416 OBSERVATIONS ON THE LANGUAGE OF CHAUCER. 
b. Occasionally, the Plural of the Imperative, if 
the MS. be correct, loses its final consonant. 
youre pacience ye holde (an un- 
hithe, 7191. doubtedly correct form), 7719 f. 
trille, 10642. loke, 11304, 13257. 
make, 14837. 
awake, 3700. 
c. Often the termination is entirely dropped. 
hold, 785. lok, 6695; Joke, 14352, 
fight, 810. tel, 5768,7005, 7086, 7885. 
ley, 843, 2560. let (which form only occurs), 
forget, 2799. 833, 842, 3085. 
tak, 13767, 13771, — teché, 7000. 
13775; také, 2783, kys, 6821; kissé, 10058. 
14192. lené, 3084, 14597, 14598. 
com, 10315. chesé, 6801, 6809. 
byd, 10648. 
d. Sometimes the abridged plural (if we should 
not rather say the singular) seems to be used in- 
differently for the full and regular plural; in other 
words, the singular and plural forms are entirely 
confounded. 
tel forth youre tale, and sparith for no man, 5768. 
telleth your tale, and Jet the sompnour be, 6871. 
goth forth, and ley on fasté, 2560. 
awaké, lemman myn, and speketh to me, 3700. 
stoupeth adoun! by God, ye ben to blame; 
helpeth me now, as I dede yow whil er; 
put in your bond, and loké what is ther, 13255 - 7. 
vee es thurgh youre gentilnesse, 
SSC lat thou falle, 922, 923. 
rydé forth, myn oughne lord, brek nought ouré game, 
15413. 
now, Cristes owne knyghtes leef and deere, 
cast al away the werkes of derknes, 
and armith you in armur of brightnes, 12311 — 13. 
voydith youre man, and /et him be theroute ; 
and sehet the doré whils we ben aboute, 13064 — 5. 
$ 60. INFINITIVE. 
The Infinitive in Chaucer ends in -em (A.-Sax. 
-am), often shortened to e. In a few cases the ter- 
mination e is dropped. 
seeken, 13. doon, 770. 
given, 232. speken, 792. 
han, 754. werreyen, 1546. 
ben, 2312. 
worken, 3531. 
saven, 3533. 
hangen, 3589. 
dauncen, 4368. 
roste, 385. 
sethe, 385. 
drawe, 521. 
snybbe, 525. 
schorte, 793. 
telle, 794. 
make, 804. 
stynte, 2452. 
lové, 1171. 
demé, 3194. 
pylé, 6944. 
seeké, 14109. 
wynké, 16792. 
bygynné, 17347. 
A few contracted Infinitives are sometimes pro- 
tracted (?). 
asken, 4521. 
: ryden, 6972. 
sayn, 6976. 
parten, 9504. 
then, 13724. 
helpe, 2651. 
abyde, 2652. 
stele, 4050. 
sterve, 6824. 
strike, 6946. 
fille, 6930, 
praye, 6980. 
slee, 14114. 
atren, 2451. 
= brest, 6685 f, 9970 f. 
let, 6944. 
answer, 14823. 
to seene (S. seón), 1037 f, 9340 f, 11423 f. 
to sayne (S. secgan), 10628 f, 12286 f. 
to doone (S. dón), 10648 f, 12860 f, ii. 357. 
The prefix y- (S. ge-) is found in at least one case 
before the Infinitive. 
y-knowe, 11199. 
$ 61. PARTICIPLES. 
Complex Perfect. — The Perfect Participle of 
Complex (“Irregular”) Verbs terminates in em. 
The m is often dropped. 
holpen, 18. 
foughten, 62. 
comen, 77, 2703. 
dronken, 135, 13983. 
wonnen, 879. 
holde, 6526, 14017. 
unknowe, 1408 f. 
come, 1357. 
geve, 14337. 
wonne, 1004. 
stongen, 1081. bygonne, 52 f. 
bounden, 13118. undurgrowe, 156 f. 
seten, 1454. woxe, 9636. 
songen, 1531. songe, 1542, 15072. 
unyolden, 2644. clombe, 15888. 
lorn, 5194, 8947, 15526. 
layn, 5307. 
founden, 8396. founde, 10154. 
understonde, 10751. 
| standen, 9368. 
