It is no shame to a man not to know
that the second _i_ in 'Villiers' is as mute as that in 'Parliament'
or that Bolingbroke's name began with Bull and ended with brook, but
when ignorance constructs a theory it is quite another matter. The
etymological theory of pronunciation is intolerable. Etymology was
a charming nymph even when men had but a distant acquaintance with
her, and a nearer view adds to her graces; but when she is dragged
reluctant from her element she flops like a stranded mermaid.
The curate says 'Deuteron['o]my', and on his theory ought to say
'econ['o]my' and 'etymol['o]gy'. When Robert Gomery--why not give
the reverend poetaster his real if less elegant name--published his
once popular work, every one called it 'The Omn['i]presence of the
De[:i]ty', and Shelley had already written
And, as I look'd, the bright omn['i]presence
Of morning through the orient cavern flowed.
It is true that Ken a century earlier had committed himself to
Thou while below wert yet on high
By Omnipr['e]sent Deity,
and later Coleridge, perhaps characteristically, had sinned with
There is one Mind, one omnipr['e]sent Mind,
but neither the bishop nor the poet would have said 'omnisc['i]ence',
or 'omnip['o]tence'.
Another word to show signs of etymological corruption is
'[)e]volution'. It seems to have been introduced as a technical term
of the art of war, and of course, like 'd[)e]volution', shortened
the _e_.
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