Ordinals and monosyllabic superlatives (few in number) have final _-e_ in the definite form; as _the firste_, _the thridde_, _the ferthe_, _the beste_, _the laste_, _the leste_, _the moste_, _the nexte_, _the werste_ (or _worste_). Some adjectives of French origin take the French pl. suffix _-s_; as, _capitals_, _delitables_, _espirituels_, _temporeles_. s. 79. COMPARATIVES. Comparatives usually end in _-er_, and remain unaltered when definite. _Better_ is sometimes written _bettre_. We also find the comparatives _lasse_, _lesse_, less; _worse_ or _wers_, worse; _more_, more, greater. _Bet_, better, is properly an adverb, but is also used as an adjective. _Mo_ is properly an adverb, but is also used as an adjective; usually, _mo_ means 'more in number,' as distinguished from _more_, meaning 'greater in size.' Mutation is seen in _elder_, _lenger_, _strenger_. _For-m-er_ is due to adding _-er_ to the stem of an old superlative, _for-m-a_. s. 80. SUPERLATIVES. Superlatives usually end in _-est_, and remain unaltered when definite. We also find the superlatives _first_ (def. _firste_); _best_ (def. _beste_); _last_ (def. _laste_); _leest_ (def. _leeste_, _leste_); _most_ (def. _moste_); _next_ (def. _nexte_); _werst_ (def. _werste_, _worste_). Mutation is seen in _eldest_, _lengest_, _strengest_. _Ferrest_ is formed from the comp. adv. _ferre_. Note also the forms _hind-r-est_, _upp-er-est_, _utt-er-est_, _ov-er-est_. The old superl. _for-me_ (A.S. _for-ma_, Lat. _pri-mus_) occurs in the comp. sb. _forme-fader_; and hence the double superl. _for-m-est_. If an accent falls on the suffix _-est_, the def. form may take final _-e_; but examples are rare. Yet we find _the seemlieste man_, _the uttereste preve_, _the wofulleste wight_. s. 81. NUMERALS. The cardinal numbers are as follows. 'One' is _[`o][`o]n_, often _[`o][`o]_ or _[`o]_ before a consonant, whence the indef. article _an_, a. Hence also _al ones_, altogether of one accord, C 696; _for the nones_ = _for then ones_, for the once, for the nonce; also _aloon_, alone, more commonly _allone_. 'Two' is _tweye_ or _tweyne_, originally the masc. form; also _tw[=o]_, originally the fem. and neuter form. The other numbers are _three_, _foure_, _fyf_ or _fyve_, _six_, _sevene_, _eighte_, _nyne_, _ten_; &c. The ordinals are _firste_, _othere_ or _secounde_, _thridde_, _ferthe_ or _fourthe_, _fifte_, _sixte_, &c. Ten Brink remarks that the form _eightetethe_ is unauthorised, and that it should be _eightetenthe_; but this is a mistake; see vol. v. p. 134. s. 82. PRONOUNS. The first pers. pron. is _I_, dat. and acc. _me_; pl. _we_; dat. and acc. _us_. For _I_, we also find the Northern _ik_, not only in the Reves Tale, but in the compound _theek_ = _thee ik_. Also, the Southern _ich_, rarely, both alone and in the compound _theech_ = _thee ich_. The gen. pl. _our_ occurs in _our aller_, of us all; A 823.