22.  The following example, from the commencement of Paradise Lost, first published in 1667, has been cited by several authors, to show how large a proportion of our language is of Saxon origin.  The thirteen words in Italics are the only ones in this passage, which seem to have been derived from any other source.

“Of man’s first disobedience, and the fruit Of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste Brought death into the world, and all our woe, With loss of Eden; till one greater Man Restore us, and regain the blissful seat, Sing, heav’nly Muse, that on the secret top Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire That shepherd, who first taught the chosen seed, In the beginning, how the Heav’ns and Earth Rose out of Chaos.”—­MILTON:  Paradise Lost, Book I.

23. Examples written during Cromwell’s Protectorate, 1660 to 1650.

“The Queene was pleased to shew me the letter, the seale beinge a Roman eagle, havinge characters about it almost like the Greeke.  This day, in the afternoone, the vice-chauncellor came to me and stayed about four hours with me; in which tyme we conversed upon the longe debates.”—­WHITELOCKE. Bucke’s Class.  Gram., p. 149.

“I am yet heere, and have the States of Holland ingaged in a more than ordnary maner, to procure me audience of the States Generall.  Whatever happen, the effects must needes be good.”—­STRICKLAND:  Bucke’s Classical Gram., p. 149.

24. Reign of Charles I, 1648 to 1625.—­Example from Ben Jonson’s Grammar, written about 1634; but the orthography is more modern.

“The second and third person singular of the present are made of the first, by adding est and eth; which last is sometimes shortened into s.  It seemeth to have been poetical licence which first introduced this abbreviation of the third person into use; but our best grammarians have condemned it upon some occasions, though perhaps not to be absolutely banished the common and familiar style.”

“The persons plural keep the termination of the first person singular.  In former times, till about the reign of Henry the eighth, they were wont to be formed by adding en; thus, loven, sayen, complainen.  But now (whatever is the cause) it hath quite grown out of use, and that other so generally prevailed, that I dare not presume to set this afoot again:  albeit (to tell you my opinion) I am persuaded that the lack hereof well considered, will be found a great blemish to our tongue.  For seeing time and person be, as it were, the right and left hand of a verb, what can the maiming bring else, but a lameness to the whole body?”—­Book i, Chap. xvi.

25. Reign of James I, 1625 to 1603.—­From an Advertisement, dated 1608.