A relation of ten years in Europe, Asia, Affrique, and America all by way of letters occasionally written to divers noble personages, from place to place, and continued to this present year / by Richard Fleckno.

XXXIV To the same. (Book 34)

Of the pronunciation o•• several Languages. (Book 34)

Madamoiselle,

IN my last I discours'd t'ye of several Lan∣guages; now if you please I'll treat of their several pronunciation, and withall make a lazy Apology for my pronouncing them so ill: First then for French, you know the Queen-Mother would never suffer them to correct me when I err'd, saying, that If they taught me to speak well, she should want the sport of hear∣ing me speak so ill; and betwixt the Latin, Span••sh and Italian there is so little difference in most words, as what betwixt negligence and unadvertance, assured to be understood, though they pronounce them ill, sew are care∣full and curious enough to pronounce them well; besides their similitude is so great, as (like Twins of the same Parent) one hardly distinguishes them, which, similitude as it faci∣litates the understanding of them in general, so it renders the pronunciation of them in par∣ticular more difficult, so as I (for my part) count it as hard to speak pure and without mixture, as 'tis for your Water drinker there to spurt several Liquors out of his Mouth, without confounding the tast of Bear with Vinager, or Aquavitae with Wine, &c. Besides

to one (like me) who regards more the mat∣ter then the words, and the words then the pro∣nunciation; and are of opinion that there is no supreme excellency in the world (besides only in your self) I count it as great trifling in him should seek to rid and weed his mouth of all Impropriety of some words▪ and mis∣pronouncing of other (in speaking other lan∣guages) as tis in him should go about to sweep an earthen floor too every g••ain of Dust, or rid a Garden from all its weeds, quod ere nas∣citur, vix evitatur, that which i•• c••••••atural to a thing being impossible to be av••yded. Suf∣fice it then, that speak as well as one can other languages besides his own, unlesse from his Childhood he has been train'd up in them, In which case they are as natural to him as his own, and he sha•••• speak with the allowance of a stranger still (It matters not much, whe'r'•• be a grain or two more or lesse) let me then understand a stranger Language, so as to make all I hear or read in it mine own, and speak it so as I may be understood, and let whose will take the bootl••sse pains to pronounce it well, and have the reputation of an affected Travel∣ler for me: To conclude (Madamoiselle) I shall never envy him who tells you in finer language than my self, that he is your most Humble Servant, &c. but 'twould inflict me much that any one should be indeed more than I am

Madamoiselle

Your, &c.