the comparative, by putting to er; the superlative, by putting to est; as in these examples:

learned, learneder, learnedest;

simple, simpler, simplest;

true, truer, truest;

black, blacker, blackest ;

From this general rule a few special words are excepted; as

as

good, better, best;

ill, or bad, worse, worst ;

little, less, least;

much, more, most.

Many words have no comparison; as

reverend, puissant;

victorious, renowned.

Others have both degrees, but lack the positive,

former, foremost.

Some are formed of adverbs; as

wisely, wiselier, wiseliest ;

justly, justlier, justliest.

Certain comparisons form out of themselves; as less, lesser;

worse, worser.

CHAP. XIII.

OF THE FIRST DECLENSION.

And thus much concerning the proper affection of adjectives: the proper affection of substantives followeth; and that consisteth in declining.

A declension is the varying of a noun substantive into divers terminations. Where, besides the absolute, there is as it were a genitive case, made in the singular number, by putting to s.

Of declensions there be two kinds: the first maketh the plural of the singular, by adding thereunto s; as

tree, trees;

thing, things;

steeple, steeples.

So with s, by reason of the near affinity of these two letters, whereof we have spoken before: park, parks; buck, bucks; dwarf, dwarfs; path, paths;

And in this first declension, the genitive plural is all one with the plural absolute; as

Singular. {father's, } Plur. {fathers.

General Exceptions. Nouns ending in 2, s, sh, and ch, in the declining take to the genitive singular i, and to the plural e; as

g

Sing. {Prince Plur. {Princes,

so rose, bush, age, breech, &c. which distinctions not observed, brought in first the monstrous syntax of the pronoun his joining with a noun betokening a possessor; as the prince his house, for the prince's house.

Many words ending in diphthongs or vowels take neither z nor s, but only change their diphthongs or vowels, retaining their last consonant, or one of like force; as

mouse, mice or meece;

louse, lice or leece;

goose, geese; foot, feet;
tooth, teeth.

Exception of number. Some nouns of the first declension lack the plural; as

rest, gold, silver, bread.

Others the singular; as

riches, goods.

Many being in their principal signification

adjectives, are here declined, and in the plural stand instead of substantives; as

other, others; one, ones;

hundred, hundreds; thousand, thousands; necessary, necessaries; and such like.

CHAP. XIV.

OF THE SECOND DECLENSION.

THE second declension formeth the plural from the singular, by putting to n; which notwithstanding it have not so many nouns as hath the former, yet lacketh not his difficulty, by reason of sundry exceptions, that cannot easily be reduced to one general head: of this former is

ox, oxen; hose, hosen.

Exceptions. Man and woman, by a contraction, make men and women, instead of manen and womenen. Cow makes kine or keene: brother, for bretheren, hath brethren, and brethern: child formeth the plural, by adding r besides the root; for we say not childen, which, according to the rule given before, is the right formation, but children, because that sound is more pleasant to the ear. Here the genitive plural (denoting the possessor) is made by adding s unto the absolute; as

child,

} Plur. {children,

Sing. {child's,
S

children's.

Exceptions from both declensions. Some nouns (according to the different dialects of several parts of the country) have the plural of both declensions; as

house, houses and housen;
eye, eyes and eyen;

shooe, shooes and shooen.

CHAP. XV.

OF PRONOUNS.

A few irregular nouns, varying from the general precepts, are commonly termed pronouns; whereof the first four, instead of the genitive, have an accusative case; as

He, she, that, all three make in the plural, they, them.

Four possessives: my, or mine: plural, our, ours. Thy, thine: plural, your, yours. His, hers, both in the plural making their, theirs.

The demonstratives: this: plural, these. That: plural, those. Yon, or yonder same.

Three interrogatives, whereof one requiring both genitive and accusative, and taken for a substantive: who? whose? whom? The other two infinite, and adjectively used, what, whether.

Two articles, in gender and number infinite, which the Latins lack: a, the.

One relative, which one other signifying a reciprocation, self: plural, selves.

Composition of pronouns is more common: my-self, our-selves.

thy-self, your-selves.

him-self,

her-self, Plural, them-selves.

it-self,

This-same, that-same, yon-same, yonder-same, self

same.

CHAP. XVI.

OF A VERB.

Hitherto we have declared the whole etymology of nouns; which in easiness and shortness, is much to be preferred before the Latins and the Grecians. It remaineth with like brevity, if it may be, to prosecute the etymology of a verb. A verb is a word of number, which hath both time and person. Time is the difference of a verb, by the present, past, and future, or to come. A verb finite therefore hath three only times, and those always imperfect.

The first is the present; as amo, I love.

The second is the time past; as amabam, I loved.

The third is the future; as

Ama, amato: love, love.

The other times both imperfect; as

amem, amarem, amabo.

And also perfect; as

amavi, amaverim, amaveram, amavissem, amavero, we use to express by a syntax, as shall be seen in the proper place.

The future is made of the present, and is the same always with it.

Of this future ariseth a verb infinite, keeping the same termination; as likewise of the present, and the time past, are formed the participle present, by adding of ing; as

love, loving.

The other is all one with the time past.