Three-fourths of the infinitives end in -en; those of the second weak conjugation mostly in -ien, as makien, þolien; with -in are bemin 43, grennin 59, hungrin 99, lokin 51, b 145, rikenin 25, 82, schawin 38 and the ME. niuelin 59, olhnin b 6, toggin b 145, wimplin b 51; with -i, teoheði 12; with -e, cume b 90, drahe b 53, forwurðe b 95, habbe b 2, teache 19, wrenche 48; contract verbs are underuon b 100, wreon b 50. The dat. inf. is inflected in forte donne b 227, to witene 17. Presents are s. 1. bidde b 237, hopie b 224; 2. hudest, sist b 57; 3. attreð b 80, bodeð 66, forms in -ið are þreatið 97, winkið 51, contract verbs, sið b 89, b 159, sleað 30, contracted forms, being about one-fifth of the total number of 3rd presents, bihalt 83, 97, ethalt 87, blent 82, buð b 11, b 187, hat b 135, leið 72, b 152, lið 71, b 93, punt b 6, seið 89, send b 127, understont 83, went b 204; pl. 2. dreheð b 233, feleð b 111, makieð b 80; 3. bihateð b 201, bodieð 57, makieð 38, in -ið, awakenið b 61, leornið 61, sungið b 46, b 191; also seoð b 22: subjunctive s. 3. arise b 55, beate b 31; in -i, biblodgi b 32, binetli b 33, easki b 78, eili b 9, frouri b 232, hearmi b 9, milci b 175; in -ie, bleasie b 162, gleadie b 232, makie b 18, b 155, b 217, trukie b 183; from contract verbs, seo b 143, wreo b 54; pl. cussen b 156, dreden b 196, heatien b 141, makien b 150, plohien b 218, þolien b 43; in -in, bemin b 206, lokin b 147; with apocope of n, ȝeoue b 131, segge b 172, ticki b 219; from contract verb, underuon b 151, underuo b 130: imperative s. 2. ȝef 104, ȝeot 103, loki b 9; pl. 2. ariseð 40, schurteð b 106, schapieð b 70, seowið b 70, talkið b 105, þonckið b 228, forȝeoued b 200, driue ȝe b 11, fondi(n), leue ȝe b 36, makie ȝe b 67, b 80, wite ȝe b 15, gruchesi ȝe b 177. Past of Strong Verbs: I a. s. 3. quoð b 76; subj. s. 3. sehe b 139: I b. s. 3. com b 74, b 93: I c. s. 3. dronc 21, swonc b 236: V. pl. 2. edheolden, underuengen b 73. Participles present: I c. keoruinde 65, 69, singinde b 124: II. bitinde b 199: III. lutinde b 152: IV. drahinde 45, forfearinde 29: V. wallinde 103; past: I a. isehen b 62: I b. iboren b 213, ibroken b 21, utnume adj. b 221: I c. iborhen 42, icoruen b 141, fordrunke adj. 96, ilumpen b 19: II. iwritene 28: II, III. bitohe b 225: III. bilokene 26: IV. ischauen b 101, isleine 33: V. edhalden b 215, ileten b 103, ilete b 104. Past of Weak Verbs: s. 1. cleopede 9, hefde b 225, seide b 117; 3. schende b 52, gulte b 157, tahte b 75, ondswerede b 76; pl. 3. liueden b 14, þohten 39. Participles present: suhinde b 199, wundrinde b 76; past: awakenet 24, biburiet b 76 and 28 others in -t, ilead 4, igurd b 28, istreonede 23, iturnde b 147, ontende b 168 and six others in -d. Minor Groups: nat 1 pr. s. 3, wat pr. s. b 7, nat 10, wite pr. s. subj. b 226, nute b 130, witen pr. pl. subj. b 158; ah pr. s. 17, ahen pr. pl. b 184, ahte pt. s. b 181 (with present meaning); duhen inf. b 59, deh pr. s. b 66; con pr. s. b 134, cunnen pr. pl. 47, b 171; schal pr. s. 42, schulen 2 pr. pl. b 28, schule 99, b 105, b 191, schulen pr. pl. 58, 89, schule ȝe 2 s. imp. b 71, schulde 1 pt. s. b 90, pt. s. 22; mei pr. s. 4, mahen 2 pr. pl. b 29, b 85 (4), pr. pl. 50, b 79, mahe pr. s. subj. b 148, b 180, muhen 2 pr. pl. subj. b 44, mahte pt. s. 25, b 140, b 213; mot pr. s. b 5, mote pr. s. subj. b 208; beon inf. 4 (9), beo b 4 (4), to beonne dat. inf. b 195, beonne b 74, forte beon 41, am 1 pr. s. b 236, is pr. s. 2, nis 5, beoð 2 pr. pl. b 104, b 223, pr. pl. 3, 20, 26, beo pr. s. subj. b 9 (9), beon 2 pr. pl. subj. b 203, pr. pl. subj. b 38 (5), beoð 2 pl. imp. b 45 (3), beo ȝe b 86, wes pt. s. b 3, were pt. s. subj. b 96; wule pr. s. b 53, b 160, wulleð 2 pr. pl. b 101, b 113, b 205, wule pr. s. subj. 72, b 27, wullen 2 pr. pl. subj. b 45, nalde pt. s. 90, walden pt. pl. 42; don inf. b 22 (3), do b 226, forte donne dat. inf. b 227, to fordonne 30, dest 2 pr. s. b 60, deð pr. s. 50 (3), doð 2 pr. pl. b 67, b 227, pr. pl. 38, 82, do pr. s. subj. b 154, don pr. pl. subj. b 180, b 205, dude pt. s. 22, idon pp. b 176; gan inf. 19, b 39, geað pr. s. b 124, gað 2 pr. pl. 1, 2 pl. imp. b 210, ga pr. s. subj. b 124, b 126, b 129, aga b 160.
(2) Of B. This differs from A in being somewhat more fully inflected: divergences from A are noted. londe 2, schrifte 18 have dative inflection; domes 40 is probably a mistake for dome; sunnen 26, earen 71 are s. d.: þes 82, 92 is s. g. m. of the article, þen 103 s. d. m., 32 pl. d.: ha 60 is probably miswritten for hare. In the inflection of the verbs i is occasionally found, skirmin inf. 66, seruin 46, seruid pr. s. 48, tutelid pr. s. 71, shuli inf. 47, liki (loki) 50: other noteworthy forms are agastan 57, a survival, maken 47 inf. of the second weak conjugation, ablent 84 contracted pr. s., bitahted 15 pp.
(3) Of N. The inflections are generally better preserved than in A. Strong masculine and neuter nouns have -e in the dat. sing., deie 94, weie 100 &c.; exceptions are cloð, drunch 187: mele 158, þinge 90 are pl. d., blodbendes 64, pl. a. Of the strong feminines n. s. are neode 20, seihtnesse 139; s. d. ȝemeleaste 175, halue 174, hwule 198; s. a. hwule 21, 71, leasunge 117, ?mone 8; pl. d. soulen 157; pl. a. eihte 3: weak is ancren n. pl. 171. In the minor declensions ueonde 139 is s. d., monne 9, 109, 124, pl. d. The adjectives godere 182, heie 168 are s. d. f., sorie 91, pl. n., worldliche 90, pl. d. ān is on, o 138, g. ones 193, d. one 94, 208, on 29, a. one 22; nān, non 27, no 23, g. none weis 3, a. m. nenne 20, 23, 108, no 27, a. f. none 11, 101, a. neut. no 11; pl. d. none 9, 109, 124: āgen is represented by owune s. d. 67, 190. The n. s. f. of the pronoun of the third person is heo: possessive mine 73 is a. s. f.: ēower is our 91, ower 175, heora, hore 105. Inflections of the article are s. n. þe m., þe f., þet neut. 140, d. þer f. 130, 170, a. þene m. 6 (4), þeo f. 21, 71; pl. a. þeo 88. The compound demonstrative has s. d. f. þisse 195, 208, s. a. f. þeos 209. The relative is þet; swuche 18, 92, 125 is s. d., sume 140, s. a. f., 90, pl. d.; ueole pl. a. 33; eueriche 195, s. d. m.; ǣnig is eni 8, 93.
Infinitives end in -en, those of the second weak conjugation mostly in -ien, but loken 124; forms in -in, -i are absent. An inflected infinitive is forto donne 199, in other cases the simple form is preceded by uorto, uorte, for to, except to schruden 67. Inflected forms with -i are not found in any part of the verb. The contract verb sēon gives isihð pr. s. 23, 71, 140: contracted forms of the pr. s. occur about as frequently as in A: the pr. pl. ends in -eð, drieð 205, sunegeð 174, but iseoð 23; the pr. subj. ends in -e, -en, eilie 9, gledie 204, hermie 9, milce 157, sigge 130, siggen 152, but iseo 119. Past of Strong Verbs: I a. iseie subj. s. 3. 116: II. wrot s. 3. 209. Participles present: I c. singinde 100: II. bitinde 183: III. lutende 131; past: I a. iseien 53: I b. ikumen 19: II, III. bitowen 198. Past of Weak Verbs: heuede 1 pt. s. 197. Inflected past participles are isette a. s. f. 164, iwrouhte pl. 25. Minor Groups: wot pr. s. 198, wat 7, wute ȝe imp. pl. 138 (Anglian); ouh pr. s. 10, 80, owen pr. pl. 167, ouhte pt. s. 163; deih pr. s. 56; schullen 2 pr. pl. 29, schulen 87, 175; muwe pr. s. subj. 163, muwen 2 pr. pl. subj. 37, 67, muhte pt. s. 116; beon inf. 4, pr. pl. subj. 24, to beon dat. inf. 179, was pt. s. 3; uorto don dat. inf. 199, don 2 pr. pl. subj. 62; uorto gon dat. inf. 34, geð pr. s. 100, go pr. s. subj. 100 (4).
(4) Of T: mainly a statement of divergences from A. In the strong declension of masc. and neut. nouns, wede s. n. 125 represents OE. gewǣde; heordes 6 is s. g. As in A, the dat. sing. is mostly uninflected, but ȝate 105, hame 98, rihte 164, tune 109. schon 33 is a weak n. pl., beodes n. pl. 192, a. pl. 100 has masc. termination, þinge 184 is pl. g.; datives have mostly -es, -s, cneos 129, 135, giltes 150, wahes 19, but siðe 19, 83, þinge 117; meal 158, þing 106, 188 are acc. in form. Strong declension of fem. nouns: somentale n. s. 139 represents -talu; dat. -e, lokinge 18, but uninflected are hond 97 (hond), rest 92; acc. -e, without exception: fondinges 74 pl. n. has masc. termination, tales 89 is pl. d., acc. are gloues 56, leasinges 117, speches 115, tales 114, ahte 3. Nouns of the weak declension are s. g. ancres 8 (4), chirches 66, schirches 32 (= chirches), d. deme 176, eare 192, fere 110, anker 165, lauedi 155, lafdi 112; pl. n. ancres 171, d. ehne 54, hose 35, heordes 28, a. cappes 38, eares 112. The tendency to substitute the terminations of the strong declension for those of the weak is Midland. In the minor declensions namon 9 is s. d.; sustre 204, pl. n.; childrene 78, pl. g.
An adjective inflected in the sing. is hehe 176: plurals have -e, with the exception of bisi 97, idel 69, sari 91: pl. a. is nane 115. Beside ich 86 (3), i occurs 72 as pers. pronoun. The n. s. f. and n. pl. of the pronoun of the third person is ho 4, 122; hom 167 is miswritten for ho; heora is hare 125, 127, hore 126. The relative pronoun is þat: the demonstrative þā, those, is seen in (⁊) ta 68, 161: the indef. is mon 8 (5); hwat as noun occurs at 145, 159; āwiht is oht 208; alle is s. d. 128, pl. d. 116.
Infinitives are divided equally between -en and -e; those in -ien are hatien 117, þolien 87, 169, in -ie, werie 27, but loke 124; forms with -in, -i are absent. Dative infinitives are for to biginnen 199, for to puffen 143, to habben 56, with four others in -en; to breke 20, to haue 11, to lose 94, to reare 140. The 3rd pr. s. ends in -es, askes 188, blawes 190, and 32 others, none being contracted forms, but lis 76, seos 71, 140, and bueð 170; the 3rd pr. pl. in -en, bihaten 186, hauen 208, and 13 others, but suneheþ 174; the subjunctive pr. s. in -e, blawe 148, cume 102, blodeke 32, eile 9, like 35, make 135, but blasie 143, gladie 204, trukie 166, werie 27, seo 23, pl. in -en, bemen 192, hauen 66, nabben 106, halden 202 (but halde 147), luuien 180, makien 129; imperative s. 2. in -e, loke 9, were 30, pl. in -es, biddes 201, haues 21, habbes 26 and twelve others, driue ȝe 12, gruse ȝe 158, &c. Past of Strong Verbs: I a. subj. s. 3. sehe 116: I c. s. 3. swanc 210: III. pl. 2. drehden 205, a weak form; comp. HM 37/6. Participles present: II. bitende 183: III. lutende 131; past: II, III. bitohen 198: V. bifallen 19, ileten 85, 87. Past of Weak Verbs: s. 1. hafde 197. Participles present: seiende 100, suhiende 184; past: bicleopet 175, iset 164, ifest 149 and 8 others in -t, idodded 83, ilaced 37, iturnde 126, gurd 30, red 208, icnotten 36. Minor Groups: duhen inf. 24, deah pr. s. 56; cunnen pr. pl. 172, cunen 152; schule 2 pr. pl. 175, schuln 29, schule pr. pl. 122; mai pr. s. 4, muhen 2 pr. pl. 67, 89, 173; beon inf. 53, 196, beo 4 (6), to beon dat. inf. 179, arn 2 pr. pl. 87 (5), pr. pl. beon 126, 147, 149, beos 97, beo pr. s. subj. 148, 206, beon 2 pr. pl. subj. 189, pr. pl. subj. 33, 105, beos 2 pl. imp. 188, 201, beo ȝe 69, was pt. s. 3, were pt. s. subj. 198; wile pr. s. 28, 168, nule 29, wiln 2 pr. pl. 96, 191; don inf. 89, for to donne dat. inf. 199, to do 199, dos pr. s. 142, 189, don 2 pr. pl. 200, 201, pr. pl. 129, 157, 2 pr. pl. subj. 62, do 191, idon pp. 157; to gan dat. inf. 34, gas pr. s. 100, ga pr. s. subj. 100, 141. The termination of ladli adj. 7, gladli adv. 168, nomeli 149 is due to Scand. -ligr, -liga; nedinge 9 represents OE. nēadinga; wið prep. 20, 22 (in N mid), ni conj. 55 &c., and til conj. 172 are noteworthy.
(5) Of C. This differs little from A. Nouns of the weak declension are ancres s. g. 8, blodbinden pl. a. 64. The pronoun of the third person s. n. f., pl. n. is ha 4, 122. While the pr. s. of the verb regularly ends in -eð, makes 8, 20 survives from the Midland original; so too don 2 pr. pl. 200 beside doð 201, beon 126, 149. iburð pr. s. impers. 56, befits, represents OE. gebyreþ; other verbal forms are sechȝe pt. s. subj. 116, segginde pres. p. 100, nach for ne ah pr. s. 80, achȝen pr. pl. 167, muchȝen 2 pr. pl. 67, muȝen 92, wullet 2 pr. pl. 96, 191 beside wulled 84, wullen 38. The adv. nedunge 9 represents OE. nēadunga.
[Vocabulary:] The Scandinavian element is large: ai T 206, arn T 87 &c., blast T 144, eskibah 79, flutte b 182, geineð b 163, grið(fullnesse) b 4, hesmel N 118, lah b 143, lahe b 152, lane 13, lastunge 56, lates b 147, meoke b 38, b 66, nai b 48, b 76, riue b 83, riueð b 82, riuunges b 83, sahtnesse b 158, (but seih[t]nesse N is English), scale 95, semes T 3, skile b 118, skleatteð 53, tiþinges NT 114, tidinges b 138, C 114, til TC 172, wanes b 19, warpere 64, warpeð 66 (worpare, worpeð N are English), windowe b 59, wontreaðe 76, wursnet T 174: probably baðe T 105, T 156, T 187, brendes C 141, hird B 33, hwitel 89, lustni b 90, lustnen T 73, meaðeleð 73, 96, rukelin 80, rukeleð 86, ruken 81, somen (tale) T 139, suhinde b 199, suhiende T 184, suwinde N 184, umben b 229, TC 201: possibly dusten 68, glopnen T 56/58. The French element is very extensive; many of the words appear for the first time: accidie 11, amendeð N 65, mendið b 70, amices b 78, angoise 60, apostle b 50, atiffi b 63, untiffet b 64, tiffunge b 53, aturn b 146, augrim 81, best N 2, beastes 28, boistes b 16, broche b 65, caliz C N 17, chaliz T 17, canges 82, celer 92, change b 222, ichanget b 117, chartres b 16, cheres 48, complie b 179, criblin b 81, curt 34, cuuertur 89, cyrograffes b 17, dame b 129, (deuleset TC 198), disceplines b 35, dute N 79, eise b 187, eise b 223, eoli b 197 (Bonn. Beitr. xv. 110), familiers T 113, figures 81, folliche 18, frut b 177, gloire b 80, glutun 92, grace b 174, graces b 171, greueð b 105, gruchunge b 135, haire T 36, hurte b 214, hurten b 213, inobedience 6, iuglurs 47, large b 203, laz b 69, ilacet b 42, leattres b 99, leon B 30 liun 30, manciple 92, mantel C 120, imantlet C 121, meistre b 2, imembret b 65, meoster 35 mester B 48, mustreisun b 80, noise 38, obedient b 129, ore 7, parures b 79, penitence b 169, poure b 70, pouerte b 114, prophetes 57, religiun b 74, riwle b 116, rund b 59, sacrement 8, scoren b 16, scurge b 32 schurge N 31, seinte C 46, semblant 60, seruant b 181, seruin 47, seruise 43, silence b 180, skirmi 67, sot(schipe) b 111, spece 5, stamin b 27, strif b 154, isturbed N 163 isturbet b 181, suffreð N 205, surpliz b 66, taueles b 82, temptaciuns b 35, tendre b 73, terme 15, tohurten b 164, triccherie 17, vnicorne 32, ures b 135, vampez b 40, veiles b 45, veine b 80, uestemenz b 17. Latin borrowings are auez b 134 auees C 111, cuchene 93 (pre-Conquest), false 6, falsliche 19, paternostres b 134, presumptio 9, purses b 68, scapeloris C 120, unbischpet 19, venie b 150.
[Dialect:] The AR has hitherto been generally regarded as Southern, partly because of the prevailing Southern dialect of the manuscript printed by Morton, and partly because of the fancied connexion of the treatise with Tarrant Kaines in Dorsetshire. But the presence of Midland and Northern forms to a greater or less extent in all the manuscripts, although four of them at least were written by Southern scribes, points to the Northern border of the Midland area as the home of the original, while the large Scandinavian element in the vocabulary and the absence of the characteristic u in unaccented final syllables (-ud, -un, -us, -ut) decide for the East against the West Midland. MS. N is a copy made by a scribe of the Middle South; his alterations of the inflections are systematic, but with occasional lapses like timbrin Morton, 12/24, blescið 18/11, seihtni 28/19, kalenges tu 54/2, wenes tu 54/5 (beside wenest tu 54/20), muhtes 304/13 (but muhtest 270/3) &c.; more frequently he copies Anglian sounds from his exemplar. He also substitutes, as far as he can, English and French words for Scandinavian, e. g. hercnen 73 for lustnin, yet he retains such purely Northern elements as suwinde 184, and the suffix in godleic Morton, 136/15, ureoleic 192/25. Peculiar to the scribe are his representations of a + h, ā + h, ō + w (touward occurs in Layamon). MS. A presents the characteristic features of the Katherine Group; it is a copy by a scribe of the Northern border of the South. The Midland element in its sounds is considerable, but the inflection is mainly Southern; the u- and å-umlauts of a appear to be due to the scribe and not to the original. MS. B is closely related to A, but it is somewhat more Southern in preservation of the inflections; the scribe was more accustomed to French than to English. MS. C also closely resembles A, but in the flexion North-Midland forms appear more often by inadvertence. In MS. T, both sounds and inflections are predominantly Midland: still in other parts of the manuscript the Southern element is more evident than in our extract. This manuscript stands nearest in dialect to the original; it appears to be a copy of a North-Midland text made by a scribe not long enough resident in the Midland area to have quite forgotten his native Southern speech.