In attempting to establish beyond a doubt the existence of the case of comparison as a comparatively frequent and idiomatic locution in Old English, I am fully aware of the not uncommon tendency of the special investigator to color the context of a given passage to conform to a favorable interpretation. This is often an unconscious habit and perhaps excusable in one who must by close examination at all times seek to discover the subtle relationships that bind the elements of thought together. I have found upon careful examination that I had fallen into such a danger many times where grammatically the case might stand in two or more relationships and where the general meaning was not especially clear. I have avoided such passages whenever I could bring semantics to the aid of syntax, but, on the other hand, I hope I have not failed to record any occurrence in which both syntax and semantics pointed to the comparative relationship.
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