(d) Al|lë thát | he mícth|ë fyndë, 42.
To one of these four forms every line can be reduced, by the use of that slighter utterance of less important syllables which is so very common in English poetry. It is not the number of syllables, but of accents, that is essential. In every line throughout the poem there are four accents, with only two or three exceptions, viz. ll. 1112, 1678, &c, which are defective. In a similar manner, we may readily scan any of the lines, as e.g. ll. 2-4;
(c) Wi|uës, mayd|nës, and al|lë men
(b) Of a ta|lë þat | ich you | wile tellë[38]
(b) Wo-so | ’t wil’ her’ | and þer|to duellë, &c.
Here the syllables -nes and in l. 3, of a in l. 4, and it wile in l. 5, are so rapidly pronounced as to occupy only the room of one unaccented syllable in lines of the strict type. However awkward this appears to be in theory, it is very easy in practice, as the reciter readily manages his voice so as to produce the right rhythmical effect; and, indeed, this variation of arrangement is a real improvement, preventing the recitation from becoming monotonous. Those who have a good ear for rhythm will readily understand this, and it seems unnecessary to dwell upon it more at length. But it may be remarked, that the three lines above quoted are rather more irregular than usual, and that the metre is such as to enable us to fix the instances in which the final -e is pronounced with great accuracy, on which account I shall say more about this presently. I would, however, first enumerate the rimes which seem to be more or less inexact or peculiar, or otherwise instructive.
I. Repetitions. Such are men, men; holden, holde, 29;[39] erþe, erþe, 739; heren, heren, 1640; nithes, knithes, 2048; youres, youres, 2800. To this class belong also longe, londe, 172, heye, heie, 1151, 2544; where longe, londe is, however, only an assonance.
II. Assonant rimes. Here the rime is in the vowel-sound; the consonantal endings differ. Such are rym, fyn, 21; yeme, quene, 182; shop, hok, 1101 (where shop is probably corrupt); odrat, bad, 1153; fet, ek, 1303; yer, del, 1333; maked, shaped, 1646; beþe, rede, 1680; riche, chinche, 1763, 2940; feld, swerd, 1824, 2634; seruede, werewed, 1914; wend, gent, 2138; þank, rang, 2560; boþen, ut-drowen, 2658. To the same class belong name, rauen, 1397, grauen, name, 2528; slawen, rauen, 2676. Henged, slenget, 1922, should rather be called an imperfect rime.[40] There is also found the exact opposite to this, viz., an agreement or consonance at the end, preceded by an apparent diversity in the vowel; as longe, gange, 795 (but see longe, gonge, 843), bidde, stede, 2548, open, drepen, 1782, gres, is, 2698, boþe, rathe, 2936 (but see rathe, bathe, 1335, 2542), fet (long e), gret, 2158; and not unlike these are some instances of loose rimes, as beþe, rede, 360, knaue, plawe, 949, sawe, hawe (where hawe is written for haue), 1187, sawe, wowe, 1962 (but see wowe, lowe, 2078, lowe, sawe, 2142, wawe, lowe, 2470). Observe also bouth, oft (read vt or ut = out?), 883, tun, barun, 1001 (cf. toun, brun, 1750, champiouns, barouns, 1032); plattinde, gangande, 2282, &c. Eir, toþer, 410, harde, crakede, 567, are probably due to mistakes.[41]
III. Rimes which shew that the final -en was pronounced so slightly as to be nearly equivalent to -e. Examples: holden, holde, 29; gongen, fonge, 855; bringe, ringen, 1105; mouthen, douthe, 1183; riden, side, 1758; wesseylen, to-deyle, 2098; slawen, drawe, 2476. In the same way hon rimes to lond, 1341, owing to the slight pronunciation of the final d.[42]
IV. Rimes which appear imperfect, but may be perfect. Riche answers to like, 132, but the true spelling is rike, answering to sike, 290. Mithe, 196, should probably be moucte, as in l. 257, and it would thus rime with þoucte. Blinne, 2670, should certainly be blunne; cf. A.S. blinnan, pt. t. s. ic blan, pt. t. pl. we blunnon; and thus it rimes to sunne. Misdede, 993, is clearly an error for misseyde, as appears from the parallel passage in ll. 49, 50; and it then rimes with leyde. So in l. 1736, for deled read deyled, as in l. 2098. Boþe, 430, has no line answering to it, and a line may have been lost. Nicth, lict, 575, is a perfect rime. Halde, bolde, 2308, may also be perfect. For-sworen answers to for-lorn (pronounced for-loren), 1423; bitawte to authe (pronounced aute), 1409; yemede (pronounced yem-dè) is not an improper rime to fremde, 2276; anon rimes with iohan (if pronounced ion or John, as indicated by the spelling ion in l. 177), 2562, 2956. Yet in another instance it seems to be two syllables, Jo-han; see wimman, iohan, 1720.[43] Speche should be speke, and thus rimes to meke, 1065. Stareden should perhaps be stradden, or some such form, rightly riming to ladden, 1037. Under this head we may notice some rimes which throw, possibly, some light on the pronunciation. Thus, for the sound of ey, ei, observe hayse, preyse, 60; leyke, bleike, 469; laumprei, wei, 771; deye rimes to preye, 168; day to wey, 663; seyd to brayd, 1281; but we also find hey, fri, 1071; hey, sley, 1083, heye, heie, 1151; heye, eie, 2544; leye, heye, 2010; heye, fleye, 2750. Fram rimes to sham, 55; yet the latter word is really shame, 83; gange is also spelt gonge, halde rimes with bolde, 2308. The pronunciation of ware, were, or wore, seems ambiguous; we find sore, wore, 236; wore, more, 258; ware, sare, 400; wore, sore, 414; were, þere, 741; more, þore, 921. For the sound of e, observe suere, gere, 388; suereth, dereth, 648; eten, geten, 930; yet, fet, 1319; stem, bem, 592; glem, bem, 2122; also yeue, liue, 198; liue, gyue, 356; lyue, yeue, 1217; her, ther, 1924; fishere, swere, 2230. For that of i, observe cri, merci, 270; sire, swire, 310; swiþe, vnbliþe, 140; fir, shir, 587; sire, hire, 909; rise, bise, 723; fyr, shir, 915; lye, strie, 997; hey, fri, 1071; for-þi, merci, 2500. For that of o, observe two, so, 350; do, so, 713; shon, on, 969; hom, grom, 789; lode, brode, 895; anon, ston, 927; ston, won, 1023; do, sho (shoe), 1137; do, sho (she), 1231; stod, mod, 1702; ilkon, ston, 1842; shon (shoon), ston, 2144; croud, god, 2338; don, bon, 2354; sone (soon), bone, 2504; bole, hole, 2438.[44] Only in a few of these instances would the words rime in modern standard English. For the ou and u sounds, observe couþe, mouþe, 112; yow, now, 160; wolde, fulde, 354; yw, nou, 453; bounden, wnden, 545; sowel, couel, 767; low, ynow, 903; sowen, lowe, 957; strout, but, 1039; þou, nou, 1283; doun, tun, 1630; crus, hous, 1966; wounde, grunde, 1978; bowr, tour, 2072; spuse, huse, 2912. Lowe, 1291, 2431, 2471, should rather be lawe, as in l. 2767. These hints will probably suffice for the guidance of those who wish to follow up the subject. It is evident that full dependence cannot be placed upon the exactness of the rimes.