tive degree, and _est_ for the
superlative, are indeed added as whole syllables; but the rest, as _d_ or
_ed_ for preterits and perfect participles, _s_ or _es_ for the plural
number of nouns, or for the third person singular of verbs, and _st_ or
_est_ for the second person singular of verbs, nine times in ten, fall into
the sound or syllable with which the primitive word terminates. English
verbs, as they are now commonly used, run through their entire conjugation
without acquiring a single syllable from inflection, except sometimes when
the sound of _d, s_, or _st_ cannot be added to them.

5. This simplicity, so characteristic of our modern English, as well as of
the Saxon tongue, its proper parent, is attended with advantages that go
far to compensate for all that is consequently lost in euphony, or in the
liberty of transposition. Our formation of the moods and tenses, by means
of a few separate auxiliaries, all monosyllabic, and mostly without
inflection, is not only simple and easy, but beautiful, chaste, and strong.
In my opinion, our grammarians have shown far more affection for the
obsolete or obsolescent terminations _en, eth, est_, and _edst_, than they
really deserve. Till the beginning of the sixteenth century, _en_ was used
to mark the plural number of verbs, as, _they sayen_ for _they say_; after
which, it appears to have been dropped. Before the beginning of the
seventeenth century, _s_ or _es_ began to dispute with _th_ or _eth_ the
right of forming the third person singular of verbs; and, as the Bible and
other grave books used only the latter, a clear distinction obtained,
between the solemn and the familiar style, which distinction is well known
at this day. Thus we have, _He runs, walks, rides, reaches_, &c., for the
one; and, _He runneth, walketh, rideth, reacheth_, &c., for the other.
About the same time, or perhaps earlier, the use of the second person
singular began to be avoided in polite conversation, by the substitution of
the plural verb and pronoun; and, when used in poetry, it was often
contracted, so as to prevent any syllabic increase. In old books, all verbs
and participles that were intended to be contracted in pronunciation, were
contracted also, in some way, by the writer: as, "_call'd, carry'd,
sacrific'd;" "fly'st, ascrib'st, cryd'st;" "tost, curst, blest, finisht_;"
and others innumerable. All these, and such as are like them, we now
pronounce in the same way, but usually write di