Ortho-epia Gallica Eliots fruits for the French: enterlaced vvith a double nevv inuention, vvhich teacheth to speake truely, speedily and volubly the French-tongue. Pend for the practise, pleasure, and profit of all English gentlemen, who will endeuour by their owne paine, studie, and dilligence, to attaine the naturall accent, the true pronounciation, the swift and glib grace of this noble, famous, and courtly language.

To the Gentlemen Readers, students of the French tongue, Io. Eliot salutation.

MY louing Countrimen, you that be students of this famous language, and desire nothing more then the sweet fruition thereof, which if you might be sure to attaine speedily, ye would spare no small cost, nor refuse any reasonable paines, Two things I know you will request at my hands before I go any further: first, that I should dilate in some good speeches, the dignitie of the French tongue, whose praises if I should repeat from the beginning, a floud of Elo∣quence would not suffice: but I will be breefe, and it shall con∣tent you onely to know, that it is a Courtly speech, spoken and vnderstood by most Princes, Noble-men, and Gentlemen in all parts of Christendome, because still the finest wits delight to read bookes of State, Pollicie, Marciall discipline, Phisicke, Hu∣manitie, Historie, Diuinitie, and a number of most rare spi∣rits haue written thereof in French. Some are giuen to read Poë∣sies & Loue-toies, the sweetest that are to be read are in French, pend by Bartas, Marot, Ronsard, Belleau, de Portes, and diuers other wits inimitable in Poësie: some to follow armes and the conduct of warre, the French is the onely tongue for the Mar∣cialist: others to trafficke with the stranger, the French is the on∣ly trading tongue in Europe. And againe, if we marke well the scituation of Fraunce, it lyeth in the very heart of Christiantie, and thither are sent Embassadors from al other quarters of Eu∣rope, from England, Scotland, Pole-land, Constantinople, Italie, Bar∣barie, Spaine, Netherland, Germanie, Agents from Malta, Rhodes, Sicilie, & from the Seigniorie of Venice, the Popes Noncio from Rome: and the French they haue their Lidgers, Agents, & Em∣bassadors with all these States againe, beside the great trafficke

and entercourse of merchants from all these parts, and the re∣course of the French trading with them all againe, maketh their language very famous, and in very high request and estima∣tion.

Secondly you will desire me to shew you what ease this booke of mine shall bring to the learning of the French more then o∣ther bokes haue done heretofore. You must vnderstand that the greatest difficultie which doth hinder our English Nacion from the speedie attaining of this language, is the true and naturall pronounciation: for to helpe and ease the which, after the ex∣ample of some learned French, but especially of two, Iames Pelletier, that whetstone of wit, and Peter Ramus that glorious starre of Arts and Sciences, who inuented many new letters for the reducing of their mother tongue the French, into a more ea∣sie and true characterie, I haue sounded the French by our En∣glish Alphabet, & by two sundrie methods enterlaced the natu∣rall accent and true pronounciation, to the end that any may more easily hereafter find it out of himselfe.

Mine inuention is this: First I haue set downe absolute and breefe rules of pronounciation.

2 Secondly I haue added to six chapters the true pronouncia∣tion of euery word wholly, and haue put certaine little strikes (called approches) betweene the sillables that are to bee spoken roundly and glib with one breath, which helpe for the volubili∣tie and swift roling of the speech, one of the greatest graces thereof.

3 Thirdly I haue annexed collaterally the English value of al difficult French letters, vowels, dipthongues, & tripthongues, with their true sound by our English letters.

4 Fourthly, I haue written the whole booke in a merrie phan∣tasticall vaine, and to confirme and stir vp the wit and memorie of the learner, I haue diuersified it with varietie of stories, no lesse authenticall then the deuises of Lucians dialogues: as of the Larke and her note of Tee-ree-lee-ree: the Nightingale and her aubade: the Spider and the Spideresse her daughter: the Seigneur Valerian, and his beso las manos: the terrible Vespasian, and his cutting and slashing: the Seignior Cocodrill, and his mar∣tiall Rhetoricke, with many other phantasticall plaisanteries to

delight, not to dull your spirits. These are profound and deepe mysteries I may tell you, and very worthie the reading, and such as I thinke you haue not had performed in any other boke that is yet extant.

It followeth then next, that I set downe the Reader a good course to take some fruit of this my booke, which if he will learne, he must get the true meaning of the French, confer∣ring it word for word with the English, and when he hath so conferred it, that in reading he doth vnderstand the French well, let him begin after one months progresse a little and a little to lay his hand on the French to hide it, and looking only on the English, trie with him selfe how swiftly he is able to Frenchifie the English, and if he misse, let him reuise and correct himselfe still by his booke, till he be perfect and get some habit of the tongue that way. This I haue learned by long experience to be the readiest way to attaine the knowledge of any language, for that we of Englishmen make French, and not of French learne English.

Gentlemen I propounded vnto you in my Scholler, a general methode of learning and teaching all languages, contriued by Nature and Art, the which doth hold with the rule of Iustice only, and is conformable to the precepts of Aristotle the father of Art, and sonne of Nature. And except that onely methode, none can be true: but the dispute thereof belongeth not to this place. I will dilate it more at large in a booke in Latine De Na∣tura & Arte linguae Gallicae, which you shall by Gods grace haue so speedily as I may, imprinted.

In the meane time these two methods I thinke shall be need∣full for all yong schollers, who are troubled with the difficulties of the French pronounciation, which indeed is an intricate thing, and for any English at the first or second sight irremarke∣able. And that thou mayest haue a view thereof, come hether gentle Reader, I pray thee cast an eye after the Table of my booke, looke a little, view, see what a dish of rare dainties there is for thee. Those are the difficulties of the French pronounciation.

Doest thou see what a sea, what a gulfe, there is? Thou hadst neede of Theseus thread to guide thee out of that Labyrinth. Tel me I pray thee, what deuice thou wilt haue to helpe thee here. It

must needs be some new mysterie, some happie inuention that shall stand thee in steed, for in all those vowels & letters that thou seest, the French differ from themselues, and from vs English in many more. So that I thinke reckon vp all the Tongues that thou hast euer in thy life heard talke of, Hebrew, C••ldaean, Syriacke, Arabian, Greeke, Sclauon, Russe, Tartarian, Turkish, Mores∣ko, Latine, Italian, Spanish, English, Dutch, amongst all these find not a more ticklish tongue to pro∣nounce, then the French yet deemed such a iewel, so dearely bought, and so much desired of all. This is then the best ease that I can do thee gen∣tle Reader, I haue brought that gulfe of difficul∣ties into this narrow spring, and contriued that maze within this little modele, whereof in a few▪ letters I make thee demonstration in the margin. This is the demonstration of my last method, this is my easiest Art, this is my best skill and last in∣uention.* 1.1

I present you then louing countrimen both the French counterfeit and the English colours, you that be Englishmen censure fauourably of an Englishmans imperfections, for this picture was painted in hast, and many faults haue passed the pen and the print, yet I haue gone as nigh as I could aime, or so neare as any English colours might imitate, or else I am double deceiued in my ayme and my colours both. And if any French will paint this peece better, the pensill is at his gentle commaund, for I assure you I had some paine to make our English hybber-gybber iump iust with the Iargon of Fraunce.

And if any one say that I haue plowed with o∣ther mens heighfars, answer for me in mine ab∣sence, Countrimen, and when I am present, I will answer for my selfe: The truth is I turned ouer some few French authors, and where I espied any

pretie example that might quicken the capacitie of the learner, I presumed to make a peece of it flie this way, to set together the frame of my fan∣tasticall Comedie, pulling here a wing from one, there an arme from another, from this a leg, from that a buttocke, and out of euery one I had some share for the better ornament of my worke. And to the end to defraud no man of his glory, I will tell you by whome I haue best profited: I haue taken a few pleasant cōceits out of Francis Rabe∣lais that merrie Grig, an example or two out of Lewis Viues, a score or two of verses out of Barta∣sius: and put all together that I haue bought, begd or borrowed, it will not all amount to make two sheets of printed paper, and I cannot denie but the rest is of mine owne inuention and dis∣position.

I see well my preface is too long: to conclude, I will be breefe, and shake you straight by the hands, but because here are three or foure asses, I shall shake thē first by the eares: here is a French tucke for thee Timon of Athens, here is a dash in the lips for thee Diogenes, dog Cynopaean, for thee Momus a mew, a zest for thee Zoylus, and for all Sycophants that carrie that in their tongues, that the glystering Glow-worme hath in her vene∣mous tayle, that is fire to set mens fame on fire; a fig, a flie, a fillip: let them do their worst, for I haue done my best, and here I turne all such asses to grasse together, till I find them out another time by their long eares. Gentle Readers and courteous countrimen, tis time that I kisse your courteous hands. So fare you well, 28 of Aprill, 1593.

Notes

• * 1.1

  ai	sounde. é
  ay	é
  ain	ein
  aine	éneh
  aille	a-lheh
  am	aum
  an	aun
  au	ó
  é	long
  e	short. eh
  eille	é-lheh
  elle	éleh
  ei	ee
  eu	ew
  eoi	oe'
  em	am
  en	an
  ent	3. person plur. of the verbe et
  i	ee
  ia	zia
  ie	zie
  ii	ziee
  io	zio
  io••	zioo
  iu	ziew
  oi	oe'
  oine	oe'neh
  oin	oin
  ou	ŏ or oo
  oeu	ew
  ouï	oo-wee
  om	oom
  on	oon
  ouille	ŏ-lheh
  u	ew
  um	ewm
  un	ewn
  y	ee
  ç	ss
  ce	se
  ci	see
  ch	sh
  d	finall. t
  ge	zie
  gi	ziee
  gn	nnh
  gua	ga
  gue	ge
  gui	g••e
  gueu	geu
  m	fin. n
  ph	f
  q	k
  qua	ka
  que	ke
  s	betweene 2 vowels z
  sça	ssa
  sçe	sse
  sci	see
  x	fin. s or z
  bre cre chre dre fre pre tre ble gle.	Finall, sound their vowels almost in the midst of the sillabl.
  c f g l m n q r	Sound in the end of a word as if an h sounded after them

  Rule of two Con∣sonants.

  Rule of two vowels.

  Accent.