OBSERVATIONS ON THE LANGUAGE OF CHAUCER. 
4853 
ELISION OF FINAL VOWELS. 
$ 74. Even if Chaucerfollowed invariable rules with 
regard to the pronouncing or suppressing of the final 
e, it cannot be expected that they should be entirely 
made out by examining one single text of the Can- 
terbury Tales, which, though relatively a good one, 
is manifestly full of errors. A comparison of several 
of the better manuscripts would enable us to speak 
with much more accuracy and confidence. Tyrwhitt's 
arbitrary text may very frequently be used to clear 
up, both in this and in other particulars, the much 
superior manuscript published by Wright. Still the 
question whether an e was pronounced would often 
be one of much delicacy (as the previous question 
whether it actually existed is sometimes one of great 
difficulty), and not to be determined by counting syl- 
lables on the fingers. No supposition is indeed more 
absurd than that Chaucer, a master poet for any 
time, eould write awkward, halting, or even unhar- 
monious verses. It is to be held, therefore, that 
when a verse is bad, and cannot be made good any 
way as it stands, then we have not the verse that 
Chaucer wrote. But with regard to the particular 
point upon which we are now engaged, it would often 
be indifferent, or nearly so, whether a final e is abso- 
lutely dropped, or lightly glided over. Then again, 
as not a few grammatical forms were most certainly 
written both with and without this termination, the 
fuller form would often slip in where the other would 
be preferable or necessary, much depending on the 
care, the intelligence, or the good ear of the scribe. 
Very often the concurrence of an initial vowel, justi- 
fying elision, with a doubtful final e, renders it pos- 
sible to read a verse in two ways or more; and 
lastly, hundreds of verses are so mutilated or cor- 
rupted that no safe opinion can be based upon them. 
Such verses as these ought plainly not to be used 
either to support or to impugn a conclusion; neither 
ought the general rules which seem to be authorized 
by the majority of instances to be too rigorously 
applied to the emendation of verses that cannot be 
made, as they stand, to come under these rules. 
§ 75. Unaccented e final is commonly elided 
before a vowel: — 
and of his post as meke as is a mayde, 69. 
with lokkes crulle as they weré layde in presse, 81. 
he knew the cause of every maladye, 421. ` 
this noble ensample unto his scheep he gaf, 498. 
a companye of ladies, tweye and tweye, 900. 
to preche, and eek to begge, it is no doute, 7294. 
and beggyd mele, or cheese, or ellis corn, 7321. 
wel may his herte in joye and blisse abounde, 9162. 
for he was schave al newe in his manere, 9700. 
the sonne, and moone, and sterres every way, 12036. 
other to grave, or paynte, or forge, or bete, 13432. 
forsakith synne er synné yow forsake, 13701. 
o moodir mayde, o maydé mooder fre, 14875. 
with facé pale, in drede and busy thought, 15000. 
$ 76. Unaccented e final is elided before a few 
words beginning with h : — s 
a. Before the pronoun he (his, him, hire (hir), 
hem). 
wel cowde he dresse his takel yomanly, 106. 
what schulde he studie, and make himselven wood, 184. 
for in his male he hadde a pilwebeer, 696. 
but maketh houndes ete hem in despit(e), 949. 
that lene he wex, and drye as eny schaft, 1364. 
then wolde he wepe, he mighté nought be stent, 1370. 
that in that grove he wolde him hyde al day, 1483. 
ther dursté no wight clepe hir but madamé, 3954. 
and fatte his soule, and make his body lené, 7462. 
as techeth art of speche hem that it leeré, 10418. 
b. Before hath (has), and sometimes apparently 
before have, hadde, (had), though with regard to 
these last two words the number of cases is not 
enough for certainty. | 
1. fortune hath geven us this adversite, 1088, 1492, 
15833. 
that he ful sone hath plesyd every part, 2448. 
as soth is sayd eelde, hath gret avantage, 2449. 
by God, quod Johan, Symond, neede has na peere, 
4024, ah 
nature hath now no dominacioun, 2760, 3009, 13424. 
humblesse hath slayne in hir tyrrannye, 4585. 
that hem to seen the peple hath caught plesaunce, 
8869. 
whan tendre youthe hath weddid stoupyng age, 9612. 
so sore hath Venus hurt him with hir brond, 9651. 
out of the chambre hath every wight him dressed, 
9696. 
and whan sche of this bille hath taken heede, 9826. 
the mayde hath brought this men to blisse above, 
12209. 
- that slydyngé science ha[th] me madé so bare, 
12660. 
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