CHAPTER VII. 
THE PREDICATIVE INFINITIVE WITH “BEON” (“WESAN”). 
The Predicative Infinitive with beon or wesan normally denotes (A) Neces¬ 
sity or Obligation, but occasionally denotes (B) Futurity or (C) Purpose. As 
will be seen, save in a few sporadic cases of (A) the infinitive is inflected. No 
example of the compound passive infinitive has been found. 
A. THE INFINITIVE DENOTES NECESSITY OR OBLIGATION. 
As to the voice of the infinitive with beon (wesan) denoting necessity or 
obligation, most students of the construction believe that, while the infinitive 
is normally passive in sense, occasionally it is active in sense. Among those 
that have expressed themselves to this effect may be mentioned Dr. Farrar, 
Z. c., pp. 34-35, 37; Dr. Kenyon, Z. c., p. 136; Matzner, l. c., III, p. 37; Dr. 
Tanger, Z. c., p. 312; and Dr. Wiilfing, Z. c., II, p. 47. Indeed, I know of but 
one 1 noteworthy divergent opinion; and this divergence, I must believe, is 
apparent rather than real. Dr. Henry Sweet seems to hold that the infinitive 
is always passive in sense. In his Anglo-Saxon Reader , 7th ed. (1894), p. 
lxxxiv, he says of the inflected infinitive: “ With the verb be it expresses neces¬ 
sity or duty in a passive sense: monige scylda beod to forberanne , ‘ many sins 
are to be tolerated ’ (3.24). So also 3, 100,” which reads: “ Eac is to wietanne 
dcet ceresd bid se wah durhdyrelod.” Again, in his New English Grammar, II. 
(1898), p. 119, we read: “ In Old English the supine is used in a passive sense 
to express what must be or ought to be done: da ding de to donne sind, ‘ the 
things which are to be done/ We still keep up this passival use in the phrase 
a house to let; but, as we cannot do this with other verbs, we have to use the 
passive form in such constructions as this house is to be let or sold , whence there 
is a tendency to say a house to be let. Originally these passival uses were prob¬ 
ably simply ambiguous: to donne meant indifferently ‘ for some one to do ’ or 
‘ to be done by some one/ ” But, in the last sentence quoted by me, Dr. 
Sweet may intend to modify the earlier unqualified statements so as to allow 
that occasionally in Anglo-Saxon we have with beon (wesan) an infinitive that 
is active in sense. The foregoing opinions are with reference to the inflected 
infinitive only. This general view seems to me substantiated by the investiga¬ 
tion of Dr. Farrar and by the present study. As already indicated, I find a few 
sporadic instances of the uninflected infinitive denoting necessity, some active 
in sense and some passive in sense. 
Normally the infinitive follows the principal verb, as in Bened. 39.5: eal 
Senung is to donne on baet ylce gemet = 72.12: ita agatur; but at times it pre¬ 
cedes, as in Wulf. 57.15 a : geredab sefre, hwset him to donne sy and hwset to 
forlsetenne; and at times the same principal verb is both preceded and followed 
by the infinitive, as in the passage just quoted from Wulfstan. The foregoing 
1 I am not sure as to the position of Dr. Riggert. On p. 68 of his dissertation we read: “ Der Infinitiv hat 
stets aktive Form; jedoch wird durch den aktiven Infinitiv ein passiver Sinn zum Ausdruck gebracht (cf. ahd. 
nist iu thaz zi wizzanne ).” 
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