DECLENSION OF NOUNS. First Declension. § 39. This Declension is characterized by the Genitive singular in -es. It includes a large part of the AngloSaxon nouns: almost all masculines ending in -dóm, -end, -ere, or -er, -els, -ing, -erd, -órd, -est, -nath, -noth, -ath, -oth, -eth, -scype, or -scipe, and generally those in -1, -m, -n, and -r; also neuters in -e and -incle, those ending in one consonant or more, dissyllables in -el, -ol, -ul, -en, and -er, and the terminations -ed, -od, -ud, -et. § 40. Nouns ending in a consonant, add -es to form the Genitive, while those in -e take -s alone, as :' 1 The English Possessive or Genitive is derived from the Genitive singular of this declension, the e being omitted and the apostrophe taking its place; as, "Abráhames God," Abraham's God, or, the God of Abraham. 2 -es: sometimes -as, and -ys, -as: occasionally -es; but in both cases only in that confusion of dialect styled Dano-Saxon. V. Anal. Anglo-Sax., Introd., § 78. 60 "se ende," 994 the end. thám end-um A. thá end-as3 Singular. the ends. of the ends. to, for, with the ends. the ends. 41. When monosyllables having ae before a single consonant, or before sc, st, assume another syllable with a, o, or u, the ae is changed into a, as :— "se staef," the letter. Singular. N. se staef the letter. G. etc. staef-es of the letter. D. staef-e to, for, with the letter. A. staef the letter. With regard to the Nominative and Accusative plural of nouns in -ende, see also § 81, Note 1. Ende, aende, ge-ende. It will be observed that nouns in -e differ from those ending with consonant as the foregoing, in the Nominative and Accusati N. thá staf-as G. etc- staf-a D. A. staf-um Plural. the letters. of the letters. to, for, with the letters. § 42. Neuters ending in a single or a double consonant, have the Nominative and Accusative singular and plural all alike, while those in -1, -n, and -t, preceded by a short vowel, and not falling under the rule in § 43, usually double these letters in the other cases, though they are sometimes found double in the Nominative singular, as :— § 43. But neuter monosyllables having aé, or ae, dissyllables of the same gender ending in -el, -ol, -ul, -1, -en, -n, -er, diminutives in -incle, and likewise neuters in -e, make the Nominative and Accusative plural in -u, (-o,)' as :— § 44. Dissyllables in -el, -ol, -ul, -1, -en, -n, -er, -r, -ed, -od, -ud, -et, are often contracted when a vowel follows, as: 1 Sometimes -a instead of -u, (-o.) Faet, fat. 45. Proper names in -us, introduced into the language from the Latin, sometimes follow the general rule in forming the Genitive, and sometimes undergo no change; as, N. "Rémus," Remus, G. "Rémuses," Remus's; N. “Matthéus," Matthew, G. Matthéus," Matthew's. 66 1 Tungel, tungol, tungul, tuncgol. Others of Another happy change in English orthography would be the substitu- . tion of the analogical termination -el, or -ol, as the case may be, for that of -le, a barbarism superinduced upon the language in a period not far back, through a French influence; as, cradel, for cradle; needel, for needle; apostol, for apostle. The change of a similar barbarism, -re, to -er, has already become quite general. The forms -le and -re suit a language in which the e, and, in some measure, even the l and the r are clipped off in the enunciation, but do not answer for the manlyspoken English. Indeed, -ne for -en would be just as reasonable. In adjectives ending in -le and -ile, derived from the Latin, those terminations might very properly give place to -il; as, venerabil, for venerable; hostil, for hostile. So also -ine would become -in; as, infantin, for infantine. The Anglo-Saxon writers seem to have observed no rule with regard to the inflection of proper names in -us of foreign origin, naturally coming under this declension. Thus we find, N. "Justus," Justus, G. "Justi," D." Justo," the Latin inflection of the name; but N. "Pétrus," Peter, G. " Pétrus," D. "Pétre." Again, we have N. "Ptolo |