THE INFINITIVE DENOTES NECESSITY. 
103 
forbugan, avoid: 
Mlj. Horn. I. 400 b : Is nu forbi munuchades mannum mid micelre gecnyrd- 
nysse to forbugenne bas yfelan gebysnunga, and geefenlaecan (sic!) baem 
apostolum. 
forswelgan, swallow: 
Lcece. 68.30: swelc swa bi<5 breo beana aelce dsege to forswelganne 7 bisum 
gelice drencas. 
gearcian, prepare: 
Mlj. L. S. XXIV. 21: bysum is to gearcigenne ba rebestan wita. 
gewitan, know: 
Mlj. Horn. I. 294 b : Nis na eow to gewitanne ba tid obbe ba handhwile be 
min Feeder gesette burh his mihte (or subjective?), 
manian, mix (?): 
Greg. 125.13: Sua eac bam lareowe is to monianne (Cot. MS.: to mengenne) 
ba liebnesse wib ba rebnesse, & of bam gemonnge wyrce gemetgunge, baet 
etc. = 88.4: Miscenda ergo est lenitas cum severitate. 
metan, measure: 
Boeth. 44.20: Forbaem hit nis no to metanne bset geendodlice wib bset un- 
geendodlice = 46.57: infiniti uero atque finiti nulla umquam poterit esse collatio. 
[The infinitive may be passive, but is probably active in sense. Concerning 
the use of hit in this sentence, compare Dr. Kenyon, l. c., p. 136: “ As in the 
construction of the infinitive after nouns and adjectives the dependent infini¬ 
tive interchanges with the subject infinitive (pp. 49 ff.), so with the predicative 
infinitive denoting purpose, obligation, etc., a construction occurs in M. E. 
in which the subject of the sentence comes to be used as the object of the in¬ 
finitive. A thing is to do appears, often with the assistance of the expletive 
it, in the form it is to do a thing , meaning it is necessary to do a thing , in the 
same way that the Greek e^eari is used to denote necessity. The examples 
of this construction are not numerous in Chaucer. He appears to have re¬ 
tained the other form in most cases.”] 
ongietan, understand: 
Bede 224.19: Ac God ma wcere to ongeotanne in brymme unbesaendlicne 
(sic!), menniscum eagum ungesenelicne, almeahtigne, ecne = 172.1: Deum 
potius intellegendum maiestate inconprehensibilem, humanis oculis inuisibilem, 
omnipotentem, aeternum etc., before which is to be understood, from 171.20, 
solebat eum hortari. 
secan, seek: 
Mlj. L. S. 376.181: Us is to secenne . . . ba bote aet gode, na aet bam gram- 
lican wiccum, and mid ealra heortan urne haelend gladian (sic!) (or subjective?). 
[Cf. Kenyon, l. c., p. 137.] 
secgan, say: 
Mlj. Hept.: De N. T. 21.14: Nys us na to secgenne bone . . . morb (or 
subjective?). [Cf. Kenyon, l. c., p. 137.] 
sellan, give: 
Lcece. 63.37: him is to sellanne lactucas 7 suberne popig inneweard. — lb. 
76.33: merce on waetre gesoden 7 swilca wyrta 7 migole drincan 7 bynne win 
him is to sellanne wel scir. 
underfon, receive, accept: 
Mlj. Horn. II. 344 b 2 : ac swabeah nis to underfonne nanes synfulles mannes 
aehta on his geendunge, ne his lie ne sy on haligre stowe bebyriged. 
