From the fourth sentence of the Edgar Allan Poe story 'The Oblong Box':
"…and among other names, I was rejoiced to see that of Mr Cornelius Wyatt…"
'Rejoiced' here is being used as a transitive verb, in a passive construction. The obvious parallel is with '…I was delighted to see…' which is the construction we'd expect now.
'Rejoice' isn't used as a transitive verb now. Can anyone suggest why a verb might lose its 'transitive capacity' over time? If 'delighted' has much the same meaning as 'rejoiced' has in the quote, why is 'delighted' still used exactly this way, but not 'rejoiced'?