I consider,
therefore, that an exception must be made to the rule of using "An"
before words beginning with a vowel in cases where the words are
pronounced as if beginning with a consonant, as "one," "use," and its
derivatives, "ubiquity," "unanimity," and some others which will no
doubt occur to your readers. I should be glad to be informed if my
opinion is correct; and I will only further observe, that the same
remarks are applicable towards words beginning with "_h_." _An horse_
sounds as bad as _a hour_; and it is obvious that in these cases
employment of "A" or "An" is dictated by the consideration whether the
aspirate is _sounded_ or is _quiescent_, and has no reference to the
spelling of the word.
PRISCIAN.
_The Lucky have whole Days._--I, like your correspondent "P.S." (No.
15., p. 231.), am anxious to ascertain the authorship of the lines to
which he refers.
They stand in my Common-place Book as follows, which I consider to be
a more correct version than that given by "P.S.":--
"Fate's dark recesses we can never find,
But Fortune, at some hours, to all is kind:
The lucky have whole days, which still they choose;
The unlucky have but hours, and those they lose.
Pages:
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42