Of the Orthographie and Congruitie of the Britan Tongue Part 1

Of the Orthographie and Congruitie of the Britan Tongue.

by Alexander Hume.

PREFACE.

The following Tract is now printed for the first time from the original Ma.n.u.script in the old Royal Collection in the Library of the British Museum (Bibl. Reg. 17 A. xi). It is written on paper, and consists of forty-five leaves, the size of the pages being 5-3/4 in. by 3-3/4 in.

The dedication, the t.i.tles, and the last two lines, are written with a different coloured ink from that employed in the body of the MS., and appear to be in a different handwriting. It is probable that the tract was copied for the author, but that he himself wrote the dedication to the King.

The Ma.n.u.script is undated, and we have no means of ascertaining the exact time when it was written; but from a pa.s.sage in the dedication to James I. of England, it is fair to infer that it was written shortly after the visit of that monarch to Scotland, subsequent to his accession to the throne of the southern kingdom, that is, in the year 1617. This would make it contemporaneous with Ben Jonson's researches on the English Grammar; for we find, in 1629, James Howell (Letters, Sec. V.

27) writing to Jonson that he had procured Davies' Welch Grammar for him, "to add to those many you have." The grammar that Jonson had prepared for the press was destroyed in the conflagration of his study; so that the posthumous work we now possess consists merely of materials, which were printed for the first time in 1640, three years after the author's death.

The Dedication of this Tract is merely signed _Alexander Hume_, and contains no other clue to the authors.h.i.+p. Curiously enough there were four Alexander Humes living about the same time, and three of them were educated at St. Mary's College, St. Andrew's; only two, however, became authors, the first of whom was Minister of Logie, and wrote _Hymnes or Sacred Songes_. There can be little doubt, however, that the present grammar was written by the Alexander Hume who was at one time Head Master of the High School, Edinburgh, and author of _Grammatica Nova_.

From Dr. Steven's History of the High School, Edinburgh, and from M'Crie's Life of Melville, I have been enabled to extract and put together the following scanty particulars of our author's life:--The time and place both of his birth and of his death are alike unknown; but he himself, on the t.i.tle of one of his works, tells us that he was distantly connected with the ancient and n.o.ble family of Home, in the county of Berwick. He was educated at the school of Dunbar, under the celebrated Andrew Simson, and in due time was enrolled a student in St.

Mary's College, St. Andrew's, and then took the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1574. He came to England, and was incorporated at Oxford January 26, 1580-81, as "M. of A. of St. Andrew's, in Scotland."[1] He spent sixteen years in England, partly engaged in studying and partly in teaching. During the latter part of this term he was a schoolmaster at Bath, as appears from Dr. Hill's answer to him, published in 1592; and the fact of his residence in this city is corroborated at page 18 of the present treatise. He then returned to Scotland, having gained a reputation for the excellence of his learning and for the power he possessed of communicating it to others. On the dismissal of Hercules Rollock, Rector of the High School, Edinburgh, from his office, Hume was unanimously chosen to succeed him, and his appointment was dated 23rd April, 1596. During his inc.u.mbency the High School underwent many changes, and received the form which it retains to the present day. In March, 1606, Hume resigned his office to become princ.i.p.al master in the grammar school founded a short time previously, at Prestonpans, by the munificent John Davidson, minister of the parish. The following doc.u.ment gives an account of Hume's admission to this school:--

{Transcriber's Note: In this pa.s.sage, caret ^ means that the following single letter, or bracketed group of letters, was printed in superscript.}

"At hadintoun y^e 25 of Junij 1606. The q^{lk} day M^r Jo^n ker minister of y^e panis producit y^e prentat^one of M^r Alex^r hoome to be schoolm^r of y^e schoole of y^e panis foundit be M^r J^o Davedsone for instructioune of the youth in hebrew, greek and latine subscryvet be yais to quhome M^r Jo^n davedsone gave power to noit y^e man q^{lk} prentat^one y^e prebrie allowit and ordenit y^e moderator & clerk to subscrive y^e samine in y^r names q^{lk} yay ded. As also ordeanit y^t y^e said kirk of y^e panis suld be visited upon y^e eight day of Julij next to come for admissione of y^e said M^r Alex^r to y^e said office. The visitors wer appoynt.i.t M^r Ar^d oswald M^r Robert Wallace M^r George greir M^r andro blackhall & M^r andro Maghye to teach."----"At Saltprestoun July 8, 1606. The haill parischoners being poisit how yay lyckit of y^e said M^r Alex^r w^t vniforme consent being particularly inqwyrit schew y^r guid lycking of him and y^r willingnes to accept and receiv him to y^e said office Q^rupon y^e said M^r Alex^r wes admitt.i.t to y^e said office & in token of y^e approba^one both of visitors & of y^e parischones p^rnt both y^e ane and y^e vother tuik y^e said M^r Alex^r be y^e hand & y^e haill magistratis gentlemen and remanet parischoners p^rnt faithfullie p^rmisit to ccurre for y^e furtherce of y^e work y^t yit restis to be done to y^e said schoole as also to keipt y^e said M^r Alex^r and his scholleris skaithlis finallie for farther authorizing of y^e said (_sic_) it wes thought meitt y^t y^e haill visitors & parichones p^rnt suld enter y^e said M^r Alex^r into y^e said schoole & y^r heir him teache q^{lk} also wes doone." (Rec. of Presb. of Haddington).[2]

[Footnote 1: Wood's Fasti Oxonienses, by Bliss, I., 217.]

[Footnote 2: M'Crie's Life of Melville, vol. ii., p. 509.]

The school rapidly rose to distinction under Hume, but in 1615 he relinquished his position, and accepted the Masters.h.i.+p of the Grammar School of Dunbar, then in high repute, and the very same school in which he had commenced his own education. When occupied at Dunbar, Hume had the honour of being the first who, in a set speech, welcomed James VI.

back to his Scottish dominions, after an absence of fourteen years. The King stopped on his way northward from Berwick on the 13th of May, 1617, at Dungla.s.s Castle the residence of the Earl of Home, and Hume, as the orator of the day, delivered a Latin address.

The date of Hume's death is not known; but he was witness to a deed on the 27th of November, 1627; and later still, in the records of the Privy Council of Scotland, 8th and 16th July, 1630, Mr. D. Laing tells me that there is a memorandum of the King's letter anent the Grammar of Mr.

Alexander Hume, "schoolmaster at Dunbar." With regard to his private life, we know that he was married to Helen Rutherford, and had two sons and a daughter born to him in Edinburgh between the years 1601 and 1606.

He was the father of three more children, also two sons and a daughter, between 1608 and 1610, in the county of East Lothian.

Hume was a master in controversy, and wrote on subjects of polemical divinity; but his mind was princ.i.p.ally drawn towards language and the rules of its construction. He especially gave much of his time to the study of Latin grammar, and feeling dissatisfied with the elementary books which were then in use, he drew up one himself, which he submitted to the correction of Andrew Melville and other learned friends, and published in 1612 under the t.i.tle of _Grammatica Nova_. The object he proposed to himself was to exclude from the schools the grammar of the Priscian of the Netherlands, the celebrated John Van Pauteren, but his work did not give the satisfaction which he had expected. He succeeded, however, in his wishes after many reverses, by the help of Alexander Seton, Earl of Dunfermline, Chancellor of Scotland, and by authority both of Parliament and of the Privy Council his grammar was enjoined to be used in all the schools of the kingdom. But through the interest of the bishops, and the steady opposition of Ray, his successor at the High School, the injunction was rendered of no effect. He would not, however, be beaten, and we find that in 1623 he was again actively engaged in adopting measures to secure the introduction of his grammar into every school in North Britain where the Latin language was taught.

The following is a list of our author's works:--

A Reioynder to Doctor Hil concerning the Descense of Christ into h.e.l.l.

By Alexander Hume Maister of Artes. 4o.

No place of printing, printer's name, or date, but apparently printed at London in 1592 or 1593. Dedicated to Robert Earl of Ess.e.x. Although this is the first work that I can find attributed to Alexander Hume, yet there is no doubt that there must have been a former one of which we have no record, and the t.i.tle and contents of Dr. Hill's book would lead us to this conclusion--"The Defence of the Article. Christ descended into h.e.l.l. With arguments obiected against the truth of the same doctrine of one Alexander Humes. By Adam Hyll, D of Divinity. London 1592. 4o. This little volume consists of two parts; 1st, the original sermon preached by Hill 28th February, 1589; 2nd, the reply to Hume. At p. 33, the end of the sermon, is this note, "This sermon ... was answered by one Alexander Huns, Schoolemaester of Bath, whose answere wholy foloweth, with a replye of the author" ... At p. 33, "The reply of Adam Hill to the answere made by Alexander Humes to a sermon,"

etc.

A Diduction of the true and Catholik meaning of our Sauiour his words, _this is my bodie_, in the inst.i.tution of his laste Supper through the ages of the Church from Christ to our owne dayis. Whereunto is annexed a Reply to M. William Reynolds in defence of M. Robert Bruce his arguments on this subject: displaying M. John Hammilton's ignorance and contradictions: with sundry absurdities following upon the Romane interpretation of these words. Compiled by Alexander Hume, Maister of the high Schoole of Edinburgh. Edinburgh, Printed by Robert Waldegrave, Printer to the King's Maiestie, 1602. c.u.m Privilegio Regis. 8o.

Prima Elementa Grammaticae in usum juventutis Scoticae digesta. Edinburgi, 1612. 8o.

Grammatica Nova in usum juventutis Scoticae ad methodum revocata.

Edinburgi, 1612. 8o.

Bellum Grammaticale, ad exemplar Mri. Alexandri Humii. Edinburgi, excud. Gideon Lithgo, Anno Dom. 1658 8o. Several later editions.

This humorous Grammatical Tragi-Comedy was not written by Hume, but only revised by him.

King James's Progresses, collected and Published by John Adamson afterwards Princ.i.p.al of the University of Edinburgh, ent.i.tled-- ?? ?O? ???SO? ??S????: The Muses Welcome to the High and Mighty Prince James &c. At his Majesties happie Returne to Scotland In Anno 1617. Edinburgh 1618, folio.

At page 1: "His Majestie came from Bervik to Dunglas the xiij day of Maye, where was delivered this [latin] speach following by A.

Hume."--At page 16, there is also a couple of Latin verses signed "Alexander Humius."

MS. in the British Museum. The present work.

MS. in the Advocates' Library:--

Rerum Scoticarum Compendium, in usum Scholarum. Per Alexandrum Humium ex antiqua et n.o.bili gente Humiorum in Scotia, a prima stirpe quinta sobole oriundum. This work is dated October 1660, and is therefore merely a transcript. It is an epitome of Buchanan's History, and Chr. Irvine in Histor. Scot. Nomenclatura, calls it Clavis in Buchananum, and Bishop Nicholson (Scottish Hist. Lib.) praises its Latin style.

The following three works are inserted by Dr. Steven in his list of Hume's writings, and have been supposed to be his by M'Crie and others; but Mr. D. Laing believes "there can be no doubt, from internal evidence, that the true author was Alexander Hume, the poet, who became minister of Logie, near Stirling, in 1597, and who died in December, 1609." In Wood's Athenae Oxonienses, by Bliss, i., 624, it is stated that all three of them "were printed in London in 1594, in October," but this must, I think, be a mistake.

Ane Treatise of Conscience, quhairin divers secreits concerning that subject are discovered. At Edinburgh, printed by Robert Walde-grave, Printer to the King's Maiestie 1594. 8o.

Of the Felicitie of the world to come, unsavorie to the obstinate, alluring to such as are gone astray, and to the faithfull full of consolation. Edinb. 1594. 8o.

Four Discourses, of Praises unto G.o.d, to wit, 1 in Praise of the Mercy and Goodness of G.o.d. 2 of his justice. 3 of his Power. 4 of his Providence. Edinb. 1594. 8o.

In conclusion, my acknowledgments are due to David Laing, Esq., who has kindly suggested some corrections in the list of Hume's works, in addition to what is noted above.

London, February, 1865.

To the maest excellent in all princelie wisdom, learning, and heroical artes, JAMES, of Great Britan, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the faeth, grace, mercie, peace, honoure here and glorie hereafter.

May it please your maest excellent M_ajestie_, I, your grace's humble servant, seeing sik uncertentie in our men's wryting, as if a man wald indyte one letter to tuentie of our best wryteres, nae tuae of the tuentie, without conference, wald agree; and that they quhae might perhapes agree, met rather be custom then knawlege, set my selfe, about a yeer syne, to seek a remedie for that maladie. Quhen I had done, refyning it, I fand in Barret's Alvearie,[3] quhilk is a dictionarie Anglico-latinum, that Sr. Thomas Smith,[4] a man of nae less worth then learning, Secretarie to Queen Elizabeth, had left a learned and judiciouse monument on the same subject. Heer consydering my aun weaknes, and meannes of my person, began to fear quhat might betyed my sillie boat in the same seas quhaer sik a man's s.h.i.+p was sunck in the gulf of oblivion. For the printeres and wryteres of this age, caring for noe more arte then may win the pennie, wil not paen them selfes to knau whither it be orthographie or skuiographie that doeth the turne: _and_ schoolmasteres, quhae's sillie braine will reach no farther then the compas of their cap, content them selfes with a?t?? ?f? my master said it. Quhil I thus hovered betueen hope _and_ despare, the same Barret, in the letter E, myndes me of a star _and_ constellation to calm al the tydes of these seaes, if it wald please the supreme Majestie to command the universitie to censure and ratifie, and the schooles to teach the future age right and wrang, if the present will not rectius sapere. Heere my harte laggared on the hope of your M_ajesties_ judgement, quhom G.o.d hath indeued with light in a sorte supernatural, if the way might be found to draue your eie, set on high materes of state, to take a glim of a thing of so mean contemplation, and yet necessarie.

Quhiles I stack in this claye, it pleased G.o.d to bring your M_ajestie_ hame to visit your aun Ida. Quher I hard that your G_race_, in the disputes of al purposes quherwith, after the exemple of _th_e wyse in former ages, you use to season your moat, ne quid tibi temporis sine fructu fluat, fel sundrie tymes on this subject reproving your courteoures, quha on a new conceat of finnes sum tymes spilt (as they cal it) the king's language. Quhilk thing it is reported that your M_ajestie_ not onlie refuted with impregnable reasones, but alsoe fel on Barret's opinion that you wald cause the universities mak an Inglish gra_m_mar to repres the insolencies of sik green heades. This, quhen I hard it, soe secunded my hope, that in continent I maed moien hou to convoy this litle treates to your M_ajesties_ sight, to further (if perhapes it may please your G_race_) that gud motion. In school materes, the least are not the least, because to erre in them is maest absurd.

If the fundation be not sure, the maer gorgiouse the edifice the grosser the falt. Neither is it the least parte of a prince's praise, cura.s.se rem literariam, and be his auctoritie to mend the misses that ignorant custom hath bred. Julius Caesar was noe less diligent to eternize his name be the pen then be the suord. Neither thought he it unworthie of his paines to wryte a grammar in the heat of the civil weer, quhilk was to them as the English gram_m_ar is to us; _and_, as it seemes noe less then necessarie, nor our's is now. Manie kinges since that tyme have advanced letteres be erecting schooles, and doting revennues to their ma_in_tenance; but few have had the knaulege them selfes to mend, or be tuiched with, the defectes or faltes crept into the boueles of learning, among quhom JAMES the first, ane of your M_ajesties_ worthie progenitoures, houbeit repressed be the iniquitie of the tyme, deserved noe smal praise; and your M_ajesties_ self noe less, co_m_manding, at your first entrie to your Roial scepter, to reform the grammar, and to teach Aristotle in his aun tongue, quhilk hes maed the greek almaest as common in Scotland as the latine. In this alsoe, if it please your M_ajestie_ to put to your hand, you have al the windes of favour in your sail; account, that al doe follow; judgement, that al doe reverence; wisdom, that al admire; learning, that stupified our scholes hearing a king borne, from tuelfe yeeres ald alwayes occupyed in materes of state, moderat in theological and philosophical disputationes, to the admiration of all that hard him, and speciallie them quha had spent al their dayes in those studies.

[Footnote 3: "An Alvearie or Quadruple Dictionarie, containing four sundrie tongues, namelie, English, Latine, Greeke and French ... by Jo. Baret. _London_, 1580." Folio. An edition was published in 1573, with three languages only, the Greek not being included.]

[Footnote 4: "De recta et emendata Linguae Anglicae Scriptione Dialogus. _Lutetiae_, 1568." 4to.]

Accept, dred Soveragne, your pover servantes myte. If it can confer anie thing to the montan of your Majesties praise, and it wer but a clod, use it _and_ the auctour as your's. Thus beseeking your grace to accep my mint, and pardon my miss, commites your grace to the king of grace, to grace your grace with al graces spiritual _and_ temporal.

Your M_ajesties_ humble servant, Alexander Hume.

OF THE ORTHOGRAPHIE