s. 44. There are several cases in which the rimes are rather to be considered as permissible than exact. The frequent riming of _go_ (gao) with _do_ (doo) has already been noted. Similarly, owing to the paucity of words ending in open _[=e]_, the word _s[`e][`e]_, sea, is allowed to rime with close _[=e]_. The proper M.E. form of 'beast' is _b[`e][`e]st_, which rimes, exactly, with _[`e][`e]st_, east, and with _alm[`e][`e]st_, almost; but, inexactly, with _for[`e]st_, in which the _e_ is short. Yet, in Sir Thopas, B 1944-8, we find the words _forest_, _best_, _est_, _almest_, all reduced by the scribe to the same apparent form. In G 1324, we find _br['e]['e]st_ (A.S. _br[=e]ost_), breast, riming with _pr['e]['e]st_, priest, exactly; but elsewhere _br['e]['e]st_ is treated as if the _e_ were short, so that it rimes with _lest_ (Kentish form of _lust_), A 2983; E 617. The mod. E. form suggests that the vowel was beginning to be shortened. In the rime _up[)o]n_, _g[=o]n_, G 562, the _o_ in the former word is short, but in the latter is long; both are open, and the rime is admissible. A similar variation in vowel-length is seen in the riming of _h[)a]dde_, had, with _bl[=a]de_, blade, A 617, and with _sp[=a]de_, spade, A 553; and here again, some scribes try to better the matter by using the form _hade_. The rime is really (had.d[*e]), (spaa.d[*e]); and the right lesson to be learnt from it is, that the _a_ in _spade_ was still (aa), and thus very different in sound from the _a_ in mod. E. _spade_ (speid). Long and short _u_ are rimed in _hous_ (huus), _Caucasus_ (kau.kasus.) D 1139; and elsewhere. Note _neyghebores_, _dores_[43], i.e. (nei.h[*e]buu.rez), (du.rez); in HF. 649. One of the most licentious rimes is in Troil. ii. 933, viz. _riden_, _abiden_, _yeden_, properly (rid.n), (abid.n), (y['e]['e]d.n); which suggests that _yeden_ is here (y[)e]d.n); and we are reminded of the M.E. form of the verb 'to give,' which hovers between _y[)e]ven_ and _yiven_, and rimes in Chaucer with _liven_, to live, though frequently written _yeven_. The singular form _y[=e]de_ rimes with _nede_ (n['e]['e].d[*e]) in G 1280, and with _dede_ (d['e]['e].d[*e]) in G 1140. Chaucer certainly sometimes uses two forms of the same word; the most noticeable are _heer_ and _here_ for 'here'; _theer_ and _there_ for 'there'; _eek_ and _eke_ for 'eek.' These can be explained by the tendency to add a final _-e_ in adverbial forms. Of course the double form was highly convenient. Remarkable double forms are _chivachy[:e]_, A 85, and _chevauchee_, Mars, 144; _perry[:e]_, A 2936, and _perree_, B 3550.