Page:The Sources of Standard English.djvu/87

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F in the middle of a word was often replaced by v; thus we geafon becomes we gaven, and lufe becomes luve; this change was still more marked in the South. The Old English heorâ and him (in Latin, eorum and eis) now change into here and hem. This last we still use in phrases like, give it 'em well; and this Dative Plural drove out the old Accusative hî. In the same way the Dative Singular him at this time drove out the Ac&shy;cusative hine; the latter is now only found in the mouths of peasants, as ‘hit un hard.’ Squire Western, who was above a peasant (at least in rank), loved this old phrase. The Article seo replaces the Old En&shy;glish heô (in Latin, ea); and the accusative of heô, which of old was hî, is now seen as hire in the account of the year 1127. Eôwer becomes iure (your). The relative Neuter pronoun þœt is now no longer confined to the Neuter Singular antecedent, but follows Plurals, just as we use it; thus, in the forged Charter of the year 656, we find, ''ealle þa þing Þ. ic wat''. It soon came to follow Masculines and Feminines, much as we employ it now. The nominative Who did not come in as a Relative till the next Century. Many short English words now approached their modern form; what we found long ago in the Northumbrian Gospels is now repeated at Peterborough.