248 



Mi\ Pickering on the Pronunciation 



mus" not adhering to his new pronunciation Limseif, ]>y siippoa- 

 ing, tliat he ahandoned it iu consecjuence of the difficulty of over- 

 coming his old hahits, and of making the puhlic follow him in 

 his innovations, however well founded they might he.* Nor does 

 Havcrcamp (who was also an advocate for the Erasmian pronun- 

 ciation, and from whom;, as the editor of the controversial tracts 

 oil this queston, we should naturally have expected an investiga- 

 tion of the trutli of the narrative,) venture to deny it ; but contents 

 himself with remarking, that he does not wish to discuss the credit 

 bility of the testimony of Coracopetrmus — '<^ de cujus testimonii ve- 



says he) disputare 



?^ 



The narrative is also repub 



lished from Vossius by Jortin^ in his life of Erasmus, without any 

 intimation, that I have observed, of its being questionable. 



That such a change, however, in the pronunciation of the 

 Greek language should have been thus effected, seems at first view 



hardly possible. But wh 



th 



by this change 



Greek was more assimilated to the lansuases of E 



g 



eral, and consequently became more easy to the learner; and 



r 



when we reflect upon the great influence of names at that period 



Henrici 



doctij doctisque perfamiliaris. Ea ita habet &c. and then Vossius relates the 

 story at large. 



* <« Verum cum Aclullea sint pleraque omnia qiiibus ab Erasmo atque altis 

 refellitur vulgaris isthsec loquendi ratio, neutiquam in auimum inducere possum, 

 quod Erasmus cam retinuerlt, nee amicos ab ca deterruerit, id eo factum, quod 

 editi libelli psenlteret; verum magis mihi verisimile fit, cum meliora videret pro- 

 barctque, deteriora tamen sequutum ; sive quid a puero sic loqui adsuevissetj 

 sive quod desperaret sue se exemplo alios ad imitationem provocare posse ; sive 

 quod loquendum putarit cum vulgo, sapiendum cum paucis, ut prjecepit t^5 «a^- 

 #f.'*s Philosopbus." Yosaix Aristarchy lib. i. c. 28. 



