woulds’t thou ?

[BobK]

You do see wouldst without the apostrophe.


Shelley Night: Night, by Percy Bysshe Shelley

What's the difference between wouldest and wouldst?

I think it's just a question of metre. If Shelley had been in need of a syllable to make up a foot, I imagine he would have written 'wouldest'. And I doubt whether he or his type-setter were that worried about apostrophes.

b

PS Evidence for this 'metrical' explanation is provided in the first stanza: he uses that full out '-est' form of the verb (albeit a different one) because the metre requires it:

Thou wovest dreams of joy and fear