272 



OBSERVATIONS ON THE LANGUAGE OF GOWE 11 s CONFESSIO AMANTIS. 



Tliero are other instant 9 without the final e, but 

 in tin • cases the succeeding word begins with a 

 vowd, and it is supportable t\\ it the e may have 

 been elided: thus, gpeker in, ii. 159; fisher in, iii. 

 21)7; furtherer of, iii. Ill; maker of, iii. 135; 

 lecher of, iii. 136; keper unarraied, iii. 175. It is 

 doubtful irhether these wn'\< should be called 

 exceptions to § 7; for, in the first place, the metre 

 does not settle the question of their form, inasmuch 

 as clappere, for instance, would suit the verse as well 

 as clapper ; and secondly, for f©w, if for any of them, 

 can we show a form in -ere in the Saxon diction- 

 ary. 



§ 9. Third Declrnsioit of Anglo-Saxon 



Nouns. 



Neuters. (III. 1.) 



ale(S. ealu). i. 291 f, 334. 



chinne (S. cinne), i. 275 f : ii. 139 f. 





inne (S. fame, inn), iii. 311 f, 318 I 

 -riche (S. rice), termination: 



heven-riche ( 8. heofonrice), i. 265 f. 



kingea-riche (S. cyaingriee), ii. 26S f. 



worlde-riche (weoruldrice), i. 118 f, 366 f: 



worldea riche, ii. 130 f. 

 skille (S. scil... i. 16 f, 17 f, 329, 352 f, 358 f : ii. 

 117, 138 t, 312 f, 365 f : iii. 148, 153 f, 343. 



skill, found only when rh. will, probably should 

 have the e : i. 42, 49, 104 : ii. 330 : iii. 59, 

 180, 185, 227. 



skille rh. ivil/e, i. 277, 292, 352 : ii. 312. 

 spere (S. spSre), ii. 138 f, 248 f, 251 f : iii. 53, 56 f, 

 58 (2 cases), 380 f. 



spere, i. 125. 



werre (S. wrerre), i. 125, 245, 355: ii. 59, 68. 

 wile (S. wile, n. ?), ii. 227 f, 255 t, 282 : iii. 50 f. 

 wite (S. wlte), ii. 89 f, 351 t: iii. 23 f, 27 f. 



kne (S. caefi, cneow), i. 24; stre (S. strea, 



straw), ii. 160; tre (S. fcreow, teed, tie), i. 137, 



139, may be regarded as contracted. 



§10. Masculines. (III. 2.) 



80IH- (S. sunu), i. 6, 10, 11, 13, 53, 54, 57, 83, 106, 

 205, etc., etc 



Wyeje (S. hegete (?) ), i. 238 $ 369 f: ii. 59 f 

 , 191 f, 274: id. 324. 



Winge (S. wiuge, decl. ?), iii. 217 f. 





sone (now tell, my sonf\ My fader, what ?) i. 

 317, should probably re ul r sone. Fader, what ? 



wode (S. wudu), ii. 2(54, 327, 336, 33J (2 eases), 



§ 11. Feminines. (III. 3.) 



answere (S. andswaru), i. 96 f, 97, 146 f : iii. 199, 

 249 f, 348 f. 



brede (8. brsedo), iii. 66 f. 



care (8. cearu), i. 339 : ii. 101 : iii. 254 f, 285 f. 

 dore (S. duru, also dyr, II. 3). i. 231 : ii. 32, 102, 



114, 347 : iii. 203. 

 elde (S. yldo, also yld, IT. 3), iii. 365, 377 f. 

 fare (S. faru), ii. 173 f, 271 f: iii 84 f, 285 f, 347 f. 

 heighte (S. heahSo), i. 137. 

 hele (S. haelo), ii. 86, 100, 121 f, 216 f : iii. 23 f, 



141, 347 f, 373. 



44. 



') 



lawe (S. lagu, also lag, II. 3), i. 304, 354, 355: ii. 



157 f, 173 : iii. 2, 189 (4 cases), 381 f. 

 leese (S. Isesu), i. 17. 

 lode [liv(e)lode] (S. lif-ladu), ii. 293 f. 

 love (S. lufu, also lufe, I. 3), i. 39, 45, 49, 50, 52, 



67, 68, 83, etc., etc., etc. 

 nase (S. nasu, nosu), ii. 244 f : iii. 27. 

 nutte-tre (S*. hnutu, also hnut, II. 3), ii. 30 : nutte- 



shale, ii. 20 f. 



sake (S. sacu), i. 121 f, 276 f, 344 f : ii. 70 f, 141 f, 

 314 f: iii. 374. 



sawe (S. sagu), ii. 91 f, 225 f, 250 f, 344 f. 

 schame (S. scamu), i. 150 : ii. 64, 107 f, 218, 254. 

 shawe (S. sceadu, also II. 2), ii. 45 f, 333 f, 339 f. 

 scole (S. scolu), ii. 91 : iii. 46, 84, 139, 324. 

 spade (S. spadu, also spad, II. 3), ii. 128 f. 

 tale (S. tain), i. 53, 121 : iii. 62, 195, 218 : iii. 48. 

 trouthe (S. treovvSo), i. 208 : ii. 27 (2 cases), 28, 



30, 180, 389 : iii, 137, 344. trouth, ii 226 ? 



12. It will be noted that the nouns sone and 

 lone have the final e regularly in Gower, contrary 

 to the apparent rule in Chaucer. The same is true 

 of the important word time, § 3. 



§ 13. Many nouns which in Anglo-Saxon end in 

 a consonant are found in Gower with the termina- 

 tion ©, derived from an oblique case of the old in- 

 flection. 



-• 



§ 14. Masculines and Neuters (II. 1, 2 : III. 1, 

 2) which, though ending in Saxon in a consonant, 

 have in Gower the termination e- 



