1904.] HEWETT — PRONOUNS IN ENGLISH LITERATURE. 285 



or in 6S per cent, of such cases. The usage which we have found 

 in the King James version, and earUer in the Tyndale version, 

 occurs also in Shakespeare. In the above play, f/ia^ refers to 

 personal nouns 15 times, or in about 88 per cent, of the cases, 

 while which refers to personal pronouns but twice, or 12 per cent. 

 Who refers to personal pronouns 26 times, to nouns 8 times, 

 to animals personified once. In the entire play, that occurs 122 

 times, equal to 62.5 per cent., which 73 times, or 37.5 per cent. 

 Which is used in restrictive clauses 20 times, in co-ordinate 

 clauses 23 times. 



The usage of Shakespeare is thus very flexible, showing greater 

 variety and greater freedom, as we should expect, than occurs in the 

 version of the Scriptures. 



The relative pronoun was omitted in restrictive, but not in sub- 

 ordinate clauses. Who originally referred to things as well as to 

 pronouns, and such use is familiar in Shakespeare. Thus, in the 

 Merchatit of Venice, the Prince of Morocco, in describing the three 

 caskets, says: "The first of gold who (which) this inscription 

 bears, who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire." '' The 

 second silver, which this promise carries, who chooses me shall get 

 as much as he deserves.'' 



A little later, that occurs, often with great uniformity, apparently 

 to lend smoothness to the verse. '' In the prologue of Fletcher's 

 Faithful Shepherdess (1610), which was probably not written by 

 Fletcher, which occurs, but that appears uniformly in the remaining 

 acts of the play" (Morris). 



A century later (1726), we find Swift using the relative that when 

 the antecedent is a pronoun, thus following the usage in Tyndale 

 and in the King James version of the Bible. 



In the eighteenth century, there was a manifest effort on the part 

 of certain writers to promote the use of who and which at the 

 expense of that. We have in No. 78 of the Spectator, Steele's 

 humorous plea in behalf of the restoration of who and which to their 

 ancient rights : "We are descended of ancient families, and kept 

 up our dignity and honor many years, till the jack-sprat that 

 supplanted us. How often have we found ourselves slighted by the 

 clergy in their pulpits and the lawyers at the bar. Nay, how often 

 have we heard in one of the most polite and august assemblies in 

 the universe, to our great mortification, these words, ' That that 

 that noble lord urged ' ; which, if one of us had had justice done. 



