Substantivation in Chancer . 7 



Tales: Prologue, 415. — The neye slye maketh the ferre Iccf to 

 be loth. Milleres Tale, 206. — Ne never saugh I a more bounte- 

 votis . . . ne a more gracionse. Troylus and Cryseycle, Bk. 

 I. 883.— And therto I saugh never a less Harmful than she was 

 in doinge. Boke of the Duchesse, 993. — Emelye, the reivfullest 

 of al the companye. Knyghtes Tale, 2028. 



2. As personal substantives in plural (with -s). As we would 

 naturally expect, the use of adjectives in this way is very much 

 limited. For an adjective must be pretty thoroughly substan- 

 tivized before we can feel free to decline it in the plural, as we 

 do other nouns. The best examples, and in fact almost the only 

 ones, are the following: 



As custom is unto these nobles alle. Marchaundes Tale, 645. — 

 And he forth the seyyites ladde. Secoundc Nonnes Tale, 369. — 

 There saintcs have here comyng. Court of Love, 120. — right 

 anoon the gcntils gan to crie. Prologue of the Pardoner, 37. — 

 Of honoures that oure eldres with us lefte. Monkes Tale, 208. — 

 By God and by his halwcs twelve. Boke of the Duchesse, 830. — 

 To innocents doth such grevance. Romaunt of the Rose, 4273. — 

 And the seculars comprehende. ibid., 7175.— Brynge us to that 

 paleyce that ys bilte To penytentys. Chauceres ABC :Z. — And 

 after hem of coinuncs after here degre. Knyghtes Tale, 1715. 



3. As abstract nouns in singular. The class of adjectives 

 used by Chaucer as abstract nouns is by far the largest 

 of all. While it is, perhaps, hardly necessary to give examples 

 of all, out of the sixty different adjectives which I have noted 

 under this head, we may consider a few of the inost typical. 

 One very important division of this class is made up of color 

 adjectives. Of these green is used most frequently. 



And Emelye, clothed al in grene. Knightes Tale, 827. — Twenty 

 bokes clad in blak and reed. Cant. Tales : Prologue, 294. — of fyn 

 Scarlett reed. ibid. 457. — A long surcote of bhte. ibid. 611. — A 

 marchant was ther ... in motteleye. ibid. 271. — They 

 gloweden betwixe yokv and reed^ ibid. 1274. — With face deed, 

 betwyxe pale and grene. A^nelyda and Arcite, 356. 



Of all the abstract adjective substantives good is used most 

 commonlv : 



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