33. When a fubftantive in French preceded either by no article, or by one of the following, viz. le, la, l, les; du, de la, de l', de, d'; un, une, des, de, or d'; in English the, fome, a, an, or fome, appears by the circumftances join'd to it, to be ufed as the fubject of the propofition; or, in other words, as the fubject of which thofe circumftances are affirm'd, it is faid to be in the nominative cafe; as in thefe examples, nations s'éléveront contre nations, nations will rise against nations; il foulage les pauvres, he helps the poor; where it plainly appears that the fubftantives nations and il preceded by no article, with the help of their circumftances will rife against nations, helps the poor, are each of them used as the fubject of the propofition to which they belong: And in thefe, le pére aime le fils, the father loves the fon; les bons princes recompenfent les bonnes actions, good princes reward good actions; du pain, de bon pain, or d'excelent pain me fufit, fome bread, fome good bread, or some excellent bread is fufficient for me; de l'huile, de bonne huile, or d'excélente huile y donneroit bon goût, fome oil, fome good oil, or fome excellent oil would give it a good tafte; un chat mange une fouris, a cat eats a moufe; des gens, de braves gens, d'honêtes gens m'en ont parlé, fome people, fome honeft or good people spoke to me about it; where it alfo plainly appears that the fubftantives pére, princes, pain, huile, chat and gens, preceded by one of the foremention'd articles, with the help of their circumftances loves the fon, reward good actions, is fufficient for me, &c. are each of them ufed as the fubject of the propofition to which they belong; therefore the fubftantives nations, il, pére, 3 princes princes, pain, huile, chat and gens are in the nominative cafe; as are all other fubftantives fo preceded and fo used. PRACTICE. None who have ever fo little examin'd what language is, and for what end it was given to man, can poffibly doubt, but that perfpicuity is the chief and perhaps the only true merit of difcourfe. 'Tis a truth, which both grammarians and orators are never tired with repeating. Perfpicuitas orationis fumma virtus, fays Quintilian. In fact, if we fpeak only to be understood; that is, to communicate to others the fame ideas, which have occurred to our own minds; our firft aim and chief addrefs fhould be to exprefs ourselves fo clearly, as to make others conceive without obfcurity or ambiguity, what we ourfelves have conceived already. Ariftotle himself, for all the obfcurity imputed to his works, look'd upon perfpicuity as the main business of an orator. Should I venture to say of myfelf, I fhall not be a thief or murderer; I fhall never be punish'd as fuch: 'tis a bold affertion. However we may fucceed in life, our fuccefs amounts to nothing; if our falvation be not fecured to us: every thing without that is useless. Whence C'est une maxime qui ne fauroit être contestée par aucun de ceux qui ont tant foit peu examiné ce que c'eft que la parole, & pour quelle fin elle, a été donnée à l'homme, que la clarté fait le prémier & peut-être le feul véritable mérite du difcours. C'est une vérité que les grammairiens, & les rheteurs ne fe laffent point de répéter. Perfpicuitas orationis fumma virtus, dit Quintilien. En efet, fi l'homme ne parle que pour fe faire entendre; c'eft-à-dire, pour rendre préfentes à l'efprit d'autrui les mêmes idées qui font présentes au fien; notre prémiére vue & notre plus grande habileté doivent tendre à nous exprimer d'une maniére fi claire, qu'elle faffe concevoir aux autres fans aucune obfcurité & fans équivoque ce que nous avons conçu les prémiers. Ariftote mème, tout obfcur que l'on veut qu'il ait été dans fes livres, a regardé la clarté comme la principale partie de l'orateur. Je dirai prefque de moi, je ne ferai pas voleur ni meurtrier; je ne ferai pas un jour puni come tel: c'est parler bien hardiment. On a beau réuffir en toutes chofes, dans le monde; on ne réuffit à rien quand on y fait pas fon falut; puifque hors de lui tout eft inutile. D'où The French word lieu, in English place, denotes one total pace. Endroit denotes only the part of one more extended place. Place gives an idea of order and difpofition. Therefore we fay, le lieu de l'habitation, the place of abode; l'endroit d'un livre cité, the place of a book quoted; la place d'un convive, the place of a gueft; or, of any one who has a feat in an affembly. One is in the place; here, in the place must be render'd by dans le lieu. One feeks the place; here, the place must be render'd by l'endroit. One fills the place; here, it must be render'd by la place. ACCUSATIVE CASE. 34. But when a fubftantive in French, fo preceded, appears by the circumstances to which it is join'd, to be used as the object which receives the action perform'd by the fubject of the propofition, it is faid to be in the accufative cafe, as in these examples: Il craint Dieu, he fears God; il le foulage, he helps him; le fils aime le pére, the fon loves the father; il caffe les verres, he breaks the glaffes; il mange du pain, de bon pain, or d'excelent pain, he eats bread, good bread, or excellent bread; where it plainly appears that the fubftantives Dieu, le, pére, verres and pain, fo preceded, with the help of their circumftances fears, helps, loves, breaks and eats, are each of them ufed as the object which receives the action perform'd by the fubject of the propofition to which they belong; therefore thofe thofe fubftantives are in the accufative cafe, as are all other fubftantives fo preceded and so used. PRACTICE. Let us not lofe the present time in lamenting what is already loft. All grandeurs and pleasures terminate in humiliation and mifery. In friendship we entrust a fecret, in love it escapes from us. Young people look on folid fenfe, as an ungenteel qualification. We fubmit our reafon to our fenfes, and make it their flave; hence it is, that it proves often fo deceitful a guide. I love the reafon which pleafes; and the good fenfe that is agreeable. There is an exquifite and refined pleasure in the converfation of the polite. Refined good manners render intrinfic merit agreeable, and oblige us to love it. Ne perdons point le tems qui nous refte à regréter celui que nous avons déja perdu. Toutes les grandeurs & tous les plaifirs ont pour terme la baffaffe & la mifére. On confie fon fecret dans l'amitié, mais il échape dans l'a mour. Les jeunes gens regardent le bon fens comme une qualité groffiére. Nous affujétiffons la raison à nos fens, & la rendons leur efclave, de là vient qu'elle eft fouvent un guide trompeur. J'aime une raifon qui plait, & un bon fens agréable. On goute un plaifir exquis & délicat dans le comerce des perfons polies. Les maniéres polies rendent le mérite agréable, & le font aimer. GENITIVE CASE. 35. When a fubftantive in French is preceded by one of the articles du, de la, de l', des; de, d'; d'un, d'une; render'd in English by the words of the, of; of fome, of a, or of an, it is faid to be in the genitive cafe; as in thefe examples: le fils du roi, the fon of the king, or the king's fon; le portrait de la reine, the picture of the queen, or the queen's picture; le fil de l'hiftoire, the thread of the hiftory; la vie de l'homme, the life of man; le cours des afaires, the courfe of affairs; l'amour de Dieu, the love of God; table de marbre, table of marble; c'est un mélange d'or & d'argent, 'tis a mixture of gold and filver; la thériaque eft un compofé de plufieurs drogues, treacle G treacle is a compound of feveral drugs; le ftile d'un hiftorien, the ftile of an hiftorian; la beauté d'une expreffion, the beauty of an expreffion; where the fubftantives rois, reine, hiftoire, bomme, afaires, Dieu, marbre, or, argent, drogues, hiftorien, and expreffion, being fo preceded, are in the genitive cafe; as are all other fubftantives fo preceded and fo render'd. The ABLATIVE CASE. 36. But when these last articles are render'd in English by the words from the, by the, with the, from, by, with, from fome, by fome, with fome, from a, from an, by a, by an, with a, or with an, the fubftantive is faid to be in the ablative cafe; as in thefe examples: il l'a reçu du roi, he has received it from the king; il eft eftimé de la reine, he is efteem'd by the queen; il est touché de la crainte de s'égarer, he is affected with the fear of going aftray; c'eft un fait tiré de l'hiftoire, 'tis a fact drawn from hiftory; il eft loué des hommes, he is praised by men; de la liqueur extraite d'or, liquor extracted from gold; ces oeillets naiffent de graine, ces autres de marcote, thefe pinks come from feed, thofe from layers; il eft tiré d'une mine, it is drawn from a mine; le bonheur de la vie eft traversé de mille déplaifirs, life's happiness is crofs'd with a thousand misfortunes; where the fubftantives roi, reine, crainte, hiftoire, homme, graine, marcote, mine, déplaifirs, being preceded by thofe articles fo render'd in English, are in the ablative cafe; as are all other fubftantives fo preceded and fo render'd. PRAC |