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Singular; and from the Terminations to which any Tenfe, Perfon, or Participle of a Verb, or any Plural of a Noun rhymes, I have referr'd to the Termination of the Primitive of that Verb or Noun. For Fxample, after the Rhymes in AZE, I fay, Alfo the third Perfon prefent of the Verbs, and Plural of the Nouns in AT, EIGH, and Er. The Reader is defir'd to fee thofe Terminations, and from the Primitive Words of them, as Day, Ray, Delay, Neigh, Convey, &c he will eafily form Days, Rays, Delays, Neighs, Conveys, &c. all which rhyme perfectly to the Words in AZE.

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So after the Rhymes in ADE, I fay, Alfo the Participles of the Verbs in AY, EIGH, and Er. See the Verbs of thofe Terminations, and by forming their Participles, you will find they all rhyme to the Words in ADE; as from Play, Neigh, Convey, &c. Play'd, Neigh'd, Convey'd, &c.

I have obferv'd the like Method thro' the whole Courfe of this Dictionary, as to all the regular Nouns and Verbs: But the Tenfes, Perfons, and Participles of all the Irregular Verbs, and Plurals of all the Irregular Nouns, are found under the feveral Terminations to which they rhyme. Thus Fought, Sought, Thought, are plac'd under OUGHT, without referring to IGHT, EEK, INK, the Termination of the Verbs Fight, Seek, Think, from whence they are deriv'd. Men is plac'd under EN, without referring to AN, the Termination of its Singular, Man.

Obferve therefore, that whenever I fay Perfons, or Participles of Verbs, or Plurals of Nouns, I mean only of fuch as are Regular in their Formation; the Irregular being always found under the Terminations to which they rhyme.

Obferve alfo that the Participles and Preterperfect Tenfes of all the Regular Verbs being exactly the fame, whenever I had occafion to refer to them I have made choice of the Word Participle, rather than Preterperfe&t Tenfe.

Some Words are plac'd twice, because they are pronounc'd differently, as Draught; which Dryden rhymes both to the Words in AFT, and OUGHT; and therefore I have put it under both thofe Terminations.

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But as there are feveral Words, whofe Terminations, tho' different in Writing, are pronounc'd alike; fo there are others that agree in Orthography, but differ in Sound. Thus the Words in ASE have two different Sounds; fome of them are pronounc'd like ACE, others like AZE; the firft of which I have plac'd under ACE, the latter under AZE, and from the Termination ASE have referr'd to the two other.

The Words in OVE have three different Sounds, as Love, Prove, Rove; and though they are all plac'd under their own Termination, yet they do not in Strictnefs rhyme to one another. Therefore to diftinguish them from each other, a little

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Space is left in the Printing between the different Rhymes. There are alfo feveral other Terminations of like Nature, whofe different Sounds are diftinguifh'd in like manner.

I have already faid that all the Double and most of the Treble Rhymes are omitted in this Alphabet; yet by obferving the Method I am going to propofe, the greatest Part of the Double Rhymes may be difcover'd.

Most of our Double Rhymes confift in derivative Words, and terminate either in ED, ER, ES, EST, ING, or LY.

Derivative Words are thofe that are form'd from Primitives, which must be either Verbs or Nouns. The Primitive of a Verb is the Infinitive; the Primitive of a Noun is the Nominative Singular.

Now all the Derivative Words, whofe Primitives are accented on the laft Syllable, and that are form'd by the Increase of a Syllable to their Primitives, thereby become Double Rhymes.

For it is a Rule, (and I think without any Exception) That all Derivatives ftill retain the Accent of their Primitives, that is to fay, on the fame Syllable: From whence it follows, that the Accent that was on the laft Syllable of a Primitive, or Original Word, must be on the laft fave one of its Derivative, if it be form'd by the Increase of a Syllable to its Primitive; from: whence it confequently follows, that fuch a Derivative muft be a Double Rhyme. For Example, to Evade, and to Arife are Primitives, accented upon the laft Syllable, and therefore are Single Rhymes: Evading and Arifing are Gerunds form'd from them by adding the Syllable ING, and being accented on the last fave one, thereby become Double Rhymes. Now to find the Rhymes to Evading, confider it to be a Derivative, and fee the Termination of its Primitive, which is ADE; and the Gerunds of all the Verbs of that Rhyme, that are accented on the laft Syllable, muft neceffarily rhyme to Evading As from Fade, Wade, Perfwade, &c. Fading, Wading, Perfwading, &c. In like manner to find the Rhyme to Arifing, fee ISE, and you will find Advife, Chaftife, Defpife, and many other; whofe Gerunds all rhyme to Arifing; as Advifing, ChaStifing, &c.

The Obfervation of this Rule only will lead you to the Dif covery of an Infinite Number of Double Rhymes: For all the Verbs of the English Tongue, whether Regular or Irregular, and of what Termination foever they be, form their Gerunds by adding the Syllable Ing to the Infinitive; and therefore if their Infinitives rhyme, their Gerunds muft of Confequence do fo too; and if their Infinitives be accented on the laft Syllable, their Gerunds by the Increase of the Syllable Ing are accented on the laft fave one, and thus become Double Rhymes.

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The Double Rhymes in ED are generally only the Partici ples of the Regular Verbs; of which there are two Sorts: One that will admit of an Elifion of the E that precedes their Confonant, and one that will not.

Thofe that will admit of an Elifion always ought to be us'd fo; and it is a Fault to make Loved two Syllables, and Amaxed three, by which Means they become Double Rhymes; inftead of Lov'd, which is but one Syllable, and Amaz'd, which is but two, and both of them Single Rhymes.

Thofe that will not fuffer the like Elifion, and confequently are Double Rhymes, are only the Participles of the Regular Verbs that end in D or T, or in Mute E preceded by D or T, as from the Verbs to Land, Grant, Perfwade, and Hate, are form'd the Participles Landed, Granted, Perfwaded, Hated: Which will not admit of fuch an Elifion, and therefore are Double Rhymes. The Method of finding the Rhymes to thefe Words is the fame as has been already prefcrib'd for finding the Rhymes to the Words in ING; that is to fay, by feeking the Terminations of the Infinitives from whence they are form'd; which are AND, ANT, ADE, and ATE.

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Many of the Double Rhymes in ER, are either the Comparitive Degrees of Adjectives, and form'd by adding ER to their Pofitive, or Nouns Verbal form'd by the Addition of ER to their Infinitive. For Example, to find a Rhyme to Plainer the Comparitive of Plain, fee the Termination of the Pofitive, which is AIN, and you will find the Verb to Gain, from whence is form'd the Noun Verbal Gainer ; Vain, from whence the Comparitive Vainer; Profane from whence Profaner, &c.

The like Method may also be obferv'd for finding the Double Rhymes in ES, EST, and LY.

Thofe in ES, confift of the Third Ferfon Prefent of the Verbs, and of the Plural Numbers of the Nouns whofe final Lettters are CE, CH, GE, S, SE, SH, X, or ZE, and that are form'd by adding the Syllable ES to their Primitive.

Thofe in EST, confift of the Superlative Degrees of Adjectives, form'd by adding EST to their Pofitives; and of the Second Perfons Prefent of Verbs form'd by adding EST to their Infinitive.

Thofe in LY, confift in Adverbs form'd from Adjectives, by adding the Syllable LY to their Pofitive.

This Method may be alfo useful for finding of Rhymes to Original Words. For Example, to Morning, which being accented on the laft fave one, is a Double Rhyme: See the Termination of that Syllable, which is ORN, and you will find Scorn, Adorn, &c. whofe Gerunds are, Scorning, Adorning, &c. There are alfo feveral other Double Rhymes that confift in Derivative Words, and may be found by the fame Method. Of this Nature are feveral Participles in ÉN, that are form'd

viii The Preface to the Dictionary of RHYMES.

irregularly; as Given, Driven, &c. from the Verbs in IVE; Taken, Forfaken, &c. from thofe in AKE; and fome others.

As for the Treble Rhymes inferted in this Dictionary; I have not retain'd them as fuch, but as they rhyme to the Words accented upon the laft Syllable; that is to say, to Single Rhymes: Thus Tenderness rhymes as well to Confefs, as to Slen dernefs. Piety to Charity and Juftify, as well as to Satiety. But the Reason why most of the Treble, and all the Double Rhymes are omitted, may be seen in The Rules for making Verfes. And fo much for the Matter and Method of the following Alphabet. It may now be expected that I should say something of the Usefulness of it.

And here I will not pretend that it is a Work of fuch a Nature, as can be of any farther Ufe to the Publick in general, than as it may be a Help and Eafe to those Perfons who apply themfelves to the making English Verfes: And they, I prefume, will reap fome Advantage by it; fince in a Moment, and without Trouble, they may here find Words, that for a confiderable Space of Time their Thoughts have in vain been labouring to recover.

An Inftance of this we daily meet with in Conversation; where we often find our felves at a lofs for a Word to exprefs our Meaning: Nay, fometimes for the Names of Perfons with whom we are converfant enough, and more than perfonally acquainted.

Befides, I dare almost affirm, that the Difficulty of finding Rhymes, has been the unlucky Caufe that has frequently reduc'd even the best of our Poets to take up with Rhymes that have scarce any Confonance, or Agreement in Sound.

Rhyme is by all allow'd to be the chief Ornament of Ver. fification in any of the Modern Languages; and therefore the more Exact we are in the Obfervation of it, the greater Applaufe our Productions of that Nature will defervedly challenge and find.

The Italians, the Spaniards, and the French, and among them Men eminent for their Learning and Parts, have not thought their Time mifpent in compofing Dictionaries that contain all the Words of their Languages, difpos'd Alphabetically according to their feveral Rhymes, and which have been printed in all Volumes, and receiv'd with general Approbation.

But if after this, and much more that might be added in Defence of fuch a Work, any fhould be of Opinion that my Time has been thrown away in this Compofition; to fuch I freely confefs, that while I was about it, I have often reflected on the Operofe nihil agit of Seneca, and apply'd it to my felf.

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