SEC T. I.

Of CONNECTIVE S.

Ε

VERY thing that is a Connective in language must connect either words or fentences, that is, either ideas or affirmations. When I fay, "He came from home," the word from connects two words, came and home when I fay, "He came from home, and he comforted me," the word and connects two fentences; the firft, "He came from home;" the fecond, "He "comforted me." The former fort of Connectives are termed Prepofitions; the latter, Conjunc

tions.

§ 1. Of Prepofitions: with Remarks on the Cases.

The term Prepofition fignifies placing before: and it is true of almost all the words of this clafs, that they are, or may be, put before the word which they connect with fomething previous: as, "The enemy armed with darts, and mounted on "horfes, fled from us, in confufion, over the "plain, towards the river, at the foot of the "mountains, beyond which they could not pass.'

A Prepofition

A Prepofition may be defined; "A part of "fpeech, not fignificant of itself, but of fuch ef"ficacy, as to unite two fignificant words, which, "according to the nature of things, or the rules "of the language, could not otherwise be united." The former part of this definition must be plain enough already: the latter may need illuftration. Let us inquire, then, what is meant by faying, "That fome words, from the nature of things, "and others, by the rule of the language, can "be united in no other way, than by prepo"fitions."

First, when things are intimately connected in nature, one would think, that the words which ftand for them might eafily coalefce in language, without the aid of connectives. And fo in fact they often do. No two things can be more closely united, than a fubftance and its quality; a man, for example, and his character. These therefore of themselves coalefce in all the known languages and we fay, a good man, a tall man; vir bonus, vir procerus. Here prepofitions are quite unneceffary. Further, there is a connection. equally intimate between the agent and the action; for the action is really an attribute of the agent and therefore we fay, the boy reads, the man walks; the noun coalefcing with the verb fo naturally, that no other word is requifite to unite them. Moreover, an action, and that which is acted upon by it, being contiguous in nature, and mutually affecting each other, their names would feem to be mutually attractive in language, and capable of coalefcing without external aid; as, he reads a book, he beats his breaft, he builds an boufe, he breaks a stone. Further ftill; an attriburive is naturally and intimately connected with

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the adverb which illuftrates or modifies its fignification and therefore, when we fay, he walks Slowly, he is very learned, he is prudently brave, it is plain that no prepofition can be neceffary to promote the coalefcence.-Thefe few examples may fuffice to fhow, that, from the very nature of things, fome words may be, and are connected, without the aid of prepofitions.

But, fecondly, it is no lefs natural, that, to mark the connection of fome other words, prepofitions fhould be neceffary. If we say, the

rain falls heaven;-the enemy ran the river; "Creufa walked Æneas ;-the tower fell the "Greeks;-fhe led him the house ;-Lambeth is "Westminster-abbey ;"-there is obfervable in each of thefe expreffions, either a total want of connection, or fuch a connection as produces falfehood or nonfenfe: and it is evident, that, before they can be turned into fenfe, the gap must be filled up by fome connecting word; as thus, "the rain falls from heaven;-the enemy

ran towards the river ;-Creusa walked behind "Eneas; the tower fell upon the Greeks ;-fhe "led him into the houfe ;-Lambeth is over "against Westminster-abbey." We fee, then, how prepofitions may be neceffary to connect those words, that in their fignification are not naturally connected.

Thirdly; It was hinted, that, by the rule of certain languages, fome words, though coalefcing in fenfe, cannot be connected in discourse, without prepofitions. When this happens, it is owing to fome peculiar defect, or to fome other peculiarity, in thofe languages. For example: the inftrument wherewith one performs an action

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must have a natural connection with that action; fo natural indeed, and fo intimate, that they cannot be feparated. The words, therefore, which ftand for them, may, in languages that decline their nouns by cafes, be united without a prepofition as Scribit calamo. But, if a language has no cafes, or very few, it may fo happen, that merely by fubjoining the name of the inftrument. to the active verb we shall not be able to mark the connection. Thus, in English," he writes a

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pen," having no definite fenfe, cannot mark connection, or any thing elfe. Here, then, in our tongue, a prepofition comes to be neceffary to afcertain a particular union of words, which, according to the English idiom, cannot be fo conveniently united in any other way; and fo we fay, he writes with a pen." I fay," which "cannot be fo conveniently united:" for that without a prepofition the fame fenfe may be expreffed, admits of no doubt; as, "he writes, "and a pen is the inftrument." What then is the advantage of ufing prepofitions in a case of this kind? The advantage is confiderable for by this fimple expedient we fignify in few words what would otherwife require many.-Again, in the Latin idiom, Arguitur furti has a definite meaning; the first word denoting accufation, and the fecond a crime; and the connection between them being marked by the cafe of the noun. But in English, "He is accufed theft," has no clear meaning; because there is nothing to show, how the words are connected, or whether they be connected or not. But, by means of a prepofition (which fupplies the want of a cafe) "He is ac

cufed of theft," we unite them together, and remove all doubt in regard to their fignification.

The

The Latin Grammarians reckon up twentyeight prepofitions governing the accufative cafe; fifteen that take the ablative; and four, that have fometimes the one cafe, and fometimes the other: -in all forty-feven. But feveral of thefe are fuperfluous; fome rarely occur; and a few are by the best Grammarians accounted adverbs rather than prepofitions. Hence we may infer, that many prepofitions are not neceffary in language. Thofe in our tongue hardly exceed thirty.

But it is to be obferved, that almoft every prepofition we are acquainted with has more than one fignification, and that fome of them have feveral. The English of, for example, denotes concerning, as, A Treatile of human nature; denotes the matter of which a thing is made, as, a cup of filver; denotes the means, as, to die of hunger; denotes among, as, Of three horses two were lame; denotes through, or, in confequence of, as, It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not confumed; denotes from, as, London is fouth of York; denotes out of, as Of this little he had fome to fpare; denotes extraction, as, Alexander the fon of Philip; denotes belonging to, as, He is of the tribe of Judah : denotes containing, or filled with, as, a glass of wine, an hogfhead of ale ;-and has feveral other fignifications. In like manner, we might specify thirty fenses of the prepofition for; about twenty of from, and the fame number nearly of with, by, and some others: for which I refer to Johnfon's Dictionary. These varieties of meaning give trouble to those who are acquiring a language; but are attended with no inconvenience, when one is mafter of it. So that we may repeat, that a fmall number of prepofitions are fufficient for the ordi

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