In some words there is an interchange of _c_ and _s_, as _decerte_, _pourchace pourchase_, _service servise_, _rancoun_, _suffice suffise_, _sufficant_, &c., and the French termination _-esse_ is also spelt _-esce_, as _largesse largesce_, _simplesce simplesse_; so also _encresce_, _redresce_, &c. In such points the orthography of Romance words is usually in accordance with that which we find in the author’s French writings, in which also are found such etymological forms as _deceipte_, _doubte_. Before quitting the general subject, we ought to note certain words of common occurrence which are spelt not quite in the usual way. The author regularly writes _bot_ for _but_, _be_ for _by_, when used as a preposition and unemphatic, _ous_ for _us_ (pers. pron.), _noght_ for _not_ (_not_ being used for _ne wot_). Some forms of proper names, as _Habraham_, _Irahel_, are characteristic. In these points, as in many others, the writer evidently followed a definite system, and in spite of the variations recorded, the orthography of the Fairfax and Stafford MSS. certainly conveys to the reader the general impression of regularity and consistency. PHONOLOGY. (1) O. E. SHORT VOWELS AND DIPHTHONGS. O. E. =a=, =æ=, =ea=. In the case of _a_ (_o_) before a lengthening nasal combination, _ld_, _nd_, _mb_, _ng_, &c., we may note that though _hond_, _honde_, _hondes_ are preferred, as by Chaucer, yet _hand_, _handes_ pretty frequently occur, as i. 2, 1807, 2994, ii. 574, iii. 116, v. 1505, &c. (also _handle_, iii. 1956, v. 1949), and that without any necessity of rhyme. In fact _hand_ seems to be rather preferred except in rhyme. Contrary to what is apparently Chaucer’s usage we find _thonk_, _thonke_ as the regular forms in Gower, and only occasionally _thank_, as ii. 60, 2012. This may be due to the Kentish tendency to lengthen before _nk_, which perhaps was pronounced nearly as _ng_ (see Morsbach, _Mittelengl. Gramm._, p. 128), and in this connexion we may note the fact that the Fairfax MS. twice has _þong_ for _þonk_. On the other hand there is no definite trace of the principle which has been discovered in some of the Kentish texts of lengthening before these combinations when a vowel follows, while preserving _a_ when the consonant group ends the word, _honde_, _stonde_, _þonke_, &c., but _hand_, _stand_, _þank_[R]. Gower uses _handes_ as well as _hand_, and interchanges _hange_ and _honge_, _sang_ and _song_, according to convenience. Note that _upon_ rhymes freely with _on_ (= one), _anon_, _gon_, &c., but the supposed rhyme _on_ (_ăn_) : _mone_, i. 2179, noted by Fahrenberg, is really _one_ (_ān_) : _mone_. In some cases of original _ǣ_ shortened to _æ_ Gower prefers _e_ to _a_, as _eny_, only occasionally _any_, _eddre_ beside _addre_, but _lesse_, _ledde_ only for the sake of rhyme.