of which we keep. The Northern Poet sometimes leans to the vowel o; we find swore, spoken, rore, and swolyhe (devorare). What was once gebundne his (vinctos suos) now becomes his bonden (Vol. I. p. 221); new words were soon to be formed from this Participle. There are other forms still preserved in our Version of the Bible, such as brake, spake, and gat. The Plural of foot is now written feet instead of fét; we also find beest and neet. Longè is translated by far in Vol. I. p. 59, and this has prevailed over the Southern ferre.
We of course find the Active Participle in and, the old Norse form; sal is used for shall; thai, thair, thaim occur, something like the forms in the Ormulum. We see the correct þou mines, where we should say þou mindest; a twofold corruption. The third Person Singular of the Present ends in s, as gives, does, has; we follow this Northern usage in week-day life, but on Sunday we have recourse in Church to the old Southern forms, giveth, doeth, &c. A remarkable Norse form is seen in Vol. I. page 301; þou is (tu es);[1] þou has, which is also found, is not yet grown into thou hast. The old ending of the Imperative Plural is sometimes clipped, though not often; as understande for intelligite. The Northern form of the Present Plural in es appears, as hates, oderunt; and Shakspere sometimes follows this form.
Many new phrases crop up for the first time; such as for evermare, fra fer (à longe), al at anes, in mides of,
- ↑ This lingers in Scotland, as in the Jacobite ballad: —
‘Cogie, an the King come,
I'se be fou and thou's be toom.’This Norse is answers alike to sum, es, and est.
