In the thirteenth century we find the neuter form (bey, ba, bo, boo) more common than the masculine beyn.

Both contains the root bo (or ba), and the suffix .th.

In O.E. we find ba joined to twa (two), as bâtwâ, butwa, butu. Cp. our "both two."

In the thirteenth century we find a plural bathen, or bothen, and a genitive plural bei-re; and in the fourteenth century bother and bothers are used as genitives.

II. Orċinals.

121. The Ordinals, except first and second, are formed from the cardinal numbers by the suffix -th, as four-th, fif-th, six-th, &c.

In O. E. fifth, sixth, and twelfth, were fifta, sixta, and twelfta In O.E. th had, probably, only the flat sound in bathe, and therefore could not follow a sharp mute.

Third = O. E. thridda, M.E. thridde.

In seventh, ninth, tenth, thirteenth,... nineteenth, an n has crept in through Northern forms of Norse origin. Cp. tithe = tenth.

In eigh-th (O.E. eaht-otha), a t has disappeared.

First is the superlative of fore, see § 116, p. 95. Second, Fr. seconde, Lat. secundus, has replaced the O.E. other.

O. E. other = one of two; that ân = the first; that other the second. In M.E. these became (1) that oon and that other, (2) the ton (toon, tone), and the tother.

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C. Mundi, C. p. 96, ll. 1532-3. "Two pileres thei made, of til that oon, That other was of marbul stoon."

Ib. T.

III. Indefinite Numerals.

122. All. O.E. eal, eall; Genitive plural al-ra, E.E. al-re, M.E. aller, alder, alther. See § 111, p. 88. In the Lowland Scotch dialects we find allers, cp. bothers, § 120, p. 99.

Many. O.E. manig, maneg, is another form of the root magh in more. See § 116, p. 94.

In O.E. we have fela, feola (M.E. fele) = many.

Many (O.E. manigeo), a crowd, is a substantive in some expressions, as, "a great many."

"O thou fond many.”

SHAKESPEARE, 2 Hen. IV. i. 3.

Few. O.E. feâwa, feâ; E.E. and M.E. fa, fo,

fon, fone, feawe, few; O.E. lyt few.

CHAPTER IX.

Pronouns.

123. The Pronouns are among the oldest parts of speech, and consequently have undergone much change, so that their original forms are greatly altered. Notwithstanding all this they have preserved more relics of the older inflexions than any other part of speech, as case-endings in hi-m, he-r, ou-r, &c.; suffixes marking gender in it, what, &c. They also illustrate the substitution of one demonstrative for another, see remarks on she, they, &c. p. 109. They show how neuter forms may take the place of the masculine and feminine, as in this, &c.; how one case may replace another, as in you for ye; how the singular may take the place of the plural, as in you for thou; how relative pronouns are lost and replaced by interrogatives; how new plurals replace older ones in others, selves; how impersonal pronouns are formed, as, somebody, &c.

124. When a pronoun stands alone, as the subject or object of a verb, it is said to be used substantively; when it modifies a noun it is said to be used adjectively. The Possessive, Demonstrative, Interrogative, Relative, and Indefinite Pronouns have often this double use.

125. The classes of Pronouns are (1) Personal, (2) Demonstrative, (3) Interrogative, (4) Relative, (5) Indefinite.

I. PERSONAL PRONOUNS

I. Substantive.

126. The Personal Pronouns have no distinc

tion of gender. There are two persons, the person who speaks, called the first person; the person spoken to, the second person.

The person or thing spoken of is sometimes called the third person (he, she, it). It is properly a demonstrative pronoun and is inflected like other old demonstratives for gender, as well as for number and case.

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that thing.

He = that man, she that woman, it In E. E. the definite article or demonstrative the is used instead of he before that: "ihti Lauerd is the that Juliane on leveth" mighty Lord is he that Juliana believes in.— (Jul. p. 65). "Ich am the that spec I am he that spake.-(Ib.)

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=

There was a dual of the first and second personal pronouns in O.E., which died out before A.D. 1300.

129. Remarks on the pronouns of the first and second person :—

(1) I. The guttural has fallen off, as in many words originally ending in c or ch. See § 37, p. 64.

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Traces of an older form Ich, (which still lives on in the southwest of England), occur in old dramatic writers, as, chill ich will (Shakespeare, King Lear). In early English we find icham, I am; ichabbe, I have; nullich, I will not; nefdich, I had not. "Icham, a gentylman of much noble kynne,

Though Iche be clad in a knauës skynne."

HAWES, Pastime of Pleasure.

"Ich am an old man."

a.D. 1565, AwdelEY, The Fraternity of Vacabondes, p. 8.

(2) Me (dative) is still in use before impersonal verbs, me-thinks, me-seems, &c.; after interjections,