thrise, of another sound, but why not thrice, which termination neuer acquainteth it self with z? The e, passant and this gentle i, before s, haue oftimes great al∣liance togither. If it light som what quiklie vpon the s, then the s is single, as promis tretis, amis, aduertis, enfranchis, misle, fisle, * 1.57 drisle, pisle. Chrism, baptism. Wisp, crisp, whistle, gristle, fish, wish, dish, mist, twist, fiste, with e. Whit, fit, hit, and with e, white, mite, delite, spite, Tītle, title whitle, britle, witch, stitch, pitch, quitch; itch, with, sith, kith, & with the qualifying e, writhe, sithe. Striue, wiue, thriue, and liue, giue, siue, Flux, pix.

O

O, in the end is said to sound lowd, as go, shro, fro, sauing, tò, dò, two, &c. Hob, cob, bob, rob, and with the qualifying e, robe, * 1.58 noble, roche, cocle, and why not cokle? God, od, plod, rod, and with e, rode, gode, bode. Nodle, troden. Dodge, hodge, podge. Of, cof, with * 1.59 e, lose. Oft, soft, croft. Hog, dog, frog, log, clog, roge, voge, seing our, g, is strong and our accent will help. Ogle. Smok, sok knok, and with the qualifying e, smoke, oke, soke, yoke, poke, goge an interiection of wondring, Nol, gol & with the qualifying, e, hole, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the Greke adiectiue in the same sense, gole, fole, stole, sto∣len. O, before, l, sounding like a dipthong causeth the ll, be dub∣led, as troll. And if a consonant follow, l, o, commonlie hath the * 1.60 same force, tho the l, be but single, told, cold, bold, colt, dolt, colf, rolf, bolt, holm, scold, dissolue.

O, before m, in the beginning, or midle of a word, leading the syllabs soundeth flat vpon the o, as omnipotent, commend, but in the end it soundeth still vpon, the u, as som, com, dom, & therefor in their deriuatiues, and compoūds as welcom, trublesom, newcom, cumbersom, kingdom.

With e, after the m, as home, mome, rome, & yet whom, from, haue no, e, by pre∣rogatiue of vse, tho theie haue it in sound & seming. But were it not better, that all such exceptions were reduced to their Ana∣logie? * 1.61 If euerie tung had not the like exceptiōs, I might happilie think, that that were the best. On, likewise in beginnings & mi∣dles soundeth vpon the o, in the ends, chefelie of enfranchismēts vpon the u, as disposition, circumspection, action. In som few words * 1.62 of one or two syllabs, it soundeth vpon the o, as on, anon, vpon, & with the qualifying, e, gone, mone, alone, throne, one: on, in som words answereih the proportiō of the, e, passant, without increa∣sing * 1.63 of syllabs, as capon, weapon, answer to cheapē, threapen. Once nonce, nonst. Bond, beyond, fond. Top, stop, crop, knop, and with the qualifying e, rope, cope, grope, sope. Tople, throple, pople. Hops, tops, be plurall nūbers. Or is a termination of som truble, when a con sonant followeth, bycause it soundeth so much vpon the u, as worm, form, sword, word, & yet the qualifying e, after wil bewraie an o, as the absence thereof will bewraie an u, storme, o, worm, u, lorde, o, hord, u. Or, for nor, & with the qualifying e more, gore bore, pore, sore, fore. Where note that for, & his compounds sig∣nify the cause, fore and his, the time, as Before, afore. Wherefor,

therefor. Forthink, forfet, forethink forestall, foresaid, foresé. Force, horce, scorce, the naturall english.

Corse, French of corps. Proch, torch, Scorch, without t, before, as Arch, serch, burch, lurch. Corde lorde, accorde, with the e. Word, sword, aford, without. In former * 1.64 syllabs, where or is of it self, it soūdeth vpō the o, still, as organes, ordure, order. Worldle, gorge, George. Porke, Yorke, with the e, Stork, cork without the e. Worm form, without e, vpō 〈◊〉〈◊〉 u. Forme * 1.65 storme, with e, vpō the o. Corne, horne, torne, forlorne. Thorp, horse corse, remorse. Dort, & with e, forte, porte, O, sitting hard vpō the s, dubleth it, as Crosse, losse. mosse, if not single as purpos. With the qualifying e, Nose, repose, close: and close, the nown vpon the s, the verbe, vpō the z, which is lightlie generall in the like cases, * 1.66 of the duble sound of s. Poste, hoste, toste, roste, coste, with e, and without e, Lost, tost, contract for tossed. Most by prerogatiue * 1.67 soundeth vpon the e, and yet setteth it not down. Losh, cosh, posh. Hotch, potch, notch. Potle, botle, throtle. Pot, sot, not. and with the qualifying e, cote, note, throte. Othe, lothe, wrothe, * 1.68 and without the e, broth, moth. We sound both like the first, and write it like the last. Roten, frosen, rosen, dosen, where en, is * 1.69 passant, and the words monosyllabs. Groúe, throúe, lóue and loùe, moùe, abòue. Ox, box.

V.

V, & o, be so great còsens euen in còsinage, as the one enter∣medleth with the others soūd verie much. V, endeth no English word, but ew, as trew. And tho truth be the substātiue, yet that is no more maruell, then that we, set constrew, and construction, from diuerse grounds, congrew, congruitie, abound, abundance, pronounce, pronunciation. Club, rub, grub, and with the e, Cube Duble, puble, buble, ruble. Sluce, nuce, the naturall English termi∣nation. * 1.70 Use, excuse, refuse, and such enfranchised latin. Pu∣kle, bukle, hukle, sukle, with k. Hutch. Much, and such seme to be exceptions. Mud, bud, cud, rud, and with the qua∣lifying, e, Delude, rude. Hudle, pudle, crudle. Ruf, stuf, snuf, rufle, shufle, Shrug, rug, hug, and with e, huge, deluge, re∣fuge. Iugle, tugle, hugle, bugle. Duk, muk, luk, and with e, duke, puke, luke, fluke, huke. Full, dull, scull, trull, and single l, with the qualifying e, rule, crule, pule, tule, vlp, gulp, gulf, wulf. Hulk, pulse, enfranchised, gulch. Thrum, drum, crum,

broum, loum. Noun, croun, cloun, doun. Own, grown, vpon the * 1.71 deriuatiue. Stoup, loup, droup, coup. Sound, ground, found. Our domonlie abreuationlike as our, the termination for enfranchis∣mēts, as autour, procur atour, as, er is for our our, as suter, writer: Bour, lour, flour, four, alone vpon the, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Mourn, adiourn. Howse, lowse, mowse, the verbes and deriuatiues vpon the, z, as House, louse, mouse, the nounes vpon the, s, Ous, our English cadence for * 1.72 Latin words in osus, as notorious, famous, populous, riotous, gor∣geous, being as it were the vniting of the chefe letters in the two syllabs, o, and, u, osus. Clout, lout, dout. Buy, iuyce, If I haue ei∣ther * 1.73 forgoten, or not remembred anie termination, or if there be no mo yet extant in the vse of our tung: yet the president of these will bytheir proportion fashion all the like. I haue bene thus carefull and curious to run thorough all these mono∣syllab terminations, bycause I find the like don in other tungs, which vse to rip vp all, thereby to find assurance, wherewith to rule all. This being thus ended concerning the monosyllabs, I must saie somwhat also of the bisyllabs & polysyllabs.

The proportion of bissyllabs.

I call that a bissyllab, wherein there be two seuerall soūding vowells, as Asùr, rasùr, masùr, and why not lasur? farow, bo∣rough, thorough. Writing, biting. The proportion in this kinde also is verie commodious, bycause when ye haue found out one certain head all of the like sound maie be easilie reduced thereunto, onelesse som prerogatiue of priuat custom, or som respect to the originall stranger do interrupt the rank. If there be but one word in anie kinde, that one will serue for a gide, when anie mo afterward shall craue the help of the like con∣duct, as Whisper, bussard. If there be no president of the same sound, yet the like proportion in som other vowell, will lead his cosen soūd, as if there were no such word as badger, yet hed∣ger, wold lead vs to the like writing. Wherein I haue regard still to the English ear, reseruing the writing of enfranchised words in their own colours, to such as be skilfull. I will write for the common man, Aumner, aumrie, naie euen filosofie, and ortografie, and leaue Almoner, almonarie, naie Eleemosyner, & Eleemosynarie, philosophie and ortographie, to the discretion,

of such, as be learned, to vse or refuse as theie list. Wherein I follow the autoritie of a great master in speche, euen Tullie him self, who reseruing the misterie of speche and pen to himself, and his peres, did lend the peple, the vse and customarie there∣of. Now these bissyllabs be either naturall English as, ba∣uin, * 1.74 crauin, rauin, or enfranchised foren, as Pallet, mallet, bal∣let. And again in both the kindes theie be either simple, as canell, panell, chanell, or compound, as waieward, toward, fro∣ward, * 1.75 aside, asquint, astraie, except, reiect, conceiue, detaine. As for the compounds and enfianchisments theie haue the help of particular titles to direct them: for the simples and na∣turall English I am to deall in this place. Whereof I will set down but certain generall notes, bycause the table which fol∣loweth, shal contein so manie of ech sort, as I can well remēber, and euerie one of them so proportioned to my note in rule, as theie shall one answer another thoroughlie, as Cancell, chancell, hancell. Chalice, malice, Calice, amice, office. Lauer, fauer, sa∣uer. Iaueling, graueling, shaueling, raueling. Natur, statur, Measur, treasur. But I shall not nede to vse anie further enu∣meration, seing the endings be all one, and the former syllab is that which moueth matter of question in this place, which hath verie manie helps hereafter, whereby it maie be throughlie vn∣derstood deriuatiō somtime breading bissyllabs, as of time, time∣lie, witie, of wit, writer, of write, composition somtime, as break∣fast, thraldom, vauntgard, lastage, pondage, enfranchisment somtime, as Excuse, abuse, abase, reiect: distinctiō somtime no∣ting, them, as Amis, and amisse, ascent, assent, desert, and desért, and what not? Therefor the bissyllabs for this place shall contēt thēselues with these few notes. First that the silent, e, after, l, en∣creaseth not the number of syllabs, & that therefor Brable, sorā∣ble, * 1.76 strample, wrangle, circle, whistle, gogle, trouble, & a nuber such be but monosyllabs. Barnacle, triacle, chronicle, tunicle, & manie such be but bissyllabs, Agreable, auailable, penetrable & a nūber, such be but of thré syllabs. Again, that the, e, passant in such words, as hastē, writē, bidē, threatē, frosen, cosen & such encreaseth * 1.77 not the syllabs, & that therefor these, which I haue rehersed & such other be but mere monosyllabs. Abiden, forgoten, vnwriten, & such but bissyllabs. Again, that the English tūg is not length∣ned * 1.78

eueriewhere for position, & cōcourse of two or mo conso∣nants, and that therefor, the quikker time mostwhat dubleth the consonant in bissyllabs, as Fallow, sallow, yallow, tallow, swal∣low. Matter, platter, batter. Marie, tarie, carie, quarie, with the shorte time. Marie, charie, farie, with the long time, tho in neither the consonant be dubled. That both in bissylabs, * 1.79 and polysyllabs tho the same writing be in the end which is in the monosyllab, yet the sound is far quikker, as in either of them the ending, ow, runneth but like a single, u, where as in the monosyllab, it wilbe heard full, as in Lów, knów, and bellow, mel∣low, yallow, the difference is sene. As concerning polysyllabs, theie be either English compounds or foren Enfranchisments, which will bewraie themselues in their own places, the simple words bringing their hole furniture in composition, as, ouerse∣ing, vndoing, whereupon, eueriewhere. And the foreners euer ap∣pealing * 1.80 to their originall grounds, euen when theie be most fashioned to the English ear, as originall, to originalis, enfran∣chisment, chastisment to their own cuntries. And therefor I do not entend to saie much of them in this place, otherwise then by genenerall note, bycause both the comon table, and all the titles that follow concern bissyllabs, and polysyllabs most: as the generall rule, and the first part of proportion do most con∣cern monosyllabs. In which monosyllabs the naturall force of euerie letter is best perceiued, bycause the sound and strength thereof appeareth there fullest, where there is none to partici∣pat with them in sound; but themselues, which cannot be sene so well in words of mo syllabs, bycause theie hudle on euerie sound with more quiknesse, saue where the time or tune will command verie roundlie. The polysyllab therefor for the chefe girk of his sound riseth vpon the third syllab from the end, as the bissyllab doth of the second. And bycause the large doth al∣waie comprise the lesse within it, therefor the rules of the first & second syllabs, hold in the polysyllabs, where the companie of * 1.81 mo syllabs causeth anie one to be the lest noted: onelesse som speciall occasion for difference sake make the verie last, or the last saue one to be thought on and noted, as in concordance, sur∣fitting, grassehopper and such, the second syllab short is a pro∣pertie of our tung contrarie to the commō rule of time, tho not

to the rule of tune. (For the Grekes do so in the like positions) and therefor causeth the last syllabs saue one in these words & in the like to be better noted. Again, in abiuring, adiuring, coniu∣ring, * 1.82 periurie, the ods in the midle time maketh the deriuatiues of the same primitiues to be markt for that syllab. And again, on, * 1.83 in the simple monosyllab, naie euen in the bisyllab soundeth vpon the, o, most, in the polysyllab vpon the, u, bycause the en∣franchising of such words, as circumscription, deuision, partition, comparison, declineson, kepeth the naturall, o, but giueth it the en∣franchisers, dy, in, u.

But to knit vp this title of proportion, (which is the great ma∣ster leader to all our whole tung, as Rule is the great Anatomist * 1.84 of all the sounds and forces of our letters) when we haue don all that either sound maie require, or reason can enioy n, custom will haue a great stroke, and must make vp the trinitie in dire∣ction of speche. For what but custom hath won, in nation, deriua∣tion, deliberation, inclination, to kepe a, still, and to go so near the originall: and in declinson, comparison, •…•…duowson, and such to go so much astraie from the originall, declination, comparation, aduocation? Wherefor as sound hath somwhat to saie in our or∣tographie, and reason not nothing, so the custom of our cuntrie will try mastries for hir interest, which she must haue at his hand who so entendeth to handle this argument with liking, as who so douteth to write a word in English, must seke out the like sound in proportion.

Notes

• * 1.1

  VVhat propor∣tion is
• * 1.2

  The vse of proportion.
• * 1.3

  words

  • monosyll.
  • Byssyll.
  • polysyll.
• * 1.4

  VVhat a syl∣lab is.
• * 1.5

  Of monosyl∣labs and their proportion.
• * 1.6

  Ab. Able.
• * 1.7

  Ace.
• * 1.8

  Acle.
• * 1.9

  Act. Akt. Akte.
• * 1.10

  Ach, Ache.
• * 1.11

  Ad. Adle.
• * 1.12

  Adge.
• * 1.13

  Af. Afe. Aft. Afle. Ag. Age. Agle, Agh. Ak. Akle. Ale. Acle.
• * 1.14

  Alb.
• * 1.15

  Ald.
• * 1.16

  Alf. alk. alm. Aln. Alp. Alt. Alte.
• * 1.17

  Am. Amble. Amp.
• * 1.18

  Ample. Amb. Ami. Amps.
• * 1.19

  An. Ance.
• * 1.20

  Ancle. Anch. Ang. Andle. And
• * 1.21

  Angle. Ank Ant. Antle.
• * 1.22

  Ap. Ape. Aple. Apt.
• * 1.23

  Aq.
• * 1.24

  Ar. Arble. Arkle. Arce.
• * 1.25

  Arch. Ard. Ardle. Arge. Argle. Arf. Ark. Arle. Arus. Arn. Arp. Art.
• * 1.26

  Artle. Arue. As. Ass.
• * 1.27

  Ase. Ask. Asle. Ash.
• * 1.28

  Ast. Astle. At.
• * 1.29

  Atle. Ax.
• * 1.30

  Th. Ath.
• * 1.31

  Eb. Ece.
• * 1.32

  Eche.
• * 1.33

  Ecle. Ect.
• * 1.34

  Ed. Edge.
• * 1.35

  Edle.
• * 1.36

  Edth.
• * 1.37

  Ef. Eft. Eg. Ege.
• * 1.38

  Ege. Ek. Ekle. El.
• * 1.39

  Elch, Eld. Elf. Elk.
• * 1.40

  Ells. Els.
• * 1.41

  Elth. Elue. Em. Emble. Emp. En.
• * 1.42

  Ence Euse. End. Enge.
• * 1.43

  Ence. ent. Ep,
• * 1.44

  Er.
• * 1.45

  Erb. Erce. Erb. Erd.
• * 1.46

  Erse.
• * 1.47

  Ert.
• * 1.48

  Esse.
• * 1.49

  Ese. Esk. Esh. Est. Estle. Et. Etch. Etle.
• * 1.50

  Ib. Ibe. Ible. Ice.
• * 1.51

  Ich.
• * 1.52

  Ict
• * 1.53

  Ikle. Id. Idge. idle. Iden. if. Ift. ifle. Ig, igh. ight. Igle. Ike. Ikle. Il. Ilk. Ilt. im. Mible. ni.
• * 1.54

  Ince. inch. Inkle. Ind. Incle. ing. Ingle. ink. Int. Iple. Ir.
• * 1.55

  Irch. irk. Ird. Irle.
• * 1.56

  Irst. Iss. is. Ise.
• * 1.57

  Isle. istm. Isp. Istle. ish. ist. It. ile. Iue.
• * 1.58

  Ob••och.
• * 1.59

  Od. Of. Og. oge. Ok.
• * 1.60

  Ol. om.
• * 1.61

  Ome.
• * 1.62

  On.
• * 1.63

  One. Once.
• * 1.64

  Orch. Ord. Ordle. ork.
• * 1.65

  Orm. Orn. Ort. Oss.
• * 1.66

  Os.
• * 1.67

  Ost. Sh. otch. Ot.
• * 1.68

  Oth.
• * 1.69

  Oten. Oue. Ox.
• * 1.70

  Vb. vble. Vnce. Vkle. Vtch. vd. Vs. Vng. Vnk. Vll.
• * 1.71

  Oun. Oup. ounce. Ound. Our.
• * 1.72

  Ous.
• * 1.73

  Out. uy.
• * 1.74

  Bissyllabs.

  • English.
  • Foren.
• * 1.75

  Bissyllabs.

  • Simple.
  • cōpound
• * 1.76

  1
• * 1.77

  2.
• * 1.78

  3.
• * 1.79

  4.
• * 1.80

  Of polysyllabs
• * 1.81

  1.
• * 1.82

  2.
• * 1.83

  3.
• * 1.84

  4.