Cap. 2.
1. We, as almaest al Europ, borrow our symboles from the Romanes.
Quherforr, to rectefie our aun, first it behoves us to knaw their’s.
Thei are in nu_m_ber 23: a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, k, l, m, n, o, p, q,
r, s, t, u, x, y, and z.
2. To omit the needless questiones of their order and formes; of them,
five be vouales, ane a noat of aspiration, and all the rest consonantes.
3. A voual is the symbol of a sound maed without the tuiches of the
mouth.
4. They are distinguished the ane from the other be delating and
contracting the mouth, and are a, e, i, o, u.
5. Quhat was the right roman sound of them is hard to judge, seeing now
we heer nae romanes; and other nationes sound them after their aun
idiomes, and the latine as they sound them.
6. But seeing our earand is with our aun britan, we purpose to omit
curiosities, _et_ quæ nihil nostra intersunt. Our aun, hou-be it
dialectes of ane tong, differing in the sound of them, differ alsoe in
pronuncing the latine. Quherfoer, to make a conformitie baeth in latine
and English, we man begin with the latine.
7. A, the first of them, the south soundes as beath thei and we sound it
in bare, nudus; and we, as beath thei and we sound it in bar, obex.
8. But without partialitie (for in this earand I have set my compas to
the loadstar of reason), we pronunce it better. If I am heer deceaved,
reason sall deceave me.
9. For we geve it alwaies ane sound beath befoer and behind the
consonant: thei heer ane and ther an other. As in amabant, in the first
tuae syllabes they sound it as it soundes in bare, and in the last as it
sounds in bar. Quherupon I ground this argument. That is the better
sound, not onelie of this, but alsoe of al other letteres, q_uhi_lk is
alwayes ane. But we sound it alwayes ane, and therfoer better. Ad that
their sound of it is not far unlyke the sheepes bae, q_uhi_lk the greek
symbolizes be η not α, βη not βα. See Eustat. in Homer.
10. Of this letter the latines themselfes had tuae other sounds
differing the ane from the other, and beath from this, quhilk they
symbolized be adding an other voual, æ and au. And these they called
diphthonges.
11. The diphthong they defyne to be the sound of tuae vouales coalescing
into ane sound, quhilk definition in au is plaen, in æ obscurer as now
we pronunce it, for now we sound it generallie lyke the voual e, without
sound of the a, q_uhi_lk, notwithstanding is the principal voual in this
diphthong sound. Questionles at the first it semes to have had sum
differing sound from a, sik as we pronunce in stean, or the south in
stain. But this corruption is caryed with a stronger tyde then reason
can resist, and we wil not stryve with the stream.
14. E followes, q_uhi_lk in reason sould have but ane sound, for without
doubt the first intent was to geve everie sound the awn symbol, and
everie symbol the awn sound. But as now we sound it in quies and
quiesco, the judiciouse ear may discern tuae soundes. But because
heer we differ not, I wil acquiess. My purpose is not to deal with
impossibilities, nor to mend al crookes, but to conform (if reason wil
conform us) the south and north beath in latine and in English.
15. Af this voual ryseth tuae diphthonges, ei and eu, quhilk beath
standes wel with the definition, sect. 11.
16. Of the next, i, we differ farder, and the knot harder to louse,
for nether syde wantes sum reason. Thei in mihi, tibi, and sik otheres,
pronunce it as it soundes in bide, manere; we as it soundes in bid,
jubere.
17. Among the ancientes I fynd sum groundes for their sound. Cic. epist.
fam. lib. 9, epis. 22, avoues that bini, in latin, and βίνει in Greek,
had ane sound. And Varro, with sundrie ancientes, wrytes domineis and
serveis, for dominis and servis, quhilk is more lyke the sound of bide
then bid. If this argument reached as wel to i short as i lang, and if
we wer sure how ει was pronunced in those dayes, this auctoritie wald
over-weegh our reason; but seing i, in mihi, _et_c., in the first is
short, and in the last co_m_mon, and the sound of ei uncertan, I stand
at my reason, sect. 9, q_uhi_lk is as powerful heer for i as ther for a.
They pronunce not i in is and quis, id and quid, in and quin, as they
pronunce it in mihi, tibi, sibi, ibi, _et_c., and therfoer not right.
18. As for o, in latin, we differ not; u, the south pronu_n_ces quhen
the syllab beginnes or endes at it, as eu, teu for tu, and eunum meunus
for unum munus, q_uhi_lk, because it is a diphthong sound, and because
they them selfes, quhen a consonant followes it, pronunce it other
wayes, I hoep I sal not need argumentes to prove it wrang, and not be
a pure voual.