THE RIMES IN THE AUTHENTIC POEMS OF WILLIAM DUNBAR. 643 



should expect the contrary." The reply to this is, I think, perfectly simple, i.e., that ei 

 was already used to express a different sound, viz. i, and hence ai was written to avoid 

 confusion. His second point, that the transition from ei to ai occurs in South England, 

 though seemingly a point in favour of the received view, is not necessarily hostile, still 

 less fatal to Curtis's theory. Indeed, one might almost agree, from the very different 

 fortunes of sounds in the north and south, that the probabilities are rather in favour of 

 a difference than of a similarity. Much the same is true of Dr Gerken's third argument 

 from the occurrence of the change from ei to a ; and, moreover, the instances given do not 

 seem to indicate a general law. His fourth objection would only be a serious one if we 

 were certain that the other sounds riming with ai could not possibly have also come to 

 the | stage so early, a position in so difficult a question rather dangerous to assert. 

 Nor does his fifth objection, somewhat loosely stated as it is, appear very formidable, 

 especially when we remember that poets are often scrupulous that their rimes should 

 appear correct to the eye as well as to the ear, and also that the stringency with which 

 purity of riming is maintained differs very much from time to time, and also with the in- 

 dividuality of the writer. To say the least of it, one would have to know exactly who 

 the poets referred to in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries respectively were, and to 

 what extent the one employed rimes which the other did not, before a serious argument 

 could be grounded on these lines. His sixth objection also cannot be called very 

 weighty, being of what one may call a negative character, as there may be some other 

 reason than pronunciation that withheld the Scottish scribes from conforming to the 

 English fashion of spelling. Still we must give Dr Gerken all credit for having mar- 

 shalled a number of ingenious objections to Dr Curtis's theory, objections which it is to 

 be hoped he, Dr Curtis, will himself find occasion to deal with a fulness not possible in 

 the present instance. 



It must also be borne in mind that to all theories in all subjects, not capable of 

 exact demonstration, there will always be many possible, often seemingly formidable, ob- 

 jections. It is here a question between two rival theories, for both of which there is 

 much to be said, and against which much can also be said. There seems to me more fun- 

 damental objections to the elder theory than to Dr Curtis's, and therefore, so far as I 

 can judge, Dr Curtis's theory "holds the field," just as the Darwinian theory and the 

 Wave-theory of light hold the field in their respective sciences. 



E: 



= WS., ie., after palatal. 



§ 33. 1. Before Id rimes with 



a) itself, 

 scheld :feld, 134, 7. 195, 114. 

 feild : scheld, 195, 115. 

 weld : feld : scheld, 207, 19. 



b) OE y. 

 scheld : beild, 294, 61. 



The vowel here seems already lengthened. 



c) OE. eo. 



field : beheld, 98, 127. 



d) OF. e. 



feild : peiled, 276, 37. 



