GRAMMA R. 



and 

 <]uam 



in deck, as " Maximis labonbus confequuntur cnm, Rrammarians, wlio followed his autliority, into error. " \Vc 

 n ex difcendo capiunt, voluptaU-m;"— litL-rally, j with are now," fays !ic, "to defccnd to t!,e common herd J 



the grcatcft toil they purfue that, which pleafiire, (for tliat 

 pleafure, which) they derive from Ihidy. " Quas condidit 

 arces, ipfa colat,'' — let her inhabit which citadels (he built, 

 Jiir, let her inhabit the citadels wliich Ihe built. In o:ir own 

 tongue fuch an arrangement is not allowed, or even ii.t--l- 

 ligible, becaule here the relative is really a fubllitute for 

 tiie noun preceding it, and refufes to c;)alefee with it as an 



aflertion clfewhere, an it or tutu, to complete the f-nteoce, 

 Cicero is wife, Cicero ci-tw eloquent. On the contrar)| 

 when we fay Cicero turilelh, Ciccrn iv.iHnh, in inftanccs like 

 tliefe there is no fuch occafion, becaufe the words 'Mrii.'th 

 i\ud//>tfiiiet/j imply, in their own form, not an attribute onlv, 

 but ajferlion likewife. Hence it is they may be refolvcU the 

 one into is and nvritin^y tlie other is and lualting. 



attributes, fuch as bhul and white, to -VL-rite, to/p.at, to toalk. 

 &c. among which, when comparH and oppofed to eacii 

 other, one of the molt eminent dillinaions appears to be 

 this. Some, by In-ing joined to a proper fubftar.tive, make, 

 without fjrthcr help, a pcrfeft alTertive fcntencej while tie 

 reft, tliough otlierwife perfe.:t, are in this refped deficient, 

 'f'" explain by an example, when we fay Cicero eloquent, 

 adjeftive. And it is obvious to remark in this place, that Cicero •wife, thefe are imperfeii fcntence3, though they dc- 

 with the exception of who in Englidi, the articles or deli- note a fubtlance and an attribute. The reafon is, that thcv 

 uitives are not proniuns, but adji-ai-ues, numeral or rellritlive, want an iliertion to {hew th.it fuch attribute appertains to 

 agreeing with a noun exprefled or underllood, and to be fuch fubllance. We r.iull therefore call in the hdp of ai, 



fupplied from the context or the preceding claufe. We -"— •:■-- -■■---' • ... 



remark, linally, that as articles are delinitives, the Latin 

 tongue h.is not only one but feveral articles, which it is 

 erroneoufly fuppofed to want. Thus, hie homo, this miii, 

 ille homo, that man, is homo, the fame man, ipfe homo, that 

 •ocry man, are phralei, either of which is equally definite 

 I and emphatic with our the man, and on many occalions pre- 



cifely the fame with it. " Now all thefe attributives, wlucli have "this complex 



Before we quit this fubjeft we (liall advert to a queftion power of denoting both an attribute and an afTertion, make 

 popofed and folved by Mr. Tooke, vol. i. p. 273. "What that fpecies of words which grammarians call •acr^- If we 

 is AS? — The truth is that as is alfo an article; and however, relolve tlus comj)Iex power into its diltinft pnrls, and t.ike 

 and whenever, ufed in Englilh, means the fame thing as it, the attribute alone, without the affertion, then hive we 

 or that, or which. In the German, where it Hill evidently participles. All oilier attributives, be.lde.'; the two fi)ccie=; 

 retains its original iignilication and ufe, (asyi alfo does,) it before, are inehided together in the general name of adiec- 

 is written «." Now, if Mr. Tooke had properly under- lives; and lluis it is that all attributives are either verbs 

 Hood the nature of the article, he would not have made this participle.^, or adjeclives. Betides the diftir.itions abovc- 

 aflertion. As indeed, like the article, is an inde.x; but it is mentioned, there are others which dcfcrve notice. .Some 

 an index directing the mind from one objeft to another, and attributes have their eflence in raoti.in ; fuch are to wa/i t» 

 t!ie coivfequence of its being fo direfted is the perception of J!y, to J/riie, to live. Others have it in the privation of 

 fome repmhlance between them. Accordingly aj is to--, an motion; luch are /o_^i?/), to n/l to ccafe, to die. And laltlr 

 adverb of fimilitude in Greek, which being inverted (as is others have it in hibjed.s which ha\e nothin<T to do with 

 often the cafe with monofyllabic words), has become yi. either motion or its privation; fuch are the attributes of 

 On the other hand, the confeqnence of the indication con- great and little, white and blacl; wif: and fooli/h, and in a 

 veyed by the artici? is not to the obfervance of lome like- word the feveral qunnlilies and qualities of ail tb.ings. Now 

 ncfs between the objeils fpecified, but the limitation of the thefe lall nre tidjeiiives ; thofe which denote /nt/Zonj or tjieir 

 general term to the individual objert, circumfcribed by the privation are either leris or participles " 

 eye or the mind by being fo indicated. "Of all the conftituent parts ot fpeech,'' fays the writer 



In a note this writer adds : " Dr. Lowth, amongfl fome in the Encyclop. Britannica, 58, " none has given' the gram- 

 falfe Englilh which he has recommended, and much good maricuis greater trouble tlian the verb. The va!t variety 

 Euglifh which he has reprobated, fays, Jh-as, was uied by ot circumftances which it blends tuo-ether in ore word' 

 the writers of the lall century to exprels a confequenee in- throws very confiderable difficiJties in the way of him who 

 ftead of fo-that. Swift, I believe, is the Lift of our good attempts to analyfe it and afcertain its nature- at the fame 

 writers who has frequently uled this manner of cxprefiion." time that by its eminent ufe in language, it is entitled to all 

 If that denote erul or confequenee, the third fenle we have the attention wkich can be beftowed ui)Cn it. It (houkl 

 iT^nci/to itin theprecedlngpage, aiidif i/j, on theother hand, feem that the lirll object of our inveltigation ought to be 

 iignify fitniUinde between two obj'Cls, fo as is, as Dr. Lo\\th the charadcrijlic of the verb, or that w^hich all thefe words 

 ftates, very improper; \\\vXe fo that alone is good Englilh have in common, and which conllitutes them verbs, dillin- 

 and good fenfe: and Mr. Tooke is himfelf guilty ofthe guilhing thorn from every other fpecies of words. Kow it 



is obvious to the flighteft attention, that every verb, whether 

 active, palfive, or neuter, may be refoKvd into the fuh- 

 ftantive verb ;V, and -inoxXv^x attributive : for l(n\ti is ofthe 

 ft'.me import as is lovrg; and avtal \\\x.\\amans cjl. 



'■'■ V>\A loving and am<j;w are not verbs; whence it follow,'! 

 that the charaCterillic of the verb, that which conllitulrs 

 it what it is, and cannot be exprell'ed by other words, raujl 

 be that which Ls (ignined by the word ;V; and to us that 

 appears to be neither more nor lei's than ojfcrtioa. 



" Alfertion therefore, or predication, is certainly the verv 

 effence of the verb, as being that part of its office, aji'4 

 that part only, which ca,nuot he difcharged by other kimis 

 of words. Every other circumftance which the verb in- 

 cludes, inch as attribute, mode, time, &c. it may be pofiiblc 

 traft from Mr. Harris, becaufe his opinion, though plan- to exprcfs by adjectives, participles, and adverbs; but with- 

 iible, is erroneous, and has been the means of leading other out a verb.it is impollible to preJica/e, to affirm, or deny, 

 • Vol. XVI. . a-'P any 



charge he brings againft Lowth, namely, of recommendin^ 

 fome falfc, and reprobatiag much good Englifli. AVe can- 

 not help obferving that the objeCl of comparifon marked by 

 <is is often implied, and is to be gathered from the context ; 

 H'i in the followincr ftanza: 



Save that from yonder ivy-mantled lower. 

 The moping owl does to the moon complain 



Of I'hch rt,r, wandering near her fecret bower, 

 Molell her ancient folitary reign. 



i. <-. complain of fuch prrfons, as thofe who wandering. 



The Origin and Properties of Verbs. 



We fliall begin this part of our fubjecl alfo with an ex 



&c. 



