the-re, whe-re, he-re. Compare the Latin forms ibi, ubi, hic, which are old datives.

132. The Anglo-Saxon suffix of the ablative was -y. It still survives in wh-y, ho-w, so, and the before comparatives (the more, the less). Compare the Latin quare, qui, sic.

ADJECTIVES.

133. An Adjective is a word used with a noun to denote that the noun possesses a certain quality. Thus, in a brave soldier,' the word brave shows that the soldier possesses the quality of bravery.

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134. Hence all adjectives were originally nouns or pronouns, with a suffix denoting possession; an earth-en jar.' This suffix is frequently lost; 'an oak-en chest,' 'an oak chest;' a gold-en cup,' 'a gold cup.'

135. The adjective is naturally of the same gender, number, and case, as the noun it qualifies; and in most languages this agreement is marked by certain suffixes. In modern English the suffixes have disappeared.

136. These suffixes existed in Anglo-Saxon, and traces of them are found in old English. Thus, when the adjective was used with the definite article, the demonstrative, or a possessive pronoun, it is frequently found with the suffix -e:

The sharp-é, gren-é, sweet-é juniper.-James I.

Thus sayd this old-é knight.-Chaucer.

Myn own-é deer-é brother and my lord.-Id.

137. When an adjective in Anglo-Saxon was not preceded by a demonstrative or a possessive pronoun, the nominative and accusative plural ended in -e. Hence in old English:

And smal-é fowles maken melodie.-Chaucer.
Every good tree maketh god-é fruytis.— Wycliffe.

Comparison of Adjectives.

138. The adjective in its simple form is said to be of the Positive degree; as, a tall boy.' When two objects, or sets of objects, are compared, a suffix is employed to show that one possesses a given quality in a greater degree than the other; as, 'the boy is tall-er than the girl.' The adjective is then said to be of the Comparative degree.

139. The earlier form of the comparative suffix was -ter or -ther (Latin and Greek ter-o). It signified one of two, and traces of it are still found in a few words, which in their nature imply duality: whether, ei-ther, nei-ther, o-ther, fur-ther, far-ther, father, mo-ther, bro-ther, sis-ter. The form -ter in sis-ter is owing to the final sibilant in sis-.

140. In Anglo-Saxon the usual suffix of the comparative was -re or -se for adjectives, and -or or -os for adverbs (Latin -ior, -ios). In modern English the comparative suffix of both adjectives and adverbs is -er; bright-er, soon-er.

When the simple adjective ends in y, it becomes i before a suffix of comparison; as, holy, holi-er,

holi-est.

141. When the adjective consists of more than two syllables, it is usual to express the comparative by placing the word 'more' before the positive— 'more beautiful.' This mode of expressing the comparative is not unfrequently employed with disyllabic, and occasionally with monosyllabic, adjectives—'more graceful,' 'more true.'

142. When more than two objects or sets of objects are compared, a suffix is employed to show that one possesses a certain quality in a greater degree than all the rest. The adjective is then said to be of the Superlative degree:

The wis-est, great-est, mean-est, of mankind.-Pope.

143. The usual suffix of the superlative is -est. In Anglo-Saxon there were two; (1) -est or -ost; (2) -ema: (compare Greek meg-ist-o-, ‘great-est,' and Latin inf-imo-, 'low-est'): -est was used with adjectives, and -ost with adverbs.

144. A few words retain traces of both suffixes; fore-m-ost (Anglo-Saxon for-m-est), in-m-ost, out-most, &c.

145. Another mode of expressing the superlative is by placing the word 'most' before the simple adjective: Most musical of mourners.-Milton.

Certain adjectives, from their nature, cannot be com

pared: a lunar rainbow,' 'the morning star,' 'a monthly holiday,' &c.

146. The following are either irregular or obsolete comparisons:

(a) Good, better, best. The simple word bet, which is another form of good,* is found in Anglo-Saxon, together with the fuller forms of the superlative, bet-est and bet-st. In the comparative the tis doubled, as it usually is when a short vowel precedes thin, thinn-er. In O. E. bet is comparative. (b) Bad, worse, worst. In wor-se the -se is another form of re (§ 140). Wor-st is contracted from

wor-est, as bet-st from bet-est. The root wor means 'crooked,' 'out of the right path' (Anglo-Saxon wor-ian, to go astray').

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(c) Much, more, most (singular), of quantity; [many], more, most (plural), of number. The root is ma. The Anglo-Saxon mi-c-el contains two diminutive suffixes, which modify the root-vowel. Micel is contracted into much, just as from hwile and swilc are formed which and such. Mo-re is the AngloSaxon ma-re, and mo-st the Anglo-Saxon mast (ma-est). In Anglo-Saxon and old English the shortened forms ma and mo are often used for the comparative.

Many (Anglo-Saxon man-ig) has no connection with the root ma. They is a diminutive

suffix modifying the root-vowel.

(d) Little, less, least. The root is lit. In the AngloSaxon and old English lit-el, the -el is a dimi

* See Professor Key's ingenious paper on these words,-Alphabet, p. 153.

nutive suffix. In the comparative les-s (let-se), the radical t is assimilated to s, and the root-vowel is modified by the suffix -se. The superlative least (Anglo-Saxon læst) is a contraction from let-est. (e) Near, nearer, nearest. The correct forms are nigh, near, next. In ni-gh (Anglo-Saxon nea-h, old English nei-h) the gh is a diminutive suffix. Nea-r (Anglo-Saxon nea-r) has lost the guttural, and modified the root-vowel. In next (AngloSaxon neh-st and nyh-st) the guttural and the sibilant form x. In later times we find the forms nigh, nigh-er, nigh-est, and near, near-er, near-est. (f) Old, elder, eldest. The suffix has, as usual, modified the root-vowel. Older and oldest are modern forms.

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(g) Rather. The positive is seen in the old English rathe (Anglo-Saxon rath):

The rathe primrose.-Milton.

Why rise ye so rathe? - Chaucer.

The men of rathe and riper years.—Tennyson.

It means 'early,' 'soon;' and rath-er once signified earlier.' 'And it arose ester and ester, till it arose full este; and rather and rather' [i. e. earlier and earlier]. (Warkworth.) There is not superlative.

(h) Farther, further. Far-ther, from far (AngloSaxon feor), is applied to the more distant of two objects the sun is farther from the earth than the moon.' Fur-ther, from fore (Anglo-Saxon for, fore), is applied to the more advanced of two objects: the ship moves further on.'

From this root for there was a Saxon super