The following are a few of the examples of this: ‘For sche _tok_ thanne chiere on honde And _clepeth_ him,’ i. 1767 f., ‘The king _comandeth_ ben in pes, And ... _caste_,’ 3240 f., ‘_Comendeth_, and _seide_ overmore,’ 3361, ‘he him _bethoghte_,... And torneth to the banke ayein,’ ii. 167 ff., ‘for hem _sente_ And _axeth_ hem,’ 613 f., ‘_lay_ ... _clepeth_ oute ... _sterte_,’ 848 ff., ‘Sche _loketh_ and hire yhen _caste_,’ 1066, ‘This child he loveth kindely ... Bot wel he _sih_ ... _axeth_ ... _seide_,’ 1381 ff., ‘Sche _preide_ him and _conseileth_ bothe,’ 1457, ‘Which _semeth_ outward profitable And _was_,’ 2201 f., ‘And he himself that ilke throwe _Abod_, and _hoveth_ there stille,’ iii. 1232 f., and so on. These examples will serve to illustrate a tendency which every reader will observe, when once his attention has been called to it. There are indeed many narrative passages in which nearly all the strong or syncopated verbs are used in the preterite, and all the others in the present, and it is evident that this cannot be accidental[Z]. There are, however, a certain number of instances of the use of weak preterites, indicative or subjunctive, and a few in which the final _e_ (or _-en_) is sounded in the metre. The following are examples of _-ede_ preterites (in one instance _-ide_): ‘I _wisshide_ after deth,’ i. 120, ‘he _passede_ ate laste,’ 142, ‘he hem _stoppede_ alle faste,’ 522, ‘And _warnede_ alle his officiers,’ 2506, ‘Mi ladi _lovede_, and I it wiste,’ ii. 502, ‘he _axede_ hem anon,’ 1248, ‘he _rounede_ in thin Ere,’ 1944, ‘Bot he hire _lovede_, er he wente,’ 2027, ‘Thogh that he _lovede_ ten or tuelve,’ 2063, ‘_Supplantede_ the worthi knyht,’ 2453, ‘Sche _pourede_ oute,’ iii. 679, so also iii. 1631, 2556, iv. 468, 825, 842, 934, 1340, 1345, 1444, ‘Lo, thus sche _deiede_ a wofull Maide,’ iv. 1593, ‘it _likede_ ek to wende,’ 2150, ‘_Controeveden_ be sondri wise,’ 2454, ‘_Translateden._ And otherwise,’ 2660, ‘And _foundeden_ the grete Rome,’ v. 904, ‘He _feignede_ him,’ 928, ‘And _clepede_ him,’ 951, ‘He _percede_ the harde roche,’ 1678, ‘Thei _faileden_, whan Crist was bore,’ 1697, ‘Thei _passeden_ the toun,’ 2182, ‘Alle othre _passede_ of his hond,’ 3258, ‘_Welcomede_ him,’ 3373, ‘_walkede_ up and doun’ (pl.), 3833, ‘_axede_ him,’ 5129, so also 5774, 6132, 6791, 6887, ‘_oppressede_ al the nacion’ (pl.), vi. 568, ‘That _loveden_ longe er I was bore,’ 882, ‘he _usede_ ay,’ 1207, ‘_exilede_ out of londe,’ 2348, ‘_Enformeden_,’ vii. 1495, ‘_Devoureden_,’ 3346, ‘_Ensamplede_ hem’ (pl.), 4441, ‘_Restorede_ hem,’ 4445, so also 4632, 4986, 4992, 4998, &c., ‘_Eschuieden_ to make assay,’ viii. 373, ‘With love _wrastlede_ and was overcome,’ 2240.