to the fourth fyllable from the end,) the ftrefs being laid on the firft fyllables, the rest are pronounced in a lower tone, more rapidly and indiftinctly; and fo are often either wholly dropped or blended into one another.

It fometimes happens alfo, that the word, which arifes from a regular change, does not found easily or agreeably; fometimes by the rapidity of our pronunciation the vowels are fhortened or loft; and the confonants, which are thrown together, do not eafily coalefce with one another, and are therefore changed into others of the fame organ, or of a kindred fpecies. This occafions a further deviation from the regular form: thus loveth, turneth, are contracted into lov'th, turn'th, and these for easier pronunciation immediately become loves, turns.

Verbs ending in ch, ck, p, x, ll, ss, in the Paft Time Active, and the Participle Perfect or Paffive, admit the change of ed into t; as, [9] fnatcht, checkt, fnapt, mixt, dropping alfo one of the double letters, dwelt, paft; for fnatched, checked, fnapped, mixed, dwelled, paffed: thofe that end in l, m, n, p, after a diphthong, more

[9] Some of thefe Contractions are harsh and difagreeable and it were better, if they were avoided and disused: but they prevail in common difcourfe, and are admitted into Poetry; which latter indeed cannot well do without them.

over

over fhorten the diphthong, or change it into a fingle fhort vowel; as, dealt, dreamt, meant, felt, flept, &c. all for the fame reafon; from the quicknefs of the pronunciation, and because the d after a fhort vowel will not eafily coalefce with the preceding confonant. Those that end in ve change alfo ve into f; as, bereave, bereft, leave, left; because likewife v after a fhort vowel will not eafily coalefce with t.

All thefe, of which I have hitherto given examples, are confidered not as Irregular but as Contracted only; in most of them the Intire as well as the Contracted form is ufed; and the Intire form is generally to be preferred to the Contracted.

The formation of Verbs in English, both Regular and Irregular, is derived from the Saxon.

The Irregular Verbs in English are all Monofyllables, unlefs compounded; and they are for the most part the fame words which are Irregular Verbs in the Saxon.

As all our Regular Verbs are fubject to fome kind of Contraction; fo the firft Clafs of Irregulars is of thofe, that become fo from the fame caufe.

I.

Irregulars by Contraction.

Some Verbs ending in d or t have the Prefent, the Paft Time, and the Participle Perfect and Pas

five, all alike, without any variation; as, beat, burft [1], caft [2], coft, cut, heat * [3], hit, hurt, knit, let, lift *, light * [4], put, quit *, read [5], rent, rid, fet, fhed, fhred, fhut, flit, fplit [6], fpread, thrust, wet *.

Thefe

[1] Thefe two have also beaten and burften in the Participle; and in that form they belong to the Third Clafs of Irregulars.

[2] Shakespear ufes the Participle in the Regular Form:.

"And when the mind is quicken'd, out of doubt
The organs, tho' defunct and dead before,
Break up their drowfie grave, and newly move
With cafted flough, and fresh celerity."

Hen. V. [3] "He commanded, that they should heat the furnace one feven times more than it was wont to be heat." Dan. iii. 19.

The Verbs marked thus, throughout the three Claffes of Irregulars, have the Regular as well as the Irregular Form in use.

[4] This Verb in the Paft Time and Participle is pronounced short, light or lit: but the Regular form is preferable, and prevails most in writing.

[5] This Verb in the Paft Time and Participle is pronounced fhort; read, red, red; like lead, led, led; and perhaps ought to be written in this manner: our antient writers fpelt it redde.

[6] Shakespear ufes the Participle in the RegularForm:

"That felf hand,

Which writ his honour in the acts it did,

These are Contractions from beated, burfted, cafted, &c.; because of the disagreeable found of the fyllable ed after d or t [7].

Others in the Paft Time, and Participle Perfect and Paffive, vary a little from the prefent, by fhortening the diphthong, or changing the d into t; as, lead, led; fweat, fwet* [8]; meet, met; bleed, bled; breed, bred; feed, fed; fpeed, fped; bend, bent*; lend, lent; rend, rent; send, fent; fpend, fpent; build, built*; geld, gelt; gild, gilt*; gird, girt; lofe, loft.

Others not ending in dort are formed by Contraction; have, had for haved; make, made, Hath, with the courage which the heart did lend it, Splitted the heart itfelf." Ant. and Cleop. [7] They follow the Saxon rule: "Verbs which in the Infinitive end in dan or tan," (that is, in Englih, d and t; for an is only the Characteristic termination of the Saxon Infinitive,) " in the Preterit and Participle Preterit commonly, for the fake of better found, throw away the final ed; as beot, afed, (both in the Preterit and Participle Preterit,) for beoted, afeded; from beotan, afedan." Hickes, Grammat. Saxon. Cap. iv. So the fame Verbs in English, beat, fed, instead of beated, feeded.

وو.

[8] How the drudging goblin favet:""

Milton, Allegro. Shakespear ufes fweaten, as the Participle of this Verb: "Grease, that's sweaten

From the murtherer's gibbet throw." Macbeth. In this form it belongs to the Third Clafs of Irregulars.

for

1

for maked; flee, fled, for flee-ed; fhoe, shod, for fhoe-ed.

The following, beside the Contraction, change also the Vowel; fell, fold; tell, told; clothe, clad*.

Stand, ftood; and dare, durft, (which in the Participle hath regularly dared,) are directly from the Saxon, ftandan, ftod; dyrran, dorse.

II.

Irregulars in ght.

The irregulars of the Second Clafs end in ght, both in the Paft Time and Participle; and change the vowel or diphthong into au or ou: they are taken from the Saxon, in which the termination is hte.

[1] "As in this glorious and well foughten field

We kept together in our chivalry."

Shakespear, Hen. V.

"On the foughten field

Michael, and his Angels, prevalent,

Encamping, plac'd in guard their watches round."

Milton, P. L. VI. 410.

This Participle feems not agreeable to the Analogy of derivation, which obtains in this Clafs of Verbs.