GRAMMAR. 



«d, by wKofe aid complex terms are prevented from being 

 infinite or too numerous, and are ufed only for thofe collec- 

 tions of ideas which we have mod frequently occafion to 

 mention in difcourfe. And this is obtained in the moll fim- 

 ple manner in the world. For having occafion, in communi- 

 cation, to mention a coUeftion of ideas, for which thei-e is no 

 one fingle complex term in the language, we eitlier take that 

 complex term which includes the greateft number, though 

 rot alt of the ideas we would commiuiicate, or elfe we take 

 that complex term which includes all, and the fcweil more 

 than thofe we would communicate ; and then, by the help 

 of the prepofition, we either make up the deficiency in the 

 one cafe, or retrench the fuperfluity in the other. For in- 

 ilance, " A houfe iv'ilh a party wall," " A houfe withoiil a 

 -party wall.'' In the firfl inllance, the complex term is defi- 

 cient. The prepofition directs to add what is wanting. In 

 the fccond inl-lance, tlie complex term is redundant. The 

 prepofition directs to take away what is wanting." 



Now this ftatement appears to us to be more properly de- 

 fcriptive of coiijundiom than of prepofitions, it being made 

 altogether in reference to lu'ith, which has, in the above in- 

 ftance, only a conjundive fenfe ; as, a houfe ami a party wall, 

 i. e. a houfe add a party wall, or, as Mr. Tooke explains, 

 ivtih a houfe _/w'« a party wall. The following we deem a mere 

 jull reprefcntation. Prepofitions exprefs the relations of 

 things ; and, as our ideas of relations are affociated effefts, 

 arifiug from our ideas of things, fo the words cxpreffing re- 

 lations are borrowed from the things related, that is, prepo- 

 fitions originated in nouns and verbs. But we have feen, 

 that the relations of thin;4s are alfo expreffed by cafis. Cafes, 

 therefore, and prepofitions, have the fame meaning ; the 

 former, indeed, being no other than the latter combining 

 with nouns, and thus giving them different terminations, 

 bearing dillinCl fenfes. The three leading relations v^e have 

 farther feen expreffed by cafes, are beginning, injlrument or 

 medium, and end. Thofe prepofitions, then, which fignify 

 beginning, require tlie noun fucceeding them to be in the 

 original ilate or pofition, or, agreeably to the ufual language, 

 govern the genitive cafe. Thofe fignifying injlrument or me- 

 dium govern their dependent nouns in the injlrumental or 

 medial, or, as it is commonly called, the ablative cafe ; while 

 thofe denoting the objeft or end to which an aftion or mo- 

 -tion relates, to which it tends, and in which it terminates, 

 have their governed nouns in thcjtnal or dative cafe. 



We now proceed to afcertain the meaning of the leading 

 prepofitions, by deducing them from their origin. And we 

 (hall find that Mr. Tooke, as his ideas are unfatisfadlory and 

 imappropriatein regard to the ufeof prepofitions, is millaken 

 in almoll every inltance, in refpcft to the fources in which 

 they origiEvated. And here we mufi; premife, that our ideas 

 of beginning, nvjdium, and end, are fo palpable and diftinft, 

 and fo effential to dillinttnefs in our other conceptions, that 

 they are nearly coeval with our ideas of things and of mo- 

 tions ; and confequently muft have cxifted in the language 

 of men, as foon as it reached a form deferving of tliat name. 

 And as we naair.tain, tliat all tlie varieties of human fpecch 

 which now exill, or have ever exided, are but branches pro- 

 pagated by various caufes, (like the human race itfelf,) from a 

 few parental Hems in the one primeval language of mankind; 

 fo we maintain, that mod prepofitions in different languages, 

 are but the fame original words, differently corrupted, agree-' 

 ably to the genius of the people who borrowed them from 

 their ancellors ; and that the Englifh prepofitions, in parti- 

 cular, are antecedent to Anglo-Saxon and Gothic corrup- 

 tions, or, as Mr. Tooke would fay, abbrsviations , and origi- 

 nated in oriental words, dtrived in many inftances through 

 ^he medium of Greek and Latin. The derivation of the con- 



iunftions and prepofitions is, indeed, the moR fpccious part 

 of Mr. Tooke's fyftemjand not only in his own opinion, 

 but in the opinion of the public, he lies fo ftrongly fortified, 

 that no adverfary can difiodge him. We fiiall, however 

 make an attempt for this purpofe. 



" 1 imagine, fays he, p. 367, that ^ (in the Gothic and 

 Anglo-Saxons/") is a fragniiiit of the Gothic and Anglo- 

 Saxon ajara or afora, pnjleritas, offspring, that it is a noun fub- 

 ftantive, and means always confequcnce, offspring, J'uccejji'jn, or 

 follower." Now as to afora it is nothing but the Greek ?c;w, 

 produce, from ?!fi, and the meaning oi of is quite thereverfe of 

 confequence, &c. Thus, in the phralc rf/VJ of the fun, of 'pomX.i' 

 to the futi as the origin of rays. It means, therefore, fource, 

 origin, audits derivation is ^ji, ab, root, ftem, sttc, x^,ab. 

 The genitive cafe, which correfponds to of, further proves 

 this, Solis radii, where is, annexed to fol, furely does not 

 mean that the fun is a confequence of the ravs, but that it 

 is the origin of the rays. The fource or caufe of a thing 

 is before that thing in the order of nature. Hence, accord- 

 ing to the ufual arrangement in Latin, the noun in tlie ge- 

 nitive is put bfore that which proceeded from it, and this 

 is the reafon why in Englifli we always fay father's houfe, 

 (father is houfe,^ and never hoife father's, having copied not 

 only the genitive termination ot the third declenfion, but 

 alfo the collocation of the noun aflPeCled by it. Mareover, 

 not of but after came from the Gothic afara, bccaufe thi;, 

 meaning offspring, came alfo to denote fucceffion, or tliat ■ 

 which conies after thofe who gave it birth. And in the 

 Gothic it is ufed as a prepofition fignifying^i?/?, after, where 

 the / is introduced to humour the pronunciation, as i is in- 

 ferted in xvi^o,- for czvsjc;, or a-.^o.;. 



As of means beginning, it has the fam.e fenfe with from ; 

 ■which lafl Mr. Tooke derives from the Gothic and An- 

 glo-Saxon frum, meaning Jirjl, beginning. This may be 

 admitted But whence did _/);«« originate ? The Latins, it is 

 well known, converted the Greek teruiination v into 7r. 

 Thus the accufative iv became im or em ; the genitive plural ' 

 IV, tim, and the neuter ending ci, is alfo um in Latin. On 

 this principle ^fi> is the parent of primus. This lafl the 

 Goths of Wallachia, where, as Miciiaelis obferves, aLatiu 

 colony had been eflablillied, and whofe language, after thus 

 blending with the Latin, is the only fpecimen of the Gothic 

 preferved in modern days, have borrowed and corrupted in 

 the form oi frum, which retains the original fenfe of initium, 

 principium. But we are not yet arrived at the origin of the 

 word. The Arabic y~l£', phra, among other meanings, 

 denotes the head of a family ; which being rendered more 

 general and abllraft, gave birth to the Greek t^h, irfii, to 

 the Latin ^/-(T, to f ram the Icelandic, Novfe, Danifli, Swc- 

 difli, tofry'm Frilch, and_/;-«c in Scotch. And thus the Ara- 

 bic origin of the word accounts for the different forms of from, 

 fra, fry, frae, in the Northern dialefts, the firfi. being derived 

 through the medium of Greek and Latin ; the others imme- 

 diately from Afia. Mr. Tooke happens to be right in the 

 meaning of y;oOT, merely becaufe tl.e Gothic corruption of 

 frum has correftly retained the original fenfe of primus. 

 He thus illuflrutes its lignification. Figs came from Turkey ; 

 lamp falls from cieling; lamp hangs from ciehng Figs can:e, 

 beginning Turkey, that is, Turkey the place of beginning 

 to come. Lamp falls, beginning cieling ; cieling the place 

 of beginning to fall. I^ainp hangs, beginning ceiling ; ceil- 

 ing the place of beginning to hang. This explanation is 

 rational and jufl : but when he adds came is a complex term 

 for one fpecies of motion ; falls is a complex term for an- 

 other fpecies of motion ; hangs is a complex term for a 

 fpecies of attachment, though very true, this is iiothing to 

 the purpofe. Came, falls, hangs, imply each motion or 



direction, 



