OBSERVATIONS ON THE LANGUAGE OF CHAUCER. 
times the -th appears to be dropped, and very fre- 
quently the whole termination. In this case the 
plural is not to be distinguished from the a. 
form, and both are found together. 
$ 58. 2d Person Singular. 
a. Simple Conjugation. 
aske, axe (S. ásca), 3557, 14082. 
herkne, harke (S. herena), 9186, herk, 7500. 
7133. 
grope (S. grápa), 7723, 13164. 
knokke (S. cnoca), 3432. 
thanke (S. thanca), 16172. 
have (S. hafa), 2421? 
Exceptions. 
havé, 2227, 2394, 
3551, 3726. 
loké, 3549, 13164, 
14084, 14245. 
schewé (S. sceawa), 
7675. 
mak (S.maca), 3720. 
telle (S. tele), 7026, 15567. tellé, 3433. 
bygynne (S. begine ?), 18049 f. tel, 7345, 12543, 
14171, 14807, 
. 15058. 
fetté (S. fece), 3492. 
levé,* 7671? 
Joke (S.16ca), 7169, 7838, 15109. 
lef (S. laef), 1616. 
fynd thou (S. find), 2246. 
speed (S. spéd), 3562, 3726. 
stynt (S. stint), 3146. 
keep (S. cép), 6488, 14843, 
17251, 17294. 
red, reed (S. rêd), 17276, 17277. 
send (S. send), 2327, 3598. 
plight (S. pliht), 6591. 
thenk (S. thenc), 10039, 17250, 
17294. 
thou bek (S. bécn), 17278 (pro- 
noun before). 
recché (S. réc), 12626? 
yeldé (S. gild), 13604? 
wreké (S. wréc), 15391? 
b. Complex Conjugation. 
spek, 3803, 12621, 17278. 
ber, 7569. 
brek, 15413. 
com, 6015, 7184, 16493. 
* The superfluous final é in levé, and in all the forms 
which follow in the same column, is altogether suspicious, 
and probably should be dropped. 
et, 15936. 
475 
Exceptions. 
gif, 2262, 2422, 7185, 16947. 
hold, 2670, 12621, 16969. 
bihold, 16501. 
awak, 4260 f. 
awaké, 4286? 16947? 
tak, 2228, 7113, 12122, 13048, také, 9172? thou 
13639, 14057, 17095. 
take, 15937 ? 
far (well), 14675, 14775, 15927. 
let, lat, 923, 6015, 7184, 17107. leté, 3713? 
do, 2407, 11368, 14806. 
go, 9431, 14082. 
fynd, 2246. 
drynk, 7635. 
wepé, 2480? 
help, 2088, 2404, 3610, 3813, 
14884, 16492. 
smyt, 17217. 
rys, 13133, 10012. 
wyt, 10051. 
abyd, 5751. 
ches, 1616. 
be, 6488. 
chest, 1597 ? 
rydé, 15413 ? 
c. In the following cases the final e is difficult to 
be-accounted for, unless an abridged plural form is 
confounded with the singular. 
holdé thy pees, 9606. 
(Tyrwhitt has hold thou.) 
werké by counseil, and thou schalt nat rewe, 3530. 
as sendé love..... 2319. 
ne with no wood man walké by the way, 7669. 
§ 59. 
a. draweth, 837, 840. 
smyteth, 784. 
herkeneth, 790, 830, 
7238, 14111. 
cometh, 841, 14340. 
stynteth, 2676. 
trusteth, 3090. 
haveth, 1112, 11012. 
goth, 2560, 2562. 
telleth ye, 3120. 
doth, 8528, 11377. 
axith, 8529. 
beoth, beth, 3578, 
7883, 14098. 
wakith, 7236. 
reweth, 11286. 
holdeth, 11376. 
Plural. 
telleth, 11927, 14538, 
14540. 
saith, 12103. 
kepeth, 12154. 
understondith, 13093, ii. 
353. 
takith, 12987, 13104. 
sendeth, 14029. 
levith, 14074, ii. 361. 
giveth, ii. 379. 
studieth, 843. 
saveth, 4649. 
prayeth, 7236, 7245. 
retourneth, 8685. 
considerith, 9705. 
examineth, ii. 348, 
