f persons
never before heard of.

This by the way, however; for the main object of these remarks is to
convey and impress the idea, that what naturally seems to us the
strange and uncouth spelling of former times, was not a proof of the
gross, untaught ignorance which it would now indicate. The purpose of
the writer in those days was, not to spell accurately words which
there was no strict rule for spelling, but to note down words in such
a way as to enable those who had not heard them to reproduce them, and
to impart their sense through the eye to those who should only see
them. One of the finest proofs and specimens of this which we possess,
is to be found in a sort of historical drama, now about three hundred
years old, written by Bishop Bale, one of the most learned men of his
time, and still existing, partly in his hand-writing, and partly in
another hand, with his autograph corrections.[1] Certainly the prelate
and the scribe between them did, as we should consider it, most
atrociously murder the king and queen's English--for I suppose it
would be hard to say how much of it belonged to Edward, and how much
to Elizabeth; and there is something quite surprising in the prolific
ingenuity with which they evade what we should consider the obvious
and natural spelling. For instance, one of the _dramatis personae_, and
a very important one, is an allegorical person called 'Civil Order;'
but I believe that the word 'civil' thus spelled never occurs in the
whole work, though seven other modes of spelling it are to be found
there. What then? You know what the writer means by cyvill, cyvyll,
cyvyle, sivyll, syvyll, sivile, and syvile. Only say it out, and don't
be afraid. It is mere nervousness that hinders people from reading old
spelling. Clear your throat, and set off at full speed, and the top of
your voice, with the following paragraph. Do not stop to think; take
the raspers without looking at them, and you will find that you get
over the ground wonderfully:--

'The suttle munkych rewlars in furdewhodes rewled the pepell with
suttyll rewles. But some of the pepyll were sedycyows scysmatyckes,
and did puplyshe them for dysgysyd ipocryts, full of desseyvable gylle
and covytous hydolatrie of luker. And these sysmatykes could in no
wysse indewer that lords, nowther dewks, nor yet the kings mageste,
nor even the empowr, should ponnysh any vylayn. Because, say they,
peples in general, as well as peplys in particular (that i