282 



OBSERVATIONS ON THE LANGUAGE OF GOWER S CONFES 



the smale path, the large strete, ii. 194. 



her yelwe hair, iii. 255. 



this yonge, faire, freshe may, iii. 302. 



thethridde, ii. 85: iii. 119, 129. 

 the fourthe, ) .. 



fertl 



the ' I ii. 182 f : iii. 120, 130, 3G4. 

 ie, ) 



the fifte, i. 237 : iii. 120, 130. 

 the sixte, | iu 121 f 130 



sexte, ) 

 the ni nthe, iii. 131. 



the tenthe, iii. 124, 131. 

 \ he tw f the '| iii. 126, 132. 



the twelfte, ) 



his owne lif(e), i. 9, 52 (but, uncontracted, his 

 owen, iii. 317 f.) 



So, in the derke, i. 190. 



in the depe, i. 194 : ii. 200. 



§ 



So, for the most part, the Definite Form 



of monosyllabic Superlatives* 



her beste, i. 51, 151. 



the beste, iii. 24. 



the teste, ii. 151 : iii. 229. 



the firste, i. 23, 146: iii. 127, 240. 



the laste, i. 23 : iii. 133. 



at the laste, i. 151. 



ate laste, i. 16 : ii. 345, 377. 

 the nexte, iii. 121 f. 



the worste, i- 174. 

 my moste, ii. 34. 

 the moste, ii. 379. 



34 



Among Definite Forms of the Adjective 

 are to be reckoned adjectives occurring in forms 

 of address (as in Anglo-Saxon, leofa fader, etc.) 



false (S. fals), "false cherl ! " i. 321 : ii. 317. 



g6d) 



93, 320 : i. 148. 



suster," ii. 48, 



* 7 



foule (S. ful), " thou foule beste," ii. 337. 



Jeve (S. leof), « leve sir/' ii. 58 : iii. 301, 317 



wise (S. wis), « O wise Diogene," i. 323. 



proude (S. ptfte, prut), "thou proude cler 

 i. 261. 



highe (S. heah), « O hihe fader," iii. 15, 196. 

 blmde (S. blind), " O blinde," iii. 168 f. 



§ 35. The Definite Form of Adjectives of 



>> 





than one syllable has not (generally) the final 

 There are, however, more exceptions to this rule 

 Gower than in Chaucer. 



e 



in 



a. Comparatives : (those of the " Irregular " 



) 



the higher, iii. 15. 



the better, i. 213 : ii. 193 : iii. 224. 



As to Superlatives, we find, to be sure, the 

 christenest, i. 213 : but, on the other hand, 



of women is the unsemlieste, i. 96. 

 the lothlieste what, i. 98. 

 the mightiest[e] was to fighte, ii. 176. 

 or the fairest[e] love of alle, iii. 24 (?) 



b. Past Participles. 



like to the chaced wilde bore, iii. 268. 

 the descoloured pale hewe, iii. 339. 

 tho wide furred hodes, i. 63. 



more 



c. Adjectives with derived endings, as -full, 



this wofull, i. 195, 272 : ii. 322 : iii. 15, 354. 



our ferful, ii. 1 89 : iii. 94. 



the rightfull, iii. 183. 



the wrongfull, iii. 226, 268. 



the mighty, iii. 275. 



the lusty, iii. 242. 



this worthy, iii. 259. 



his hevy, i. 264. 



the proude tirannish Romain, iii. 246. 



So, the bitter, iii. 350. 



the siker, ii. 208, 392. 



that other, ii. 198 : iii. 36 : [in the sense of the 

 second, i. 220.] 



this litel, i. 36, 219: iii. 217, 349. 

 her evil, ii. 207. 

 thy wicked, i. 179. 



d. Various adjectives of Latin derivation, 

 his mora], iii. 140. 



his real, iii. 167, 168, 338. 

 my finall, iii. 384. 

 the cruel, ii. 52, 305. 

 the subtil, iii. 92, 140. 



