Alexander Hume - Of the Orthographie and Congruitie of the Britan Tongue
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Alexander Hume >> Of the Orthographie and Congruitie of the Britan Tongue
{Transcriber's Note:
All material in parentheses () or square brackets [], including the
(_sic_) notations, is from the 1865 original. Material added by the
transcriber is in braces {}.
Greek words have been transliterated and shown between +symbols+.
Single Greek letters are identified by name: _eta_, _alpha_.
o: and e: represent omega and eta.
"i" represents upside-down i (used in I.3.6).
{gh} represents yogh (used in I.4.10).
{L} represents the "pounds" symbol.
Letters with diacritics are "unpacked" and shown within braces:
{a'} {e`} a with acute accent, e with grave accent
Irregularities in chapter numbering are explained at the end of the
editor's Notes.}
OF THE
ORTHOGRAPHIE AND CONGRUITIE
OF THE BRITAN TONGUE
A Treates, noe shorter then necessarie,
for the Schooles,
Be
ALEXANDER HUME.
Edited from the Original MS. in the British Museum,
by
HENRY B. WHEATLEY.
LONDON:
Published for the Early English Text Society,
by Truebner & Co., 60, Paternoster Row.
MDCCCLXV.
HERTFORD:
Printed by Stephen Austin.
PREFACE.
The following Tract is now printed for the first time from the original
Manuscript in the old Royal Collection in the Library of the British
Museum (Bibl. Reg. 17 A. xi). It is written on paper, and consists of
forty-five leaves, the size of the pages being 5-3/4 in. by 3-3/4 in.
The dedication, the titles, and the last two lines, are written with a
different coloured ink from that employed in the body of the MS., and
appear to be in a different handwriting. It is probable that the tract
was copied for the author, but that he himself wrote the dedication to
the King.
The Manuscript is undated, and we have no means of ascertaining the
exact time when it was written; but from a passage in the dedication to
James I. of England, it is fair to infer that it was written shortly
after the visit of that monarch to Scotland, subsequent to his accession
to the throne of the southern kingdom, that is, in the year 1617. This
would make it contemporaneous with Ben Jonson's researches on the
English Grammar; for we find, in 1629, James Howell (Letters, Sec. V.
27) writing to Jonson that he had procured Davies' Welch Grammar for
him, "to add to those many you have." The grammar that Jonson had
prepared for the press was destroyed in the conflagration of his study;
so that the posthumous work we now possess consists merely of materials,
which were printed for the first time in 1640, three years after the
author's death.
The Dedication of this Tract is merely signed _Alexander Hume_, and
contains no other clue to the authorship. Curiously enough there were
four Alexander Humes living about the same time, and three of them were
educated at St. Mary's College, St. Andrew's; only two, however, became
authors, the first of whom was Minister of Logie, and wrote _Hymnes or
Sacred Songes_. There can be little doubt, however, that the present
grammar was written by the Alexander Hume who was at one time Head
Master of the High School, Edinburgh, and author of _Grammatica Nova_.
From Dr. Steven's History of the High School, Edinburgh, and from
M'Crie's Life of Melville, I have been enabled to extract and put
together the following scanty particulars of our author's life:--The
time and place both of his birth and of his death are alike unknown;
but he himself, on the title of one of his works, tells us that he was
distantly connected with the ancient and noble family of Home, in the
county of Berwick. He was educated at the school of Dunbar, under the
celebrated Andrew Simson, and in due time was enrolled a student in St.
Mary's College, St. Andrew's, and then took the degree of Bachelor of
Arts in 1574. He came to England, and was incorporated at Oxford January
26, 1580-81, as "M. of A. of St. Andrew's, in Scotland."[1] He spent
sixteen years in England, partly engaged in studying and partly in
teaching. During the latter part of this term he was a schoolmaster at
Bath, as appears from Dr. Hill's answer to him, published in 1592; and
the fact of his residence in this city is corroborated at page 18 of
the present treatise. He then returned to Scotland, having gained a
reputation for the excellence of his learning and for the power he
possessed of communicating it to others. On the dismissal of Hercules
Rollock, Rector of the High School, Edinburgh, from his office, Hume was
unanimously chosen to succeed him, and his appointment was dated 23rd
April, 1596. During his incumbency the High School underwent many
changes, and received the form which it retains to the present day. In
March, 1606, Hume resigned his office to become principal master in the
grammar school founded a short time previously, at Prestonpans, by the
munificent John Davidson, minister of the parish. The following document
gives an account of Hume's admission to this school:--
{Transcriber's Note:
In the following passage, {-e} represents e with overline.
Caret ^ means that the following single letter, or bracketed group
of letters, was printed in superscript.}
"At hadintoun y^e 25 of Junij 1606. The q^{lk} day M^r Jo^n ker
minister of y^e panis producit y^e pr{-e}ntat^one of M^r Alex^r
hoome to be schoolm^r of y^e schoole of y^e panis foundit be M^r J^o
Davedsone for instructioune of the youth in hebrew, greek and latine
subscryvet be yais to quhome M^r Jo^n davedsone gave power to noi{a~}t
y^e man q^{lk} pr{-e}ntat^one y^e pr{-e}brie allowit and ordenit y^e
moderator & clerk to subscrive y^e samine in y^r names q^{lk} yay
ded. As also ordeanit y^t y^e said kirk of y^e panis suld be visited
upon y^e eight day of Julij next to come for admissione of y^e said
M^r Alex^r to y^e said office. The visitors wer appoyntit M^r Ar^d
oswald M^r Robert Wallace M^r George greir M^r andro blackhall & M^r
andro Maghye to teach."----"At Saltprestoun July 8, 1606. The haill
parischoners being poisit how yay lyckit of y^e said M^r Alex^r w^t
vniforme consent being particularly inqwyrit schew y^r guid lycking
of him and y^r willingnes to accept and receiv him to y^e said
office Q^rupon y^e said M^r Alex^r wes admittit to y^e said
office & in token of y^e approba^one both of visitors & of y^e
parischon{-e}s p^rnt both y^e ane and y^e vother tuik y^e said M^r
Alex^r be y^e hand & y^e haill magistratis gentlemen and reman{-e}t
parischoners p^rnt faithfullie p^rmisit to c{o~]curre for y^e
further{a~}ce of y^e work y^t yit restis to be done to y^e said schoole
as also to keipt y^e said M^r Alex^r and his scholleris skaithlis
finallie for farther authorizing of y^e said (_sic_) it wes thought
meitt y^t y^e haill visitors & parichon{-e}s p^rnt suld enter y^e
said M^r Alex^r into y^e said schoole & y^r heir him teache q^{lk}
also wes doone." (Rec. of Presb. of Haddington).[2]
[Footnote 1: Wood's Fasti Oxonienses, by Bliss, I., 217.]
[Footnote 2: M'Crie's Life of Melville, vol. ii., p. 509.]
The school rapidly rose to distinction under Hume, but in 1615 he
relinquished his position, and accepted the Mastership of the Grammar
School of Dunbar, then in high repute, and the very same school in which
he had commenced his own education. When occupied at Dunbar, Hume had
the honour of being the first who, in a set speech, welcomed James VI.
back to his Scottish dominions, after an absence of fourteen years. The
King stopped on his way northward from Berwick on the 13th of May, 1617,
at Dunglass Castle the residence of the Earl of Home, and Hume, as the
orator of the day, delivered a Latin address.
The date of Hume's death is not known; but he was witness to a deed on
the 27th of November, 1627; and later still, in the records of the Privy
Council of Scotland, 8th and 16th July, 1630, Mr. D. Laing tells me that
there is a memorandum of the King's letter anent the Grammar of Mr.
Alexander Hume, "schoolmaster at Dunbar." With regard to his private
life, we know that he was married to Helen Rutherford, and had two sons
and a daughter born to him in Edinburgh between the years 1601 and 1606.
He was the father of three more children, also two sons and a daughter,
between 1608 and 1610, in the county of East Lothian.
Hume was a master in controversy, and wrote on subjects of polemical
divinity; but his mind was principally drawn towards language and the
rules of its construction. He especially gave much of his time to the
study of Latin grammar, and feeling dissatisfied with the elementary
books which were then in use, he drew up one himself, which he submitted
to the correction of Andrew Melville and other learned friends, and
published in 1612 under the title of _Grammatica Nova_. The object he
proposed to himself was to exclude from the schools the grammar of the
Priscian of the Netherlands, the celebrated John Van Pauteren, but his
work did not give the satisfaction which he had expected. He succeeded,
however, in his wishes after many reverses, by the help of Alexander
Seton, Earl of Dunfermline, Chancellor of Scotland, and by authority
both of Parliament and of the Privy Council his grammar was enjoined to
be used in all the schools of the kingdom. But through the interest of
the bishops, and the steady opposition of Ray, his successor at the High
School, the injunction was rendered of no effect. He would not, however,
be beaten, and we find that in 1623 he was again actively engaged in
adopting measures to secure the introduction of his grammar into every
school in North Britain where the Latin language was taught.
The following is a list of our author's works:--
A Reioynder to Doctor Hil concerning the Descense of Christ into Hell.
By Alexander Hume Maister of Artes. 4o.
No place of printing, printer's name, or date, but apparently
printed at London in 1592 or 1593. Dedicated to Robert Earl of
Essex. Although this is the first work that I can find attributed
to Alexander Hume, yet there is no doubt that there must have been
a former one of which we have no record, and the title and
contents of Dr. Hill's book would lead us to this conclusion--"The
Defence of the Article. Christ descended into Hell. With arguments
obiected against the truth of the same doctrine of one Alexander
Humes. By Adam Hyll, D of Divinity. London 1592. 4o. This little
volume consists of two parts; 1st, the original sermon preached by
Hill 28th February, 1589; 2nd, the reply to Hume. At p. 33, the
end of the sermon, is this note, "This sermon ... was answered by
one Alexander Huns, Schoolemaester of Bath, whose answere wholy
foloweth, with a replye of the author" ... At p. 33, "The reply of
Adam Hill to the answere made by Alexander Humes to a sermon,"
etc.
A Diduction of the true and Catholik meaning of our Sauiour his words,
_this is my bodie_, in the institution of his laste Supper through
the ages of the Church from Christ to our owne dayis. Whereunto is
annexed a Reply to M. William Reynolds in defence of M. Robert Bruce
his arguments on this subject: displaying M. John Hammilton's
ignorance and contradictions: with sundry absurdities following upon
the Romane interpretation of these words. Compiled by Alexander
Hume, Maister of the high Schoole of Edinburgh. Edinburgh, Printed
by Robert Waldegrave, Printer to the King's Maiestie, 1602. Cum
Privilegio Regis. 8o.
Prima Elementa Grammaticae in usum juventutis Scoticae digesta. Edinburgi,
1612. 8o.
Grammatica Nova in usum juventutis Scoticae ad methodum revocata.
Edinburgi, 1612. 8o.
Bellum Grammaticale, ad exemplar Mri. Alexandri Humii. Edinburgi,
excud. Gideon Lithgo, Anno Dom. 1658 8o. Several later editions.
This humorous Grammatical Tragi-Comedy was not written by Hume,
but only revised by him.
King James's Progresses, collected and Published by John Adamson
afterwards Principal of the University of Edinburgh, entitled--
+TA TO:N MOUSO:N EISODIA+:
The Muses Welcome to the High and Mighty Prince James &c. At his
Majesties happie Returne to Scotland In Anno 1617. Edinburgh 1618,
folio.
At page 1: "His Majestie came from Bervik to Dunglas the xiij day
of Maye, where was delivered this [latin] speach following by A.
Hume."--At page 16, there is also a couple of Latin verses signed
"Alexander Humius."
MS. in the British Museum. The present work.
MS. in the Advocates' Library:--
Rerum Scoticarum Compendium, in usum Scholarum. Per Alexandrum
Humium ex antiqua et nobili gente Humiorum in Scotia, a prim{a^} stirpe
quinta sobole oriundum. This work is dated October 1660, and is
therefore merely a transcript. It is an epitome of Buchanan's
History, and Chr. Irvine in Histor. Scot. Nomenclatura, calls it
Clavis in Buchananum, and Bishop Nicholson (Scottish Hist. Lib.)
praises its Latin style.
The following three works are inserted by Dr. Steven in his list of
Hume's writings, and have been supposed to be his by M'Crie and others;
but Mr. D. Laing believes "there can be no doubt, from internal
evidence, that the true author was Alexander Hume, the poet, who became
minister of Logie, near Stirling, in 1597, and who died in December,
1609." In Wood's Athenae Oxonienses, by Bliss, i., 624, it is stated that
all three of them "were printed in London in 1594, in October," but this
must, I think, be a mistake.
Ane Treatise of Conscience, quhairin divers secreits concerning that
subject are discovered. At Edinburgh, printed by Robert Walde-grave,
Printer to the King's Maiestie 1594. 8o.
Of the Felicitie of the world to come, unsavorie to the obstinate,
alluring to such as are gone astray, and to the faithfull full of
consolation. Edinb. 1594. 8o.
Four Discourses, of Praises unto God, to wit, 1 in Praise of the Mercy
and Goodness of God. 2 of his justice. 3 of his Power. 4 of his
Providence. Edinb. 1594. 8o.
In conclusion, my acknowledgments are due to David Laing, Esq., who
has kindly suggested some corrections in the list of Hume's works, in
addition to what is noted above.
London, February, 1865.
* * * * *
To the maest excellent
in all princelie wisdom,
learning, and heroical
artes, JAMES,
of Great Britan,
France, and
Ireland,
King,
Defender of the faeth,
grace, mercie, peace,
honoure here and
glorie hereafter.
May it please your maest excellent M_ajestie_, I, your grace's humble
servant, seeing sik uncertentie in our men's wryting, as if a man wald
indyte one letter to tuentie of our best wryteres, nae tuae of the
tuentie, without conference, wald agree; and that they quhae might
perhapes agree, met rather be custom then knawlege, set my selfe, about
a yeer syne, to seek a remedie for that maladie. Quhen I had done,
refyning it, I fand in Barret's Alvearie,[3] quhilk is a dictionarie
Anglico-latinum, that Sr. Thomas Smith,[4] a man of nae less worth
then learning, Secretarie to Queen Elizabeth, had left a learned and
judiciouse monument on the same subject. Heer consydering my aun
weaknes, and meannes of my person, began to fear quhat might betyed my
sillie boat in the same seas quhaer sik a man's ship was sunck in the
gulf of oblivion. For the printeres and wryteres of this age, caring for
noe more arte then may win the pennie, wil not paen them selfes to knau
whither it be orthographie or skuiographie that doeth the turne: _and_
schoolmasteres, quhae's sillie braine will reach no farther then the
compas of their cap, content them selfes with +autos ephe:+ my master
said it. Quhil I thus hovered betueen hope _and_ despare, the same
Barret, in the letter E, myndes me of a star _and_ constellation to calm
al the tydes of these seaes, if it wald please the supreme Majestie to
command the universitie to censure and ratifie, and the schooles to
teach the future age right and wrang, if the present will not rectius
sapere. Heere my harte laggared on the hope of your M_ajesties_
judgement, quhom God hath indeued with light in a sorte supernatural, if
the way might be found to draue your eie, set on high materes of state,
to take a glim of a thing of so mean contemplation, and yet necessarie.
Quhiles I stack in this claye, it pleased God to bring your M_ajestie_
hame to visit your aun Ida. Quher I hard that your G_race_, in the
disputes of al purposes quherwith, after the exemple of _th_e wyse in
former ages, you use to season your moat, ne quid tibi temporis sine
fructu fluat, fel sundrie tymes on this subject reproving your
courteoures, quha on a new conceat of finnes sum tymes spilt (as they
cal it) the king's language. Quhilk thing it is reported that your
M_ajestie_ not onlie refuted with impregnable reasones, but alsoe fel
on Barret's opinion that you wald cause the universities mak an Inglish
gra_m_mar to repres the insolencies of sik green heades. This, quhen I
hard it, soe secunded my hope, that in continent I maed moien hou to
convoy this litle treates to your M_ajesties_ sight, to further (if
perhapes it may please your G_race_) that gud motion. In school materes,
the least are not the least, because to erre in them is maest absurd.
If the fundation be not sure, the maer gorgiouse the edifice the grosser
the falt. Neither is it the least parte of a prince's praise, curasse
rem literariam, and be his auctoritie to mend the misses that ignorant
custom hath bred. Julius Caesar 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 Linguae Anglicae Scriptione
Dialogus. _Lutetiae_, 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.
4. The congruence between them I cal the instrument of the mouth,
quhilk, when the eie sees the symbol, utteres the sound.
5. This is the ground of al orthographie, leading the wryter from the
sound to the symbol, and the reader from the symbol to the sound. As,
for exemple, if I wer to wryte God, the tuich of the midle of the tongue
on the roofe of the mouth befoer the voual, and the top of the tongue on
the teeth behind the voual, myndes me to wryte it g_o_d. The voual is
judged be the sound, as shal be shaued hereafter. This is the hardest
lesson in this treates, and may be called the key of orthographie.
OF THE LATINE VOUALES.
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_ quae 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 _eta_ not _alpha_, +be:+ not +ba+. 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, ae 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 ae 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 +binei+ 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 +ei+ 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.