208 ORIGIN OF CONSTRUCTIONS OF INFINITIVE IN ANGLO-SAXON. 
ample each in Bede and in Warferth corresponding to the Latin accusative and 
infinitive. 
With witan, the idiom is possibly native, as with the compound, gewitan: 
the accusative with infinitive after witan is more common in poetry (7 examples) 
than in prose (3 examples). It should be observed, however, that, in the two 
examples from Bede, the accusative with infinitive translates the same idiom 
in Latin; and that several of the poetic examples occur in poems based on 
Latin originals ( Ju., 1; Gu., 1; And., 1). 
To sum up the matter: the predicative infinitive is probably native after 
these verbs: afindan, findan, gefrignan, gehyhtan, gemetan, gemittan, gewitan, 
onfindan, and witan; but the idiom is probably due to Latin influence after 
these verbs: ceteawan, eowan, gecycSan, gehatan, geliefan, gemunan, getriewan, 
Iceran, tellan, and wenan. The data are insufficient to decide about the idiom 
after these verbs: geacsian and tali(g)an. 
5. Verbs of Declaring. 1 
With verbs of declaring ( cwetSan, foresecgan, ondettan, and secgan) the 
accusative with infinitive in Anglo-Saxon is clearly due to Latin influence, 
translating, as it does, in each of the few examples the same construction in 
the Latin. 
6. Other Verbs: “habban” and “todaelan.” 
The origin of the idiom is indeterminable with habban, found only once, in 
AZlf. Horn., and with todcelan, found only twice, in Or os. Concerning the latter, 
see Chapter VIII, p. 118, and Chapter XII, p. 169. 
To sum up the matter as a whole, the predicative infinitive with accusative 
subject is probably native with: (1) certain verbs of Commanding ( bebeodan, 
biddan, and hatan); (2) certain verbs of Causing and Permitting ( Icetan and 
its compounds, aleetan and forlcetan); (3) certain verbs of Sense Perception 
(hieran and seon, and their compounds); (4) certain verbs of Mental Percep¬ 
tion ( afindan, findan, gefrignan, gehyhtan, gemetan, gemittan, gewitan, onfindan, 
and witan). 
It is probably due more or less to foreign (Latin) influence with: (1) this 
verb of Commanding, forbeodan; (2) certain verbs of Causing and Permitting 
(biegan [began], don, gedon, geSafian, ge&olian, geunnan, and niedan); (3) cer¬ 
tain verbs of Sense Perception ( gefelan, gehawian, sceawian); (4) certain verbs 
of Mental Perception (ceteawan, eowan, gecySan, gehatan, geliefan, gemunan, 
getriewan, Iceran, ongietan, tellan, and wenan); (5) all the verbs of Declaring 
represented (owedan, foresecgan, ondettan, and secgan). 
Its origin is indeterminable with: (1) this verb of Sense Perception, be - 
healdan; (2) certain verbs of Mental Perception ( geacsian and tali(g)an); 
(3) with certain Other Verbs (habban and todcelan). 
In the large, the foregoing result tallies with the conclusion reached by 
previous students of the construction. No investigation of the idiom covering 
the whole of Anglo-Saxon literature has hitherto been made so far as I am 
aware; and, in the limited investigations that have been published, for the 
most part little direct consideration of the question as to the origin of the con- 
1 Cf. Chapter VIII, p. 108. 
