In Chaucer's time, the infinitive mode and plural number of verbs, in the present tense, ended often in _en_; as _loven_, for _to love_ or _they love_. But _loveth_ was sometimes used in the plural, and _n_ began to be omitted in the infinitive. The French termination _esse_, as in _Goddesse_, _richesse_, was used, and the final _e_ was often pronounced. The plural number of nouns usually ended in _es_, as _houndes_; and in the same manner terminated the genitive case. Nouns now ending in _y_, ended then in _ie_, as _storie_; _y_ was still prefixed to participles, as _ybent_; and _y_ was often used where we now write _g_, as _yeve_ for _give_. From that period the orthography was still varying, at least in some particulars, till the beginning of the present century. The group of eminent writers who were cotemporary with Swift, gave great stability to the spelling; yet some good authorities differ from them in several points. Johnson, who has been usually followed by succeeding compilers of dictionaries, preserves the _u_ in _honour_, _favour_, and similar words; as also the final _k_ in _publick_, &c. Ash, followed by many writers, very properly restores these words to the Roman spelling, by omitting the _u_ and _k_. Excepting these particulars, the orthography of our language is nearly fixed. The pronunciation has been neglected till a few years ago; when Sheridan and Kenrick, with several compilers of less note, attempted to give us a standard. Unluckily they have all made the attempt on false principles; and will, if followed, multiply the anomalies, which already deform the language and embarrass the learner.[37] The language, is composed of a variety of materials, and it requires some labor to adjust the parts and reduce them to order. To accomplish this purpose, we must search for such principles of analogy as still exist in its construction, and make them the pillars of a regular system. Where such principles cannot be found, let us examin the opinions of the learned, and the practice of the nations which speak the pure English, that we may determine by the weight of authority, the _common law_ of language, those questions which do not come within any established rules. [Illustration] [Illustration] FOOTNOTES: [2] Even supposing that a number of republics, kingdoms or empires, should within a century arise and divide this vast territory; still the subjects of all will speak the same language, and the consequence of this uniformity will be an intimacy of social intercourse hitherto unknown, and a boundless diffusion of knowlege.