Thick with quills and beads embroidered.
On his head were quills of swansdown,
On his heels were tails of foxes,
In one hand a fan of feathers,

And a pipe was in the other.

-LONGFELLOW: Hiawatha.

8. Select what might be mentioned as the principal features of the dress of the boy in the picture, and then describe his dress. 9. Bring in pictures that have effects similar to this.

CHAPTER X.

A STUDY OF DECREASE OF PREDICATION.

CAXTON AND ASCHAM COMPARED.

In earlier English, the verb was made to do work on all occasions. Since then, other ways of expressing thought have come about. The result upon the length and structure of the sentence is an interesting study. Below are given another extract from Caxton's writing, and one from Roger Ascham, who was for two years the teacher of Queen Elizabeth. They wrote about one hundred years apart.

I.

And Dioclesian, that was their father, anon commanded them to go into a ship, and delivered them victuals for half a year. And when this was done, all the sisters went into a ship, and sailed forth in the sea, and took all their friends to Apolin, that was their God. And so long they sailed in the sea, till at the last they came and arrived in an isle, that was all wilderness. And when dame Albine was come to that land, and all her sisters, this Albine went forth out of the ship, and said to her other sisters: For as much (said she) as I am the eldest sister of all this company, and first this land hath taken; and for as much as my name is Albine, I will that this land be called Albion, after mine own name. And anon, all her sisters granted to her with a good will.

STUDIES.

I. What is the average sentence length? 2. How many co-ordinate conjunctions used in clause connections? 3. How many subordinate connectives used? 4. How many verbs (predicates) used? 5. How many infinitives? 6. How many participles, not counting those used in compound tense-forms? 7. Express answers to 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 as per cents of the entire number of words used in the extract.

II.

If any man would blame me either for taking a matter in hand, or else for writing it in the English tongue, this answer I may make him, that when the best of the realm think it honest for them to use, I, one of the meanest sort, ought not suppose it vile for me to write; and though to have written it in another tongue had been more profitable for my study, and also more honest for my name, yet I can think my labour well bestowed, if, with a little hindrance of my profit and name, may come any furtherance to the pleasure or commodity of the gentlemen and yeomen of England, for whose sake I took this matter in hand. And as for the Latin or Greek tongue, everything is so excellently done in them, that none can do better; in the English tongue, contrary, everything in a manner so meanly, both for the matter and handling, that no man can do worse.

STUDIES.

I. Note the sentence length. 2. How many coordinate conjunctions used in clause connections? Give the per cent. 3. How many subordinate connectives used? Give per cent. 4. How many verbs (predicates) used? Give per cent. 5. How many infinitives? Give per cent. 6. How many participles, not counting those used in compound tense-forms? Find per cent. 7. How would Caxton have expressed some of the above infini