 The suffixes were not competing and could even be used interchangeably ("rhyte – rhytlice" are both "'rightly'").Examinations of texts from the time period show that the -"e" form was more common in poetry, while the "-lice" form was more common in prose.As English developed as a language, it began weakening its vowels, and as such the -"e" suffix gradually disappeared, making the adverbs bare.