Adverbs.
1. him allane is a strengthened form of him ane (VI. 272, 320), and is the more frequent of the two; equivalent to German “allein” and analogous in construction to the pronoun with self. In Early Scots alane is attached to the dative, in later and modern Scots to the possessive, his ane, etc.: the fuller form, from a confusion with lone, is now his lane, etc.
2. The surviving phrase, the morn (XIV. 478) occurs once for the older to-morn. Mr. Gregory Smith says that the former “begins to appear in M. Sc.” (Middle Scots, 1450-1600),[186] and MS. E indeed reads to-morn in the passage above.
3. Note the compounds with gat (a way), thusgat, swagat, etc.: in XIX. 253; C swagatis; E swagat: also howgatis, etc., preserving Genitive ending.
4. The forms on liff (XVIII. 154), on slepe (VII. 192), on stray (XIII. 195), etc., are peculiarly Northern forms for “alive,” “asleep,” etc. Cf. also on fer, on flot.
Prepositions.
1. Till = to, the former being a Northern fashion. C frequently extends to on-to, on-till, as in VI. 622, XVII. 29, etc.
2. Note the verbal preposition that I of tell, etc.
3. Be and by are common to both MSS., C more frequently the latter, probably a Southern influence. Strictly in Scots be alone denotes agency; by usually = beyond, as in by ordinar, etc.