THE ACTIVE INFINITIVE. 
9 
(3) Adjectives of Pleasantness, etc. — continued. 
strang [-0-], distressing. weorc, hardship. 
unacumendlic, intolerable. weorce, grievous. 
unaraefnedlic, intolerable. wynsumere, more pleasant. 
waclic, mean. 
(4) Adjectives of Right and Wrong, Suitability and Unsuitability, the 
Customary and the Strange, and the like: 
gecopust, most suitable. 
gecynde, natural. 
gelimplicor, more suitably. 
genoh, enough, sufficient. 
gewunelic, customary. 
manfullic, sinful. 
riht [-y-], right, proper. 
rihtlic, right, proper. 
rihtre, more proper. 
sweotol, clear. 
treowlicre, safer. 
unaliefedlic [-e-, -y-], unlawful. 
ungeliefedlic, incredible. 
unriht [-y-], wrong. 
wundorlic, wonderful. 
(5) Other adjectives: feorr, far; min, mine. 
dafenian, befitting. 
derian, injure. 
gelustfullian, delight. 
genihtsumian, suffice. 
gerisan, befit. 
helpan, help. 
sceamian, shame. 
Syncan, seem, in predicative combination 
with: — 
(1) Adjectives of Ease and Difficulty, and the like: 
eatSre [e-, ie-], easier. lang [-0-], long, tedious. 
iebre: see eatSre. langsum [-0-], long, tedious. 
(2) Adjectives of Goodness and the like: 
selest [-ost], most excellent. selle, more excellent. 
(3) Adjectives of Pleasantness and Unpleasantness, and the like: 
setSryt, troublesome. hefigtime, troublesome. 
dyselig, foolish. leofra, dearer. 
sceamu, shame. 
(4) Adjectives of Right and Wrong, the Customary and the Strange, and 
the like: 
sellic [-y-], strange. 
wierse [-y-], worse. 
The subjective infinitive occurs far more frequently with beon and with 
dyncan, plus an adjective, than with the other verbs mentioned. It is possible 
that, in some of the examples with these two verbs, the infinitive is a modifier 
of the adjective rather than the subject of the verb plus the adjective, and should 
be put in Chapter XI. Especially doubtful are the sentences introduced by 
the demonstrative pronoun doet or his, as in Boeth. 118.7 (Daet is .. . earfo&lic 
dysegum monnum to ongitanne= 101.30: Mira quidem, inquam, et concessu 
difficilis inlatio) and Bede 366.2 (bis an . . . is genog to gemyngienne = 271.10: 
hoc tantum . . . commemorare satis sit); or by hwcet , as in Greg. 401.16 (Ic 
eow secgge hwset eow arwyr&licost is to beganne = 320.6: ad id quod honestum 
est); or by a neuter noun, as in MIJ. Horn. II. 386* (Bis fers is swibe deoplic 
eow to understandenne). In such sentences, the infinitive seems to me, as a 
rule, to be subjective; but it is possible, of course, that the pronoun or noun 
is subjective instead of objective, and that the infinitive is adverbial and 
modifies the adjective instead of being the subject of the verb. Less doubt- 
