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I Promised thee, gentle Reader, to set downe the difficulties of the French pronounciation: because it may seeme that the method which I haue dilated in my booke is some∣what obscure, and had need of more ample demonstra∣tion. I will therefore giue thee here a few Rules which although they be not perfect and sure, yet shall they be as Mercuries finger to direct thee in thy progresse of learning: See here then the A∣tomes of the French tongue, the which to obserue well, thou hadst need haue an hundred eyes as Argus had. Looke whether thou hast any skill or not,* 1.1 if thou hast not, learne to sound these vowels: after our English maner é long,1 1.2 as l'aymant, lé-mant, the Adamant.
Before gn sound a a•• chastaigne, shata-nheh, A Chestnut.
Before l sound a as caillou, ca-lhoo, A Peeble.
A Termination of the Preterperfectense, sound ee as ie parlay, zie parlee, I haue spoken.
ein. as Vilain, vee-lein, a Villaine.
éneh. as Romaine, Roméneh, Romish.
Before a vowell in the midst of a word, sound Liquid, as Payen, Pa-y-an, A Pagan. Ayeulx, a-y-ewz, Ancestors.
awm, de profundo nare, as chambre, shaumber, A chamber.
aun, de profundo nare, as santé, saunté, Health.
ó. long. as Austruche, otrusheh, An Estridge 2 1.3 They differ in Fraunce much in the pronouncing thereof, for they sound in many places plaine aw in most words, and in others ó long altogether.
a-lh••h. as Caille, escaille Cá-lheh, éka-lheh, A Quaile, a shell.
oo or ŏ Greeke, as Aoust, O ot, August.
Masculine is marked with an Accent thus é, sound é very long, as bonté, beauté, boonté, beaw••é, Bountie, Beautie.
Neuter, or e before r, sound ea, as terre, tearreh, Earth.
Neuter, or e, bef••re s, sound ea, as feste, feateh, A Feast.
Feminine eh, as halfe an English e very short or a breath only, as Pere, Péreh. Poire, Poe'reh, Father. Peare.
a. as lean, zlean, Iohn.
Termination of a Preterperfectense, ee, as Mangeay, manziee, Na∣geay, naziee, I haue eaten, Swimmed.
é Masc. as Seiche, sésheh, Drie.3 1.4
Double, é-eh, as leuée, levé-eh, A cawsie.
Treble, e-é-eh. as Creée, cre-é-eh, Created.
e-lheh. as Treille, tre lheh, A Portall.
o. George, zIor-zIeh, George.
Marked thus with two pricks, diuides it selfe from the vowels following or going before, as queuë, kew-ëh, A Taile.
ew. Whiningly, as feu, few, Fire.
eaw. Sound all three vowels, as veau, veaw, A Calfe.
Sometime it looseth his first vowell, as beaucoup, sound bawcoop, or bo-coop, Much.