II. IRREGULAR, OR STRONG VERBS. 1. Strong verbs differ from weak ones in not adding any tense-suffix, the preterite being formed by vowel-change. The passive participle of strong verbs ends in -en (and by loss of n, -e), as PRES. holde, PRET. heold, held, PAST PART. iholden, iholde. 2. Many verbs have a distinct vowel-change for the preterite plural, identical with the vowel of the passive participle, as The 2nd person singular of these verbs has also this vowel change, as thou bunde, &c. 3. The 1st and 3rd person of strong verbs have no personal suffixes. That of the 2nd person was originally -e, but -est often replaces it in words of the fourteenth century. Hence the conjugation of the preterite is as follows: SINGULAR. 1. heold, held (I held), 2. heolde, helde (thou heldest), 3. heold, held (he held), PLURAL. heold-en, held-en (we held). heold-en, held-en (ye held). heold-en, held-en (they held). 4. Both strong and weak verbs (when the stem ends in -t, -d, -nd, -s) have in the 3rd person singular present indicative -t for -tep or -dep, as halt holdep, rit = rideþ, sent = sendep, rist risep. = = 5. The 2nd and 3rd person-endings are often shortened, as lixt = ligest (tellest lies); telp = tellep. VOL. II. C 6. The present or active participles of all verbs end in (1) -inde, -ing (Southern dialect); (2) -ende, -end (Midland dialect); (3) -ande, -and (Northern dialect, and Midland dialect with Northern tendencies). 7. Passive Participles in the Southern and Midland dialects take the prefix i or y, as i-kept, y-ronnen. All preterites formed by vowel-change, and anomalous forms occurring in the text, will be found in the Glossary. $ 14. ADVERBS. I. COMPARISON. Adverbs are compared by the suffixes -er (positive) and -est (superlative). Bet, leng, streng, ma (mo) are shortened forms of the comparative betre, lengre, strengre, mare (more). II. ADVERBIAL PREFIXES. A (before a consonant), an (before a vowel) = on, in; as in anihte (by night), azer (yearly), an-ende (lastly), anon (in one, at once), anunder (under), on-rounde, in-idel (in vain). Umbe (about); as in umbe-stunde (at intervals), umqwile (whilom, formerly). Bi, be (by); as in besides, bilife (quickly). To; as in to-daie, to-gedere, &c. For; as in forsoope (forsooth). At; as in at erst (at first), ate or atte laste (lastly), atten ende (lastly); where atte at be, atten = = at pen. Occasionally we find a equivalent to the oldest English of, as of buve, above; of newe, newly; adown = of dune, downwards. III. TERMINATIONS. 1. Adverbs that now end in -ly formerly ended in -liche. (The adjectival affix singular is -lich.) 2. Adverbs are formed from adjectives by adding a final -e, as soth, sooth, true; sothe, soothe, truly 1. 3. Many adverbs are cases of nouns, adjectives, &c., e. g. -es (genitive); alles, altogether, of necessity, needs; azenes, against; amiddes, amidst; amonges, amongst; bisides, besides; deathes, at death, dead; dazes, by day; lives, alive; nedes, of necessity; newes, anew; nizles, by night; togederes, together. Enes, ones, once; neodes, needs; twies, twice; hennes, hence; thries, thrice, are later forms for en-e, henn-e (hennen, heonan), neod-e, twie (twien, A. S. twíwá), thrie (thrien, A. S. þrýwa). Also -um (dative), as whilom, seldum, &c. 4. Other endings are -linge, as allinge, altogether; hedlinge, headlong; grovlinge, on the face, prone; flatlinge, flatly. 5. -en (-e), abouten, about; befor-en, befor-n, before; buven, buve, above; binnen, binne, within; with-outen, without. -der, motion to; as in hider, thider, whider, hither, thither, whither. -en (-e), motion from; hennen, henne, hence; thennen, thenne, thence; whennen, whenne, whence, which gave rise to the later forms with genitive affix -es, as hennes, thennes, whennes. 1. The Scandinavian forms hethen, hence; quethen (whethen), whence; thethen, thence; sum, as--are not used in the Southern dialect. 1 The loss of the final -e explains the modern use of adjectives for adverbs, as right=rightly; long= =a long (time). 2. The Northern dialect prefers the prefix on- (0-) to a-, as on-slepe, asleep; o-bak, aback; on-rounde, around. 3. In the West-Midland dialect we find in- as an adverbial prefix, as in-blande, in-lyche, alike; in-mydde, amidst; in-monge, amongst. Chaucer uses in-fere, together. 4. The Southern affix -linge becomes linges (Sc. -lins) in the Northern dialect, as grovelinges, on the face, prone; handlinges, hand to hand; hedlinges, headlong. 5. The Northern dialect employs -gate (way) as a suffix, as al-gate, always; how-gate, how-so; thus-gate, thus wise; swa-gate, so-wise, in such a manner. 6. In-with, within; ut-with, without; forwit, before-are peculiar to the Northern dialect. § 15. PREPOSITIONS. The Northern dialect employs fra for the Southern fram (vram), Midland fro, from; at, til, before the infinitive, for the Southern to; amel, emel, for the Southern amiddes, amid. Mide, mid, with, and toppe (= at-oppe; oppe = uppe = up; cf. O. E. at-above) above, are unknown to the Northern dialect. § 16. CONJUNCTIONS. 1. If takes a negative form in the West-Midland dialect, as nif = if not. 2. No-but occurs in the Midland dialect for only. = = 3. Warn, warne unless; thofquether thohquether, nevertheless are unknown to the Southern dialect. 4. Ac, but, is not found in the Northern dialect. I. ROBERT OF GLOUCESTER'S CHRONICLE. IN preparing a new and revised edition of Dr. Morris's 'Specimens of Early English, selected from the chief English Authors, A.D. 1250—A.D. 1400,' the plan of the book has been materially altered. It is now proposed to make considerable additions to it from English of an earlier date, and to divide it into Two Parts. The First Part, containing Specimens of the language of the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth centuries (including the first four sections only of the first edition, but largely supplemented with new matter) is now in course of preparation. The Second Part, now issued, contains Specimens from writings of the fourteenth century only, with such variations from the plan of the first edition as seemed advisable. (A) Reign of William the Conqueror. From Cotton MS. Caligula A. xi. leaves 107-114. MVCHE ap pe sorwe ibe · ofte in Engelonde, As 3e mowe her & er · ihure & vnderstonde, Of moni bataile pat ap ibe & þat men þat lond nome. VOL. II. B |