And what would be the negative of this?

He was wont to say that if he had read as much as other men he should have known no more than other men.

MrPedantic wrote:

what's your take on the thread question regarding the negative form of  "I did (didst) love her so"? Well, I think we would need some authentic examples, to answer that question. Pre-1300 Middle English is quite different from Modern English; here is a characteristic utterance from Sawles Warde, for instance: 1. Fearlac hire ontswereð: "Ich nat nawt þe time, for ha ne seide hit me nawt; ah eauer lokið hwenne, for hire wune is to cumen bi stale ferliche ant unmundlunge hwen me least weneð. Of hire hird þet tu easkest, Ich þe ondswerie: ha lihteð hwer se ha eauer kimeð wið a þusent deoflen, ant euchan bereð a gret boc al of sunnen iwriten wið swarte smeale leattres, ant an unrude raketehe gledread of furc, forte binden ant to drahen into inwarde helle hwuch se he mei preouin þurh his boc, þet is on euch sunne enbreuet þet he wið wil oðer wið word oðer wið werc wrahtte in al his lif-siðe, bute þet he haueð ibet earþon wið soð schrift ant wið deadbote." MrP

And that's only one example of many scribal styles of the period. But what is your question here, Mr P? Not sure where you wish to go.

MrPedantic wrote:

I think the problem is that suggestions in Modern English may not meet the case; or may not seem to meet the case, because they'll be assessed in terms of Modern English. That's why I wondered whether you had any authentic examples. (I've looked for some pre-1300 examples with the structure "I did love her so", but haven't found any so far.) MrP

Mr P, let me get this straight, are you saying that "used to" was not previously "did" and "was"? If so, what was the form that preceded "used to"?

BTW, "For ryche men vse comunly Sweryn grete othys grysly."

MrPedantic wrote:

I suspect that "would" preceded "used to", in ordinary usage. I don't have a pre-1300 example to hand; but the form is well established in Chaucer, e.g. "She was so charitable and so pitous, She wolde wepe, if that she sawe a mous Caught in a trappe, if it were deed or bledde." MrP

No need for a pre-1300 example, would dates back to bef 900.