§ 242. The abverbial forms in -or and -ost, as compared with the adjectival in -re, and -este explain the form _rather_. This rhymes to _father_; the a being full. Nevertheless, the positive form is _rather_ meaning _quick, easy_ = the classical root ῥαδ- in ῥάδιος. What we do _quickly_ and _willingly_ we do _preferably_. Now if the word _rather_ were an adjective, the vowel of the comparative would be sounded as the a in _fate_, as it is, however, it is abverbial, and as such is properly sounded as the a in _father_. The difference between the action of the small vowel in -re, and of the full in -or effects this difference, since o being a full vowel, it has the effect of making the a full also. § 243. The old form in -s will be considered, after notice has been taken of what may be called-- § 244. _Excess of expression._--Of this two samples have already been given: 1. in words like _songstress_; 2. in words like _children_. This may be called _excess of expression_; the feminine gender, in words like _songstress_, and the plural number, in words like _children_, being expressed twice over. In the vulgarism _betterer_ for _better_, and in the antiquated forms _worser_ for _worse_, and _lesser_ for _less_, we have, in the case of the comparatives, as elsewhere, an excess of expression. In the old High German we have the forms _betsërôro_, _mêrôro_, _êrërëra_ = _better_, _more_, _ere_. § 245. _Better_.--Although in the superlative form _best_ there is a slight variation from the strict form of that degree, the word _better_ is perfectly regular. So far, then, from truth are the current statements that the comparison of the words _good, better_, and _best_ is irregular. The inflection is not irregular, but defective. As the statement that applies to _good_, _better_, and _best_ applies to many words besides, it will be well in this place, once for all, to exhibit it in full. § 246. _Difference between a sequence in logic and a sequence in etymology._--The ideas or notions of _thou, thy, thee_, are ideas between which there is a metaphysical or logical connexion. The train of such ideas may be said to form a sequence, and such a sequence may be called a logical one. The words _thou, thy, thee_, are words between which there is a _formal_ or an _etymological_ connexion. A train of such words may be called a sequence, and such a sequence may be called an etymological one. In the case of _thou, thy, thee_, the etymological sequence tallies with the _logical_ one. The ideas of _I_, _my_, and _me_ are also in a logical sequence: but the forms _I_, _my_, and _me_ are not altogether in an etymological one. In the case of _I, my, me_, the etymological sequence does _not_ tally (or tallies imperfectly) with the logical one. This is only another way of saying that between the words _I_ and _me_ there is no connexion in etymology.