as if it were almost impossible for two men of genius to hit upon the same notions, independently of each other. In Propertius (II. i. 3, 4.) we find—

In Burns we read—

Had Burns been much of a Latin scholar, he would probably have been accused of stealing from Propertius.

VARRO.

Shakspeare in Sweden.

—The writings of Shakspeare would appear from the following fact to be read with as much avidity and delight in Sweden as in his native country. A translation of his plays by Hagberg, Professor of Greek in the

University of Lund, is now in course of publication. Of this, twelve volumes have appeared; and although the first edition consisted of no less than two thousand copies, the whole have been sold off, and a second edition is in preparation. Professor Hagberg's translation is most favourably spoken of by those who are qualified to judge of its merits.

W. J. T.

Queries.

ON THE ELISION OF THE LETTER "V."

Through the medium of "NOTES AND QUERIES" I would be permitted to invite attention to a peculiar pronunciation that has extensively prevailed, though unnoticed I believe in print, of many words wherein the letter v occurs between two vowels.

While resident in the country, when a boy, I was struck with the singular manner in which the names of certain places, having a v so circumstanced, were pronounced, for the v was wholly silent, and occasionally the latter vowel also; but as this was chiefly among uneducated people, I was led to regard it as a provincialism. However, as I became further acquainted with the names of places, I did not fail to observe, that it was by no means limited to any particular part of England. Thus, for example, the provincial pronunciation of Cavendish (Suffolk) is Ca'endish; of Daventry, Da'entry; of Staverton and Coverley (Warwickshire), Sta'erton and Co'erly; of Evesham, E'esham; of Davenham (Cheshire), Da'enham; of Lavington (Lincolnshire), La'enton or Lenton; of Avebury (Wilts), Abury; of Lavenham and Cavenham (Suffolk), Lanham and Canham; of Overton (Leicestershire, Westmoreland, and Cumberland), Orton; and the Principality gives us Aberga'enny for Abergavenny. Ivilchester has become Ilchester, and Tovecester (now written Towcester) is pronounced To'ecester; while Hoveden (Yorkshire) is called Ho'eden, or Howden, as it is now commonly spelt. Similar examples might be multiplied. Sometimes a succeeding consonant has undergone a change, as Pe'emsey for Pevensey, and Rochester for Rovecester or Rofecester. Numerous as the instances are, there has been some apparent caprice in the matter, not easily explained. For though, as we have seen, Staverton and Coverley in Warwickshire, and Daventry on the borders of that county, undergo this change, yet, as far as I can learn, Coventry was ever free from it; and in the like manner Twiverton in Devonshire is called Twerton, yet I believe Tiverton was never Terton. There may have been something in the original forms or meanings of Coventry, Tiverton, and the like, that occasioned the v to be retained.

Many examples of the omission of this letter might be adduced from surnames, did space permit; indeed, several of those given above are surnames, as well as names of places; and some readers may recollect the change noticed in Selden's Titles of Honour, of Roger Wendover into Roger of Windsor, the first step having been to write Roger of Windore.

Nor is the practice confined to names. All are familiar with such contractions as e'er, ne'er, o'er, e'en, and se'nnight. We have also ill for evil, and the Scotch have de'il for devil, and e'ening for evening. In like manner have we derived lord from the old English loverd or louerd; lark from laverock (Anglo-Saxon lauerc); hawk from the Anglo-Saxon hafoc or hauoc; and head from the Anglo-Saxon heafod or heauod; for the f or u in Anglo-Saxon, when representing our v, became subject to this elision. Time was, too, when shovel was pronounced sho'el, and rhymed with owl; as is exemplified in the nursery lay of the death and burial of poor Cock Robin.

Without now attempting to account for this usage of speech, which seems to imply the prevalence of a former pronunciation of v very different from the present, I will briefly notice that the like elision is of frequent occurrence in Latin, chiefly in the perfect tenses and their derivatives, as amârunt for amaverunt, and audîsset for audivisset; occasionally, too, in nouns, as labrum for lavabrum; and also in the compounds of versus, as retro'rsum. It is found, I may add, in a few French words derived from the Latin, as oncle from avunculus, and cité from civitas. In the several languages above mentioned the v between two vowels is also found passing into w or u, especially after a or o, the second vowel being in such cases dropped, thus indicating the connexion that existed between v and u, which letters we know were in times past written indifferently for each other. The discussion, however, of this connexion is beside my present purpose.

The Latin contractions that I have adverted to are well known, and often noticed; and it is remarkable that the manner in which this treatment of the v has affected the pronunciation and orthography of our own language, should have almost escaped observation. An acquaintance with it has been found of service when consulting ancient writings and the published records; for those who would use such sources of information with advantage, should be prepared not only to recognise, but also to anticipate, the various changes which names of persons and places have undergone.

W. S. W*****D.

ANTHONY MUNDY.

A few weeks since some manuscripts were placed in my hands belonging to the Hon. E. M. L. Mostyn, M. P. (removed from the library at Mostyn Hall in Flintshire), in order that I might ascertain the contents; and on looking at them, I discovered a play in the autograph of Anthony Mundy, with his signature at the end, and the date (supplied by another hand) of December, 1595. This play, entitled "A Booke of John a Kent and John a Cumber," seems to have been hitherto unknown to all the writers on the history of the stage; and its plot and dialogue appearing to me sufficiently curious to deserve publication, I lost no time in communicating my discovery to Mr. J. Payne Collier, under whose able editorship I am happy to learn that the work (by permission of Mr. Mostyn) will shortly be printed by the Shakspeare Club. The object I now have in view in making these remarks, is to point out an error relative to MUNDY (as he spells his own name) which, if not corrected, may acquire greater circulation than it possesses even at present. In Warton's History of English Poetry, 4to. vol. iii. p. 292. n. (printed in 1781),