CHAPTER XV.

NUMERALS.

88. Numerals are either (_a_) Cardinal, expressing pure number, _one_, _two_, _three_; or (_b_) Ordinal, expressing rank or succession, _first_, _second_, _third_.

(_a_) #Cardinals.#

89. The Cardinals fall into the three following syntactic groups:

GROUP I.

1. ān 2. twēgen [twain] 3. ðrīe

These numerals are inflected adjectives. #Ān#, _one_, _an_, _a_, being a long stemmed monosyllable, is declined like #gōd# (§ 80). The weak form, #āna#, means _alone_.

#Twēgen# and #ðrīe#, which have no singular, are thus declined:

_Masc._ _Fem._ _Neut._ _Masc._ _Fem._ _Neut._ _Plur. N.A._ twēgen twā twā (tū) ðrīe ðrēo ðrēo _G._ twēgra twēgra twēgra ðrēora ðrēora ðrēora _D._ { twǣm twǣm twǣm ðrīm ðrīm ðrīm { (twām) (twām) (twām)

90. GROUP II.

4. fēower 5. fīf 6. siex 7. seofon 8. eahta 9. nigon 10. tīen 11. ęndlefan 12. twęlf 13. ðrēotīene 14. fēowertīene 15. fīftīene 16. siextīene 17. seofontīene 18. eahtatīene 19. nigontīene

These words are used chiefly as uninflected adjectives: #on gewitscipe ðrēora oþþe fēower bisceopa#, _on testimony of three or four bishops_; #on siex dagum#, _in six days_; #ān nǣdre ðe hæfde nigon hēafdu#, _a serpent which had nine heads_; #æðeling eahtatīene wintra#, _a prince of eighteen winters_.

91. GROUP III.

20. twēntig 21. ān ǫnd twēntig 30. ðrītig 40. fēowertig 50. fīftig 60. siextig 70. hundseofontig 80. hundeahtatig 90. hundnigontig 100. hund 200. twā hund 1000. ðūsend 2000. twā ðūsend

All these numbers are employed as neuter singular nouns, and are followed by the genitive plural: #Næfde hē þēah mā ðonne twēntig hrȳðera, and twēntig scēapa, and twēntig swȳna#, _He did not have, however, more than twenty (of) cattle, and twenty (of) sheep, and twenty (of) swine_; #Hīe hæfdon hundeahtatig scipa#, _They had eighty ships_; #twā hund mīla brād#, _two hundred miles broad_; #ðǣr wǣron seofon hund gūðfanena genumen#, _there were seven hundred standards captured_; #ān ðūsend mǫnna#, _a thousand men_; #Hannibales folces wæs twā ðūsend ofslagen#, _Of Hannibal’s men there were two thousand slain_; #Hīe ācuron ęndlefan ðūsend mǫnna#, _They chose eleven thousand men_.

NOTE 1.--Group III is rarely inflected. Almost the only inflectional endings that are added are (1) -es, a genitive singular termination for the numerals in #-tig#, and (2) -e, a dative singular for #hund#. (1) The first is confined to adjectives expressing extent of space or time, as, #eald#, _old_; #brād#, _broad_; #hēah#, _high_; and #lǫng#, _long_: #ðæt is ðrītiges mīla lǫng#, _that is thirty miles long_; #Hē wæs ðrītiges gēara eald#, _He was thirty years old_. (2) The second is employed after #mid#: #mid twǣm hunde scipa#, _with two hundred ships_; #mid ðrīm hunde mǫnna#, _with three hundred men_; #Ðǣr wearð ... Regulus gefangen mid V hunde mǫnna#, _There was Regulus captured with five hundred men_.

The statement made in nearly all the grammars that #hunde# occurs as a nominative and accusative plural is without foundation.

NOTE 2.--Many numerals, otherwise indeclinable, are used in the genitive plural with the indefinite pronoun #sum#, which then means _one of_ a certain number. In this peculiar construction, the numeral always precedes #sum#: #fēowera sum#, _one of four_ (= _with three others_); #Hē sǣde þæt hē syxa sum ofslōge syxtig#, _He said that he, with five others, slew sixty_ (_whales_); #Hē wæs fēowertigra sum#, _He was one of forty_.

NOTE 3.--These are the most common constructions with the Cardinals. The forms in #-tig# have only recently been investigated. A study of Wülfing’s citations shows that Alfred occasionally uses the forms in #-tig# (1) as adjectives with plural inflections: #mid XXXgum cyningum#, _with thirty kings_; and (2) as nouns with plural inflections: #æfter siextigum daga#, _after sixty days_. But both constructions are rare.

(b) #Ordinals.#

92. The Ordinals, except the first two, are formed from the Cardinals. They are:

1. forma, ǣresta, fyrsta 2. ōðer, æfterra 3. ðridda 4. fēorða 5. fīfta 6. siexta 7. seofoða 8. eahtoða 9. nigoða 10. tēoða 11. ęndlefta 12. twęlfta 13. ðrēotēoða 14. fēowertēoða 15. fīftēoða etc. 20. twēntigoða 21. ān ǫnd twēntigoða 30. ðrītigoða etc.

NOTE.--There are no Ordinals corresponding to #hund# and #ðūsend#.

With the exception of #ōðer# (§ 77), all the Ordinals are declined as Weak Adjectives; the article, however, as in Mn.E., is frequently omitted: #Brūtus wæs sē forma consul#, _Brutus was the first consul_; #Hēr ęndað sēo ǣreste bōc, ǫnd onginneð sēo ōðer#, _Here the first book ends, and the second begins_; #ðȳ fīftan dæge#, _on the fifth day_; #on ðǣm tēoðan gēare hiera gewinnes#, _in the tenth year of their strife_; #Hēo wæs twęlfte#, _She was twelfth_; #Sē wæs fēorða frǫm Agusto#, _He was fourth from Augustus_.