Use of Auxiliary Verbs in Romance Languages. 31 



pas toujours obsen-ee." It appears, on the contrary, that 

 with the auxiliary etre, perir, as well as all the other verbs 

 examined above, is of reflexive origin, and that with avoir 

 they constitute a development towards active forms. All 

 shades of meaning attributed to neuter verbs in modem 

 French, according as they are conjugated with avoir or with 

 etre, may be assigned not only to a refinement of thought and 

 of style, but also to the subtle distinctions of grammarians. 



In the above considerations I have taken account only of 

 such neuter verbs as either retain etre exclusively, or take 

 both etre and avoir, making no mention whatever of those 

 conjugated with avoir 2\ox\q. A couple of instances will show 

 that those also were used reflexively. 



Dorinir : — 



Charles se dort qu'il ne s'esveillet mie Rol 724 



Plc2irer : — 

 Amarement mult se ploret Pass, du Christ . 198 



II. Auxiliaries used zvith Intratisitive Verbs in Italian. 



Since the Italian system of conjugating* the neuter verbs 

 presents about the same character as that of the French, I 

 have thought proper in the preceding to bring such parallel 

 instances of Italian as I might find directly under those of 

 the French. This was done to illustrate the one language 

 by the other, and to bring stronger proofs to my assertion 

 that neuter verbs conjugated with esse in either of these lan- 

 guages are merely remnants of reflexive verbs elliptically ex- 

 pressed. I may add here that in Italian authors like Matteo 

 Spinelli, Ricordamo Malespini, Dino Compagni, Dante, Boc- 

 caccio, and Ariosto, this alternating use of elliptical reflexives 

 with full reflexive verbs is m»re frequent than in any French 

 author I have read. 



The Italian still uses the auxiliar}- essere with a few neuter 

 verbs, where the French now uses the auxiliars" avoir. I 

 have found two striking instances of such difference in 

 fiiggire and vivere. 



61 



