THE ORDER OF ORTHOGRAPHY:  
OR, Sixty six Rules shortly directing to the true writing, speaking, and pronouncing the English Tongue.  
Necessary for all sorts, for want whereof Strangers blame our English Tongue of difficulty: many of our own Nation speak it corruptly, many writ it falsely, and many are discouraged from learning to write it; and others that can write are ashamed to write to their best friends.  
LONDON, Imprinted by Augustine Mathews for William Lee, and are to be sold at his shop in Fleet street, at the sign of the Golden Buck, near Sergeant's Inn. 1622.   

To the Reader.  
REader,  
the sundry complaints that I have heard of many, and the great offers, that they would give much, so they could write English truly, and read it distinctly and perfectly; hath made me venture into the Press, and to publish for thy benefit this little Book; which though it contain much in effect, yet I have contrived into this small Octavo, that thereby I might become a sociable companion for every man's pocket; and therefore I have shut out all verses in laudem Authoris, and tedious Dedicatories, which now a days will cost the buyer as much as the Book itself. And if I find my endeavour accepted, I shall endeavour to continue worthy thy friendship.  
Thine as thou usest me, IOS. PRAT.   

THE ORDER OF ORTHOGRAPHY.  
1 THe first and least thing in writing, is a Point or tittle, which is marked thus (.) without length or breadth.  
2 By artificial extension or drawing forth of which, enlarging the form is made a Letter, as a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, k.  
3 The ordinary number of Letters is four and twenty.  
4 The Letters are two sorts, the one called Vowels, and the other Consonants.  
5 These five, a, e, i, o, u, are Vowels, all the rest are Consonants.  
6 A Vowel maketh a full and perfect sound of itself. A Consonant, or diverse Consonants without a Vowel, spell not any thing.  
7 A Syllable is a perfect sound made of so many letters as are spelled or sounded together in a word, as in this word la-men-ta-ti-on you see are five syllables.  
8 Any of the five vowels will make a syllable alone; as in these words, amongst e-vils Idolatry o-verthroweth unity.  
9 When two vowels come together in one syllable, it maketh a sound called a diphthong or double sound, which must not be divided, but sounded together; and they are in number eight, which are these, ai, ei, hey, au, eu, ou, oo, ee, as in these words: Faith, height, moist, taught, neuter, aught, foot, feet.  
10 There are two Latin diphthongs used in English writing, ae and oe, as Aeneas, Oedipus, which you must sound as if they were written with E only, as Aeneas, Oedipus; not Aneas, Odipus.  
11 Aa and ao make no diphthongs, and therefore must be divided when they are found in a word, as Ba-al, Naomy.  
12 I or V coming before another vowel in the beginning of a word or syllable make no diphthongs, but changing their sound are turned into Consonants, as in these and the like, James, jeremy, jupiter, vain, verily, viper, vocation.  
13 je hath the sound of ee diphthong in these and the like words, chief, Sheriff, brief, siege, shield, field, achieve, etc.  
14 Vi in these and the like words, is no diphthong, but is pronounced like u long, as suit, fruit, bruit, bruise, sound them as lute, suit, confute.  
13 Y is a Greek vowel, and naturally aught to be used but in words borrowed of the Greeks, as hypocrite, mystical: yet it is used for i vowel, especially if the syllable following begin with a vowel, as saying, flying; also in words ending in ie, as deny, or deny, leaving out e, and ordinarily in words of one syllable, as by, thy, why; not buy, thy, why.  
16 When y gins a word, it it made a Consonant, as yet, yet, your, which differ in sound from ies, jet, iour.  
17 Observe that th' hath two manner of sounds, as you may observe in these words the, thief, thy, thigh, thine, thin, and many other.  
18 Ca, co, cum, sound always like ka, ko, ku, but; but ce, ci, like se, si.  
19 Ph is sounded always like f, as Physic, Prophet, Philosophy, Philip.  
20 Ga', go, gum, keep always one and the same sound; but goe and gi' change, as agent, get, giddy, Giles, but there is no certain rule found to know when to change the sound.  
21 This sound si, may be expressed five diverse ways, as si, ci, sci, xi, and ti.  
22 ti before a vowel, ordinarily spells si, as in these words affection, action.  
23 If s come before it, it keeps the ordinary sound, as question, digestion.  
24 Some words by changing their manner of writing, change also their signification and yet not their sound, as. 

A Prophet, much profit.  
The Sun, a Son.  
He heard, it is hard.  
The Reign of a King.  
The rain that falleth.  
The rain of a bridle.  
He ought to do it oft.    
25 Some words are written with one and the same letters, and yet are different in signification, as 

The hart of a Man.  
A beast called an Hart.  
A Fowl in the air.  
Fowl weather.  
Thou art skilful in Art.  
He may live till May.    
26 Sometime the same writing is diversely sounded, as to use, an use, an abuse, to abuse: where s is sounded also like z, amazed which differeth from chased.  
27 Owe is likewise diversely sounded, as know how a bow to bow.  
28 Some words are written diversely, and yet change not their sound, nor signification, as Broune, or Browne.  
29 Some change both the writing and sound, and yet not the sense, as a bottle, or bottle.  
30 Words ending in or, are indifferently written with our; as honour, honour; savour, favour; except dor, for, nor, abhor, etc.  
31 Mark for your next rule what Consonants follow one another in the beginning of a word, as after, b will follow only l or r, as bla, bre; for bsa, or the like, will spell nothing.  
32 The Consonants that will follow one another in the beginning of a word are these, bls, br, cl, cr, ch, dr, dw, fl, fr, gh, gl, gr, gn, kn, pl, pr, ph, ps, sc, scr, sh, shr, sk, st, sm, sn, sp, spl, spr, sq, st, stir, sw, tr, th', thr, tw, wh, wr.  
Here mark that with those letters that you cannot begin a word, you must not begin a syllable.  
33 Mark next those words and syllables that are shortened in English writing by a stroke over the head, for m or n, as Turrian for am or an, con for come or con; and sometimes a word is shortened by leaving out e in the last syllable, as hanged for hanged: other abreviations also there are, as that for that, thou for thou, the for the, with for with, which for which, etc. for and so forth.  
34 The use of this letter e when it is not sounded in the end of a word is diverse.  
35 First it is used rather for beauty than any necessity after i in the end of a word, as buy, nor by; but not after y as by.  
36 Secondly, it is used to draw the syllable long, as may be seen by the difference between these words man and mane, mill and mile, hid and hide.  
37 Thirdly, it both draweth the syllable long, and changeth the sound of these letters c, u, g, as pac is sounded like pak, but pace like pace; so rag, rage, have, have, and if d be put before g, the syllable is pronounced short as ledge, lodge, etc.  
37 For more distinct pronunciation mark that which the Gramarians call accent, which is the lifting up of the voice higher in one syllable then in another, as to offer incense, to incense or provoke.  
38 Thus much for letters and syllables, and their pronunciation: now for the deviding of long words of many syllebles, the general rule is ordinarily to mark how many vowels a word hath, so many syllables it hath, as re-ge-ne-ra-ti-on.  
39 First, except such words where e is little or not at all pronounced in the end of the word, as mad, made, hide, etc.  
40 Secondly diphthongs, as vain, may, our.  
41 Thirdly, words ending in es, as james, hones, names, hides.  
42 Lastly, after cue and g, as quick language.  
43 Mark next for your division of words, if you have two vowels come together, and both fully pronounced, you must put the first to the former syllable, and the next to the latter, as avoy-ance, triumph, mutual.  
44 But here take heed of deviding the vowels ea, as some corruptly do, pronouncing Whe-at, me-at, be-ans, pe-ase, for Wheat, mea●, beans, pease.  
45 When the middle Consonant is doubled, divide them as com-mon, com-mand, let-ter, ac-cord.  
46 Except they be needlessly doubled in words of the plural number, as plumms for plums, hills for hills.  
47 Thus much for division of words and syllables: for your more distinct writing and reading, observe those marks called stays or stops in reading, which are three.  
48 The first betokeneth a small stay and is called a Comma, and marked thus (,)  
49 The second showeth a longer stay, and is called a Colon, & is thus marked (:)  
The third is marked thus (.) with one point, and showeth a full and perfect stop or stay, as if the sentence were ended, and it is named a Period.  
51 When a question is asked in writing, it is noted with this mark (?) called an Interogation.  
52 When some words may be left out of a sentence, and yet the sense perfect, it is marked thus () and called a Parenthesis, as suffer me (I pray you) a little whil●.  
53 When a word endeth, and the next beginneth with a vowel, the ending vowel is sometime left out, and both the words joined together, as th'intent for the intent, which exactly should be written with a mark called Apostrophu● thus, th'intent.  
54 For your more commendable writing, begin always the Sentence with a great letter; and likewise the names of Persons, Places, and Times, as Robert, London, April. Likewise, when you put a letter for a word, as B. for Bishop, L. for Lord; and ordinarily when you put a letter for a number, as V for five, X. for ten L. for fifty, C. for an hundred, D. for five hundred, M. for a Thousand.  
55 Next take heed of the barbarous speech of the common people, as of writing or pronouncing yarbs for herbs, stompe for stamp, Dater for Daughter, twenty for twenty, Feal and Fineger for Veal and Vinegar, and such like.  
56 Mark further that some letters must be written, but not pronounced in some words,  
57 As C. ordinarily when it comes before k, is not pronounced, as back, pack, Rock, where it only makes the syllable short.  
58 G is not pronounced in sign, resign, phlegm, sovereign.  
59 H in Ghost, john; p in receipt, nor s in Isle, and many such like which you must mark by reading with observation.  
60 Note that all words that may have this Article a or the put before them, are called Nouns, or names of things, as a Man the house.  
61 And whereas I spoke before of words of the plural number, note that in Nouns there be two numbers, the single or singular number, which speaketh but of one, as a Man, the House, a Tree, and such like.  
And the plural which speaketh of more than one, as houses, men, trees.  
62 The plural number is made by putting s to the singular, as one pot, many pots; a jewel, two jewels.  
63 Except words ending in fe which make the plural by changing into ves, as wife, wives; knife, knives; Calf, Calves.  
64 Some plurals vary or change from all rule, as a man, two men, a brother, brethren, so Oxen, teeth, feet, kine, lice, mice.  
And some that make the singular and the plural all one, as a sheep, two sheep, one mile, twenty mile.  
65 The singular and the plural have ordinarily syllables alike, except words ending in ce, ch, g, dg, s, or sh, as graces, places, Churches, cages, hedges, roses, fishes.  
66 Note last of all when the Article a or my come before a word beginning with a vowel, you must change a into an, and my into mine; as an Ox, mine or thine Ox.  
FINIS.