"So help me God, madam, I will," said Henry Esmond, falling on his knees, and kissing the hand of his _dearest_ mistress.--_Id._
[Sidenote: _Adjectives irregularly compared._]
163. Among the variously derived adjectives now in our language there are some which may always be recognized as native English. These are adjectives irregularly compared.
Most of them have worn down or become confused with similar words, but they are essentially the same forms that have lived for so many centuries.
The following lists include the majority of them:--
1. Good or well Better Best 2. Evil, bad, ill Worse Worst 3. Little Less, lesser Least 4. Much or many More Most 5. Old Elder, older Eldest, oldest 6. Nigh Nigher Nighest, next 7. Near Nearer Nearest 8. Far Farther, further Farthest, furthest 9. Late Later, latter Latest, last 10. Hind Hinder Hindmost, hindermost
1. [In] Inner Inmost, innermost 2. [Out] Outer, utter { Outmost, outermost { Utmost, uttermost 3. [Up] Upper Upmost, uppermost
A few of comparative form but not comparative meaning:--
164. (1) The word good has no comparative or superlative, but takes the place of a positive to _better_ and _best_. There was an old comparative _bet_, which has gone out of use; as in the sentence (14th century), "Ich singe _bet_ than thu dest" (I sing better than thou dost). The superlative I form was _betst_, which has softened to the modern _best_.
(2) In Old English, evil was the positive to _worse_, _worst_; but later _bad_ and _ill_ were borrowed from the Norse, and used as positives to the same comparative and superlative. _Worser_ was once used, a double comparative; as in Shakespeare,--
O, throw away the _worser_ part of it.--HAMLET.
(3) Little is used as positive to _less_, _least_, though from a different root. A double comparative, _lesser_, is often used; as,--
We have it in a much _lesser_ degree.--MATTHEW ARNOLD.
Thrust the _lesser_ half by main force into the fists of Ho-ti. --LAMB.
(4) The words much and many now express quantity; but in former times _much_ was used in the sense of _large_, _great_, and was the same word that is found in the proverb, "Many a little makes _a mickle_." Its spelling has been _micel_, _muchel_, _moche_, _much_, the parallel form _mickle_ being rarely used.