472 OBSERVATIONS ON THE 
bereth, 798. comth, 5204. bigynnes, 16168. 
telleth, 799. makth, 5318. writes, 5764, 
17326.* 
So, fares, 4021; falles, 4025 ; gas, 4035 ; bringes, . 
4128 ; says, 4178; has, 4203 ; all in the language of 
the Clerks in the Reeves Tale. 
§ 51. But Saxon verbs which have t or d for the 
last consonant of the root, and one or two which have 
s, form the Third Person Singular in t, as in Saxon. 
sitt, sit, syt, 3641, 3817, smyt, 7998. * 
6291,9153,9821,10036, light, 5526. 
10131, 10164, 10189, put, 13788, iii. 88, 128. 
10391, 10493, etc. 
set, 7564. 
writ, 6291; 16609? 
let, 8465. 
stant, stont, 3677, 7615, 
9896, 10485, 10496, 
10630, 11566, 12101, 
14525, etc. 
fynt, fint, 4069, 4128, 
5570, 12146, 13800. 
grynt, 5971. 
sent, 9027. 
hut, 10825. 
holt, halt, 9224, 12849, 
rist, ryst, arist, 3688, 
4685, 5284, iii. 83. 
hight, 1974. 
byt (bids), 187, 9251, 
10605. 
byt (abides), 13103. 
rit, ryt, 10483, 12536, 
17011. 
slyt, 12610. 
chyt, 12849. 
blent, 13319. 
schent, iii. 161, 162. 
kyst (?), 4805, 7386. 
Exceptions sometimes occur, a dissyllabie form 
being used, as also in A.-Saxon. 
sittith, 1601, 8414, 9718, 
10200. 
byddeth, 3641. 
rideth, 14734, 
stondith, 14060. 
kissith, 9822. 
ryseth, 1495, 13662. 
bihetith, iii. 102. 
heetith, iii. 111. 
putteth, iii. 131. 
$ 52. The Plural of the Present Indicative ends, — 
a. in eth (ith, th) = S. atb, 
meteth, 1526. 
doth, 1533. 
schyneth, 2045. 
saith, 4207. * 
fleeth, 4541. 
loveth, 5903. knoweth, ii. 376. 
weneth, 9988. 
hath, 12651. 
goth, 2567,2604. maketh, 6740.  haveth, ii. 361. 
clepith, 3759. 
delyvereth, 7306. bitydeth, ii. 345. 
beth, 4052, 4544. sittith, 9584. 
* 
e See note on preceding page. 
"LANGUAGE OF CHAUCER. 
b. more commonly in -em, n (yn): 
maken, 9. 
slepen, 10. 
longen, 12. 
knowen, 732. 
ben, 764. 
gon, 771, 1269. 
comen, 803. 
spenden, 808. 
han, 851. 
tellen, 861. 
pertourben, 908. 
beseken, 920. 
€. sometimes in e: 
wende, 16 f. 
knowe, 644. 
laboure we, 7064. ` 
fynde, 9156. 
lyve, 9157. 
take, 11552. 
sayn, 1200. 
faren, 1267. 
Seeken, 1268. 
seen, 2605. 
loven, 6507. 
arn, 8218. 
thankyn, 10668. 
' elepen, 14090. 
doon, 14912. 
rennen, 16669. 
wene, 9156, 13764. 
come, 13892. 
gete, 13956. 
caste, 13957. 
say, 8507 (contracted ?). 
$ 53. Imperfect toledo. 
Simple (or * Regular") Verbs. 
a. 'The Imperfect of Simple Verbs is often formed 
by adding -ede, -de, or -te to the root, with occa- 
sional change of vowel, — as in Saxon. 
lovede, 45, 97, 446. 
semede, 387. 
 lakkede, 758. 
fedde, 146 f. 
hadde, 449, 619, 14605. 
herde, 1125 f, 14929. 
answerde, 1126 f, 1716, 
3492, 3777, 7088, 
7897 f, 11889. 
deyde, 2845, 2848. 
sende, 4134 f. 
wente, 78, 255, 2811, 
14252. 
kepte, 444, 4916 f. 
highte, 618, 862, 1193, 
4012, 7908, 10344, 
10347, 15606, etc. 
hente, 959 f. 
alighte, 985 f. 
sente, 2982. 
slepte, 4917 f. 
weddede, 870. 
lyvede, 2847. 
servede, 8516. 
seide, 1601, 2670, 
14130, 14136, 
14166, 14385, 
15077. 
made, 13532. 
wende, 14197 f. 
fette, 8550. 
laste, 10887. 
faste, 12067 f. 
mette, 14128 f. 
grette, 14129 f. 
coste, 15146. 
schente, 16327. 
broughte, 11876. 
taughte, 14099. 
b. The Imperfect Indicative often (perhaps more 
