The English schoole-master teaching all his schollers, of what age soever, the most easie, short, and perfect order of distinct reading, and true writing our English-tongue, that hath euer yet beene knowne or published by any. And further also, teacheth a direct course, hovv any vnskilfull person may easily both vnderstand any hard English words, ... Deuised for thy sake that wantest any part of this skill, by Edward Coote, Master of the Free-schoole in Bury St. Edmond.

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Title
The English schoole-master teaching all his schollers, of what age soever, the most easie, short, and perfect order of distinct reading, and true writing our English-tongue, that hath euer yet beene knowne or published by any. And further also, teacheth a direct course, hovv any vnskilfull person may easily both vnderstand any hard English words, ... Deuised for thy sake that wantest any part of this skill, by Edward Coote, Master of the Free-schoole in Bury St. Edmond.
Author
Coote, Edmund, fl. 1597.
Publication
London :: Printed [by B. Alsop and T. Fawcet, and George Purslowe [at Eliot's Court press]] for the Company of Stationers,
1630.
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Subject terms
Readers (Primary) -- Early works to 1800.
English language -- Early modern, 1500-1700.
Link to this Item
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A19300.0001.001
Cite this Item
"The English schoole-master teaching all his schollers, of what age soever, the most easie, short, and perfect order of distinct reading, and true writing our English-tongue, that hath euer yet beene knowne or published by any. And further also, teacheth a direct course, hovv any vnskilfull person may easily both vnderstand any hard English words, ... Deuised for thy sake that wantest any part of this skill, by Edward Coote, Master of the Free-schoole in Bury St. Edmond." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A19300.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 4, 2025.

Pages

CHAP. I.

In this Chapter are set downe the words of Art vsed in this Trea∣tise, with other necessary rules and obseruations, especially for words of one Syllable, both for true writing and reading.

I diuide your syllables for you, vntill you haue rules of diuision, and then I leaue you to your rule.

Master.

DOe you thinke your selfe so suf-fi ci-ent-ly in-struc-ted to spell and read distinctly any word of one syl la-ble, that now we may procéed to trach Rules for the true and eas•••• di∣ui-si-on of any word of ma-ny syl-la-bles?

Scholler,

Sir: I doe not well vnderstand what you meant by a syl∣la-ble? * 1.1

Mast.

A syl-la-ble is a perfect sound made of so many let∣ters as we spell together: as, in di-ui-si-on, you sée are foure syl-la-bles.

Schol.

Now many let-ters may be in a syl-la-ble?

Ma.

A-ny num-ber v-der ni••••; as, I do say that welsh knight, brougt▪ strength.

Schol.

What let-ters make a syl-la-ble a-lone?

Page 12

Ma.

Any of the vowels; a, e, i, o, u, as a-ny e-uill, I-doll, o uer-tur-neth, v-ni ty.

Schol.

But Sir, I sometime find two vowels to-ge-ther in one sylable, what shall I doe with them.

Ma.

You must then call them a * 1.2Dipthong, which is no∣thing else but a sound made of two vowels.

Schol.

Will any two vowels make a Dipthong?

*Teach, that any two vo∣wels that will make a perfect sound, is called a Dipthong.

Ma.

No, noe that are fully soun-ded, but these: oi, ei, oi, au, eu, ou, oo, ee; as in say, either, coin, taught, eu eu-nuch, * 1.3 ought, good, feed. Which when you finde, you must joyne to∣ge-ther, ex cept in some proper names, as in Beer-she ba, Na∣tha-ni-el, so in see▪eth, agree-ing, and such words, where a syllable begins with (e or i) is added to a per-fect word en∣ding in (e) as see, a-gree, de-gree. But aa, oo, and such like, make no dipthongs, and therefore may not be ioyned.

Schol.

Yet doe I finde ia, ie, io, iu, va, ve, vi, vo, ioyned to∣ge ther, as in Iames, Iesus, ioyne, Iudas, va-lew, ve-ri-ly, vi∣sir, vow: I pray you, are they then no dipthongs.

Mast.

No, for i and v. ioy-ned with a vo-well in the be∣gin-ning of a syl-la-ble, are tur-ned from vo-wels in-to con∣so-nants, as A▪hi-iah.

Schol.

What meane you by a Consonant? * 1.4

Mast.

I meane all the other let-ters ex-cept the vo-wels, which can spell nothing without one of the vo-wels: as take (e) out of strength, and strngth will spell nothing.

Schol.

Why Sir, (y) did euen now spell a word, yet is there in it none of the fiue vowels.

Ma.

Indéed (y) is often vsed for (i) when it is a vo-well; but when they be Con-so-nants, they differ: for (y) is also a Con-so-nant, when it is ioyned in the beginning of a syl-la∣ble with a vo-wel, as in yes, you: so iet dif-fe-reth from yet and such like.

Schol.

I pray you shew me the reason why in (like) which was the last word you vsed, and in many other before, you put e 1.5 in the end, which is not sounded.

Ma.

This letter e 1.6 in the end of a word not sounded, hath two principall vses. The first and chiefest is to draw the syl∣la-ble long: as he is made, mad.

A Mill dam. A ••••rewd dame.

Page 13

My man hath cut my horse mane.

A great gap. gape wide.

Spare this Spar. Be ware of war.

*Feed vntill thou hast well fed.

*In this sound when (e) is long, it is commonly doubled and made a Dip∣thong.

Make your Schollers very perfect in these: and then you may try thm in other like.

You feele not my paine. The waspe is fell.

He hid the Oxe hide.

At is a mile to the mill.

A little pin. My flesh doth pine.

A branch of fir: good for the fire.

A dor fitteth on the doore.

Tos the ball. Tose the wooll.

You haue a dot on the nose, and you dote.

Rud is not rude.

A tun of wine, the tune of a song:

Schol.

What is the second vse?

Mast.

It changeth the sound of some letters: but this vse, with the further de-cla-ra-ti-on of this let-ter, because it is har-der than you will at the first ea-si-ly conceiue, I will re∣ferre you vnto another place.

Schol.

Are no o-ther let-ters not all, or but lit-tle pro-noun∣ced.

M.

Yes, ve-ry ma-ny: as (a) is not pro-noun-ced in earth, goat; nor (e) in George; nor (i) in brief; nor (o) in * 1.7 people: neither is (u) pro-noun-ced in guide. All which words of all sorts I will set downe af-ter-ward; when I haue gi-uen you more ne-ces-sa-ry rules in these thrée first Chap∣ters, and you bet-ter a-ble to vse them.

Notes

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