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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, if thou hast not, learne to sound these vowels: after our English maner é long,1 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 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
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.