Of the Orthographie and Congruitie of the Britan Tongue Part 4

OF THE APOSTROPHUS AND HYPHEN.

Cap. 10.

1. The learned printeres uses to symboliz apostrophus and hyphen as wel as a, b, c.

2. Apostrophus is the ejecting of a letter or a syllab out of one word or out betuene tuae, and is alwayes marked above the lyne, as it wer a com_m_a, thus '.

3. Out of one word the apostrophus is most usual in poesie; as Ps. 73, v. 3, for quhen I sau such foolish men, I grug'd, and did disdain; and v. 19, They are destroy'd, dispatch'd, consum'd.

4. Betuene tuae wordes we abate either from the end of the former or the beginni_n_g of the later.

5. We abate from the end of the former quhen it endes in a voual and the next beginnes at a voual; as, th' ingrate; th' one parte; I s' it, for I see it.

6. In abating from the word following, we, in the north, use a mervelouse libertie; as, he's a wyse man, for he is a wyse man; I'l meet with him, for I wil meet with him; a ship 'l of fooles, for a ship ful of fooles; and this we use in our com_m_on language. And q_uhil_k is stranger, we manie tymes cut of the end of the word; as, he's tel the, for he sal tel the.

7. This for apostrophus. Hyphen is, as it wer, a band uniting whol wordes joined in composition; as, a hand-maed, a heard-man, tongue-tyed, out-rage, foer-warned, mis-reported, fals-deemed.

OF THE CONGRUITIE

OF OUR BRITAN

TONGUE.

LIB. 2.

OF THE PERSON.

Cap. 1.

1. Al wordes q_uhi_lk we use to expresse our mynde are personal or impersonal.

2. A personal word is q_uhi_lk admittes diversitie of person.

3. Person is the face of a word, quhilk in diverse formes of speach it diverselie putes on; as, I, Peter, say that thou art the son of G.o.d.

Thou, Peter, sayes that I am the son of G.o.d. Peter said that I am the son of G.o.d.

4. Quherupon person is first, second, and third.

5. The first person is of him that speakes; as, I wryte.

6. The second person is of him that is spoaken to; as, thou wrytes.

7. The third person is of him that is spoaken of; as, Peter wrytes.

OF NU_M_BER.

Cap. 2.

1. Number is distinction of person be one and moe; and soe is singular and plural.

2. The singular speakes of one; as, a hand, a tree, a sheep, a horse, a man.

3. The plural speakes of moe then one; as, handes, trees, sheep, horses, men, tuo, three, foure, or moe, or how manie soever.

4. This difference is com_m_onlie noted with es at the end of the word singular; as, a house, houses; a windoe, windoes; a doore, tuo doores.

5. Sum tymes it is noated be changing a letter; as, a man, men; a woman, wemen; a goose, geese.

6. Sum tyme be changing noe thing; as, a sheep, a thousand sheep; a horse, an hundred horse; a noute, ten noute.

OF THE DETERMINATION OF THE PERSON.

Cap. 3.

1. A personal word is a noun or a verb. A noun is a word of one person w_i_th gender and case; as, I is onelie of the first person; thou is onelie of the second; and al other nounes are onelie the third person; as, thou, Thomas, head, hand, stone, blok, except they be joined with I or thou.

2. The person of a noun singular is determined or undetermined.

3. The determined person is noated with the, and it is determined either be an other substantive; as, the king of Britan; or be an adjective; as, the best king in Europ; or be a relative; as, G.o.d preserve the king quhom he hath geven us.

4. The undetermined noun is noated with an befoer a voual; as, an ald man sould be wyse; and with a befoer a consonant; as, a father sould com_m_and his son.

OF THE GENDER OF A NOUN.

Cap. 4.

1. Gender is the affection of a noun for distinction of s.e.x.