Atkinson — Tivo Inflexional Forms of the Verb in Irish. 423 
The rules are : — (a) With 2i plural subject, the ending -^nn 
cannot be used (save in the very special case of the e^7io- clause 
negative) . In the old version we have : — 
3,12 riAc jcjAei-oci ; 4, 9 m' giiAuiiijit) nAlini'OAi§e ; 5, 23 onojAAit) fiAt) [as 
ahvays'], where Connellan gives oii6|\Ai5eAnn pAt), wrongly, through the misunder- 
standing of the next clause in the verse, where there are two instances of its cor- 
rect use; 5, 36 beipix) pAt) [C. bei|\eAn pAt)] ; 5, 38 ; 6, 36; 8, 45 m' cjAei'oci' ; 
5, 44^ An CAti jAbcAoi, riAc n-iA|\|AUAOi ; 6,45 'n-A 5cui|\cA0i-f e ; 6,53 mtinA 
n-icci' ; 7,19 -p'A n-iA|A|\CAOi ; 7, 26 m' AbixAit) ; 8, 24 tnuriA 5C|\ei"oci' ; 8, 31 ida 
conintiijci'-fe ; 11, 48 uia f-tningnm't) ; 15,7 '^'^ f AtiAit) [C. has fAnAun] ; 16, 9 
riAC gciAeToix) pAt) [C. has gcjAei'oeAini pAt)]. 
(h) In the independent position, it cannot be used at all. 
Hence v. 17, Connellan's oibinge^n mVcxivi|\ is impossible. 
[IV.] 
But perhaps it may be objected that this form may really 
nevertheless have the consuetudinal force alleged. The examples 
are abundant enough to disprove it ; thus, John viii. 35, we have 
cotTintii Jexsnn -mi -peijibi-pe-^c, and ttia f^o]A^nn xsn nixsc, but 
]:x^n^i*6 xMi VC\isC 50 po|i|iAi'6e. Again, ix. 31 n-<\c n-ei]^"oe-Min, 
but ei-p'01'6 -pe. Again, xii. 24 -p-^n^it) -pe 'n-/s xsonxsjA ; but 
xii. 34 50 li)|:An^nn C\\\o\'o 50 po|i-p^it)e. It is clear from 
the two examples, 
8, 35 -pAnAlt) An THAC 50 p'0]A|AA1T)e, 
12, 34 50 biTAnAnn Ci^\o\X) 50 p'opjAAi-oe, 
that the only reason why the -^nn ending was used in the one 
case, and not in the other, was its obedience to a formal law : it 
had nothing to do with any intensification of meaning. Or 
again, take xiv. 17, in speaking of the Spirit of Truth, ri^c 
'b^rexs'o^nn xsri -p^og^^t 'oo gxi.bAit, An A-obA-p iiac bpAiceAnn 
-pe e : riAc AicmgeAnn e; acu AiceAncAoi--pe e; 6i|a ■pAriAi'o 
-pe A^Aib, " whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him 
not, and knoiveth him not ; but ye know him, for he ahideth with 
you." Here, so far as the meaning of the terms is concerned, there 
could be no possible reason for the variation in the last ; yet 
only three of the words have the -oAnn ending, and, as always, 
