Fæder father is seldom varied in the singular, and never contracted. Nouns in -h, and -u (-0), change them to g and w; as, beáh ring, beáge, beáges &c.; bealu bale, injury, bealwe, and the like: a few drop the -h; as, feorh life, feore &c. Those in sc often takex (cs) in the plural; as, fisc fish, fixas &c.; sometimes throughout; fix, fixe &c.

VI.-CLASS III.

The Second Declension, third Class, contains all regular feminines ending in a consonant; the plural is formed in .a.

Examples-stefen (stefn) voice, sprác speech.

Thus are declined sáwel soul, wylen female slave, frófer comfort, ge-samnung assembly, éenys eternity, lág law, stów place, peód people, lár lore, myrd mirth, bén prayer, &c. Dissyllables in -el (-ol), -en, -er (-or), are contracted in the oblique cases, and often in all; as, sáwl, wyln, frófr. A single final consonant after a

Hand hand,

Miht might,

short vowel is doubled; as syn sin, accus. &c. synne. The gen. plur. is sometimes in -ena. Nouns in -ung sometimes form the abl. and dat. in -a. makes accus. hand, abl. and dat. handa. tíd time, tide, woruld world, have the accus. like the nom.; would sometimes makes gen. worldes. (') Niht night, and wiht wight remain unchanged in the accus. singular, and nom. plural.

VII.-Declension III.

CLASS I.

The Third Declension, first Class, contains all complex neuters in -e, all in -u, all neuter dissyllables in er (-or), _el (-ol), and -en, some in ed (-od), and many monosyllables in a consonant. The plural is in -u (-o), often changed to -a; some monosyllables change æ, and a few ea, into a in the plural.

Examples-treów tree, ríce realm, fæt vat, vessel.

So likewise scip ship, lim limb, deúfol(1) devil, wæter water, ge-writ writing, writ; wíte punishment, ge-mære boundary, spere spear, melu meal, flour; bed bath, glæs (2) glass, geat gate, &c.

Dissyllables are mostly contracted; thus, heáfod head, tácen token, wunder wonder, make heáfde, heáfdes &c. tácne, wundre &c.; nýten beast, neat, weofod altar, &c. are usually not. Those in -en sometimes double the n in the oblique cases; as, wésten desert, westenne &c. Cild child, cealf calf, and æg egg, form their plural cildru (-a) (3), cealfru, ægru; the first however often has cild or cilde. pýstru darkness, lendenu loins, &c. have no singular. Nouns in -u take w, and are usually contracted, forming the plural in -a; as, searu array, ambush, searwe, searwes; plur. searwa &c.

VIII.-CLASS II.

The Third Declension, second Class, comprises masculines in -u (-o), forming their plural in -a, some irregulars (masc. and fem.) in -er (-or), changing their vowel in the ablative and dative, and making -u (-0, -a) in the plural, a few (masc.) changing their vowel as above, and in the nominative and accusative plural, &c.

(1) Deó fol is often masculine.

(*) Comp. G. fass, fässer; glas, gläser.

(3) Hence children, P. child-er; comp. G. kind, kind-er; kalb, kälb-er; ei, ei-er: D. kind, kind-er-en ; kalf, kalv-er-en ; ei, eij-er-en.

Examples-sunu son, bróder brother, man man.

So too are declined wudu wood, sidu custom, medo mead, metheglin; móder mother, dóhter daughter, sweoster sister: fót foot, and tód tooth, follow manɔ making fét, téd. (5) Sun-ena is rare.

Leóde (G. leute) people, Dene Danes, Engle Angles, Englishmen, and a few more in -e with no singular, make leódum, leóda, &c.

IX.-CLASS III.

The Third Declension, third Class, contains all feminines ending in -u or -o, also some irregulars which change their vowel, &c. The former sometimes make the genitive plural in -ena.

Examples-denu vale, bóc book, burh burgn, town.

(*) Comp. G. mann, männer; fuss, füsse; zahu, zähne.

1

Like denu are declined lufu love, gifu gift, grace, snóru daughter-in-law, caru care, lagu water, &c. Mænigeo (-u) many, multitude, yldo age, eld, brædo breadth, and some others in-o are indeclinable, except abl. and dat. plur. mænigum. Duru door makes abl. and dat. sing. dura. Collectives in -waru, as burh-waru town's-folk, form plur. -ware, gen. -wara or -warena. Mús mouse, lús louse, cú cow, gós goose, bróc breeches, follow bóc, making plur. mýs mice, lýs lice, cý kye, gés (1) geese, bréc. Cú sometimes has gen. sing. cús, (2) gen. plur. cúna. Turf turf, and furh furrow, follow burh, making tyrf, &c.

CHAPTER III.

1.-Adjectives

As in German &c. have a Definite and an Indefinite inflection: the former is used when the adjective is preceded by the definite article, by any other demonstrative, · or by a possessive pronoun; the latter always else. There are three Declensions, one for the Definite form, agreeing closely with the Simple Order, two for the In

(1) Comp. G. buch, bücher; maus, müuse; laus, läuse; kub, kühe; gans, günse.

(3) See page 70, n. 4.