(1) Weak verbs are those which form the preterite by addition of a syllable or syllables; strong verbs are those which form the preterite by internal change of the root-vowels, and have past part. in en or n. (2) lufast, lufaþ. We see here the origin of the st and th in lovest and loveth. This th, as well as that of the 3rd per. pl. lufiath, and of the imperative lufiath, has no place in mod. Eng. In the first case it has become s, as loves; in the second and third, it has vanished altogether. He loveth was common in O.E., and is still preserved in the Authorised Version, and such forms as "listeneth (i.e. listen ye) lordings" are found in Chaucer. (3) Lufode shows the origin of our common suffix -ed or d, as in loved. Examples (from extracts, pp. 1-12) of the 1st Conjugation (adding -de or -te for the pret.) Examples of the 2nd Conjugation (changing the root-vowel of the preterite, and retaining it throughout the tense.) standan pret. sing. cuman þá eá stódon hí on þæt lioht com comon hí of comon forlætan pret. sing. forlet þæt (Gregorius) ba burh forlete subj. pr. forlete Examples of the 3rd Conjugation (changing the root-vowel of the preterite, but not retaining it throughout the tense.) p.p. fleon pret. sing. fleah forleosan pres. sing. pret. sing. pl. forleas (1) To writanne (for writing). Writanne is properly a dat. case (from nom. writan, to write), after the preposition to; afterwards confounded with the proper infinitive, which, as seen above, never took to before it in A.S. (2) writende. Through the forms writende, writinde, writin, at length we have writing. bonne forlyst he eall his ærran gód singan pret. sing. pl. sang1 p.p. sungon1 gesungen hit gedafena pæet Alleluia sy gesungen AUXILIARY VERBS. Habban, Willan, Wesan, Scealan, (1) We see in these changes of the root-vowel the origin of the double preterite forms still existing, as sang, sung; rang, rung; drank, drunk; began, begun, &c., in all which instances the former is to be preferred to the latter. (2) synd. The three plural persons were early superseded by the Scandinavian are, introduced by the Danes into the northern dialects. (3) hæf. It is easy to see that hath is a compressed form of hæf, and had, of hæfde. (4) Sceal, I owe, now a sign of tense, was at first simply an expression of duty or obligation, nearly equivalent to must. Chaucer has, "By the faith I schal (i.e. I owe) to God." The A.S. had no future tense; but shall came early into use in O.E. to indicate future time. (Only those which occur in the extracts, pp. 1—12). æfter, after æt, at 1. Governing the Dative. betweox, among be, by, concerning fram, from of, out of to, to As, æfter him æt sumun sæle to Cristes mildheortnysse 2. Governing Dative or Accusative. for, for, on account. gemong, among on, on, in, to mid, with wyd, against, towards for þám swege gemong othrum mannum on þám lande on þæt lioht mid Godes fultume 3. Governing Genitive. wyð þæs wifes. STUDIES IN ENGLISH PROS E. I. FIRST STAGE. Original English, or Anglo-Saxon. (A.D. 600-1100.) KING ALFRED. THE STORY OF ORPHEUS.1 (FROM THE TRANSLATION OF "BOETHIUS DE CONSOLATIONE PHILOSOPHIÆ," WRITTEN ABOUT A.D. 890.) WE WE sculon get, of ealdum leasum spellum3, tales shall (must) yet (now) out-of old leasing (fabulous) be bíspell sum reccan. Hit gelámp gio to thee some (a certain) by-tale (parable) reckon (tell). It happened of yore ** The pupil should carefully read over the Rules for Pronunciation given in the Introduction, and observe them in studying the above passages. Many points, it is true, of the ancient pronunciation still remain to be cleared up; but, meanwhile, it will be well for a learner to pronounce stánas, stonas; wif, wive; lufe, loov-é; gód, gōōd; húnd, hound; sceolde, shoold-é; cwæth, quath; that, that; geháten, yehoten; sweg, swey; and dæg, day. (1) The words in the above passage entirely unrepresented in mod. Eng. (some of them, however, traceable in the Semi-Saxon stage) appear to be the following:-gelimpan, to happen; theod, nation; swithe, very; ungefraglice, extraordinarily; sweg, sound (whence swey, to sound, in Piers Ploughman); bifian, to tremble; eá, river; anda, hate; oleccan, to flatter; uton (a sort of verbal conjunction), let us; esne, young man; gemære, boundary; theostru, or thýstru, darkness; fulfremman, to practise. (2) Eald-um leas-um spell-um, dat. pl., governed by of. For the term. um, see Introd. From eald, we have eld, elder, old and the compounds, alderman, Aldgate, &c. fr. leas, false, or devoid of, old Eng., leasing ("them that speak B |