word, though it sometimes is inserted in the middle of a word. Thus the French tyran becomes tyrant, the Gaelic Donuil becomes Donald; the old English betweox is now betwixt; thou falles (akin to the Greek and Latin form) is corrupted into fallest; but the true old form of this last still lingers in Scotland. Those who talk about a gownd or of being drownded may plead that they are only carrying further a corruption that began long before the Norman Conquest, and that has since that event turned thunor into thunder, and dwine into dwindle.
Many in our day call a wasp a wapse, and axe leave instead of asking it. Both forms alike are good old English; we also find side by side fisc and fix, beorht and bryht, grœs and gœrs, irnan and rinnan, for piscis, clarus, gramen, and currere. When men say, ‘they don't care a curse’ (the last word is commonly something still stronger), they little think that they are employing the old English cerse, best known to us as cress.
English, unlike German, has now a strong objection to the hard g, especially in the middle of a word; the g is softened into y; regen early became rén (rain).
A table of the Old English Prepositions is a mournful sight. Too many of them have been dropped altogether; and some have been replaced by cumbrous French compounds, such as on account of, according to, in addition to, because of, in spite of, on condition that, around, during, except.
Our sailors have kept alive bœftan (abaft), as a Preposition, though œft (aft) is with them only an adverb.
