Note 9 — SOME ALTERNATIVE OR DIFFICULT SPELLINGS

In 1896, Mr. W. E. Gladstone, not being aware of this rule, wished to include, in a list of errata for insertion in Vol. II of Butler’s Works, an alteration of the spelling, in Vol. I, of the word ‘forgo’. On receipt of his direction to make the alteration, I sent Mr. Gladstone a copy of Skeat’s Dictionary to show that ‘forgo’, in the sense in which he was using the word, was right, and could not be corrected; but it was only after reference to Sir James Murray that Mr. Gladstone wrote to me, ‘Personally I am inclined to prefer forego, on its merits; but authority must carry the day. I give in.’—H. H.