Caxton's Blanchardyn and Eglantine, c. 1489 : from Lord Spencer's unique imperfect copy, completed by the original French and the second English version of 1595

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Title
Caxton's Blanchardyn and Eglantine, c. 1489 : from Lord Spencer's unique imperfect copy, completed by the original French and the second English version of 1595
Editor
Kellner, Leon, 1859-1928, Caxton, William, ca. 1422-1491
Publication
London: Oxford University Press
1890
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"Caxton's Blanchardyn and Eglantine, c. 1489 : from Lord Spencer's unique imperfect copy, completed by the original French and the second English version of 1595." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/Blanchardyn. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 26, 2025.

Pages

§ 47. Place of the Adverb.

There is an evident tendency in Caxton to place the adverb before the verb, and very often even before the subject:—

Thenne dylygently he demanded his mayster of the subtylnes of the werke, Blanchardyn, 15/7; Blanchardyn toward the stables tourned his waye, ibid. 17/20; right thus ... cam the yomen & grommes of þe stable makynge grete noyse and crye for þe grete courser of þe kynge, whiche that night was stolen fro theim, ibid. 19/10; (Blanchardyn)

Page cvii

founde a knyght that lay there on the grounde, armed of all pieces, the whiche full pyteously complayned, ibid. 22/18; for hir sake I wyl fight with you in fauoure of þe good knight her true louer, þe whiche falsly, as an vntrewe knyght, ye haue be trayd, ibid. 26/11; they ſounde þe knyght, that awayted after theym, that well and curtoysly saluted Blanchardyn, ibid. 33/5; of the teerys that from her eyen fyll doune, her gowne that she had on was therof charged, ibid. 43/16; Blanchardyn herkned the prouost, to whom boldly he answered, ibid. 48/15. Cf. 72/31, 85/8, 86/21, 87/21, 99/4, 101/5, 131/26, 133/17, 140/9, 145/7, 147/25, 151/7, 164/31, 169/25, 186/11, 194/12.

This is especially striking in passive constructions, where the adverbial combination, stating by whom something is done precedes:—

So was he by the two doughters brought in to a chambre, Blanchardyn, 50/21; of what dethe mygt I do make hym to deye for to gyue vnto hym his payment of the grete oultrage by hym commytted in my persone, ibid. 52/30; and seen the battaylles and scarmysshynge that by them of the towne and their enmyes were made, So began he to be ful of thoughte, ibid. 59/27; syth he also perceyued the black sleue that vpon his helmet was sette fast, ibid. 63/27; many of the gretest of hem had ben slayn or taken, yf by the vertue and strengthe of blanchardyn they had not be socoured, ibid. 66/13; I doubte not that yf by aduenture she were out of his remembraunce, and by hym putte in oblyuyon, that god forbede but that sholde dey sodaynly, ibid. 74/1; he called blanchardyn his new Conestable and tolde hym how, by hym and his barons, was ordeyned to hym the charge and conduyte of his werre, ibid. 103/21; he sholde neuere haue Ioye at herte tyll that the deth of his brother, and the damage that he had receyued were by hym auenged, ibid. 107/24; he awoke out of his slepe thurghe the pyteouse erye that of his men was made, ibid. 113/16. Cf. ibid. 142/34, 143/31, 159/19, 161/11, 194/8, 9, 10, 199/4.

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