§ 43. Subject and Predicate (Inversion).

Compared with Early English, the inversion of the present language ranges over a very limited space. Caxton, in this respect, is very near the Modern English; in two cases, however, he has kept the Middle English.

1. Inversion used in emphatic sentences:—

Sore troubled of wyttis, and gretly vexed wythin her mynde as ye here, rode forthe the gentel pucelle,—Blanchardyn, 45/10; so smot they hem self wythin callyng vp a hyghe crye in to þe thikkest of their enmyes, ibid. 59/4; and syth made eche hem self to be armed hastely whan dressid and redy they were, they made their coursers to be had forth out of the stable, ibid. 60/33; and after that announced was there comyng, men made them to entre in to the chambre of parement, ibid. 76/27; to the rescue of blanchardyn cam also the gode prouost,—ibid. 166/23.

2. Co-ordinate sentences introduced by and are often inverted. This use may be traced to the pre-historic time of the English language. It appears in the oldest Teutonic dialects, and is still kept in Modern German, though learned grammarians are untiring in ridiculing this time-honoured use:—

• Old English: Her Aeþel heard cyning forþferde and feng Cuþræd to Westseaxna rice, Chronicle, a. 741; ac monige sindon me swiðe onlice on ungelærednesse, þeah þe hi næfre leorning cnihtas næren, wilniað ðeah lareowas to beorne, and ðynceð him swiðe leoht sio byrðen pæs lareondomes, Cura Pastoralis, p. 24.

• Modern English: Syon was sum hwile iclepet þe hehe tur of Ierusalem. And seið syon ase muchel on englische leodene ase heh sihðe, and bitacneð þis tur þe heh schipe of meidenhad, Hali Meidenhad, p. 5; and was his holie lichame leid in buriels in þe holie sepulcre, Old English Hom., II. 21; also hit bi þe wimman and bi sheawere. hie bihalt hire sheawere. and cumeð hire shadewe þeronne, ibid. 29; and gif hit is swo. me ðingð ne bringð no synful man quemere loc þene teares sheding for his sinnen. and wiste seinte peter, and Seinte Marie Magdalene, ibid. 65. Cf. ibid. 83, 127, 165, 213; Saules Warde, 249 (Old English Hom. I.);

  • 'And tanne comm he siþþen ut

    All dumb and butenn spæche,

    and toc to becnenn till þe follc,

    and space he nohht wiþþ tunge.'
    
    —Orm. 224;

  • 'He made an aucter on godes name,

    And sacred he ðor-on, for sowles frame.'
    
    Story of Genesis and Exodus, 626;

  • 'ðo sente he after abram,

    and bitagte he him is leman.'
    
    —ibid. 782;

  • 'It semet wel ðat ge spies ben,

    And into ðis lond cumen to sen,

    And cume ge for non oðer ðing

    But for to spien ur lord ðe king.'
    
    —ibid. 2171;

  • 'And al ðis unweder ðor atwond,

    And wurð ðis weder sone all stille.'
    
    —ibid. 3059.

Caxton offers several instances of this use:—

Thenne dylygently he demanded his mayster of the subtylnes of the werke, of thystorye and of the personnages. And first recounted vnto hym his mayster the puyssaunce the right grete cyrcuyte, and the noblesse of the cyte of Troyes, Blanchardyn, 15/9; the wawes wexed so bygge and so grete, that they semed to be mountayns. And was the tempeste so perelouse, that they were constreyned to enter into the brode see agayne, ibid. 136/11; Kynge Alymodes made the towne to be assayled, and was there made grete alarme and grete fray,— ibid. 152/23; and within a whyle they cam to the heremytage and took lodgyng and was there gras otys and breed for their horses, soone it was sped and full hard was their souper,—Morte Darthur, 111/7; for moche he langed that he myght there be arryued for to shew hym all the tydynges. And dured not long the scarmoushe, Melusine, 127/4; Uryan thanne made the standarde to passe fourth rydyng in batayll moche ordynatly and was Vryan before, hauyng a staf on hys fyste,Page  ciiiibid. 131/22; anoone camme there Vryan, whiche alyghted, toke hys speere, and so dyde hys folke moche appertly, and made hys banere to be dysployed abrode, and were the crosbowe men on bothe sydes of hym vpon the bridge, ibid. 131/30; and so moche they dide that the fals paynemes might gete nothing on them, but that they lost twyes asmoche more, and was scarmusshing moche fyers and peryllous, ibid. 137/20; and thanne Vryan smote hym vpon the helmet a grete stroke with all his might, and was the sawdan so sore charged with that stroke that he was so astonyed and amaysed that he neyther sawe nor herde, ibid. 145/28; and thene Vryan and his folke lodged them self in the paynems lodgys, and was the sommage of the cristen sent fore,—ibid. 146/18. Cf. 203/17, 214/7, 12, 215/13, 234/7, 240/6.