University of Virginia Library

SECT. VI.

Some other Elisions that are frequently us'd in our Versification; and particularly of the Particles It, Is, To, Are, Will, He, She, We, Would, Have, His, Am, Not, In, The, Who, By.

The Particle It admits of an Elision of its I, when it is plac'd after any word that ends in a Vowel ; as by't for by it, do't for do it, &c. Or that ends in any of the Consonants

that can be pronounc'd after the Letter T, as Was't for Was it, In't for In it, and the like.

Or when it is plac'd before any Word. that begins by a Vowel, or by any of the Consonants that the Letter T can be sounded before, as `Tis for It is, T'wouId for It would, &c.

The Particle Is may lose its I after any Word that ends in a Vowel, or in any of the Consonants after which the 'Letter S may be sounded; she's for she is: The Air's for the Air is, &c.

To (sign of the Infinitive) may lose its O before any Word that begins by a Vowel; as T' amaze, t' undo, &c.

Are may lose its A after the Pronouns Personal We, You, They, as We're, You're, They're: And thus it is that this Elision ought to be made, and not as some do, by cutting offthe Final Vowels of the Pronouns Personal; W'are, Y'are, Th'are: It also loses its A after Who: Who're for Who are.

Will and Would may lose all their first Letters, and retain only their final one, after any of the Pronouns Personal; as I'll for I will, He'd for He would, &c. or after Who, as who'll for who will, who'd for who would.

He, She, We, may lose their E before any Verb that begins by a Vowel; as Sh' exposes, W'aim,&c. And sometimes before other words, as in this Verse of Cowley.

Have, may lose its two first Letters after I, You, We, They; as I've, You've, We've, They've.

Not, loses its two first Letters after can; Can't for Can not.

Am, may lose its A after I: I'm for I am.

Us, its U after Let, Let's for let us.

Taken, its K, as Ta'en, for so it ought to be writ not ta'ne.

In some of our Poets we find the Particle His lose its two first Letters after any word that ends in a Vowel; as To's, by's, &c. for to his, by his, &c. Or after any word that ends in a Consonant, after which the Letter S can be pronounc'd, as In's, for's, for In his, for his, &c This is frequent in Cowley, who I must confess often makes Contractions that are scarce allowable; as t' your for to your, t' which for to which, and many others; In which we must be cautious of following his Example: But the Contracting the Particle His in the manner I have mention'd, is not wholly to be Condemn'd.

We sometimes find the word Who, contracted before words that begin by a Vowel; As,

Cowley.

And the Preposition By in like manner; As,

Dryd.

But these and the like Contractions are very rare in our most Correct Poets, and ought but sparingly to be follow'd.

I have already spoken of the Contraction of the Particle The before Vowels, in the Third Section of this Chapter, but it will be requisite to take notice that it sometimes loses its Vowel when it is before a Word that begins by a ConSonant; and then its two remaining Letters are join'd to the preceeding word; as to th' Wall, for to the Wall, by th' Wall. for by the Wall, &c.

It may also be cut off before words that begin by the Letter H, when it is not strongly aspir'd, and particularly, when the H is follow'd by another E; As,

Wall. Wall.

The Particles In, of, and on, and some others of like Nature sometimes lose their Consonants, and are join'd to the Particle The in like manner; as i'th', o'th', for In the, of the.

Some words admit of an Elision of their first Syllable; as `Tween, `Twixt, `Mong, `Mongst, `Gainst, `Bove, `cause, `fore, `gins, `gan, for for Between, Betwixt, Among, Amongst, Because, Before, Begins, Began, and perhaps some others that may be observ'd in reading our Poets.