462 Trocdedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



(' is there a porter? yes,) and as to thee, may thy head not be thine, 

 [so] abruptly thou askest,' — if this he the construction. 



Precisely the same construction occurs in this story, at 126, 13 a 

 thitheu ny ho teu dy dauawt y'th benn, py rac a kyuerchy di, which is 

 absurdly rendered thus : Said G. G. I., "is there a porter?" "There 

 is. And thou, if thy tongue he not mute in thy head, wherefore dost 

 thou call?" But there is no word to express mute: 'as for thee, 

 may thy tongue in thy head not be thine ! ' 



Optatite Usage. 



This optative use is very common in "Welsh, usually in the 3 sg., 

 though it is not in theory confined to this person, as will be seen from 

 the examples below from the llabinogion, and from BBC. 



RBH. — Usually 3 sg., Duw a rodo [rodho] da ytt, 15, 2 ; 27, 12 ; 

 35, 22 ; 149, 3 ; 207, 27 ; 234, 21 ; 259, 27 ; 262, 1 1 ;— Duw a dalo 

 [dalho] itt, 15,4; 22,4; 24,14; 31.9; 51, y; 220,19; 228,23; 

 234, 26 ; 253, 8 ; 276, 9 ; 293, i ; — Duw a rwydhao ragot, 17, 18 ;— 

 Duw a uo nerth itt, 77, 27 ; — ny ho gwaeth y X nocy T, 105, 10 ; 

 ny ho didlawt neb o-honaw, 105, 13; ny ho berthach byth (y hoch 

 chwi no minneu), 115, 15, 16 ; Duwa'ch wo(?7io, 126,9; Duw a diolcho 

 itt, 225, X ; 227, 15; ny Jo gressaw Duw wrthyt, 240,14; y^^^^o 

 Duw wrthyt, 245, 14; Duw a'th gyglioro nu, 270, 8. Introduced by 

 3 sg. imperat., poet yn gystal y'th deon a'th niuer . . . j ho j gwell 

 hwnn, 105, 11. — Earely in passive, ry(//^«er, 'let them be freed,' 65, 5 ; 

 gwneler hynny, 259, i ; Tcyweirer y minneu vy march, 208, 2. — In 

 2 sg. : in the greeting formula hanpych gwell, 35, 22 ; 87, 25 ; 88, x ; 

 105, 9, [(henp.) 15 ; 118, 16 ; 245, 12 ; 286, 5] ; with negative, na hei- 

 dych, 80, i ; na choUych, 80,4; dos ac erchych hynny idaw, 102, 11 ; 

 dyuot a wnelych gennyf, 118, 2 ; ny chativyf \j wyneb, ot af, 199, 22 ; 

 na disgynnych, 255, y. 



BBC. — P. 3, 10 mocli guelher, 'may it soon be seen' ; 7, 10 gorpo, 'may he 

 overcome ' ; 10, x ran new a'n ro^o-ne ran trugaret, ' may the Lord of heaven give 

 us a share of mercy ' ; 10, z diwyccom-ne a cUgonhom o gamuet, 'may we reform 

 and do satisfaction for our transgression ' [cf. 178, 23 diivyccwyf [4:^, 7), digonwyf] ; 

 11, 25 a'n eirolve ne M., ' may Michael intercede for us ' ; 12, 6 ni'm naccer, ' may 

 it not he refused me ' ; 12, 9 kanpich gwell, 'hail ! ' (cf. 13, 7) ; 12, 8 ny biw-e 

 trist, 'may I not he sad'; 12, 10 a'th z;e»(^icco de, ' may it bless thee!' 14, 3 guledic 

 deduit a'n gunel in rit erbin dit brand, ' may the happy ruler make us free against 

 the day of doom ' ; 14, 4 a'n duch i'r gulet, ' may He bring us to the feast' ; 14, 6 

 a'n gunel iechid, ' may He do us salvation ' ; 18, 5 kert a ganhivi, ' a song may he 

 sing' ; 20, 12 bui/f g\ia.s guinwydic, 'may I be|a blessed servant ' ; 35, 19, 20 ny'm 



