“Shall we once more go to fight against our brethren, or shall we surcease?”—Geddes’s Transl. The verb to “surcease” is obsolete.
“And they and he, upon this incorporation and institution, and onyng of themself into a realme, ordaynyd,” &c.—Fortescue. Here we have the participle of the verb “to one,” now obsolete, for “to unite.”
“For it is no power to may alien, and put away; but it is a power to may have, and kepe to himself. So it is no power to may syne, and to do ill, or to may be syke, or wex old, or that a man may hurt himself; for all thees powers comyne of impotencye.”—Ib. It has been already observed, that the verb may is derived from the Saxon mægan, posse.—See [p. 97]. From the passage before us it appears, that in the time of Fortescue (anno 1440) the infinitive “to may,” for “to be able,” was in use. It has now been long obsolete. In the following passage, it forms what is called a compound tense with the word shall, the sign of the infinitive being suppressed. “Wherthorough the parlements schall may do more good in a moneth.”—Ib. That is, “shall be able to do.”
“Wherefor al, that he dothe owith to be referryed to his kingdom.”—Ib. The verb to owe, as expressive of duty, is now obsolete. It has been supplanted by ought, formerly its preterite tense, and now used as a present. We should now say, “ought to be referred.”
“Both these articles were unquestionably true, and could easily have been proven.”—Henry’s History of Britain. “Admitting the charges against the delinquents to be fully proven.”—Belsham’s History. Proven is now obsolete, having given place to the regular participle. It is still, however, used in Scotland, and is therefore deemed a Scotticism.
“Methoughts I returned to the great hall, where I had been the morning before.” Methoughts is barbarous, and also violates analogy, the third person being thought, and not thoughts.
SOLECISM.
“You was busy, when I called.” Here a pronoun plural is joined with a verb in the singular number. It should be, “you were.”
“The keeping good company, even the best, is but a less shameful art of losing time. What we here call science and study are little better.” What is equivalent to that which. It should be is, and not are; thus, “that, which we call ... is little better.”
“Three times three is nine,” and “three times three are nine,” are modes of expression in common use; and it has become a question, which is the more correct. The Romans admitted both phraseologies. “Quinquies et vicies duceni quadrageni singuli fiunt sex millia et viginti quinque.”—Colum. Here the distributive numerals are the nominatives to the verb. “Ubi est septies millies sestertium.”—Cic. Here the adverbial numerals make the nominative, and the verb is singular. Plurality being evidently implied, the plural verb seems more consonant with our natural conception of numbers, as well as with the idiom of our language.