And vilfully sustenis al thi care,
And schapith no thinge of thine awn remede,
Bot clepith ay and cryith apone dede,” etc. ([ll. 84-90]).
Here levis is altered into lewith, not only unnecessarily, but quite wrongly. For similar mistakes, see [ll. 1019], [1369], [1384], [2203]. For examples of correct usage, see [ll. 1024], [1337], [1796], [2200], [2201].
3. But the terminations which are used in the most confused manner of all are -en, -yne, and -ing or -yng. Thus we find the non-Scottish infinitives, telen ([494]), makine ([191]); the constant substitution of -ing for -and in the present participle;[11] a confusion between the past participial ending -ine (more correctly -yn), and the present ending -and, thus producing such forms as thinkine ([34]), and besichyne ([418]); and also a confusion between -ing and the past participial ending -en, as fundyng for funden ([465]), fallyng for fallen ([1217], [1322], [3267]), swellyng for swollen ([1222]), and halding for halden ([2259]). We even find -ing in the infinitive mood, as in awysing ([424]), viting (to know, [410]), smyting ([1326]), warnnyng ([1035]), passing ([2148]), ſchewing ([2736]), etc.; and, lastly, it occurs in the plural of the indicative present, instead of the Midland -en; as in passing ([1166]), biding ([2670]), and levyng ([3304]).[12]
It may safely be concluded, however, that the frequent occurrence of non-Scottish infinitives must not be attributed to the copyist, since they are probably due rather to the author; for in such a line as
“Of his desir to viting the sentens” ([l. 410]),
the termination -ing is required to complete the rhythm of the line.
In the same way we must account for the presence of the prefix i-, as in the line
“Quharwith that al the gardinge was I-clede” ([l. 50]).