A History of English Language

A history of the english language 230
tant developments of later times (see §§ 209–10). Likewise the compound participle,
having spoken thus, having decided to make the attempt, etc., is conspicuous by its
infrequency. There are only three instances in Shakespeare and less than threescore in the
Bible. The construction arose in the sixteenth century. 53 On the other hand, impersonal
uses of the verb were much more common than they are today. It yearns me not, it
dislikes me, so please him come are Shakespearian expressions which in more recent
English have been replaced by personal constructions. In addition to such features of
Elizabethan verbal usage, certain differences in inflection are more noticeable,
particularly the ending of the third person singular of the present indicative, an occasional
-s in the third person plural, and many forms of the past tense and past participle,
especially of strong verbs.
The regular ending of the third person singular in the whole south and southeastern
part of England—that is, the district most influential in the formation of the standard
speech—was -eth all through the Middle English period. It is universal in Chaucer:
telleth, giveth, saith, doth, etc. In the fifteenth century, forms with -s occasionally appear.
These are difficult to account for, since it is not easy to see how the Northern dialect,
where they were normal, could have exerted so important an influence upon the language
of London and the south. But in the course of the sixteenth century their number
increases, especially in writings that seem to reflect the colloquial usage. By the end of
this century forms like tells, gives, says predominate, though in some words, such as doth
and hath, the older usage may have been the more common. One was free to use either.
In the famous plea for mercy in the Merchant of Venice Portia says:
The quality of mercy is not strain’d,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice bless’d;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:…
It is worth noting, however, that in the trial scene as a whole, forms in -s outnumber those
in -eth two to one. Certainly, during the first half of the next century -s had become
universal in the spoken language. This is beyond doubt, even though -eth continued to be
quite commonly written. A writer toward the middle of the century observes that
“howsoever wee use to Write thus, leadeth it, maketh it, noteth it, raketh it, per-fumeth it,
& c. Yet in our ordinary speech (which is best to bee understood) wee say, leads it, makes
it, notes it, rakes it, per-fumes it.” 54 It is altogether probable that during Shake-
53
Jespersen, Modern English Grammar, IV, 94.
54
Richard Hodges, A Special Help to Orthographie (London, 1643), p. 26.