t^gi. grammatical disquisitions. 2S1 



ticular inflection denoting filiation, we fiiould there- 

 fore call it the ^liative case. Cumberland, and oth«rs 

 of this kind, might be called words in the territorial 

 case ; Londoner, Highlander, would constitute other 

 cases. In fliort, the variety of cases we fliould be un- 

 der the necefsity of adopting would be so great, as 

 even to prevent a pofsibility of inventing names for 

 them all ; and would introduce a mode of easation, if 

 I may adopt that word, so entirely different from any 

 thing that has ever been in use, in any language, as 

 could only prove the source of perplexity and confu- 

 sion. 



6tb. If, however, our predeliction for the word 

 case, is such, that we must at any rate^^adopt it with 

 regard to any of the clafses of words above enume- 

 rated, I fhould think they have a better title to that 

 of nominatives than to that of any other case. My 

 reasons for this opinion are, 



In the Jirst place, that, in all cases, the variation of 

 our noun that has been called the inflected genitive, 

 occupies the same place as a nominative. In the 

 ,phra3e yames^s house is stately, there is no other no- 

 minative to the verb if, but jfames^s house : for it is 

 ■evident that the word house, taken by itself, cannot 

 be the nominative, as it can only make a com- 

 plete sense when united with Jameses. Both tc^ 

 gether, therefore, form a true nominative. In 

 like manner, in the phrase the hand-saw CUTS well, 

 band-saw is the only nominative to the verb cuts ; 

 and the same might be said of all the others. I 

 must here, h iwever, add, that as no distinction takes 

 .place between the form of the nominative and acci*- 



voL. X. 00 f 



