OBS. 15.—­Whatever difficulty there is in ascertaining the true form of the preterit itself, not only remains, but is augmented, when st or est is to be added for the second person of it.  For, since we use sometimes one and sometimes the other of these endings; (as, said_st_, saw_est_, bid_st_, knew_est_, loved_st_, went_est_;) there is yet need of some rule to show which we ought to prefer.  The variable formation or orthography of verbs in the simple past tense, has always been one of the greatest difficulties that the learners of our language have had to encounter.  At present, there is a strong tendency to terminate as many as we can of them in ed, which is the only regular ending.  The pronunciation of this ending, however, is at least threefold; as in remembered, repented, relinquished. Here the added sounds are, first d, then ed, then t; and the effect of adding st, whenever the ed is sounded like t, will certainly be a perversion of what is established as the true pronunciation of the language.  For the solemn and the familiar pronunciation of ed unquestionably differ.  The present tendency to a regular orthography, ought rather to be encouraged than thwarted; but the preferring of mixed to mixt, whipped to whipt, worked to wrought, kneeled to knelt, and so forth, does not make mixedst, whippedst, workedst, kneeledst, and the like, any more fit for modern English, than are mixtest, whiptest, wroughtest, kneltest, burntest, dweltest, heldest, giltest, and many more of the like stamp.  And what can be more absurd than for a grammarian to insist upon forming a great parcel of these strange and crabbed words for which he can quote no good authority?  Nothing; except it be for a poet or a rhetorician to huddle together great parcels of consonants which no mortal man can utter,[244] (as lov’dst, lurk’dst, shrugg’dst,) and call them “words.”  Example:  “The clump of subtonick and atonick elements at the termination of such words as the following, is frequently, to the no small injury of articulation, particularly slighted:  couldst, wouldst, hadst, prob’st, prob’dst, hurl’st, hurl’dst, arm’st, arm’dst, want’st, want’dst, burn’st, burn’dst, bark’st, bark’dst, bubbl’st, bubbl’dst, troubbl’st, troubbl’dst.”—­Kirkham’s Elocution, p. 42.  The word trouble may receive the additional sound of st, but this gentleman does not here spell so accurately as a great author should.  Nor did they who penned the following lines, write here as poets should:—­

   “Of old thou build’st thy throne on righteousness.”
        —­Pollok’s C. of T., B. vi, l. 638.

    “For though thou work’dst my mother’s ill.”
        —­Byron’s Parasina.

    “Thou thyself doat’dst on womankind, admiring.”
        —­Milton’s P. R., B. ii, l. 175.