THE PASSIVE INFINITIVE. 
83 
rule. With agan, however, the predicative infinitive is frequently inflected; 
why? Because of the strong datival sense of the verb, — its signification of 
propriety or fitness, I think. In Wulfstan we find the infinitive uninflected 
four times after agan (nagan ), in a series, once (294.26 b ) in a series of three in¬ 
finitives and three times (294.30 b , 31 a * b ) in a series of four infinitives, with 
the first infinitive inflected in each of the two series, and also the second infini¬ 
tive in the former series. 
As stated above, Dr. K. Kohler and Dr. Biggert both deny that we have 
any clear examples of the inflected infinitive as the complement of an auxiliary 
verb; hence they do not attempt to differentiate the uninflected infinitive from 
the inflected infinitive in this use. The most specific deliverance that I have 
observed as to the differentiation of the two infinitives after auxiliaries is the 
following by Professor Einenkel, in his “ Der Infinitiv im Mittelenglischen,” 
p. 88, written primarily with reference to Middle English: “ Eine der altesten 
Verbindungen ist die des Objectsinfinitivs mit einem Hilfszeitwort. Hier ist der 
reine Infinitiv die fast ausnahmslose Regel. Haufiger findet sich die Proposition 
dort, wo das Hilfszeitwort dem pragnanteren Sinne des Begriffsverbs sich nahert. 
Die Grenze zwischen diesen beiden Verwendungen ist oft sclrwer zu ziehen.” 
As to the complementary infinitive with the passive of gewunian, the inflected 
infinitive is what we should expect and what we find. 
In the kindred Germanic languages, too, we occasionally find the active 
infinitive inflected after auxiliary verbs: see Chapter XVI, section iv. 
B. THE PASSIVE INFINITIVE. 
The passive infinitive as the complement of an auxiliary verb is not nearly 
so frequent as is the active infinitive in the same use, but it is far more frequent 
than in other uses of the passive infinitive in Anglo-Saxon. It is very rare in 
the poems, and is found chiefly in the prose translations. The passive infini¬ 
tive is made up normally of the verb beon plus the past participle, but occasion¬ 
ally of weor$an or of wesan plus a past participle. I do not see any difference 
in sense between the passive infinitive made with beon and that made with 
wesan; but that made with weorSan denotes, originally at any rate, an ‘ im¬ 
perfect 1 action, while the other two denote a 1 perfect 1 action, in the technical 
sense of these terms. 
Typical examples are: — 
cunnan, know, can: 
Greg. 113.22: se t5e conn wel straec beon & ahafen wiS Sa unryhtwisan = 
78.26: qui scit per illam super culpas erigi. 
dear(r) dare: 
Wcerf. 132.17: swa Seah he ne dorste beon beforan him upp arcered of Saere 
eorSan = B. 162 A 3 : sed ipse ante eum de terra erigi non auderet. — lb. 232.7: 
be Sam ne dorste us nan wen beon ge&iiht = 284 A: de quibus nil coelestis 
gloriae prcesumi posse videbatur , oborta occasione, contigit ad martyrii coronas 
pervenisse? 
magan, can , may: 
Bede 20.14: Saere lichama on byrigenne gewemmed beon ne mihte = 243.2: 
cuius nec corpus in monumento corrumpi potuerit. — lb. 76.2: hwelce rehte 
mceg Sonne bewered beon from gife . . . fulwihtes? = 54.17: qua ratione potent 
