14 
THE SUBJECTIVE INFINITIVE. 
selest [-ost], best, most excellent: 
El. 533: Nil ge geare cunnon, hwaet eow baes on sefan selest Since to gecySanne 
(or the infinitive may modify the adjective). — lb. 1165: frignan ongan, hwaet 
him baes on sefan selost Suhte to gelaestenne (or the infinitive may modify the 
adjective). 
selle, better, preferable: 
Ju . 408: baet him sylfum selle SynceS leahtras to fremman (sic!) ofer lof 
Godes. 
III. The uninflected infinitive and the inflected infinitive are each found as 
the subject of the following verbs: — 
aliefan [-e-, -y-], be allowed. 
beon, be, plus an adjective 
(1) Of Goodness: 
betere, better. 
selre, better. 
fremman [fremian], benefit. 
gebyrian, befitting. 
gedafenian, befitting. 
gelician, please. 
lician, please. 
lystan, please. 
onhagian, please. 
With four exceptions (aliefan, beon + selre, fremman (fremian), and lystan) 
the inflected infinitive is the commoner with each verb of this group: with 
aliefan and with lystan the uninflected infinitive is the more usual, while with 
beon -f selre and with fremman ( fremian) the usage is evenly divided. 
The following are typical examples: — 
aliefan [-e-, -y-], be allowed: 
( 1 ) Uninflected: 
Bede 74.15: aefter hu feola daga alefaS him baem geryne onfoon fulwihtes 
baebes? = 53.29: quod genuerit, post quot dies hoc liceat sacri baptismatis 
sacramenta percipere? — lb. 74.18 a * b : hwaeber alefaS hire in circan gongan 
obbe baem geryne onfoon baere halgan gemaensumnesse? = 53.32 a ’ b : an ecclesiam 
intrare ei liceat aut . . . sacramenta percipere? — 75.78.17: ne alefaS hire in 
. . . cirican gongan? = 55.28: ei non liceat . . . ecclesiam intrare? 
Gosp.: Mk. 3.4 b * c : Da cwaeb he, alyfS restedagum wel to donne, hweber be 
yfele? sawla gehcelan, hweber be forspillan? = dicit eis: Licet sabbatis bene- 
facere, an male? animam salvam facere, an perdere. — Mk. 10.2: Pharisei 
. . . hine axodon hwaeber alyfS aenegum men his wif forloetan = interrogabant 
eum: Si licet viro uxorem dimittere.- — L. 6.9*’ b> c : alyfS on restedaegum wel 
don, obbe yfele; sawle hale gedon, hwaeber be forspillan? = si licet sabbatis 
benefacere an male, animam salvam facere , an perdere ? 
(2) Inflected: 
Pr. Gu. XX. 85: geryno . . . ba nanegum men ne alyfaS to secganne =■ 
mysteria, quae non licet homini narrare (on alyfaS for alyfeS, see Gonser’s note). 
Mk. 3.4 a : quoted above under a Uninflected.” — Mk. 12.14: AlyfS gaful to 
syllanne bam Casere? = Licet dari tributum Caesari? 
beon, be, plus an adjective of Goodness, etc.: — 
betere, better: 
( 1 ) Uninflected: 
Mk. 9.47: betere be is mid anum eagan gan on Godes rice = 9.46: bonum est 
tibi luscum introire in regnum Dei. [Concerning the positive here, see Professor 
J. W. Bright’s “An Idiom of the Comparative in Anglo-Saxon,” in Modern 
Language Notes for June, 1912, pp. 181-183.] 
