CHAPTER XXXV.

ON WHEN, THEN, AND THAN.

s. 441. The Anglo-Saxon adverbs are _whenne_ and _thenne_=_when_, _then_.

The masculine accusative cases of the relative and demonstrative pronoun are _hwaene_ (_hwone_) and _thaene_ (_thone_).

Notwithstanding the difference, the first form is a variety of the second; so that the adverbs _when_ and _then_ are pronominal in origin.

As to the word _than_, the conjunction of comparison, it is a variety of _then_; the notions of _order_, _sequence_, and _comparison_ being allied.

_This is good_: _then_ (or _next in order_) _that is good_, is an expression sufficiently similar to _this is better than that_ to have given rise to it.

* * * * *

{378}