(Lay. I, 159). The signe hiis that hys boute ydo, That thynge hys grace bynne (Shoreh. p. 40).

"But" as preposition.

As preposition »but<< has been restricted in O. Engl. It does not exist any longer in the local meaning, but only in the metaphorical one, taken in its restricted and totally privative signification. As for the former it is still more. difficult in this period of the vanishing of the inflective forms to determine, whether »but« is to be considered as preposition or as elliptical conjunction. The general principle, established in the abore inquiry, is also here of validity: After affirmative sentences implying the idea of generality, >>but« is mostly to be taken as preposition; so in the following sentences. pe al her aquelde . . . buten Noe and Sem (Lay. I, 2). Alle he heom sumunde and to wode sende, bote seoue pusend kempen (ib. I, 19). Euch sunne is wiđute pe bodi bute pis ane (Hali meidenh. p. 35). Alle bute Gogmagog (Rob. of Gl. p. 22). He ys knygtes echone for cost bynyme hym alle, bute a fyue men one (ib. p. 33). All shal be fordone that lif in land bot ye (Town. Myst. p. 23).

After negative sentences »but<< is always to be regarded as conjunction = nisi. Instances such as: nat tah na mon bute ham self hwat ham stiched ofte (Hali meidenh. p. 9) are to be explained in the same manner as in A. S., the change of the objective cases with the nominative likewise occurring in O. E., f. i. þe biscopp sellf paer shollde cumenn o þe zer ann sipe, all himm ane (Orm. 1025); per restid þam doun (P. Langt. 1896).

That however, whenever »but« follows an affirmative sentence implying generality it may not be concluded that >>but is to be considered as proposition, is proved by the

occurring of the word as conjunction in this case; f. i. He saide alle shalle be slayn bot oonely we (Town. Myst. p. 28), although indeed the change of the nominative with the accusative is likewise occasionally met with in O. Engl.

In its totally privative meaning we very often find >>but<< in the earlier stage of O. E. We choose a few instances out of the great number. Buten anne sunne (Lay. I, 5). Bute bruche (H. meidenh. p. 11). Buten reowde (S. Marh. p. 6). Buten vit (ib.). Buten rest (ib. p. 9). Bute anne craft (Owl and N. 792). Butenn rihht rewwsunge (Orm. 9882). Butenn spaeche (ib. H. 222). Bûten live (Kath. 252). Bouten ende (Wr. Pop. tr. p. 132). Bout blame (Syr. Gaw. I, 11, 361). Boute hone (ib. 1285). Boute spyt more (ib. 1444). Boute blame (Morris, Allit. P. A. 621).

In the later stage of this period »but« is much less used in this meaning; it is supplied by »withouten<<. It however entirely dissappears only at the end of this period.

Here the combination »oor buten« twice occurring in >The story of Genesis and Exodus« 566 and 3625, is to be made mention of; at least I have not found it anywhere else. In those passages »oor buten<< means >>thereabout«<, >> buten<< being only a shortening of »abuten«, in the same manner as in that text »gen« occurs instead of »agen« and >>mong« instead of »among«.

"But" as conjunction.

a. The real exceptive sentence.

In these the use of »but«, »but that« is not frequent as we have already seen in A. S.; other conjunctions being generally made use of.

1. Affirmative principal sentence.

Forr himm birrp beon full clene mann, and all wipputenn

ahhte, Butan þatt nann himm findenn shall Unnorne mete and waede (Orm. 6334). Hit wes him swiđe iqueme and alle his beornen, bute Conaan wes swide wraeđ (Lay. 11612). Alle dronken of pe beer, Bute horn alone Nadde perof no mone (King Horn 1112). pu art hire ilich of alle pinge But þu ert a man and heo a maide (Fl. and Bl. 52). He was pe noblest, bote pat he Cristene nas (Rob. of Gl. 1611). 2. Negative principal sentence.

The cat ne kan wrench bute anne, Nother be dune ne bi venne; Bute he can climbe suthe wel (Owl and N. 429). God doth not but tretith us (Serm. ag. M. P., Spp.1) I, b, 231). Thou dost nought elles but dispendest time (Ch. C. T. 13859).

Thence arises the use of »but« in such cases as in Syr Gaw., ed. Madden, p. 207, 11: He had not taryed with her longe, But there came a knyght tall and stronge. Here >but<< denotes an exceptive relation only inasmuch as the sentence introduced by »but« expresses an action that breaks in upon the action expressed in the preceding sentence; it assimilates itself somewhat to the meaning of the Latin »quin«. However in O. E. this use is still very rare. 3. Interrogative principal seutence. No instance has occurred to me.

b. The conditional exceptive sentence.

=

To »bûtan« and »bûtan þät« of the A. S. there have been added in O. E. »but if« and »but if that«. The former is to be explained elliptically, the latter by a double ellipsis except if it happens that«. »But« and »but if«< are most frequently met with and seem in most of the texts to be used to the same extent together, although some writers have a predilection for one or the other of these particles, Orm f. i. for »but if«.

1) Spp. Mätzner, Altenglische Sprachproben.

=

Þu aert al dead, buten pou do mine read (Lay. I, 30). Bute ich veorri a wid the riht vise of the unselic sun fule me thunched ich am al siker (S. Marh. p. 13). ziff þu takesst twizzess an Annd ekesst itt till fowwre, pu finndest, butt an wunnderr be, be fulle tale off sexe (Orm. 16352). Hit reaueð ham pe hehe riche of heuene bute ha poure beon (H. Meid. p. 31). To-morgen, bute he mugen vt-pharen, Egyptes erf sal al forfaren (Gen. and Ex. 3018). And zet beo hire word put, buten heo beo pe bet biset (Aner. R. p. 58). Elch man þe hem doo, bute he hem forlete, and bete ar his ende dai, he sal forlesen eche liht (Serm. Spp. I, b, 50). Ich hire love, hit mot me spille, Bot ich gete hire to mi wille (Dame Siriz, Spp. I, a, 110). Thine lif dayes beth al a-go, Bote thou bi mine rede do (Vox and Wolf, Spp. I, a, 133). Plente me may in Engelond of al gode yse, Bute folc yt forgulte (R. of Gl. I, 1). Bote y he perof awreke, y schall dye for sore (ib. I, 18). Bote he dude by tyme, he wolde sende hym oper tyþyng (ib. II, 357). Bute he him zeue leue He wule him bope bete and reue (Fl. and Bl. 245). Wel sone, bute pu flitte, Wip swerde ihc pe anhitte (K. Horn 711). Bote pise vour benes of him we ne habbe, we byep dyade (Ayenb. p. 110); (as for bote... ne«, see below). ne«, see below). Bute holy chirche and hii Holde bettre togidres, The moste meschief on molde Is mountynge wel faste (P. Ploughm. 131). Suche fruyt, thorghe the whiche every man is saved, but it be his owne defaute (Maundev. p. 3). Treuely, treuely, I seye to zou, no but the corne of wheet fallynge into the erthe schal be deade, it dwellith alone (Wycl. John 12, 24). (We afterwards shall have occasion to speak about this »no but«<, which often occurs in Wycliffe's translation). I pray to

God that I mot sterve wood, But I be to yow al so good and trewe, As ever was wyf (Ch. C. T. 6824). But I be to morrow as fair to seen As eny lady, emperesse, or queen, Doth by my lyf right even as yow lest (ib. 6827). But I in other wise may be wrecke, I schal defame Bot thou do, bi this day, Thi hede

him over al (ib. 7793).

schalle I breke (Town. Myst. p. 30).

b. "but that."

Freoliche pas twein brotherne heolden þas eorldomes, buten þat heo icneowen pone king fore heore herre (Lay. I, 306). He wolde al pis kine-lond setten on heore hond, bute þat hi icleoped weore king of þan londe (ib. III, 253). Myn handwerk to sle sore grevyth me, But that here synne here deth doth brewe (Cov. Myst. p. 43). Forthwyth there I had hym slayne But that I drede mordre wolde come oute (Skelton I, 50). The knight heed... But that the queen and other ladies mo So longe preyeden thay the kyng of grace, Til he his lif hath graunted in the place (Ch. C. T. 6474).

schuld have lost his

Instead of »but that« we also find »but what« in the later stage. More coude I saye, but what this is ynowe (Skelton I, 48). The explanation of this idiom is difficult. Mr. Koch is of the opinion, that perhaps » but what<< has been put instead of »but that that«. I am not able to give a better explanation.

In the two last passages, the sequence of tenses is different from the ordinary one, taking place in conditional sentences implying irreality; this anomalous sequence of tenses serves to emphasize the reality of the antecedent that prevents the realization of the consequent. >But that<< answers complety to the Latin nisi quod« and the German »nur daß«; cf. et fecisset, nisi quod felicius jucundiusque est (Plin. paneg. 86, 5).