2«* S. VI. 143, Sett. 25. '58.] NOTES AND QUERIES. 



249 



Europe ; and where it survived in the recesses of 

 monasteries, during the Middle Ages, the pronun- 

 ciation was probably the same that had prevailed 

 in Italy from the time when classical Greek had 

 been the favourite study of the Roman schools. 

 But after the capture of Constantinople by Ma- 

 homet II. in 1453, when the study of Greek was 

 restored in the west through the instrumentality 

 of Chrysolaras, Lascaris, Chalcondylas and other 

 fugitives, it was taught with all the peculiarities of 

 modern pronunciation above alluded to as belong- 

 ing to the vernacular language. 



In England, the introduction of the study of 

 Greek under any modification was violently re- 

 sisted in the reign of Henry VII., and at Oxford 

 its partisans and opponents formed two factions 

 under the respective designations of Gi'eeks and 

 Trojans. The strife was appeased in the subse- 

 quent reign, chiefly by the influence of Wolsey, 

 and the new literature rose rapidly into repute 

 and popularity. 



But a fresh controversy then sprung up, as to the 

 correctness of the pronunciation introduced by the 

 Constantinopolitan refugees; the most powerful 

 assailants of which were Aldus Manutius, the re- 

 nowned printer of Venice, and Erasmus, whose 

 Dialogus de recta Latiiii Gracique Sermonis Pro- 

 nunciatione, was followed by a host of literary par- 

 tisans, such as Metkerke, Beza, Ceratinus and 

 others, who contended for the superior accuracy 

 of the pronunciation which had theretofore pre- 

 vailed. After a prolonged struggle their system 

 was adopted on the continent, and their me- 

 thod of reading Greek met with general accep- 

 tation to the exclusion of the Constafltinopolitan 

 system. 



The Byzantine pronunciation was, however, the 

 first that was taught in the English schools ; 

 where it prevailed till the opposite views of Eras- 

 mus were warmly espoused by Sir John Cheke, 

 a learned professor of Cambridge, in the reign of 

 Henry VIII. In conjunction with Sir Thomas 

 Smith, he resolved on casting out the abomina- 

 tion ; and having commenced their reforms by the 

 introduction of the purified pronunciation into 

 schools and private seminaries, they at length 

 ventured to broach their new doctrines in the 

 hail of the University. Stephen Gardiner, Bishop 

 of Winchester, who was then Chancellor of Cam- 

 bridge, set himself with unaccountable virulence 

 against the attempted innovation, and issued an 

 edict against the proceedings of Cheke, which, be- 

 sides being remarkable for its petulance and bi- 

 gotry, is curious as an illustration of the mode of 

 Iironouncing Greek at that time prevalent in Eng- 

 and. The document itself will be found at large 

 in Strype's Lives of Sir John Cheke and of Sir 

 Thomns Smith ; after setting out with particu- 

 larity the sounds which the Chancellor declares to 

 be orlhodo-v, and which are nearly thotc that I 



have above described as peculiar to the modern 

 Greeks, the decree concludes as follows : 



" Si quis autem, quod .ibominor, secus fecerit, et de 

 sonis (re sane, si ipsara spectes, levicula; si contentionis 

 inde nata; indignitatem, non ferenda) controversiam pub- 

 licfe movent, aut obstinato animi proposito receptum ^ 

 plerisque omnibus souorum modum abrogare aut irapro- 

 bare perrexerit, quive sciens prudens ad hoc data opera, 

 quod hie sancitum est, verbo factove publicfe palam con- 

 tempserit, hunc homiuem, quisquis is erit, ineptum omnes 

 habento : et a senatu, siquidem ex eo numero jam fuerit, 

 is qui auctoritati pra^est, nisi resipuerit, expellito. Inter 

 candidatus verb si sit, ab omni gradu honoris arceto. 

 Ex plebe autem scholarium si fuerit, quum ita haberi id 

 ei commodo esse possit, pro scholari ne censeto. Pueri- 

 lem denique teraeritatem, si quid publice ausa fuerit, 

 domi apud suos castigari curato. Postremb Vieecaucel- 

 larius et Procuratores qu* hie praescripta sunt ne con- 

 temnantur, neve edicto fraus aliqua fiat, pro modo Juris- 

 dictionis singuli providento. Ab his si quid adversum 

 hsec admissum sit, aut omissum, mulcta est quam dixerit 

 Cancellarius. lu summa, hoc edictum ottines sacrosanc- 

 tum ita habeuto, ut hec contumacibus remissum, nee 

 resipiscentibus severum esse videatur. — Datum Londini, 

 18 Ualend. Junias, anno Domini 1542." 



Cheke ajDpealed from the dogmatic Chancellor 

 to the learned men of Europe, and published a 

 series of epistles between the bishop and himself, 

 in which the gentle spirit of the former appears 

 to but little advantage : — 



" I have read," commences the prelate, in an address 

 to the professor, " the treatise which 3'ou have trans- 

 mitted to me, in which I find a copious stream of words, 

 and a redundancy of speech ; much reading, too, do I 

 discern, and happiness of memory, besides industry and 

 diligence in the pursuit of common and trivial matters. 

 But know, Sir, that in a professor I look also for judge- 

 ment and erudition, and condemn that arrogance, pre- 

 sumption, and insolence, which so frequently flow from 

 3'our pen." — Stephanus Wintonus, Episcopus, Acad. 

 Cantab. Cancell. Joh. Cheko, p. 5. 



In spite, however, of the opposition of the bishop, 

 the efforts of Cheke and his colleague Smith were 

 eventually successful. The reformation pro- 

 ceeded slowly, but steadily ; and in England the 

 modern Greek pronunciation, as introduced by 

 Chrysolaras and his countrymen, was abandoned, 

 and that suggested by Erasmus and his imitators 

 became the universal practice of Britain, as it had 

 already become that of the rest of Europe. 



The works to which the controversy gave rise 

 are numerous and singularly interesting ; and such 

 is the ingen ui ty displ ay ed in them, that U ucange and 

 later philologists abstain from offering any opinion 

 as to the side on which victory ought to have rested. 

 The modern Greeks naturally rely on the argu- 

 ment of an uninterrupted tradition from genera- 

 tion to generation ; whilst their Latin opponents 

 point to the fact of lingual corruption inseparable 

 from centuries of association with contiguous races 

 and barbarous dialects. A collection of the princi- 

 pal essays published by the disputants on both sides 

 was printed by Ilavcrcamp at Lcyden in 1 740, under 

 the title of Sylloge Scriptoruiii qui de Grceccc Lin- 



