468 
gretter, 865, 12545; grettere,* sother, 12142. 
1167. gladder, 13269. 
fairer, 1037; fairere,* 756. merier, 16337. 
fresscher, 1039, 11259. 
b. A few Comparatives of * irregular " Adjectives 
- retain the Saxon e. 
worse, werse (S. wyrse, L. wurse, wurs, O. wersse), 
8551, 9667, 17252, 10914 f. 
wersé, 1226 (7) ; wors, wers, 8503, 3731 f. 
lasse, lesse (S. læsse, L. O. lasse), 14280, 17268, 
14895 f, 15357 f. 
more (S. máre, L. O. mare), 219, 1557, 4050 ; mor, 
16255, 7485, 10648 ; moo, mo (plur.), 578, 810, 
9286, 9987, 10615, 12651, iii. 132. 
bettre * (S. betere, O. bettre), 526, 650; bet (in Sax. 
adverbial form), 4534, 4731, 10914, iii. 125, 128. 
c. The vowel change of the “ ancient” comparison 
is found in the following : — 
(long, 619), lenger, 332; lengere,* 823. 
(old, 3865), elder, 15746; his felaw, which that 
elder was than he, 14941; eldest, 15898; (old- 
est, 914.) | 
strenger, 14240; strengere,* ii. 373; for though 
he weré strong, yit was sche strenger, 16007; 
strengest, 15561. 
d. Some analytic forms of comparison are found. 
mo slakke = slacker, 14824. 
more heigh, more lowe, iii. 153. 
the moste stedefast, 9425. 
the moste deintevous, 9588. 
the moste free, 11926. 
the moste lusty, 17039. 
the moste grettest occurs ii. 374. 
(fer, 3395, 4013), ferrest (S. fyrrest) — furthest, 496. 
next (S. nyhst, next) — modern nearest, 2367, 10075. 
$ 39. The Plural of Monosyllabic Adjectives ends 
in é. The same is the case with some of the Pro- 
nouns and with many of the Cardinal Numbers.f 
* These forms in -re are all suspicious. Those of three 
syllables (if correctly spelt) are contracted in reading, so 
that the metre does not determine their validity, and er 
and re are easily interchanged. See $84. ` 
t Those front four to twelve, inclusive, took an e in 
Saxon when used absolutely. 
OBSERVATIONS ON THE LANGUAGE OF CHAUCER. 
a. blake (S. blac, sing. blak, 913, 2132), 559, 9958 f, 
11171 f, 12485 f, 16422. 
blynde (S. blind, sing. blynd, 10214, 15483), 4973 f, 
10244 f, 15563. : 
cold (S. ceald, sing. cold, 1577, 4346 f), 1304 f, 
11176 f. 
dede (S. dead, sing. deed, 1201, 1276), 7090, 11493. 
deve (S. deaf, sing. deef, 448), 12214 f. 
dulle (S. dwal, dol), 4622 f. 
goode (S. gód, sing. good, 183), 3156, 9416. 
hore (S. hár, sing. hoor, 3876, 9338), 7764 f. 
hote (S. hát, sing. hoot, 7018), 9682. 
reede (S. reod, sing. reed, 1912), 90 f, 12443 f, 
16416, 16417. 
sadde (S. sed, sing. sad, 17207), 17190. 
scharpe (S. scearp, sing. scharp, 2005), 475 f, 
2028, 9033. 
sclendre (sing. sclender, 16319), 9476 f. 
seeke, sike (S. sfc, sing. sik, 16323 f), 18 f, 245. 
slakke (S. sleac), 14824. i 
smale (S. smzl, sing. smal, 158), 9, 146, 8256f, 
17005. 
stronge (S. strang, sing. strong, 637, 1058), 2137 f, 
14204 f. 
wayke (S. wác, sing. weyk, 14892), 889. 
wrothe (S. wrád, sing: wroth, 7743f), 1181 f, 6821 f. 
wyde (S. wid, sing. wyd, 493), 28 f, 93 f, 559 f. 
yonge (S. geong, sing. yong, 79), 213, 1013. 
So, sworne brethren, 6987 ; gilte cheynes, 15850. 
. bothe (S. bá-twá), 1841, 1858, 6644, 7613. 
fele (S. fela), 8793. 
fewe (S. feawe, feawa), 641, 7432 f, 8099. 
othere, othre (S. other), 3232, 10803, 15640 ; 
but other (uncontracted), 7369, 7477, etc. 
suche * (S. swylc), 8215, 10541, 12723, 15761. 
whiche * (S. hwyle), 1015, 4500, 9170, 9319, 
10295, 16156. 
c. twayne, tweye (S. twegen), 8526 f, 706 f, 8947. 
foure (S. feower, -e), 2141, 3883, 13388. 
fyfe (S. fif, -e), 462 f, 12483. 
sixe (S. six, -e), 14585. 
sevene (S. seofon, -e), 7587 f, 95141, 12748? | 
but seven, 16352, 16678. 
twelve (S. twelf, -e), 4139 f, 7840, 14639 ; 
but twelf, 7839. 
threttene (S. preottyne), 7841. 
* suche, whiche, occasionally are used for the singular ` 
also. : 
o~ 
