preffions, "This picture of my friend," and "This picture of my friend's," fuggeft very different ideas. The latter only is that of property in the ftricteft fenfe. The idea would, doubtlefs, be conveyed in a better manner, by faying, "This picture belonging to my friend."

When this double genitive, as it may be called, is not Deceffary to diftinguish the fenfe, and especially in a grave ftyle, it is generally omitted. Except to prevent ambiguity, it feems to be allowable only in cafes which suppose the exiftence of a plurality of fubjects of the fame kind. In the expreffions, "A fubject of the emperor's ;" "A fentiment of my brother's ;" more than one fubject, and one fentiment, are fuppofed to belong to the poffeffor. But when this plurality is neither intimated, nor neceffarily fuppofed, the double genitive, except as before mentioned, fhould not be used: as, "This houfe of the governor is very commodious ;" "The crown of the king was ftolen;""That privilege of the fcholar was never abufed." (See page 56.) But after all that can be faid for this double genitive, fome grammarians think that it would be better to avoid the ufe of it altogether, and to give the fentiment another form of expreffion.

7. When an entire claufe of a fentence, beginning with a participle of the prefent tenfe, is used as one name, or to exprefs one idea or circumftance, the noun on which it depends may be put in the genitive cafe; thus, inftead of faying, "What is the reafon of this perfon difmiffing his fervant fo haftily ?" that is, "What is the reafon of this perfon in difmiffing his fervant fo haftily?" we may fay, and perhaps ought to fay, "What is the reafon of this perfon's difmiffing of his fervant fo haftily?" Juft as we fay, "What is the reafon of this perfon's hafty difmiffion of his fervant?" So alfo, we fay, "I remember it being reckoned a great exploit ;" or more properly, "I remember its being reckoned," &c. The following fentence is correct and proper: "Much will depend on the pupil's compofing, but more on his reading frequently." It would not be ac

curate to fay, "Much will depend on the pupil compofing," &c. We alfo properly fay; "This will be the effect of the pupil's compofing frequently;" inftead of, "Of the pupil compofing frequently."

RULE XI.

Active verbs govern the objective cafe: as, "Truth ennobles her;" "She comforts me;" They fupport us ;"" Virtue rewards them that follow her."

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In English, the nominative cafe, denoting the fubject, ufually goes before the verb; and the objective cafe, denoting the object, follows the verb active; and it is the order that determines the cafe in nouns; as, "Alexander conquered the Perfians." But the pronoun having a proper form for each of thofe cafes, is fometimes, when it is in the objective case, placed before the verb; and, when it is in the nominative cafe, follows the object and verb; as, "Whom ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you."

This pofition of the pronoun fometimes occafions its proper cafe and government to be neglected: as in the following inftances: "Who fhould I efteem more than the wife and good?" "By the character of thofe who you choofe for your friends, your own is likely to be formed." "Thofe are the perfons who he thought true to his interefts." "Who fhould I fee the other day but my old friend?" "Whofoever the court favours." In all thefe places it ought to be whom, the relative being governed in the objective cafe by the verbs esteem, choose, thought,” &c. "He, who under all proper circumstances, has the boldness to speak truth, choose for thy friend;" It should be "him who," &c.

nouns.

Verbs neuter do not act upon, er govern, nouns and pro"He fleeps; they mufe;" &c. are not tranfitive. They are, therefore, not followed by an objective cafe, fpecifying the object of an action. But when this cafe, or an

object of action, comes after fuch verbs, though it may carry the appearance of being governed by them, it is affected by a prepofition or fome other word understood :

as,

"He refided many years [that is, for or during many years] in that street;" "He rode feveral miles [that is, for or through the space of feveral miles] on that day;" "He lay an hour [that is, during an hour] in great torture." In the phrafes, "To dream a dream," "To live a virtuous life," &c. it appears that the noun expreffes the fame notion with the verb, and that it is no object of an action.

1. Some writers, however, use certain neuter verbs as if they were tranfitive, putting after them the objective case of the pronoun which was the nominative cafe to it, agreeably to the French conftruction of reciprocal verbs ; but this cuftom is fo foreign to the idiom of the English tongue, that it ought not to be adopted or imitated. The following are fome inftances of this practice. "Repenting him of his defign." "The king foon found reafon to repent him of his provoking fuch dangerous enemies." "The popular lords did not fail to enlarge themselves on the fubject." "The nearer his fucceffes approached him to the throne." "Go flee thee away into the land of Judah.' "I think it by no means a fit and decent thing to vie charities," &c. "They have spent their whole time and pains to agree the facred with the profane chronology."

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2. Active verbs are fometimes as improperly made neuter; I must premife with three circumstances." "Thofe that think to ingratiate with him by calumniating me."

as,

3. The neuter verb is varied like the active; but, having in fome degree the nature of the paffive, it admits, in many inftances, of the paffive form, retaining ftill the neuter fignification, chiefly in fuch verbs as fignify fome fort of motion, or change of place or condition : as," I am come; I was gone; I am grown; I was fallen." The following examples, however, appear to be erroneous, in

giving the neuter verbs à paffive form, inftead of an active one. "The rule of our holy religion, from which we are infinitely fwerved." "The whole obligation of that law and covenant was alfo ceased." "Whofe number was now amounted to three hundred." "This marefchal, upon fome difcontent, was entered into a confpiracy against his master." "At the end of a campaign, when half the men are deferted or killed." It fhould be, "have fwerved, bad ceafed," &c.

4. The verb to be, through all its variations, has the fame cafe after it, as that which next precedes it: "I am he whom they invited ;" "It may be (or might have been) he, but it cannot be (or could not have been) I;" "It is impoffible to be they "" It feems to have been be, who conducted himself fo wifely ;" "It appeared to be he that tranfacted the bufinefs ;""I understood it to be him ;" "I believe it to have been them ;""We at first took it to be her; but were afterwards convinced that it was not fbe." ""He is not the perfon who it feemed he was." "He is really the perfon who he appeared to be." "She is not now the woman whom they reprefented her to have been." "Whom do you fancy him to be ?" By thefe examples, it appears that this fubftantive verb has no government of cafe, but ferves, in all its forms, as a conductor to the cafes; fo that the two cafes which, in the construction of the fentence, are the next before and after it, muft always be alike. Perhaps this fubject will be more intelligible to the learner, by obferving, that the words in the cafes preceding, and following the verb to be, may be faid to be in appofition to each other. Thus, in the fentence, "I understood it to be him," the words it and him are in appofition; that is, they refer to the fame thing, and are in the fame cafe."

The following fentences contain deviations from the rule, and exhibit the pronoun in a wrong cafe: "It might have been him, but there is no proof of it ;""Though I

(Rule 12. was blamed, it could not have been me;" " I faw one whom I took to be fe; "She is the perfon who I underfood it to have been :" "Who do you think me to be?" "Whom do men say that I am?" "And whom think ye that I am?"

5. The auxiliary let governs the objective cafe : as, "Let him beware ;"" Let us judge candidly;" "Let them not prefume;" "Let me die the death of the righteous."

RULE XII.

One verb governs another that follows it, or depends upon it, in the infinitive mood: as, "Ceafe to do evil; learn to do well;" "We fhould be prepared to render an account of our actions."

The prepofition to, though generally used before the latter verb, is fometimes properly omitted: as, "I heard him fay it; instead of "to say it."

The verbs which have commonly other verbs following them in the infinitive mood, without the fign to, are Bid, dare, need, make, fee, hear, feel; and also, let, not used as an auxiliary; and perhaps a few others: as, "I bade him do it ;""Ye dare not do it ;" "I faw him do it ;" "I heard him fay it :" "Thou lettest him go."

1. In the following paffages, the word to, the fign of the infinitive mood, where it is diftinguished by Italic characters, is fuperfluous and improper. "I have obferved fome fatirifts to ufe," &c. "To fee fo many to make fo little confcience of so great a fin." "It cannot but be a delightful fpectacle to God and angels, to fee a young perfon, befieged by powerful temptations on every fide, to acquit himself gloriously, and resolutely to hold out against the most violent affaults; to behold one in the prime and flower of his age, that is courted by pleasures and bonours, by the devil, and all the bewitching vanities of the world, to reject all these, and to cleave steadfastly unto God."