[To THE EDITO1 OP THE .. SPEETATOR."3 Ste,—" Hundred" is
not so imperfect a rhyme to " thundered " as Professor Hearnshaw conceives, nor is it necessary to follow your correspondent of last week in supposing a syncopated form of the word. The simple fact is that " hunderd " (see the N.E.D.) is an old spelling, and presumably represents an old pronuncia-
tion. Milton printed in Paradise Lost, 1., " With hunderds and with thoueands trooping came" (see the edition of Dean Beeching, Clarendon Press, 1900, "after the original texts "). We know nut Milton was careful about his spelling, though modern editors have generally disregarded it. We know also that Tennyson was a great student of Milton.—I am, Sir, he., Royal Societies Club, St. James's Street, S.W.
VERNON RENDALL.
[The inversion of two letters used to be is common habit of pronunciation. We think that Lord Spencer's home, Althorp, is
still generally called " Althrop," and perhaps the owner would be shocked to hear it pronounced otherwise.—ED. Spectator.)
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