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. ân
2. twêgen [twain]
3. ðrîe

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

#Twêgen# and #ðrîe#, which have no singular, are thus declined:

_Masc._ _Fem._ _Neut._ _Masc._ _Fem._ _Neut._
_Plur. N.A._ twêgen twâ twâ (tû) ðrîe ðrêo ðrêo
_G._ twêgra twêgra twêgra ðrêora ðrêora ðrêora
_D._ { twæ:m twæ:m twæ:m ðrîm ðrîm ðrîm
{ (twâm) (twâm) (twâm)

90. GROUP II.

4. fêower
5. fîf
6. siex
7. seofon
8. eahta
9. nigon
10. tîen
11. endlefan
12. twelf
13. ðrêotîene
14. fêowertîene
15. fîftîene
16. siextîene
17. seofontîene
18. eahtatîene
19. nigontîene

These words are used chiefly as uninflected adjectives: #on gewitscipe ðrêora oþþe fêower bisceopa#, _on testimony of three or four bishops_; #on siex dagum#, _in six days_; #ân næ:dre ðe hæfde nigon hêafdu#, _a serpent which had nine heads_; #æðeling eahtatîene wintra#, _a prince of eighteen winters_.

91. GROUP III.

20. twêntig
21. ân ond twêntig
30. ðrîtig
40. fêowertig
50. fîftig
60. siextig
70. hundseofontig
80. hundeahtatig
90. hundnigontig
100. hund
200. twâ hund
1000. ðûsend
2000. twâ ðûsend

All these numbers are employed as neuter singular nouns, and are followed by the genitive plural: #Næfde hê þêah mâ ðonne twêntig hry:ðera, and twêntig scêapa, and twêntig swy:na#, _He did not have, however, more than twenty (of) cattle, and twenty (of) sheep, and twenty (of) swine_; #Hîe hæfdon hundeahtatig scipa#, _They had eighty ships_; #twâ hund mîla brâd#, _two hundred miles broad_; #ðæ:r wæ:ron seofon hund gûðfanena genumen#, _there were seven hundred standards captured_; #ân ðûsend monna#, _a thousand men_; #Hannibales folces wæs twâ ðûsend ofslagen#, _Of Hannibal's men there were two thousand slain_; #Hîe âcuron endlefan ðûsend monna#, _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_;
#brâd#, _broad_; #hêah#, _high_; and #long#, _long_: #ðæt is
ðrîtiges mîla long#, _that is thirty miles long_; #Hê wæs ðrîtiges
gêara eald#, _He was thirty years old_. (2) The second is employed
after #mid#: #mid twæ:m hunde scipa#, _with two hundred ships_;
#mid ðrîm hunde monna#, _with three hundred men_; #Ðæ:r wearð ...
Regulus gefangen mid V hunde monna#, _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#: #fêowera sum#, _one of four_ (=
_with three others_); #Hê sæ:de þæt hê syxa sum ofslôge syxtig#,
_He said that he, with five others, slew sixty_ (_whales_); #Hê
wæs fêowertigra 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, æ:resta, fyrsta
2. ôðer, æfterra
3. ðridda
4. fêorða
5. fîfta
6. siexta
7. seofoða
8. eahtoða
9. nigoða
10. têoða
11. endlefta
12. twelfta
13. ðrêotêoða
14. fêowertêoða
15. fîftêoða
etc.
20. twêntigoða
21. ân ond twêntigoða
30. ðrîtigoða
etc.

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

With the exception of #ôðer# (§ 77), all the Ordinals are declined as Weak Adjectives; the article, however, as in Mn.E., is frequently omitted: #Brûtus wæs sê forma consul#, _Brutus was the first consul_; #Hêr endað sêo æ:reste bôc, ond onginneð sêo ôðer#, _Here the first book ends, and the second begins_; #ðy: fîftan dæge#, _on the fifth day_; #on ðæ:m têoðan gêare hiera gewinnes#, _in the tenth year of their strife_; #Hêo wæs twelfte#, _She was twelfth_; #Sê wæs fêorða from Agusto#, _He was fourth from Augustus_.