ble that the same
writer, at any time, should use _heie_ and _theie_ indifferently, as
in these poems.

THYSSEN. E. II. 87.

Lette _thyssen_ menne, who haveth sprite of love.

I cannot believe that _thyssen_ was ever in use as the plural number
of _this_. The termination seems to have been added, for the sake of
the metre, by one who knew that many words formerly ended in _en_,
but was quite ignorant of what particular sorts they were. In the same
manner _coyen_, AE. 125. and _sothen_, AE. 227. are put for _coy_ and
_sothe_, contrary to all usage or analogy.

And this leads me to the capital blunder, which runs through all these
poems, and would alone be sufficient to destroy their credit; I mean,
the termination of _verbs in the singular number_ in _n_[3]. I will
set down a number of instances, in which _han_ is used for the present
or past time _singular_ of the v. _Have_; only premising, that _han_,
being an abbreviation of _haven_, is never used by any ancient writer
except in the present time _plural_ and the infinitive mode.

P. 26. v. 9. The Brytish Merlyn oftenne _hanne_
The gyfte of inspyration.

Ba. 2. The featherd songster chaunticleer
_Han_ wounde hys bugle horne.

AE. 685. Echone wylle wyssen hee _hanne_ seene the daie.

734. Bryghte sonne _han_ ynne hys roddie robes byn dyghte.

650. Whanne Englonde _han_ her foemenn.

1137. ----Mie stede _han_ notte mie love.

1184. _Hanne_ alle the fuirie of mysfortunes wylle
Fallen onne mie benned headde I _hanne_ been AElla stylle.

G. 20. _Hane_ Englonde thenne a tongue butte notte a stynge?

M. 61. A tye of love a dawter faire she _hanne_.

H. 1. 74. Ne doubting but the bravest in the londe
_Han_ by his foundynge arrowe-lede bene sleyne.

182. Where he by chance _han_ slayne a noble's son.

184. And in the battel he much goode _han_ done.

188. He of his boddie _han_ kepte watch and ward.

207. His chaunce in warr he ne before _han_ tryde.

281. The erlie felt de Torcies trecherous knyfe
_Han_ made his crymson bloude and spirits floe.

319. O Hengist, _han_ thy cause bin good and true!

321. The erlie was a manne of hie degree.
And _han_ that daie full manie Normannes sleine.

337. But better _han_