TO THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. AN INDEX ΤΟ ALL THE PERFECT RHYMES OF A DIFFERENT ORTHOGRAPHY, AND THE LANGUAGE; WITH AUTHORITIES FOR THE USAGE OF THEM FROM OUR BEST POETS. BY J. LONGMUIR, A.M., LL.D., EDITOR OF WALKER AND WEBSTER'S ENGLISH DICTIONARY, ETC., ETC. LONDON: WILLIAM TEGG & CO., PANCRAS LANE, CHEAPSIDE. PREFACE TO THE INDEX OF PERFECT AND ALLOWABLE RHYMES, As the principal object of the preceding Syllabic Dictionary was to throw light on the structure, orthography, and pronunciation of our language, it was necessary to adhere strictly to the inverted order of arrangement, that terminations of similar orthography might be classed together, though those of similar sound would sometimes, by this means, be separated; but as the inverted position of the words, though the simplest that could be chosen for this purpose, may possibly at first embarrass the inspector for poetry, an index of rhymes is annexed in the same order as in Poole and Bysshe, though much more copious and correct, besides a reference to an almost infinite number of allowable rhymes, with authorities for their usage from our best poets. As an index to allowable rhymes is an attempt perfectly new, may not be improper to make a few observations with respect to its utility, and answer some objections to which it may be liable. OBS. 1. Whatever has been constantly practised by our most harmonious poets, may be safely presumed to be agreeable to the genius of our poetry: it is highly probable that our prosody has passed its meridian, and that no reformation can possibly be made without injuring it. The delicate ears of a Pope or an Addison, would scarcely have acquiesced in the usage of imperfect rhymes, and sanctioned them so often by their practice, if such rhymes had been really a blemish. The same masculine force that supports our poetry without the assistance of any rhyme at all, seems to exempt it from that servile attention to perfectly similar rhymes, to which the French versification is inviolably bound. Nay, so far from a defect, there seems to be sometimes a beauty in departing from a perfect exactness of rhyme, as it agreeably breaks that sameness of returning sounds on the expecting ears which in poetry perhaps, as in music, requires something like an occasional discord to make even harmony itself more agreeable. OBS. 2. But though an English ear will freely admit of a rhyme between a long and short sound of the same vowel, and sometimes even between the long and short sounds of different vowels, yet these vowels that are suffered to rhyme are not of a different nature, though called by a different name. The inaccuracy with which they are denominated has but very little influence on the practice of our poets, who, trying them by the only infallible touchstone, the ear, discover the relation between similar vowels, better than by a grammatical analysis. By the usage of the poets, we find the vowels frequently associated according to their radical sound, and that a union is lawful between any vowels of the same family, as it may be called, though the name may be different; therefore, as the e in led is by no means the real short sound of that letter as heard in its name, or in the word glede, it is no wonder if the poets very often associate it with the slender a, as heard in lade, and of which it is really the short sound. The same may be observed of almost every other imperfect rhyme we meet with; if the family sound of the vowel be preserved, the ear acknowledges the affinity; if a vowel of a totally different sound be assumed, the ear immediately detects the incongruous mixture. Thus the different sounds of the vowels, i, e, a, o, u, slide into each other by an easy gradation, each of which is sufficiently related to the preceding and succeeding sound to form what is called an allowable rhyme. And though it must be confessed that poets have sometimes abused the liberty of rhyming, and wounded the ear by an association of discordant vowels, yet this is no argument against the occasional use of such rhymes as are but gentle inflections of the same radical sound, as these circulate freely through our best compositions, and actually form a part of our prosody. OBз. 3. It will be necessary, therefore, to observe, that, although authorities are not brought for the usage of every individual allowable rhyme, the species of these rhymes, if I may call them so, are amply and repeatedly illustrated. For the same ear which allows glass to rhyme with place, or place with peace and distress, will permit decay'd to rhyme with fled, and shade with mead; for the consonants with which they terminate do not alter the nature of the preceding vowels, or occasion any diversity in the quality of the rhyme. It would, therefore, have been sufficient to have adduced a much smaller number of poetical examples than are here given; as they are all founded on the same principles, and must necessarily stand or fall together. It may be objected, that a work of this kind contributes to extend poetic blemishes, by furnishing imperfect materials and apolo |