glected opportunities of improvement when it may be too late. He declared that nothing could give him greater pleasure. Of making many books there is no end. You will never repent of having done your duty.

OBS. 1. When a substantive phrase is governed by a verb or preposition, this regimen does not affect the case of individual nouns or pronouns in that phrase, but leaves them subject to the influence of other words within the phrase itself.

OBS. 2. In sentences of this kind, the infinitive mood and participle are often used for the name of the action, or state, or affection express ed by the verb; as,“ To profess (professing) regard, and to act (acting) differently, mark a base mind." Here it is to be observed that the infinitive and participle are really abstract nouns perfectly indefinite in their application, there being no particular subject to which the action may be referred.

If the infinitive or participle of the verb to be, or of a passive verb of naming, &c. (§ 61, R. 1.) is used in this way without a definite subject, the substantive which follows it as a predicate receives the same indefinite character; it is neither the subject of a verb nor is under the regimen of any word; Thus, "His being an expert dancer does not entitle him to our regard." This will be allowed to be a correct English sentence, complete in itself, and requiring nothing to be supplied. The phrase, “being an expert dancer," is the subject of the verb, "does entitle;" but the word "dancer" in that phrase is neither the subject of any verb, nor is governed by any word in the sentence. Of this kind are all such expressions as the following: "It is an honour to be the author of such a work." "To be virtuous is to be happy." "To be surety for a stranger is dangerous." "Not to know what happened before you were born, is to be always a child." "The atrocious crime of being a young man, I shall neither attempt to palliate or deny." (Pitt.) "He was not sure of its being me." "Its being me needs make no difference in your determination."

If the last two examples are correct, they shew that whether the phrase is the nominative or objective, i. e. whether it is the subject of a verb or is governed by a trans. verb or preposition; the word following the infinitive or participle as a predicate is properly in the objective case, and in parsing, may correctly be called the objective in

*This corresponds to the Latin and Greck idiom in such sentences as the following: "Nescirc quid acciderit antequam natus es, est semper esse pucrum."-Not to know what happened in past years, is to be always a child

definite. Or the whole phrase may be parsed as one word. (§ 61, Rem. 2.) The following are also examples.

He had the honour of being a director for life. By being a diligent student, he soon acquired eminence in his profession. Many benefits result to men from being wise and temperate (men.)

RULE 24. It, often refers to persons, (§ 15, Obs. 5,) or to an infinitive coming after; as,

It is John that is to blame. It was I that wrote the letter. It is the duty of all to improve. It is the business of every man to prepare for death. It was reserved for Newton to discover the law of gravitation. It is easy to form good resolutions, but difficult to put them in practice. It is incumbent on the young to love and honour their pa

rents.

RULE 25. Words, especially in poetry, are often much transposed; as, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. On yourself depend for aid. Happy the man who puts his trust in his maker. Of night the gloom was dark and dense.

Or where the gorgeous east, with richest hand
Showers on her kings barbaric, pearls and gold.
No hive hast thou of hoarded sweets.

A transient calm the happy scenes bestow
When first thy sire to send on earth
Virtue, his darling child, designed.
On flattering appearances put no reliance.

He with viny crown advancing,

First to the lively pipe his hand addressed.
Grieved though thou art, forbear the rash design.
Not half so dreadful rises to the sight

Orion's dog, the year when Autumn weighs.

§ 41. PROMISCUOUS EXERCISES IN PARSING.

The world was made by a Supreme Being. He who made it now preserves and governs it. Nothing happens without his permission. He sees all our actions and hears

...

ἔστι τῶν αἰσχρῶν . . . τόπων, ὧν ἦμέν ποτε κύριοι φαίνεσθαι προϊεμένους. "It is a shame to be seen giving up countries of which we were once masters." -DEMOSTHENES.

all our words. The thoughts of the heart are known to him. In him we live, he gave us life, and without him we cannot breathe. Wherever we are, God is with us. When we sit in the house God is there; and when we walk by the way, he is at our right hand. He is a spirit, and fills heaven and earth with his presence.

Demosthenes, who was born at Athens, was a very famous orator. He acquired the art of speaking by great labor and study. By nature he had not a good voice, and could not rightly pronounce some words. That he might learn to speak distinctly, he put small round pebbles in his mouth while he spoke, in order to cure his defect. He used to shut himself up in his chamber, and to study a whole month together. He often went to the shore, and pronounced his orations to the waves, that he might be better able to endure the noise and clamor of the people. He made many orations both on private and public occasions. But he used his eloquence chiefly against Philip, king of Macedon, and, in several orations, he stirred up the Athenians to make war against him.

The mimic thrush, or mocking bird, is about the size of a blackbird, but somewhat more slender. The plumage is grey, but paler on the under parts than above.

It is common in some parts of America and in Jamaica ; but changes its place in summer, being then seen much more to the northward than in winter. It cannot vie with the feathered inhabitants of those countries in brilliancy of plumage; but is content with much more rare and estimable qualities. It possesses not only natural notes of its own, which are truly musical and solemn, but it can at pleasure assume the tone of every other animal in the forest, from the humming bird to the eagle, descending even to the wolf or raven. One of them confined in a cage has been heard to mimic the chattering of a magpie, and the creaking of the hinges of a sign-post in high winds.

This capricious little mimic seems to have a singular pleasure in archly leading other birds astray. He is said at one time to allure the smaller birds with the call of their mates; and when these come near, to terrify them with the scream of the eagle. There is scarcely a bird of the forest, that is not at some time deceived by his call.

THE POPLAR FIELD.

The poplars are fell'd, farewell to the shade,
And the whispering sound of the cool colonade,
The winds play no longer and sing in the leaves,
Nor Ouse in his bosom their image receives.

Twelve years have elapsed since I last took a view
Of my favorite field, and the bank where they grew;
And now in the grass, behold they are laid,
And the tree is my seat, that once lent me shade.

The blackbird has fled to another retreat,

Where the hazels afford him a screen from the heat;
And the scene, where his melody charmed me before,
Resounds with his sweet-flowing ditty no more.
My fugitive years are all hastening away,
And I must ere long lie as lowly as they,

With a turf on my breast, and a stone at my head,

Ere another such grove shall arise in its stead.

Note. For additional exercises in parsing, any simple correct writer may be used by those who are less advanced; and forthe more advanced student nothing better can be supplied than Pope's Essay on Man or Milton's Paradise Lost.

9

PART III.

§ 43. SYNTAX.

SYNTAX is that part of Grammar which treats of the proper arrangement and connexion of words in a

sentence.

A sentence is such an assemblage of words as makes complete sense; as, Man is mortal.

A phrase is two or more words rightly put together, but not making complete sense; as, In truth; To be plain with

you.

Sentences are of two kinds, Simple and Compound.

A Simple sentence contains but one subject and one finite* verb; as, Life is short.

A Compound sentence contains two or more simple sentences combined; as, Life, which is short, should be well employed.

Every simple sentence or proposition consists of two parts, the subject and the predicate.

The subject is the thing chiefly spoken of. In English it is always the nominative to the verb.

The predicate is the thing affirmed or denied of the subject. It is either contained in the verb itself, as, "John reads," or it follows the verb to be, or some other verb of like import, which in this case is called the corula; as, "Time is short." "They became poor." If the predicate contains an active verb, the object of the action expressed by it follows in the objective case. Neuter verbs have no object.

The subject or nominative, the verb and the object, may each be attended by other words called adjuncts, which serve to modify or restrict the meaning of the word with which they stand connected; as,

* A finite verb is a verb restricted by person and number. All verbs are finite in the indicative, Potential, Subjunctive, and Imperative; but not in the Infinitive and Participles.