Infinitive Mood.

206. The infinitive is simply an abstract noun. In O.E. the infinitive ending was -an, as drinc-an, to drink.

In the twelfth and following centuries, this -an became -en (-in) or e.

In Wickliffe, the suffix is for the most part -e; in Chaucer -en or -e. This e after a time became silent, and the infinitive was only distinguished by the preposition to (except after an auxiliary verb), which at first belonged only to the dative or gerundial infinitive.

"As ha schulde stupin and strecche forth that swire (neck)." Juliana, B. p. 73, A.D. 1210.

"In ful a bitter bath bathien ich schal naked."

O. E. Miscell. p. 180, A.D. 1246.

"In a bytter bath ich schal bathe naked."

Ib. p. 181, later version.

"To bakbite, and to bosten: and bere fals witnesse."

Piers Flowman, B. ii. 80.

The infinitive in O.E. was inflected for the dative by the suffix -e, and was governed by the preposition to; as, tô gehyrann-e, to hear. This is sometimes called the gerundial infinitive, in contradistinction to the simple or uninflected infinitive.

It was used chiefly to express purpose; it translated also Lat. supines, gerunds, future participles, and ut with the subjunctive; as, "what went ye out for to see," "he is to blame," &c.

Latin supine in -um.

"Sôthlîce ût eode se sædere his sæd tô sårenne.”

=

Verily outwent the sower to sow his seed.

Matt. xiii. 4.

Latin periphrastic conjugation in -rus and -dus.

"We selfe mâgon seôthan thâ thing the tô seôthenne sind, and brædan thâ thing the tô brædenne sind."

=

= We ourselves may seethe the things that are to be sodden, and roast the things that are to be roasted.

ÆLFRIC.

"Hit is sceamu tô tellanne, ac hit ne thûhte him nân sceamu tô

donne."

= It is shameful to tell, but it appeared to him no shame to do.-Chronicle, A.D. 1052.

Sometimes we find the dative infinitive used to mark the

future.

"Thone calic pe ic tô drincenne hæbbe."

= The cup that I have to drink.

"Ic tô drincenne hæbbe."

-Lat. bibiturus sum.

Matt. xx. 22.

The gerundial ending not only took the same form as the simple infinitive, but it was often confounded with the present participle in -ende, or -inde (later -inge) in E. E. and M.E.

"Thenne beginne we to fleonne ant turneth to the lufte, ant this is al that we doth te deruen cristene men ant eggin to then uuele."-Juliana, p. 44.

"The synfulle (fasteth) for to clensen him, the rightwise for to witiende his rightwisnesse."-O.E. Hom. II. p. 57.

"And 3af it to thre hondred vultures to etynge."-Trevisa, III. p. 131. Caxton's version has "for to ete."

"Also he fonde up. newe manere titles and strikes to write amonge the lettres that were listere to wrytinge and to spekynge."—Ib. 111. p. 249.

That the participle in -nde could be confounded with the inf. in -en is seen in the following passage:

"But thanke God of heuen for that he hath the 3euene And so thou schalt, my douзtir, a good lijf lyvande." Babees Book, p. 43.

Participles.

207, The present participle is formed by the suffix -ing, which has replaced M.E. -inde, -ende; O.E. -end.

The modern form -ing made its appearance in the Southern dialects in the latter part of the twelfth century; but the older form in -ande was retained in the Northern dialects up to a very late period. (Cp. Ben Jonson's Sad Shepherd, ii. 2). Spenser has the archaic forms glitterand and trenchand for glittering and trenchant.

This change of -inde to -ing has caused great confusion between verbal nouns in -ing (O.E. -ung) and participles in -ing (see p. 133).

"Wommen 3eueth lyf and fedynde to Kynges."

Trevisa, III. p. 183.

feeding = sustenance. See O.E. Hom. II.

The Passive participle in the oldest period had a prefix ge, which, after the Norman Conquest, was

reduced to (i, y, e). Milton has yclept = called. He wrongly adds it to a present participle in "star y-pointing."

The passive participle of all strong verbs ended in -en. In the thirteenth century we find n falling away; as, ifunde found; ibunde

=

bound; very many of our strong verbs have lost their passive participles, and others at one time showed a tendency to do the same. Cp. spoke and eat in Shakspeare, for spoken and eaten.

The passive participle of weak verbs ended in -d; as, lov-e-d. The primitive form was -th, which is still preserved in un-cou-th, literally unknown; couth (O.E. cuth) being the p.p. of can.

The adjectival character of the verbal suffixes -en (-n) and -ed, is seen by comparing them with the endings in gold-en, silken; hotheaded, one-eyed, &c.

Anomalous Verbs.

208. Be. The conjugation of the substantive verb contains three distinct roots, as, be, was.