" 
HE 
MONTHLY MAGAZINE. 
No. 129. | 
JUNE 1, 1805. 
[5, of Vou. 19. 
ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
N the Monthly Magazine for laft month, 
page 314, I found fome remarks on 
the verb confider. It feems to be afferted, 
that it is eflential for the verb confider, 
when ufed in the fenfe of to regard, to be 
followed by the particle as; that there is 
not to be found in Addifon, or any ele- 
gant writer, a different ufage ; and that 
the verb confider is, in this fenfe at leaft, 
neuter. IT have little hefitation in faying 
that the three affertions are founded on 
milconception. The verb confider, and 
any other verb, will admit as after them, 
if the fenfe require it, without changing 
their meaning or denomination. As may 
mean 72 the manner of, or in the proportion 
of; and in this fenfe it is ufed in compa- 
rifon ; and fometimes when two words are 
put in appofition, denoting iz the quality 
of. In this lat feof, it is often redun- 
dant, and not always indi!penfable. I 
may fay, ‘*I confider Alfred asa good 
king,’’ or, ‘*I confider Alfred (to be) a 
good king ;”” and both fentences are ge- 
nerally fuppofed to have the fame import. 
Addifon fays, ** I confider an human foul 
without education, like marble in the 
quarry.”” ‘This is one inltance in which 
the word conjider is uled for regard, and 
without as. It may be urged, that the 
word /rke fupplies its place. If it do, it 
muft be of the fame import ; and, in 
courfe, they are controvertible words. 
Subftitute lize in the foregoing fentence: 
“Tt confider Alfred Like a good king.” 
This has not the fame meaning, for 
“* Alfred wasconfidered to be a good king.” 
Therefore, as like does not exactly fupply 
the place of as, this muft be confidered as 
one inftance, and from Addifon too, to 
fhew the incorreétnefs of the fecond affer- 
tion. How the verb confider can be neu- 
ter, I cannot eafily conceive. Two cha- 
racteriftics of a neuter verb are, that it 
admiis no accufative after it (but one of 
cognate fignification) ; and that it has no 
paifive voice; neither of which is appli- 
€able to this verb. Dr. Johnfon does 
{peak of it as neuter; and indeed almof 
every Enclifh active verb may be found 
MONTHLY Mac. No 3209. 
in his digtionary, as neuters. Whenever 
a verb was uled without an expreffed ob- 
jet after it, Johnfon called it neuter, 
making no diftin&tion between /uch neu- 
ters real neuters, intranfitive verbs, and 
thofe active verbs, which, when ufed re- 
flectively, admit the fuppreffion of the 
perfonal pronoun afterthem. oiz, fur- 
render, fend, fee, bear, feel, touch, &c. 
are all turnedinto neutersby him. ‘* The 
Ligurians furrendered to, ‘or joined, An- 
nibal.”’ »- Thefe two verbs Johnion would 
term neuter; whereas it is fufficiently 
plain that “they joined or furrendered 
themfilves to Aniibal :” but as no am- 
biguity arofe from the fuppreffion of the 
pronoun, it was omitted. ‘*My people 
do not confider;’ “eyes have they and 
fee not: “Sears have they and hear not;”” 
‘‘neither will they wnderfiand.” Cer 
tainly, notwithftanding Johnicn’s great 
authority, the/e are to be confidered active 
verbs, the objects to which, though not 
expreffed, I believe few perfons uf common 
underftanding would be at a lofS to deter- 
mine. Upon fimilar principles it is, that 
an intelligent writer on the Syntax of the 
Latin verb, confiders fervo as a neuter 
verb in the following fentences: ** Redi 
atque intus ferva.” ‘ Soius Sannio fervat 
domi.”’ In thefe, it is plain that fome fuch 
words as res qua funt, are underitood ; 
and that fervo does not ceafe to be active, 
and to jignify actively. As well may 
TUN) AUl0, Vidl, Vici, be reckoned neu« 
ters, becaufe the objeis of chafifement, 
love, &c. have not been particularized 5 
or the active verb mztto, becaule it is, as 
in the following fentences, like many other 
verbs both in Latin and Englifh, often 
ufed without its accufative after it ex- 
prefled : * Mijeruni Delphos con{ultam.”* 
**Carthaginem miferant ut mandaretur.”” 
I believe grammarians have faid that 
verbs ufed thus are put abfolute; but, if 
under fuch circumftances they are to lofe 
their diftinguifhing appellation, there is 
an end of all diftinétions. The active 
verb zzcipio has been called neuter, becaufe 
wecaniay ‘ver incipit,” ** the {pring be- 
gins,”” The fame author on the Latin 
verb aflerts, that in the fentence, * the 
qi '  moen 
= 
= — 2 
ee 
SS 
= ———-- 
= 
SS 
See 
