Of the Orthographie and Congruitie of the Britan Tongue: A Treates, noe shorter than necessarie, for the Schooles — David Hume — John Shaqi
Of the Orthographie and Congruitie of the Britan Tongue: A Treates, noe shorter than necessarie, for the Schooles
David Hume · en
custom hath bred. Julius Cæsar was noe less diligent to eternize his
name be the pen then be the suord. Neither thought he it unworthie of
his paines to wryte a grammar in the heat of the civil weer, quhilk was
to them as the English gram_m_ar is to us; _and_, as it seemes noe less
then necessarie, nor our’s is now. Manie kinges since that tyme have
advanced letteres be erecting schooles, and doting revennues to their
ma_in_tenance; but few have had the knaulege them selfes to mend, or
be tuiched with, the defectes or faltes crept into the boueles of
learning, among quhom JAMES the first, ane of your M_ajesties_ worthie
progenitoures, houbeit repressed be the iniquitie of the tyme, deserved
noe smal praise; and your M_ajesties_ self noe less, co_m_manding, at
your first entrie to your Roial scepter, to reform the grammar, and to
teach Aristotle in his aun tongue, quhilk hes maed the greek almaest as
common in Scotland as the latine. In this alsoe, if it please your
M_ajestie_ to put to your hand, you have al the windes of favour in your
sail; account, that al doe follow; judgement, that al doe reverence;
wisdom, that al admire; learning, that stupified our scholes hearing
a king borne, from tuelfe yeeres ald alwayes occupyed in materes of
state, moderat in theological and philosophical disputationes, to the
admiration of all that hard him, and speciallie them quha had spent al
their dayes in those studies.
[Footnote 3: “An Alvearie or Quadruple Dictionarie, containing
four sundrie tongues, namelie, English, Latine, Greeke and French
... by Jo. Baret. _London_, 1580.” Folio. An edition was published
in 1573, with three languages only, the Greek not being included.]
[Footnote 4: “De recta et emendata Linguæ Anglicæ Scriptione
Dialogus. _Lutetiæ_, 1568.” 4to.]
Accept, dred Soveragne, your pover servantes myte. If it can confer anie
thing to the montan of your Majesties praise, and it wer but a clod, use
it _and_ the auctour as your’s. Thus beseeking your grace to accep my
mint, and pardon my miss, commites your grace to the king of grace, to
grace your grace with al graces spiritual _and_ temporal.
Your M_ajesties_
humble servant,
Alexander Hume.
OF THE ORTHOGRAPHIE
OF THE BRITAN TONGUE;
A TREATES, NOE
SHORTER
THEN NECESSARIE, FOR
THE SCHOOLES.
OF THE GROUNDES OF ORTHOGRAPHIE.
Cap. 1.
1. To wryte orthographicallie ther are to be considered the symbol, the
thing symbolized, and their congruence. Geve me leave, gentle reader,
in a new art, to borrow termes incident to the purpose, quhilk, being
defyned, wil further understanding.
2. The symbol, then, I cal the written letter, quhilk representes to the
eie the sound that the mouth sould utter.
3. The thing symbolized I cal the sound quhilk the mouth utteres quhen
the eie sees the symbol.