Of the Orthographie and Congruitie of the Britan Tongue | Page 4

gone astray, and to the faithfull full of
consolation. Edinb. 1594. 8o.
Four Discourses, of Praises unto God, to wit, 1 in Praise of the Mercy
and Goodness of God. 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 Majestie, 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 ship 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 +autos ephê+ 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 Majesties judgement, quhom
God 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 God to bring your Majestie hame to visit your aun
Ida. Quher I hard that your Grace, 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 Majestie 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 Majesties 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, curasse rem literariam, and be his auctoritie to mend
the misses that ignorant custom hath bred. Julius Cæsar 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 Majesties worthie progenitoures, houbeit repressed be the
iniquitie of the tyme, deserved noe smal praise; and your Majesties 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