THE ACTIVE INFINITIVE. 
31 
in the examples, and can not easily be grouped here for collective treatment. 
Students and critics of my study will generously bear in mind the inherent 
difficulty of the subject itself, a difficulty enhanced in the present instance by 
the large mass of examples to be considered and by the fact that many previous 
investigators, in both the Anglo-Saxon and in the Germanic fields, have not 
sought to separate the objective infinitives from the adverbial uses in the 
narrower sense of the latter term. 
I. The uninflected infinitive only is found as the object of the following 
groups of verbs: — 
1. Oftenest with certain Verbs of Commanding and the like, of which group 
the chief representative is hatan, 1 command/ * order/ The complete list is as 
follows: 
abiddan, bid, command, which occurs only hatan, command, order, which occurs over a 
once. thousand times. 
2. Next most frequently with certain Verbs of Causing and Permitting, of 
which the chief representative is Icetan , * allow/ 1 cause 
don, do, cause. lastan, allow, cause. 
forgiefan, grant, allow. 
3. Less frequently with the following Verbs of Sense Perception: 
gehieran, hear. ofseon, see. 
geseon, see. seon, see. 
hieran, hear. 
4. Occasionally with the following Verbs of Mental Perception: 
gefrignan, learn by inquiry. hogian, think, intend. 
gehogian, think, intend. tweogan [tweon], doubt. 
geteon, determine. 
5. Occasionally with the following Verbs of Beginning, Delaying, and 
Ceasing: 
blinnan, cease, stop. ginnan, begin. 
forieldan, delay, defer. 
6 . Occasionally with the following Verbs of Inclination and of Will: 
behealdan, take care. geSyrstigan, presume, undertake. 
cunnian, attempt. lystan, desire, yearn. 
forefon, presume, undertake. onmedan, presume, undertake. 
ge-eaSmodigan, deign, vouchsafe. wunian, use, be wont. 
gegiernian, desire. I 
The following are typical examples: — 
1. Verbs of Commanding etc.: — 
abiddan, bid, command: 
fElf. Horn. II. 422 b3 : se apostol abced him water beran. 
hatan, command, order: 
Beow. 199: Het him yblidan godne gegyrwan. — lb. 674: gehealdan bet 
hildegeatwe. 
Gen. 1856: ob bat he Icedan heht leoffice wif to his selfes sele. 
Dan. 242: het hie hrabe bcernan. 
