palati; alteram genuinos prementis. Tertia est labri inferioris, Ramus, lib. 2. Duas primas Terentianus notavit ; tertiam tacuit. Terentianus I. E, quæ sequitur, vocula dissona est priori: quia deprimit altum modico tenore rictum, et remotos premit hinc, et hinc molares. Apud latinos, e latiùs sonat in adverbio benè, quàm in adverbio herè: hujus enim posteriorem vocalem exiliùs pronunciabant; ità, ut etiàm in maximè exilem sonum transierit heri. Id, quod latiùs in multis quoque patet: ut ab Eo, verbo, deductum, ire, iis, et eis: diis, et deis: febrem, febrim : turrem, turrim priore, et priori: Ram. et Scalig. Et propter hanc vicinitatem (ait Quinct.) e quoque loco i fuit: ut Menerva, leber, magester: pro Minerva, liber, magister. Porrigit ictum genuino propè ad ipsos Terent. Where it endeth, and soundeth obscure and faintly, it serves as an accent to produce the vowel preceding as in máde, stéme, strípe, óre, cúre, which else would sound, màd, stèm, strip, or, cùr. It altereth the power of c, g, s, so placed, as in hence, which else would sound henc; swinge, to make it different from swing; use, to distinguish it from us. It is mere silent in words where is coupled with a consonant in the end; as whistle, gristle, brittle, fickle, thimble, &c. Or after v consonant, as in love, glove, move. Where it endeth a former syllabe, it soundeth longish, but flat; as in dérive, prépare, résolve. Except in derivatives, or compounds of the sharp e, and then it answers the primitive or simple in the first sound; as agreeing, of agree; foreseeing, of foresee; being, of be. Where it endeth a last syllabe, with one or more consonants after it, it either soundeth flat and full; as in descent, intent, amend, offend, rest, best. Or it passeth away obscured, like the faint i; as in these, r written, gotten, open, sayeth, &c. I Which two letters e and i have such a nearness in our tongue, as oftentimes they interchange places; as in S enduce, for induce; endite, for indite. I Is of a narrower sound than e, and uttered with a less opening of the mouth, the tongue brought back to the palate, and striking the teeth next the cheek teeth. It is a letter of a double power. I vocalis sonos habet tres: suum, exilem: alterum, latiorem proprioremque ipsi e; et tertium, obscuriorem ipsius u, inter quæ duo Y græcæ vocalis sonus continetur: ut non inconsulto Victorinus ambiguam illam quam adduximus vocem, per Y scribendam esse putârit, Optimus. Scalig. Ante consonantem I semper est vocalis. u Ante vocalem ejusdem syllaba consonans. Apud Hebræos I perpetuò est consonans; ut apud Græcos vocalis. W w Ut in Giacente, Giesù, Gioconda, Giustitia. * O pronunciatur rotundo ore, linguâ ad radices hypoglossis reductâ. i píxpov, et à péya, unicâ tantùm notâ, sono differenti. Una quoniam sat habitum est notare forma, Pro temporibus quæ gremium ministret usum. Igitur sonitum reddere voles minori, Retrorsùs adactam modicè teneto linguam, Rictù neque magno sat erit patere labra, At longior alto tragicum sub oris antro Molita, rotundis acuit sonum labellis. Differentiam o parvi valdè distinctam Franci tenent: sed scripturâ valdè confundant. O, scribunt perinde ut proferunt. At w scribunt modò per au, modò per ao, quæ sonum talem minimè sonant, qui simplici, et rotundo motu oris proferri debet. Terent. As a vowel in the former, or single syllabes, it hath sometimes the sharp accent; as in binding, minding, píning, whining, wiving, thriving, mine, thine. Or all words of one syllabe qualified by e. But the flat in more, as in these, bill, bitter, giddy, little, incident, and the like. In the derivatives of sharp primitives, it keepeth the sound, though it deliver over the primitive consonant to the next syllabe: as in diví-ning, requí-ring, repí-ning. For, a consonant falling between two vowels in the word, will be spelled with the latter. In syllabes and words, composed of the same elements, it varieth the sound, now sharp, now flat as in give, give, alive, live, drive, driven, title, title. But these, use of speaking, and acquaintance in reading, will teach, rather than rule. t 'I, in the other power, is merely another letter, and would ask to enjoy another character. For where it leads the sounding vowel, and beginneth the syllabe, it is ever a consonant; as in James, John, jest, jump, conjurer, perjured. And before diphthongs; as jay, joy, juice, having the force of the Hebrew Fod," and the Italian Gi." * Is pronounced with a round mouth, the tongue drawn back to the root; and is a letter of much change, and uncertainty with us. In the long time it naturally soundeth sharp, and high; as in y chósen, hósen, hóly, fólly; open, óver, nóte, throte. In the short time more flat, and akin to u; as a Quanta sit affinitas (0) cum (u) ex Quinct. Plinio, Papyriano notum est. Quid enim o et u, permutatæ invicem, ut Hecobe, et Notrix, Culchides, et Pulixena, scriberentur? sic nostri præceptores, Cervom, Servomque u et o litteris scripserunt; Sic dedêront, probaveront, Romanis olim fuêre, Quinct. lib. 1. Deinque o, teste Plinio apud Priscianum, aliquot Italia civitates non habebant; sed loco ejus ponebant u, et maximè Umbri, et Tusci. Atque u contra, teste apud eundem Papyriano, multis Italiæ populis in usu non erat; sed utebantur o; unde Romanorum quoque vetustissimi in multis dictionibus, loco ejus o posuêrunt: Ut poblicum, pro publicum; polcrum, pro pulcrum; colpam, pro culpam. Quam scribere Graius, nisi jungat Y, nequibit Et alibi. Terentian. Græca diphthongus &, literis tamen nostris vacat, Sola vocalis quod u complet hunc satis sonum. Ut in titulis, fabulis Terentii præpositis. Græca Menandru Græca Apollodoru, pro Mevavdpov, et 'Aronλodogov, et quidem, ne quis de potestate vocalis hujus addubitare possit, etiàm à mutis animalibus testimonium Plautus nobis exhibuit è Peniculo Menechmi ME. Egon' dedi? Pe. tu, tu, inquam, vin' afferri noctuam, Que tu, tu, usque dicat tibi: nam nos jàm nos defessi sumus. Ergò ut ovium balatus ra litera sonum: sic noctuarum cantus, et cuculi apud Aristophanem sonum hujus vocalis vindicabit. Nam, quando u liquescit, ut in quis, et sanguis, habet sonum communem cum Y græcâ, x' ŵπoľ3 ὁ κόκκυξ εἴποι κόκκυ. Et quando Coccyx dixit Coccy. c Consonans ut u Gallicum, vel Digamma profertur. C |