he form -nne.

s. 281. Expressions like _to err_ = _error_, _to forgive_ = _forgiveness_,
in lines like

"To err is human, to forgive divine,"

are very remarkable. They exhibit the phenomena of a nominative case having
grown not only out of a dative but out of a dative _plus_ its governing
preposition.

* * * * *

CHAPTER XVIII.

ON DERIVED VERBS.

s. 282. Of the divisions of verbs into active and passive, transitive and
intransitive, unless there be an accompanying change of _form_, etymology
takes no cognisance. The forces of the auxiliary verbs, and the tenses to
which they are equivalent, are also points of syntax rather than of
etymology.

Four classes, however, of _derived_ verbs, as opposed to _simple_,
especially deserve notice.

I. Those ending in -en; as _soften_, _whiten_, _strengthen_, &c. Here the
-en is a derivational affix; and not a representative of the Anglo-Saxon
infinitive form -an (as _lufian_, _baernan_ = _to love_, _to burn_), and
the Old English -en (as _tellen_, _loven_).

II. Transitive verbs derived from intransitives by a change of the vowel of
the root.

_Primitive Intransitive Form._ _Derived Transitive Form._

Rise Raise.
Lie Lay.
Sit Set.
Fall Fell.
Drink Drench.

In Anglo-Saxon these words were more numerous than they are at present.

_Intrans. Infinitive._ _Trans. Infinitive._

Yrnan, _to run_ Aernan, _to make to run_.
Byrnan, _to burn_ Baernan, _to make to burn_.
Drincan, _to drink_ Drencan, _to drench_.
Sincan, _to sink_ Sencan, _to make to sink_.
Liegan, _to lie_ Lecgan, _to lay_.
Sittan, _to sit_ Settan, _to set_.
Dr['i]fan, _to drift_ Draefan, _to drive_.
Feallan, _to fall_ Fyllan, _to fell_.
Weallan, _to boil_ Wyllan, _to make to boil_.
Fleogan, _to fly_ A-fligan, _to put to flight_.
Beogan, _to bow_ B['i]gan, _to bend_.
Faran, _to go_ Feran, _to convey_.
Wacan, _to wake_ Weccan, _to waken_.

All these intransitives form their praeterite by a change of vowel; as
_sink_, _sank_; all the transitives by the addition of d or t, as _sell_,
_sell'd_.

III. Verbs derived from nouns