OBSERVATIONS ON THE LANGUAGE OF CHAUCER. 
fiftene (S. fiftyne), 61 f, 16343. 
eyghteteene (S. eahtatyne),* 3223. 
. $ 40. The plural of adjectives and participles of 
more than one syllable has no -e. 
a. corsed stories, 4500, 14007, 15096. 
countrefeted letters, 5229. 
weddid men, 8498, 9104, 9525. 
cered poketts, 12736. 
sleves purfiled, 193. 
broken sleepes, 1922. 
colours longyng, 10353. 
they thankyn galpyng, 10668. 
b. skalled browes, 629. 
lewed wordes, 10023. 
wikked werkes, 5414, 6267, 16102. 
wrecched wommen, 952, 8726; wrecchede, 923 ? 
sacred teeres, 1923. 
golden clothis, 5927. 
cristen men, 4800, 4960, 4967. 
open werres, 2004. 
thinges spedful, 5147. 
woful wrecches, 1719. 
synful deedes, 6740, 11965. 
careful sikes, 11176. 
blisful sydes, 11971. 
seely clerkes, 4098, 7488. 
mighty werkes, 4898. 
litel children, 4493. 
bitter teeres, 2227. 
wiser men, 9443. 
other men, 12672, 13981 ; 8312, absolutely. 
c. certeyn yeres, 2969, 3195, 4900, etc. 
mortal batailles, 61. 
cruel briddes, 15586, 1305. 
gentil men, 6693, 11021. 
subtil clerkes, 9301. 
parfyt blisses, 9512. 
jelous strokes, 2636. 
eldres vertuous, 6736, 10155 f. 
pitous teeres, 12329. 
sightes mervelous, 11518 f. 
§ 41. Even monosyllabic participles standing in 
the predicate are unvaried in the plural. The same 
is sometimes the case with monosyllabic adjectives. 
* T should have added to the note on p. 468, “ except 
perhaps eahta, nigon, endlufon." 
VOL. VIII. 61 
469 
a. were hurt, 2710. 
been born, 4706. 
ben knyt, 11542, 14451. 
ben stert, 11689. 
ben went, 9575. be brent, 13335 f. 
were kept, 10003. sworn were, 13392. 
been maad, 2091, 5698, were slayn, 15525. 
5700, 10536. 
b. quyk (they were), 1017. which they weren, 40. 
were glad, 5804, 6930, were wroth, 8313. 
8251, 8880. 
were fayn, 2709. 
But, blaké were, 559. 
were seeké, 18 f. 
wayké ben, 889. 
(were) lik, 16354, 
weren wydé, 28 f, 93 f, 
559 f. 
ben devé, 12214 f. 
dedé were, 11493. 
$ 42. Exceptions. 
To $ 39, a. brent bones, 12687. 
$ 39, c. enleven (S. endlufon), 17300. 
$ 40, a. lernede men, 577? lerned men, 14389; 
eyen fast y-schette, 4980 f? (Qu. fasté 
schette ?) 
-§ 40, c. dyversé freres, 7537, 10516, 13026f ; 
- dyversé folk dyversély they seyde, 
3855, 4631, 9343, 10516; divers freres, 
7532 ; thay ben so dyvers, 7588 f. 
$41. been mette, 1638 ? 
weren feldé, 2926 ? 
they be i-mette, 5535. 
ben sette, 5538. 
were made, 5702? been maad, 2091, 
5698, etc. 
$ 43. The following adjectives (of French origin) 
exhibit the French plural in s.* 
(places) delitables, 11211 f. 
(necessaries as ben) plesynges, 5131 f. 
wayes espirituels, iii. 82. 
goodes espiritueles, iii. 104 ; 
but thinges espirituel, iii. 183. 
travailes that ben covenables, iii. 148. 
§ 44. Of the Genitive Plural of Adjectives there 
remains a trace in the word all; e. g.:— 
here aller (S. eallra) cappe, 588. 
your alther cost, 801. 
oure althur cok, 825. 
* Even Palsgrave says (1530) pronownes primytyves, 
verbes actyves parsonalles. 
