799. _breyde_, started, woke up. The A. S. verb _bregdan_ is properly a
strong verb, with the pt. t. _brægd_; so that the true form of the pt. t.
in M. E. is _breyd_, without a final e. But it was turned into a weak verb,
with the pt. t. _breyd-e_ (as here), by confusion with such verbs as
_seyd-e_, _deyd-e_, _leyd-e_, and the like. It is remarkable that our
author is inconsistent in the use of the form for the pt. t. In his earlier
poems, he has the older form _abrayd_, riming with _sayd_ (pp.), Book of
the Duch. 192; or _abreyd_, riming with _seyd_ (pp.), Ho. of Fame, 110. But
in the Cant. Tales, we find only the weak form _breyd-e_, riming with
_seyd-e_, _preyd-e_, and _deyd-e_, B. 3728; with _seyd-e_, _leyd-e_, B.
837; and with _seyd-e_, A. 4285, F. 1027. Also _abreyd-e_, riming with
_seyd-e_, _deyd-e_, A. 4190, E. 1061.