“Soft yielding minds to water glide away,
And sip, with myths, their elemental tea (tay);”
a rhyme which cannot be accounted for by negligence in Pope, for Pope was never negligent in his rhymes.
A hundred and fifty years ago, are was pronounced air. Note, for example, the following couplet of George Withers:
“Shall my cheeks grow wan with care
’Cause another’s rosy are?” (air).
Pronunciation of Proper Names
The Mexican Indians pronounce the name of their country with the accent on the second syllable (the penult), Mex-i´co. The Dakotas pronounce their name Dak´o-ta. The accent on Wy-o´ming is on the second syllable, though Campbell places it on the first:
“On Susquehanna’s side, fair Wy´oming.”
Goldsmith, in The Traveller, accents the penult in Niagara: