editions of his works. He was employed abroad, and favoured by Edward the Third, Richard the confessedly ceased to be pronounced, it has been gradually omitted in them, except where it may be supposed of use to lengthen or soften the preceding syllable, as in -hope, name, &c. But according to the ancient orthography it terminated many words of Saxon original, where it cannot have been added for any such purpose, as herte, childe, olde, wilde, &c. In these therefore we must suppose that it was pronounced as an e feminine, and made part of a second syllable; and so, by a parity of reason, in all others, in which, as in these, it appears to have been substituted for the Saxon a. 66 Upon the same grounds we may presume, that in words terminated, according to the Saxon form, in en, such as the Infinitive modes and Plural numbers of Verbs, and a great variety of Adverbs and Prepositions, then only was at first thrown away, and the e, which became final, continued for a long time to be pronounced as well as written. "These considerations seem sufficient to make us believe, that the pronunciation of the e feminine is founded on the very nature of both the French and Saxon parts of our language; and therefore, though we may not be able to trace the reasons of that pronunciation in all cases so plainly as in those which have been just mentioned, we may safely, I think, conclude with the learned Wallis, that what is generally considered as an e mute in our language, either at the end or in the middle of words, was antiently pronounced, but obscurely, like the e feminine of the French. ["This reasoning concerning the final e" (Mr. Tyrwhitt observes in a Note,)" is equally applicable to the same vowel in the middle of words. Indeed (as Wallis has Second, and Henry the Fourth; and was poet, as In Richard's observed, Gram. Ling. Ang. c. 1. § 2.) vix uspiam in medio dictionis reperitur e mutum, quod non ab origine fuerit finale.' If therefore it was pronounced while final, it would probably continue to be pronounced notwithstanding the addition of a syllable. If it was pronounced in swete, trewe, large, riche, it would be pronounced in swetely, trewely, largely, richely. [See ver. 123, and 3219, ver. 775 and 3692, ver. 2740 and 3034, ver. 1014 and 1913.] In another very numerous set of words (French verbals ending in ment) the pronunciation of this middle e is countenanced not only by analogy, but also by the subsisting practice in the French language. So Chaucer certainly pronounced the words jugement, ver. 780, 807, 820; commandement, ver. 2871, 2981; amendement, ver. 4183; pavement and avisement, ver. 4505, 6. Even Spencer in the same Canto (the 8th of B. v.) uses atonement and avengement as words of four syllables; [St. 21. 8.30. 5.] and Wallis takes notice that the middle e in commandement was pronounced in his time.] "The third kind of irregularity, to which an English verse is liable, is from the Accents being misplaced. The restoring of Chaucer's words to their just number of syllables, by the methods which have been pointed out above, will often be of signal service in restoring his accents also to their proper places; but further, in many words, we must be cautious of concluding too hastily that Chaucer accented the same syllables that we do. On the contrary, I am persuaded that in his French words he most commonly laid his accent according to to the French custom (upon the last syllable, or the last but one in words ending in e feminine), which, as is well known, is the very reverse of our practice. Thus in time, I doubt, he was a little dipped in the rebel- ver. 3. he uses licoúr for liquour: ver. 11. coráges for coú- "In the same manner he accents the last syllable of "These instances are all taken from the riming syllables, "It may be to John of Gaunt, it was no wonder if he followed the fortunes of that family, and was well with Henry the Fourth, when he had deposed his predecessor. Neither is it to be admired, that Henry, who was a wise as well as a valiant Prince, who claimed by succession, and was sensible that his title was not sound, but was rightfully in Mortimer," who had married the heir of York; it was not to be admired, I say, if that great politician should be pleased to have the greatest wit of those times in his interests, and to sition of his accents, which the practice of our greatest poets in the last and present century has taught us to consider as essential to harmonious versification. None of his masters, either French or Italian, had set him a pattern of exactness in this respect; and it is rather surprizing, that, without rule or example to guide him, he has so seldom failed to place his accents in such a manner, as to produce the cadence best suited to the nature of his verse." Essay on the Language and Versfication of Chaucer. C. T. iv. 85-106. I cannot conclude this long extract from the work of my late most learned friend, without recommending to the poetical student the whole of the Essay from which it is taken, as one of the most masterly pieces of criticism in the English language. The grammatical and metrical Analysis of the first eighteen lines of THE CANTERBURY TALES deserves to be particularly studied, previous to the perusal of any of the poems of the venerable bard. 6 After the decease of Richard the Second, the true title to the crown was in the issue of Philippa, the only daughter of Lionel, Duke of Clarence, third son of King Edward III. Edward Mortimer, Earl of March, married Philippa; and Edward, Earl of March, their grandson, be the trumpet of his praises. Augustus had given him the example, by the advice of Mæcenas, who recommended Virgil and Horace to him; whose praises helped to make him popular while he was alive, and after his death have made him precious to posterity. As for the religion of our poet, he seems to have some little bias towards the opinions of Wickliffe,' after John of Gaunt, his patron; some dying without issue in 1424, the title to the crown devolved to his sister, Anne Mortimer, who marrying Richard, Earl of Cambridge, (son of Edward, Duke of York, fifth son of Edward the Third,) was mother to Richard, Duke of York, father of King Edward the Fourth.Henry the Fourth was son of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, fourth son of Edward the Third. 7 Whatever might have been Chaucer's opinion concerning the doctrines of Wickliffe, no inference relative to that subject can be drawn from THE PLOWMAN'S TALE; for that piece, which first appeared in the edition of his works published in 1542, was not written by Chaucer. 6 "The only account, (says Mr. Tyrwhitt, ubi supr. p. 184. n. 32,) which we have of any Ms. of this tale, is from Mr. Speght, who says (Note prefixed to PLOWMAN'S TALE), that he had seene it in written hand in John Stowe's Librarie, in a booke of such antiquitie as seemed to have been written neare to Chaucer's time.' He does not say that it was among the CANTERBURY TALES, or that it had Chaucer's name to it. We can therefore only judge of it by the internal evidence, and upon that I have no scruple to declare my own opinion, that it has not the least resemblance to Chaucer's manner, either of writing or thinking, in his other works. Though |