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.

CHAP. VIII.

Here is set downe an order how the Teacher shall direct his Schollers to appose one another.

When your Schollers first learne this Chapter, let one reade the questions, and another the answer. When your Schollers ap∣pose one the o∣ther, let the an∣swerer answer without book.

Iohn.

VVHo will aduenture his credit with me in ap∣posing for the victory?

Robert.

I will neuer refuse you nor any in our fourme, in any thing we haue learned, begin what you will.

John.

How spell you lo?

Robert.

l, o?

Iohn.

Spell of?

Robert.

o, f.

Iohn.

Spell from?

Robert.

f, r, o, m.

Iohn.

How write you people?

Robert.

I cannot write.

Iohn.

I meane not so, but when I say write. I mean•• spell; for in my meaning they are both one.

Robert.

Then I answer you, p, e, o, p▪ l, e.

John.

What vse hath (o) for you giue it no sound?

Robert.

True: yet we must write it, because it is one of the words we learned, wherein (o) is not pronounced.

John.

Are there any moe of them?

Robert.

Yea many: I will repeate them if you will.

Iohn.

No, that would be ouer-long. But tell me, why pronounce you not (e) in the end of people?

Robert.

It is not pronounced in the end, if there bée ano∣ther vowell in that syllable.

John.

To what end then serueth it?

Robert.

We haue learned two principall vses: one is, it draweth the syllable long, as h, a, t, spelleth hat, but h, a, t, e is hate.

Iohn.

How spell you Iesus?

Robert.

I, e, s, u, s.

John.

How know you that this is not written with g, e?

Rob.

Because it is not in the Table at the end of my book: for all that be written with g, e, be there, & our Master taught vs that all other of that sound must be written with I, e.

John.

How write you Circle?

Robert.

S, i, r, c, l, e.

Iohn

Nay, now you misse: for if you looke but in the Table, you shall find, it Circle▪ Therefore now you must appose me.

Robert.

I confesse mine error, therefore I will try if I can requite it What spelleth b, r, a, n, c, h.

Iohn.

Branch.

Robert.

Nay but you should put in (u.)

Iohn.

That skilleth not, for both wayes are vsuall.

Robert.

How spell you Might?

Iohn.

M, i, g, h, t.

Robert.

Why put you in (gh) for m, i, t, e, spelleth mite?

Iohn.

True, but with (gh) is the truer writing, and it should haue a little sound.

Robert.

If your syllable begin with (b) what consonants may follow?

Iohn.

Duely (l) or (r.)

Robert.

Where learne you that?

John.

In the third Chapter of the first Booke.

Robert.

And which will follow (g?)

John.

l, n, or r.

Robert.

How proue you it?

Iohn.

Because g, l, a, spels gla, g, n, a, gna, and g, t, a, spels gra.

Robert.

When thrée consonants begin a syllable, how shall I know which they be?

Iohn.

We haue them before twice set downe; besides, put a vowell vnto them, and sée whether they then will spell any thing, as str, put a, and it spelleth stra; but btra, will spell no∣thing: they cannot begin a syllable?

Robert.

Doth not str, spell stra?

Make your Scholler read ouer this Dia∣logue so often vntill he can do it a•• readily and pronounce it as naturally as if he spake without book.

John.

It spelleth nothing without a vowell.

Robert.

How many syllables are in this word rewarded?

John.

Thrée.

Robert.

How proue you that?

John.

Because it hath thrée vowels, without any of the thrée exceptions?

Robert.

How diuide you them?

John.

Re-war-ded.

Robert.

Why put you w to a?

John.

Because it is one consonant betwéene two vowels.

Robert.

And why diuide you r, and d?

Iohn.

Because they cannot begin a syllable.

Robert.

What is the best way to spell a long word, as this admonition?

Iohn.

I must marke how many syllables it hath, which I finde to be fiue, then take the first a, d, ad, then take the next, m, o, mo, then put them together, admo; so spell and put to the third, admoni, and so vntill you come to the end.

Robert.

What if a man should did you write this word?

John.

I must follow the same order, first write downe ad, then write vnto it mo,admo, then joyne vnto that ni,admoni, so the rest admoniti, admonition.

Robert.

What is the best way to make vs perfect inspelling hard syllabies.

Iohn.

My Master doth sometime practice vs in harsh coun∣terfeit syllables through all the fiue vowels, as in thraugh, threugh, thriugh, through, thruugh. Wrasht, wresht, wrisht, wrosht, wrusht. Yarmble, yermble, yirmble, yormble, yurmble. Waight, weight, &c. vaigh, veigh, &c. janch, jench, jinch, ionch, iunch.

Rob.

What if you cannot tell what vowell to spell your syl∣lable with, how will you doe to finde it? as if you should write from, and know not whether you shall write it with a or o.

Iohn.

I would try with all the vowels thus, fram, frem, frim, from: now I haue it.

Rob.

But Good man Taylor our Clarke, when I went to Schoole with him, taught me to sound these vowels otherwise than (me thinks) you doe.

Iohn.

How was that?

Let the vnskil∣full Teachers take great heed of this fault, and let some good Schollers heare their children pro∣nounce these syllables.

Rob.

I remember he taught me these syllables thus: for bad, bed, bid, bod, bud, I learned to say▪ bad, bid, bide, bod, bude, sounding a bed to lye vpon, as to bid or command, and bid, as bide long, as in abide: bud of a trée as bude long like rude: for these thrée vowels e, i, u, are very corruptly and ignorantly taught by many vnskilfull Teachers, which is the cause of so great ignorance in true writing in these that want the Latine tongue.

Iohn.

You say true, for so did my Dame teach m•• to pro∣nounce, for sa, se, si, so, su, to sa, see, si, so, soo, as if shée had sent me to see her sow, when as (e) should be sounded like the (sea) and (su) as to (sue) one at the Law.

Robert.

But let mée returne to appose you: how were wée taught to find out the naturall sound of consonants.

Iohn.

By the sp••ch of a stutterer or stammerer, as to ob∣serue how he laboureth to * 1.1 sound the first syllable of a word: as if the stammerer would pronounce Lord, before hée can bring it forth, he expresseth the sound of (l) which is the first Letter, and so of all the other consonants?

Robert.

How many wayes may you expresse this sound si?

John.

Onely thrée: si, ci, and sci, or xi, which is (csi.)

Robert.

Now haue you erred as well as I; for (ti) before a vowell doth commonly sound (si) and now I will giue you ouer for this time: but I will challenge you againe to mor∣row, both in some few questions, in som•• part of that which we haue learned, and also after every lesson: and as you are insaying, I will marke where you misse, and therein will I deale with you.

Iohn.

Do your worst, I will prouide likewise for you, and neuer giue you ouer, vntill I haue gotten the victory, for I

take not so much pleasure in any thing else all day.

Robert.

I am of your mind: for I haue heard our Master say, that this apposing doth very much sharpen our wi••s, helpe our memory, and many other commodities. But now let vs looke vnto our Catechisme, for our Master will examine vs next in that.

Iohn

Nay by your leaue, we shall first read ouer againe all that we haue learned, with the Preface, Titles of the Chapters, and Notes in the Margents of our Books, which we omitted before, because they were too hard: for wée shall goe no further before we be perfect in this.

Notes

• * 1.1

  For letters were first deui∣sed according to sound.