_Þatt úre Lóverrd Iésu Chríst, swa þóledé þe déofell._ Orm. 11822. _I dórste swére, they wéyedén ten póunde._ Chauc. Prol. 454. _Yélledén_, id. N. Pr. Tale, 569; _wónedén_, id. Leg. 712, &c. The _e_ following upon an unaccented syllable which is capable of receiving the accent, whether in a word of Teutonic or Romanic origin, is commonly mute. E.g. _banere_, _manere_, _lovere_, _ladyes_, _housbondes_, _thousandes_ are generally to be pronounced in verse (as, indeed, they were probably pronounced in prose) as, _baner_, _maner_, _lover_, _ladys_, _housbonds_, _thousands_. But this _e_, on the other hand, not unfrequently remains syllabic, especially in the _Ormulum_, where it is dropped only before a vowel or _h_. E.g. _cneolénn meoklík(e) annd lútenn_ 11392, _meocnéss(e) is þrínne kíness_ 10699, _Forr án godnéss(e) uss háveþþ dón_ 185. Before a consonant or at the end of a line, however, it is always sounded: _Ennglísshe ménn to láre_ 279, _God wórd and gód tiþénnde_ 158, _forrþí birrþ áll Cristéne fóllc_ 303. _Goddspélless hállȝhe láre_ 14, 42, 54, _þa Góddspelléss neh álle_ 30. Other examples are: _And þó þet wéren gítserés_ Moral Ode, MS. D. l. 269; _For thóusandés his hóndes máden dýe_ Chauc. Troil. v, 1816; _enlúminéd_ id. A B C 73. In words of four syllables a final _e_ which follows upon an unaccented syllable with a secondary accent may at pleasure either become mute or be fully pronounced. So words like _óutrydère_, _sóudanèsse_, _émperòures_, _árgumèntes_ may be read either as three or four syllables. Examples of _e_ sounded: _Bifórr þe Rómanísshe kíng_ Orm. 6902; _Annd síkerrlíke trówwenn_ ib. 11412; _þurrh hállȝhe góddspellwríhhtess_ ib. 160; _Till híse lérninngcníhhtess_ ib. 235; _Annd þúrrh þin góddcunndnésse_ ib. 11358; _An Gódd all únntodǽledd_ ib. 11518; _I glúternésse fállenn_ ib. 11636; _þurrh flǽshes únntrummnésse_ ib. 11938; _in stránge ráketéȝe_ Moral Ode, 281; _a thíng(e) unstédeféste_ ib. 319; _bifóre héovenkínge_ ib. 352, &c. Examples of _e_ mute: _And þá, þe úntreownéss(e) dide þán_ Moral Ode, 267; _þéosternéss(e) and éie_ ib. 279. Orm has it only before vowels or _h_: _Forr són se glúternéss(e) iss dǽd_ 11663, &c. § =97. Special remarks on individual inflexional endings.= _-es_ (gen. sing., nom. plur., and adverbial) is in disyllables (a) as a rule treated as a full syllable, e.g. _Ac þét we dóþ for gódes lúue_ Moral Ode 56; _from éuery shíres énde_ Chauc. Prol. 15; _And élles cértain wére thei to blame_ ib. 375; (b) seldom syncopated or slurred over, e.g. _Ure álre hláuerd fór his þrélles_ Moral Ode, 189; _He mákede físses in þére sé_ ib. 83; _I sáugh his sléves purfíled_ Chauc. Prol. 193; _The ármes of dáun Arcíte_ id. Kn. Tale, 2033; _Or élles it wás_ id. Sq. Tale, 209.