12 
THE SUBJECTIVE INFINITIVE. 
Oros. 52.8: Hit is uniede to gesecgenne hu monege gewin sibban waeron = 
53.4: quae per ordinem disserere nequaquam aptum videtur. 
(2) Adjectives of Goodness, Usefulness, etc.: — 
betst, best: 
Solil. 3.6, 7: Da reahte he . . . hwilc good him were betst to donne, and 
hwilc yfel betst to forletende (sic!) = mihi . . . quaerenti memetipsum ac bonum 
meum, quidve mali evitandum esset (or the infinitive may modify the adjective), 
god, good: 
Greg. 151, 8 b , 9 a * b : Eac is to wietanne baette hwilum bid god wserlice to 
midanne his hieremonna scylda & to licettanne suelce he hit nyte; hwilum eft to 
se[c]ganne - 108.18 a * b> c : Sciendum quoque est, quod aliquando subjectorum 
vitia prudenter dissimulanda sunt, sed quia dissimulantur, indicanda. 
JElj. Horn. II. 564*: Gif god is and halwendlic to forhcebbenne fram unaly- 
fedlicum styrungum. 
Mlf. Hept.: Gen. 2.18 a : Nis na god bisum men ana to wunienne = Non est 
bonum hominem esse solum. 
Mat. 17.4 a : god ys us her to beonne = bonum est nos hie esse (according to 
Stoffel, l. c. y p. 53, accusative and inflected infinitive in Anglo-Saxon: see 
Chapter VIII, p. 119). 
Loece. 28.41: Eft wib bon eac bid god lustmocan crop to leeganne on gebrocen 
heafod. 
sel, better: 
Bened . 10.3 a ’ b : be . . . drohtunge sel is to swigienne bonne embe to spre- 
cenne = 16.13: melius est silere quam loqui. 
selest [-ost], best, most excellent: 
Prayers IV. 11: Getacna me . . . baer selast sy sawle minre to gemearcenne 
meotudes willan. 
Bl. Horn. 205.27: bonne is hit ealles selest to baem daege to secenne hwaet baes 
willa sie. 
(3) Adjectives of Pleasantness and Unpleasantness, etc.: — 
lab, loathsome: 
Oros. 122.16: nellab gebencan hu lad eow selfum woes to gelcestanne eowre 
abas = 0. 
Chron. 173 m , 1048 E b : for ban him woes lad to amyrrene his agenne folgab. 
Wulf. 257.13: him wees lad bearfendum mannum mete to syllenne. 
leofost [-ast], dearest, best: 
Laws 78, Alfred, c. 43: beowum monnum eallum sien forgifen, bam be 
him leofost sie to sellanne aeghwaet. 
leofre, dearer, preferable: 
Greg. 217.12 a * b : him bid leofre scande to dolianne bonne baet god to cydanne 
= 164.7, 9: eligit patiens quaelibet mala perpeti, quam . . . bona sua occulta 
cognosci. 
Oros. 44.14 a> b : Heton . . . seegan, baet him leofre woere wib hiene to feoht- 
anne bonne gafol to gieldanne = 0. 
(4) Adjectives of Right and Wrong, etc.: — 
riht, right, proper: 
Bede 268.4: swa riht is to gelyfanne = 210.6: ut credi fas est. — lb. 398.18: 
swa swibe swa monnum riht is to eahtienne » 289.11: quantum hominibus 
aestimare fas est. 
