Leechdoms, wortcunning, and starcraft of early England. Being a ...

PREFACE.
XXXvii
appears as neuter ; Sibpsejic,' feminine. Hence the
Codex Exoniensis prefers to write J
jrlsej'cliojib.-
Numorals admit of a substantive in the sino-ular, so Numerals with
tliat our traditional expressions, Twelvemonth, a Six
foot rule, he weighs Twelve stone, are correct according
to ancient usage."' Distinction must be drawn between
masculineSj which had a plural in s, and
feminines, as Night in Fortnight, or neuters, as in
Five pound note. Twelve horse power, for these had in
ancient time no s in the plural. Thus xii. mona];,'*
]pie cuclep;' did not require remark : similarly rpejen
fsetel]" yull ealaS,*"' nijantyne pmreji "j cjwjen mona],"
'' ^'°''" ^'""
iv. mona]),^ and the MS. reading in Beowulf, 4342,"
may stand.
Examples are not very rare in other works beside Idiomatic
this Leeclibook, when of a set of words under one opposition,
regimen, those that come last in order appear in the
nominative, that is, in no regimen at all. Thus
fopSpepbum Deuj'bebit; j-e Ajicebij'ceop, defuncto Deusdedit
archieiyiscopo}'^ Fejibe |>a fi^San • -j jejretce
senne mpej'j'eppeoj'C policajipup jehaten • halij peji -j
jfnocop,^^ which would be literally, Deinde 'pTofectus
attulit 'pmshyterii')n, 'policarpus appellatus, vIt sanctus
atque prudens. ba seteopbe j-ebaj-tianup on ypgepne
anjie pubepan • lucma jecijeb ppi^e jepjzsefc man,'- which
would ])e equivalent to, Tvmc apparuU Sehastianus
in somnio viduro cuidam, Lucina nominata, homo
valde ndigiosa. This, when it comes to be acknowledged
generally, may be called Idiomatic ap])Osition.
Harsh transitions in pronouns from plurals to singulars,
and back again, are not peculiar to this work ;
'
Lb. p. 260, line 1. " OT, 256.
- CE, 373, line 3.
Beda, 539. 23.
'
So in Gemian.
*
Beda, 564. 13.
'
Lib. ni. xviii.
'
Thorpe, 4355.
' Lb, I. xvi. 2. Tpybsel, Lb. T.
'"
Beda, p. 503. line 6,
i. 3, viii. 2, is a compound.
" MFT. 32 a.
VOT-. Tf. d