near to, according to,* out of, as far as-assisting the verb in the government of either the accusative or ablative

case.

To what has been already said respecting the verb, little needs be added. It is generally admitted, that with the help of auxiliaries, or signs of tenses, the English verb corresponds pretty closely with the Latin. The imperative, strictly speaking, has only one person; and here the English language, most unquestionably, has an advantage over the Greek and Latin. "Let me go, or let thou me to go; go, or go thou; let him go, or let thou him to go; let us go, or let ye us to go; go, or go ye; let them go, or let ye them to go."

Every person of a verb in Latin, of any tense and mood, requires in English two or more parts of speech to express its meaning, and yet these English parts of speech are joined together in pronunciation, and have only one accent. Thus, monui may signify, I have advised him; representing to us four separate English parts of speech; but in pronouncing them, the parts of speech are united, and are recognized by the ear as one word, with the accent on the penultimate syllable. I have advised him. In parsing, therefore, the verb of this sentence, 'I have advised him, it would not be inconvenient, I conceive, to call have a sign of the preter or perfect tense, and "have advised," taken together, a verb. The same remarks are applicable to all the rest of the persons and tenses of English verbs.

With regard to the construction of sentences, there are certain rules which hold good in all languages. According to," will be found in Johnson's Dictionary as a prepo

sition.

"The verb agrees with its nominative case in number and person: when two verbs come together, the latter is in the infinitive mood: the verb to be has the same case after it that goes before it: the relative agrees with the antecedent in gender, number, and person;—and a few others. These rules, which are in all languages, and in the nature of things, are very different from that government of words peculiar to the Greek and Latin languages; in the former of which a neuter, and sometimes a masculine or feminine substantive in the plural number, requires a verb singular; and in the latter, not only adjectives, but adverbs and interjections govern the cases of nouns. The case absolute in the Latin is the ablative; in the Greek, the genitive; and in English, the nominative. It would, therefore, be the height of absurdity to follow the syntax of these languages, any farther than they follow the syntax of all other languages; and in these, if we adopt the same terms, it is because they are more universally known than any other." These outlines the author* did not judiciously fill up: but the deficiencies might be easily supplied by the aid of the valuable syntax and remarks of the Rev. Dr. Crombie.

Most persons, it is presumed, will be ready to admit, that, in the lower schools, where the classics are not studied by the pupils, the arrangement of our present English grammars will answer most common purposes, and, as far as they proceed, be more easy of comprehension than one formed upon the plan of the Eton Latin Grammar. But it is also to be admitted, that the term "easy" is only of comparative signification; for it has not been presumed, that so philosophic a know

• Walker.

ledge of language can be obtained by the plan of Dr. Ash, Dr. Lowth, or Mr. L. Murray, as by the plan of that which has been just named. The present mode of teaching the grammar of our vernacular language is easy in the same degree, as the present method of teaching Latin prosody is easy; viz. the custom of pronouncing the penultimate vowel long of all Latin words of two syllables, and one consonant in the middle, without any regard to quantity; and the custom of pronouncing the antepenultimate vowel short of all Latin words of three syllables, followed by a single consonant, without any regard to quantity: thus, the genitive singular of rex, and the second person singular of the present tense of Rego, are both pronounced alike: i. e. long; Regis: though every little boy in the second form is able to tell the master, that the penultimate vowel of the former is long, and that of the latter is short: and on the other hand, the antepenultimate vowel of regibus is pronounced exactly the same as that of the infinitive of rego, though the vowel in regibus is long, and that in regere is short. These anomalous methods of pronouncing the penultimate and antepenultimate vowels, succeeded by one consonant, are almost uniformly adopted and patronized in our public schools; and thus the eye and the ear are constantly at variance.* It is repeated that the present method of teaching English grammar is easy in the same degree as the present method of teaching Latin prosody is easy; either is only of comparative utility.

* A reformation in this particular is now being effected in some of our schools. I believe I am authorised in saying, that it receives the powerful sanction of Dr. Russell, head master of the Charter-House.

CHAP. IX.

Sentences-the opinion that every sentence is a factitious word controverted-Burke-the unity essential to a thinking being is not requisite to the operations of a thinking being-ellipsis of the verb "to be"--sentences of childhood--opinion that the imperatives, go, hark, &c. are virtual sentences-this opinion controverted-order of words analogous to the operations of intellect-elucidations-and conclusion of the argument.

HERE we might proceed to discuss other subjects, and to reflect upon the changes and diversities of language; but, prior to this, it seems requisite to say a few words concerning the construction of sentences as connected with the progress of intellect.

66

In a work which is already before the public, I have adopted the analytical arrangement of the compact and loose sentences of Walker; from what has been advanced in this Treatise, it will be seen that I have not had occasion to alter the opinion. The conceptions, which my inquiries have led me to adopt respecting language, still continue to be precisely the same as those of Walker, and, consequently, different from the opinions of any writer, "whose views of the nature of language" have disposed him to regard every sentence as forming a factitious WORD." In unison with this latter opinion, I have lately read, "that if language, in its progress towards perfection, could have proceeded on the pattern of nature, it must have invented a WORD for every sentiment that was to be expressed, which wORD would have been proper for that sentiment, and for none other." On another occasion, the same writer, I believe, maintains that "the words composing any sentence are on the footing of letters composing a word. The two cases

would indeed be exactly parallel," says the writer, "were every person allowed to follow his own fancy in the spelling of words; but the rules of orthography are fixed, and they alone spell correctly, who spell in one particular way. But in the spelling of his thoughts by words, every person is allowed to follow his own method." This is fortunate: but if I might be permitted to propose a question, I should ask "whose method else could he follow?" Hortensius would tell us that few can examine into the nature of their thoughts; and that even in the use of instituted language, men frequently make use of words without any clear, correspondent ideas attached to them: disputation or confusion is the result. But it will be retorted, that "an apparatus that requires and implies so much art in the management, little accords, on many occasions, with the fervour and rapidity of our thoughts. If the passion is violent, we give it vent in short abrupt sentences, which, from constant use, suggest themselves as readily as the language of nature; still they are far from being adequate to our purpose, because they exhibit the circumstances by which we are influenced only by starts and fits; we want the ONE WORD that shall lay bare the mind in a moment; but it cannot be found, and we have only to avail ourselves of the best means in our power to supply its place." It is difficult to conceive, how, upon such a notion of language and thought as these extracts convey, a theory of elocution should have been formed: that such an attempt, however, has been made, will appear from the following compendium:-"A sentence, in point of expression, is but a single word, the parts of which it is composed being merely grammatical divisions, more or less closely connected in this respect, but not at all related to any