Matheson Collection > Introduction to early Welsh

§ i6.] CONSONANT MUTATIONS. 15
in different parts of the verb. After certain parts of the verb
lenation is absent or exceptional. Such are 3 sg. and 3 pi. pres.
ind. act., 3 sg. pres. subj. act. and the passive forms. After the
3 sg. of the pret. ind. act. non-lenation of the subject is the rule ;
in RB. lenation of the object is occasionally found when it directly
follows the verb, e.g. y kavas Uendigeit Uran he found Bendigeit
Vrafi, frequently when the subject precedes it, e.g. y Uadawd
Peredur wyr yr iarll Perediir slew the earl's tnen.
(/3) After most of the forms of the verb "to be" lenation is found,
most consistently in the predicate from its close connexion with the
verb, but also in the subject whether it follows the verb immediately
or is separated from it, e.g. ot wjrt uorwyn if thou art a maid,
yd ym drist ni itie are sad, yssyd urenhin who is king, yssit le
there is a place, nyt oed Uwy it was not greater, oedynt gystal
they ivere as good, mi a uydaf borthawr / am gatekeeper, ni a
vydwn gyuarwyd ive will be guides, ny bydei vyw he ivas not s^ - cuuifi^-^.
alive, y bydynt barawt they should be ready, ny buost gyvartal " ^*^^ '
thou hast not been fust, tra uil vyw while she lived, pan uuant
veirw when they were dead, buassei oreu it would have beefi best,
byd lawenach be more foyous, bit bont let him be a bridge,
bydwch gedymdeithon be ye comrades, tra vwyf vyw while 1
live, tra vych vyw while thou livest, tra vom vyw while we live,
mal na bont ueichawc so that they may fiot be pregnant, pei bewn
urathedic if I were wounded, a vei vawr which should be great, f'"-^ ^ frif^^fe
gwedy y beym uedw after we were intoxicated, nyt oes blant
there is no offspring, budugawl oed Gei Kei was gifted, y hwnnw y
bu uab to him there was a son, cytbei lawero geiryd though there f<Uŵ.,j \fi-
were many cities, nyt oeS in gyghor we have no counsel, oed well
ytti geisaw it were better for thee to seek, tost vu gantaw welet it Ca/^í,
pained hi?n to see. There is, however, no lenation after ys, e.g. ys
g^ir it is true (unless the subject be separated, e.g. kanys
gwell genthi gyscu since she prefers to sleep) ; after nyt, nat, neut,
e.g. nyt llei is not less, neut marw he is dead; after OS, e.g. OS
gwr if he is a man ; after ae e.g. ae gwell is it better? after jrw,
e.g. pan yw Peredur that it is Peredur (unless the subject be