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290 see (3), by ẟyn bynnac 1256. Forms with b- are common in Early Mn. verse.

In Early Ml. W. pa, py is also used for ‘what?’ substantival, as pa roteiste oth olud 20 ‘what didst thou give of thy wealth?’ Pa ẟarvu  58,  41 ‘what happened?’ Pa wnaf  1045 ‘what shall I do?’ Py gynheil magwyr dayar yn bresswyl  28 ‘what supports the wall of the earth permanent&shy;ly?’—It is also used for ‘why?’ as Py liuy (≡ livy or liwy) di  454 ‘why dost thou colour?’ Duw reen py bereist lyvwr  1032 ‘Lord God, why hast thou made a coward?’

Ml. W. peth ‘what?’ substantival, usually beth, also pa beth, ba beth: Mn. W. beth, pa beth.

A wẟost ti peth wyt 27 ‘dost thou know what thou art?’ Na wn, heb ynteu, peth yw marchawc  118 ‘I do not know, said he, what a knight is’; Peth bynnac see iv.

beth yw dy arch di 20 ‘what is thy request?’ beth yw hynny do. 28, 42 ‘what is that?’ beth yssyẟ yn y boly hwnn do. 54 ‘what is in this bag?’ beth yssyẟ yma ib. ‘what is here?’ Beth a ẟarvu yn y diweẟ iẟaw ef Ỻ.A. 16 ‘what happened in the end to him?’ beth am y r͑ei bychein do. 41 ‘what about the little ones?’ Beth…pei ‘what if’ 12 times in Ỻ.A. 67–8. Beth a gawn 228 ‘what shall we have?’ Beth a wnawn i’n chwaer? Can. viii 8.

Papeþ bi gl. quid; papedpinnac gl. quoduis; ba beth oreu rac eneid 84 ‘what [is] best for the soul’; Pa beth a wnnant wy Ỻ.A. 66 ‘what do they do?’ Pa beth yw dŷn i ti i’w gofio? Ps. viii 4.

Early Ml. W. pet [soft] ‘how many…?’ (In Late Ml. W. and Mn. W. this gave place to pa sawl ii (4).)

pet wynt, pet ffreu, pet avon 20 ‘How many winds, how many streams, how many rivers’; Gogwn…pet ẟyẟ ym blwyẟyn, pet paladɏr yg̃ kat, pet ẟos yg̃ kawat do. 21–2 ‘I know how many days [there are] in a year, how many spears in an army, how many drops in a shower’.

Early Ml. W. pyr ‘why?’

pir deuthoste 23 ‘why hast thou come?’ pyr na’m dywedyẟ  27 ‘why dost thou not tell me?’ pyr na thr(a)ethwch traethawt do. 19 ‘why do you not make a statement?’ pyr y kyverchy di 486 (in  126 Py rac…) ‘why dost thou accost [me]?’ A form pyt occurs once, and may be an error for pyr:—pyt echenis drwc  27 ‘why did evil arise?’

Ml. W. pan ‘whence?’ also ban 102. It is generally repeated before the verb in the answer.