OBSERVATIONS ON THE LANGUAGE OF CHAUCER. 
he nas no fool ne no demoniak, 7874. 
I wol no thing ne nil no thing certayn, 8522. 
that neyther in halle, ne in noon other hous, 
ne in noon other place, never the mo 
he nolde suffre hir to ryde or go, 9964. 
ne for prayer ne for meede he nyl not be corrupt, 
iii. 90. 
ne wol nought spare no wight for praier ne for gift, 
iii. 90. 
ne God ne knowe thay not, iii. 167. 
ne I ne say not, iii. 180. 
ne for noon harm that men doon ne sayn, he ne 
eschaufith nought agayns resoun, iii. 140, etc., etc. 
But = only takes a negative before it, as in Saxon 
and vulgar modern English ; as, 
I nam but deed, 1124. 
(al the sorwe) nys but a litel thing, iii. 91, 179. 
$ 108. Various PARTICLES. 
As, with the fundamental meaning of considering, 
with respect to, so far as concerns, is employed by 
Chaucer in various shades of distinctness and strength, 
decreasing to insignificance.* 
and born him wel, as in so litel space, 87. 
I most as now forbere, 887, 7899, 12872 (cf. German 
alsdann ?). e 
this nobil king, as to my wit (had &c.), 5623. 
(nought I desire) as for myself, 7557. 
that ye to me assent as in this thing, 8370. 
as by conjecture (hem thought, &c.), 8282. 
(unto such a worthi man) acorded not, as by his 
faculté, 244. 
therwith he was, as to speke of lynage, 7947. 
no lenger may the body of him sojourne 
on thorisonte, as in that latitude, 9671. 
I have had my world as in my tyme, 6055. 
ye mosten be ful derne as in this caas, 3297, 3385, 
6947, 7107. 
I am unknowen as in this contré, 6979. _ 
As in supplicating phrases is often absolutely re- 
dundant. 
(Goddes of maydenes) as keep me, 2304. 
(this grace I praye the) as sende love, 2319. 
(every wight I prey) as deme nat, 3172. 
(freend so deere) as lene it me, 3775. 
* A similar loose use of as is now reviving. 
497 
(I pray to al this companye) as taketh nought agreef, 
5118. 
(for Goddes love) as chese a new request, 6642. 
(I yow biseke) as suffrith me, 7253. 
(for Goddis sake) as beth of better cheere, 7883. 
as voucheth sauf to give me, 8761. 
(but thilke God) as kepe my lord, 11201. 
as preyeth hire so grete a flood to bringe, 11371. 
as doth me right, 13581. : 
[and also in the following : — 
pay me, quod he, or by the swet seint[e] Anné, 
as I wol bere away thy newé panné, 7196.] 
In like manner so is redundant, in one instance : — 
for love of God so doth your selvé grace, 10772. 
as is used as a relative in this one case: there may 
be more, but others have not been noted : — 
his hundred as I spak of now, 1860. 
by in the sense of about : — 
allé this ensamples tel I by this men 
that ben untrewe, and nothing by wommen, 17120. 
erst (followed by than) in the sense of before : — 
schapen was my deth erst than my schert, 1568. 
longe erst than primé rong of eny belle, 14077. 
(without than.) 
for never erst ne saugh sche such a sight, 8212. 
er than also occurs. 
er than the pot be on the fuyr y-do, 12827. 
First is once used in the same way as erst: — 
I loved hire first then thow, 1157. 
how that, in the sense of however that, although : — 
how that ignoraunce be moder of alle harm, certis 
negligence is the norice, iii. 146. 
tnwith, in the sense of within : — 
this purs hath sche inwith hir bosom hud, 9818. 
the piry inwith your armes for to take, 10216. 
considered hath ¿nwith his dayes olde, 9268. 
long on (S. gelang), in the sense of along of, be- 
cause of : — 
som sayd it was long on the fuyr-makyng, 12850. 
I cannot tellé wheron it was long, 12858. 
noon, in the sense of no (= not) : — 
whether ye wol or non, 11090, iii. 105, 108. 
and if that he encrecsed were or noon, 14492. 
(tel me) is he a clerk or noon, 12544, iii. 105. 
