170 
OTHER ADVERBIAL USES OF THE INFINITIVE. 
Z. c., p. 15: “Twice we find the simple infinitive following loosely the main 
verb as a final element.” He then cites the Orosius passage as one example 
and Luke 1.17 as another. Concerning the latter see Chapter X, p. 148, 
Note 2.] 
(2) The Inflected Infinitive: 
Perhaps the clearest example of the absolute use of the inflected infinitive 
is to be found in the phrase hrcedest to secganne, 1 to speak briefly/ of which I 
give all the clearer examples observed: Wulf. 27.1: byder sculon wiccan and 
wigleras and, hrcedest to secganne, ealle ba manfullan, be ser yfel worhton and 
noldan geswican ne wib god bingian; — ib. 36.7: bonne wyrb bset wseter mid 
bam halgan gaste burhgoten, and, hrcedest to secganne, eal, bset se sacerd deb 
burh ba halgan benunge gesawenlice, eal hit fulfremeb se halga gast gerynelice; 
— ib. 115.3: bider sculan beofas . . . and, hrcedest to secganne, ealle ba man¬ 
fullan.— With this infinitive phrase compare the following: Boeth. 39.10: 
Swa hit is nu hra&ost to secganne be eallum bam woruldgesselbum be seo wyrd 
brengb, bset etc. = 42.63: Postremo idem de tota concludere fortuna licet etc.; 
— ib. 41.3: Daet is nu hratSost to secganne, [bset ic wilnode] weorbfullice to 
libbanne = 46.80: 0; — Wulf. 158.16: godcunde hadas wseron nu lange swa 
forsawene . . . and hrcedest is to cweSenne godes laga labe and lara forsewene; 
— ib. 204.2: bider scylan wiccan and wigleras, and, rarest is to scecgenne, ealle 
ba manfullan. 
Another phrase used absolutely is to metanne wits, 1 to compare with/ ‘ in 
comparison with/ which, as stated above, is mentioned by Wiilfing, 1 and 
occurs as follows: Boeth. 29.6: forbsem be ober twega obbe hit nan god nis for 
eow selfe, obbe beah forlytel god wib eow to metane = 36.28: quae tametsi 
conditoris opera suique distinctione postremo aliquid pulchritudinis trahunt, 
infra uestram tamen excellentiam conlocatae ammirationem uestram nullo 
modo merebantur; — ib. 36.3: Hu micle mare is bonne bses monnes lichoma 
to metenne wib bset mod bonne seo mus wib bone mon = 41.18: 0; — ib. 41.24: 
bonne meaht bu ongetan bset he is eal wib bone heofon to metanne swilce an 
lytlu price on bradum brede = 44.11: ad caeli spatium puncti constat optinere 
rationem, id est ut, si ad caelestis globi magnitudinem conferatur, nihil spatii 
prorsus habere iudicetur; — ib. 44.26: beah he [= hlisa] hwilum lang sie, y fela 
geara burhwunige, he bib beah swibe scort to metanne wib bone be nsefre ne 
geendab = 46.58: ita fit, ut quamlibet prolixi temporis fama, si cum inex- 
hausta aeternitate cogitetur, non parua sed plane nulla esse uideatur; — ib. 72.18: 
bonne magon ge ongitan bset he [= heofon] is ealles nauht wib his sceppend to 
metanne y wib his wealdend = 65.17: 0; — ib. 89.22: bonne wile he cweban 
bset sio beorhtnes bsere sunnan sciman sie besternes to metanne wib ba ecan 
birhtu Godes = 77.17: 0; — ib. 130.29, 31 a,b : Swylc is bset bset we wyrd 
hatab be bam godcundan forebonce, swylce sio smeaung y sio gesceadwisnes 
is to metanne wib bone gearowitan, y swylce bas lsenan bing biob to metanne wib 
ba ecan, y swilce bset hweol bib to metanne wib ba eaxe = 110.74, 75, 76: Igitur 
uti est ad intellectum ratiocinatio, ad id quod est id quod gignitur, ad aeterni- 
tatem tempus, ad punctum medium circulus: id est fati series mobilis ad 
prouidentiae stabilem simplicitatem. — Boeth. 36.3 above, Dr. Wiilfing 2 (II, 
213) puts, allowably, under the infinitive with beon denoting necessity, as he 
probably does Boeth. 72.18 and 130.29, 31 a> b , none of which are given by him 
