THE OBJECTIVE INFINITIVE. 
189 
2. Verbs of Permitting. 1 
Of the three verbs in this group ( aliefan , geSafian, and sellan), sellan is 
found with an objective infinitive (U.: 1, I.: 1) only in the poems. In the 
translations, aliefan is found with an infinitive, uninflected and inflected, that 
corresponds now to an objective infinitive, now to a predicative infinitive with 
accusative subject, now to a finite verb in the Latin original; and gedafian is 
found once with an inflected infinitive as object translating a Latin objective 
infinitive active. Aliefan and geSafian are each found, also, in works not known 
to be translations. The infinitive, both uninflected and inflected, with this 
whole group of verbs is probably of native origin. 
3. Verbs of Mental Perception. 2 
Of this group of verbs, Jindan, gemyntan, myntan, ftencan, and wenan are 
found with the objective infinitive in the poems, findan and Sencan with the 
infinitive both uninflected and inflected, the other verbs named with the un¬ 
inflected only. In the translations, the Anglo-Saxon infinitive, both uninflected 
and inflected, has various Latin correspondents. In all probability, therefore, 
the objective infinitive, both uninflected and inflected, is of native origin with 
this group of verbs, though no doubt the Latin original occasionally accounts 
(as in geleornian) for the infinitive’s being inflected. 
The Latin correspondents are: — for geleornian: U.: objective active infinitive, 1; — I.: 
gerundive in the accusative, 1;—for gemyntan: U.: 0; — I.: objective active infinitive, 1; 
— for gestihhian: U.: objective active infinitive, 1; — I.: no Latin, 1;—■ for leornian: U.: 0; 
— I.: objective active infinitive, 2; gerundive in the accusative, 1;—for myntan: U.: objec¬ 
tive active infinitive, 1; no Latin, 2; — I.: 0; — for &encan: LT.: objective active infinitive, 
11; ad + a gerundive in the accusative, 2; co-ordinated finite verb, active, 2; accusative 
and active infinitive as object, 1; accusative and passive infinitive as object, 1; noun in 
the accusative, 1; loose paraphrase, 1; no Latin, 9; — I.: objective active infinitive, 7; co¬ 
ordinated finite verb, active, 2; subordinated finite verb, active, 1; ad + a gerundive in the 
accusative, 1; noun in the ablative modified by a genitive, 1; indicative passive with a prepo¬ 
sitional phrase, 1; no Latin, 5. 
4. Verbs of Beginning, Delaying, and Ceasing. 3 
Of this group of verbs, only the following have the objective infinitive in 
Anglo-Saxon poetry, and that uninflected: forlcetan, and beginnan and onginnan, 
the two most frequently recurring of the whole class. In the Chronicle , this 
idiom with these two last verbs occurs, though not frequently: in the transla¬ 
tions, the Anglo-Saxon objective infinitive, whether uninflected or inflected, 
has various Latin originals, though the most frequent is an objective infinitive. 
That the objective infinitive, when uninflected, was a native idiom in Anglo- 
Saxon with these two verbs seems highly probable, therefore, though the fre¬ 
quency of the construction in the translations must be in no small part due to 
the frequency of coepit (and kindred verbs of beginning) followed by an ob¬ 
jective infinitive in the Latin original. As to the inflected infinitive as object 
after these two verbs, I have spoken above, in Chapter II, pp. 67 ff.; where I 
have tried to show that the use of the inflected form was not due to foreign in- 
1 Given in Chapter II, p. 44. 
3 Given in Chapter II, p. 44. 
2 Given in Chapter II, p. 44. 
