to these Directions, and due Care in younger Years, would prevent these Inconveniencies.

CHA P. XXIII.

Obfervations concerning the va rious Ways of Spelling the Same Word.

T

HO far the greateft Part of English Words are fpelled but one way, yet there are fome that feem to admit of two Manners of Spelling; for which these following Rules may be given for our Obfervation.

1. ee is fometimes written for ie, in the middle of a Word, as Niece, Neece; Piece, Peece; Belief, Be leef; Thieves, Theeves.

2. in is changed for en, at the beginning of a Word, as ingage, engage; inquire, enquire; indanger, endanger; indure, endure; intangle, entangle.

K 3

3. im is also changed for em; as imploy, employ; imbattle, embattle; imbezzle, embezzle; imbarque, embarque.

in

4. k may be left out after c, Words borrowed from the Latin, as Publick, Public; Mufick, Mufic; Logick, Logic; Pedantick, Pedantic. 5. el is fometimes written for le, at the end of fome Words, as Cattle, Cattel; Battle, Battel.

6. oa is turned fometimes into Fong 0, and e final, as Coal, Cole; Cloak, Cloke; Smoak, Smoke; groan, grone; Shoar, Shore.

7. or is often written where our was wont to be written, as Labour, Labor; Honour, Honor; Favour, Favor; Conquerour, Conqueror.

P

8. Among other Letters which are now-a-days omitted by fome Writers, between 2 and t is often left out; as Prefumption, Prefumtion; Attempt, Attemt fo in Affumption, Contempt, contemptuous, Temptation, &c.

9. Ph is changed into f many times, as Phanly, Phanatic, phan

taftic,

taftic, Phantom, Phrenzy, Phlegm, Sulphur, prophane; for which are written, Fancy, Fanatic, &c.

10. que is changed into changed into k, or ke; as Barque, Traffique, Mafque, Flafque, Relique, Checquer, Cafquet, Mufquet, are often written Bark, Traffick, &c..

II. re or er are written indiffe rently in thefe Words: Theater, or Theatre; fo Metre, Meter; Centre,' Center; Sepulchre, Sepulcher.

12. s is turned fometimes into z, in fuch Words as Rafor, Sciflors, Brafier, Lofenge, Exercife, chaftife, devife, Enterprife; which may be written Razor, Scizars, Exercize, Enterprize, &c.

There are alfo many other Words where is made frequently to fupply the Place of s; but 'tis by no means 'proper, tho 'tis very common; as in difpence, fufpence, Sence, Recompence, Pretence, &c. all which Words ought to end in fe, as difpenfe, fufpenfe, Senfe, &c.

13. ti, or ci, are written in these Words, antient, vitious, gratious;` pretious, patious, &c. as ancient, vicious, &c.

14. ugh

14. ugh may be left out in though, tho; through, thro; and in thought, brought, &c. with an Apoftrophe in the room of them, as tho't, bro't, &c.

15. ugh is fometimes changed for w, as in Tew, Plow, Bow, thorow, enow; for Yeugh, Plough, Bough, thorough, enough.

Upon the Word enough there is this Obfervation made, that, when it fignifies a fufficient Quantity, 'tis written always with ugh, and pronounced enuff: as, There is Wine enough. But when it fignifies a fufficient Number, 'tis oftentimes both pronounced and written enow; as, There are Bottles enow.

16. ul, or wl, is turned into lin thefe Words, rowl, roll; powł, poll; forowl, feroll; controul, controll.

17. Many Words are written with u after a Vowel, which used to be written with w heretofore, as Noun, Nown; Ground, Grownd; four, fowr; caul, cawl; lour, lowr.

18. Words whose Sound ends in i, were once written with ie, now with y, as flie, fly; bloodie, bloody; Vic

torie, Victory: fome are written either with ie, or y e, as die, dye; lic, lye; tie, tye: others only with y, as my, thy, by others chiefly with ye, as Rye, Pye, as Cuftom pleases.

19. It may be observed in general, that i and y are written for one another indifferently in many Words, as Lion, Lyon, Tiger, Tyger; praise, prayfe; Toil, Toyl; faid, fayd; paid, payd.

20. Some Words are written either with a double or fingle Confonant in the middle, as well as in the end; as Aray, Array; Orange, Orrange; Forage, Forrage; later, latter; Mat, Matt; rot, rott; fcof, fcoff; Sum, Summ: and Words of feveral Syllables ending in ; as hopefull, hopeful; fpeciall, special; naturall, natural.

I dare not pretend to maintain that both these Ways of Spelling the fame Words in this Chapter, are learnedly right, and critically true: Nor do I write now for Scholars and Criticks; but many of the Learned have been wifely negligent in thefe leffer Mat

ters,