THE GREAT OCEAN. 383 



verb itself. Active and passive, amo et amor, 

 Danish, Jeg elsk'n^ og elskes. The Tagalists can 

 place the subject, the object, the end, or the in- 

 strument, and the place of the action in the direct 

 case, and express the relation by the verb. The 

 sense decides what shall be distinguished and 

 placed before as the nominative of the phrase, and 

 the form of the verb conforms to it. Thus, in the 

 phrase, ** Peter cutMalchiis* ear off with the sword," 

 we can, at pleasure, lay the emphasis on Peter, (the 

 subject) that which cuts, (active form), the ear, (the 

 object) that which is cut, (first passive form with t/), 

 the sword, (the instrument), with which is cut, 

 (second passive form with in,) and on Malchus 

 (the place) on which is cut, (third passive form 

 with ail). The delicacy and difficulty of the lan- 

 guage lie in the use. The same particles which 

 modify the root as a verb, modify it also in 

 similar combinations, as substantive and adjective. 

 The word already compounded is treated as simple, 

 farther compounded, riches produce riches, but 

 there is no proper change of termination. 



The Tagalese employ in their poetry verses, 

 which, though proper to the language, put us in 

 mind of the Spanish metre, by the number of the 

 syllables, and a kind of rhyme or half-rhyme. 

 They, however, have refused to adopt the more 

 artificial canzone and sonnets which Father Fran- 

 cisco de San Joseph endeavoured to give them. 

 We tried in vain to procure specimens of their 



