Irregulars by Contraction.
Some Verbs ending in _d_ or _t_ have the Present, the Past Time, and
the Participle Perfect and Passive, all alike, without any variation:
as, Beat, burst[27], cast, cost, cut, hit, hurt, knit, let, lift[28],
put, read[29], rent, rid, set, shed, shred, shut, slit, spread, thrust,
wet[28].
These are Contractions from _beated_, _bursted_, _casted_, &c; because of
the disagreeable sound of the syllable _ed_ after _d_ or _t_[30].
Others in the Past Time, and Participle Perfect and Passive, vary a
little from the Present by shortening the diphthong, or changing the
_d_ into _t_: as, Lead, led; sweat, swet; meet, met; bleed, bled;
breed, bred; feed, fed; speed, sped; bend, bent[28]; lend, lent; rend,
rent; send, sent; spend, spent; build, built[28]; geld, gelt[28]; gild,
gilt[28]; gird, girt[28].
Others not ending in _d_ or _t_ are formed by Contraction; have, _had_,
for _haved_; make, _made_, for _maked_; flee, _fled_, for _flee-ed_.
The following beside the Contraction change also the Vowel; Sell, sold;
tell, told; clothe, clad[28].
Stand, stood; and dare, durst, (which in the Participle hath regularly
_dared_;) are directly from the Saxon, _standan_, _stod_; _dyrran_,
_dorste_.