[Footnote K:  Let us remark, in passing, that the spellings “Berowne,” “Petruchio,” and “Borachio” are strong indications that the manuscript copies of the plays in which they occur were dictated to an amanuensis.]

The pronunciation of words in Shakspeare’s time is a matter of no particular consequence, except that it may be made the basis of conjectural emendation.  This consideration gives the question some importance, and, as error is one of those plants which propagate themselves from the root, it is well to attempt its thorough eradication at the outset.

Autolycus sings,—­

  “If tinkers may have leave to live,
    And bear the sow-skin bowget;

  Then my account I well may give,
    And in the stocks avouch it.”

Upon this Mr. White has the following note:—­

“’The sow-skin bowget’:—­i.e. budget; the change of orthography being made for the sake of the rhyme; about which our early writers, contrary to the received opinion, were very particular.  Even Ben Jonson, scholar and grammarian as he was, did not hesitate to make radical changes in orthography to obtain a perfect, in place of an imperfect rhyme.  The fact is important in the history of our language.” (Vol.  V. pp. 398-9.)

Readers of our older literature are familiar with what the early writers of treatises on poetry say upon this subject, concerning which, under the head of licentia poetica, they give some rather minute directions.  But we think Mr. White’s expression “radical changes” a little strong.  The insurmountable difficulty, however, in the way of forming a decided judgment, is plain at the first glance.  You have not, as Dr. Kitchener would say, caught your hare; you have no standard. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?  How shall you determine how your first word is pronounced? and which of two rhyming words shall dominate the other?  In the present instance how do we know that avouch was sounded as it is now?  Its being from the French would lead us to doubt it.  And how do we know that bowget was not pronounced boodget, as it would be, according to Mr. White, if spelt budget?  Bishop Hall makes fool rhyme with cowl.  That ou was sometimes pronounced oo is certain.  Gill (of whom infra) says that the Boreales pronounced wound, waund, and gown, gaun or geaun.

Mr. White supposes that ea was sounded like ee.  We are inclined to question it, and to think that here again the French element in our language has made confusion.  It is certain that ea represents in many words the French e and ai,—­as in measure and pleasure.  The Irish, who were taught English by Anglo-Normans, persist in giving the ea its original sound (as baste for beast); and we Northern Yankees need not go five miles in