ing is negative. And these two are by no means the same, or to be used in the same cases. By the former, I rather praise a person; by the latter, I dispraise him. For the sake of this distinction, which is a very useful one, we may better bear the seeming impropriety of the article a before nouns of number. When I say, "There were few men with him;" I speak diminutively, and mean to represent them as inconsiderable: whereas, when I say; "There were a few men with him;" I evidently intend to make the most of them. The article the has sometimes a good effect in distinguishing a person by an epithet. " In the history of Henry the fourth, by Father Daniel, we are supprised at not finding him the great man." "I own I am often surprised that he should have treated so coldly, a man so much the gentle man." This article is often elegantly put, after the manner of the French, for the pronoun possessive: as, " He looks him full in the face;" that is, "in his face." "In his presence they were to strike the forehead on the ground;" that is," their foreheads." 2. In general, it may be sufficient to prefix the article to the former of two words in the same construction; though the French never fail to repeat it in this case. "There were many hours, both of the night and day, which he could spend, without suspicion, in solitary thought." It might have been " of the night and of the day." And, for the sake of emphasis, we often repeat the article in a series of epithets. "He hoped that this title would secure him an ample and an independent authority." We sometimes, after the manner of the French, repeat the same article, when the adjective, on account of any clause depending upon it, is put after the substantive. "Of all the considerable governments among the Alps, a commonwealth is a constitution the most adapted of any to the poverty of those countries." With such a specious title as to that of blood, which with the multitude is always a claim, the strongest, and the most easily comprehended." "They are not the men in the nation the most difficult to be replaced." 3. In common conversation, and in familiar style, we frequently omit the articles, which might be inserted with propriety in writing, especially in a grave style. "At worst, time might be gained by this expedient." "At the worst," would have been better in this place. "Give me here John Baptist's head." There would have been more dignity in saying, "John the Baptist's head:" or, "The head of John the Baptist." RULE X. One substantive governs another, signifying a different thing, in the possessive or genitive case: as, "My father's house;" "Man's happiness;" * Virtue's reward." When the annexed substantive signifies the same thing as the first, there is no variation of case; as, "George, king of Great Britain, elector of Hanover," &c.; "Pompey contended with Cæsar, the greatest general of his time;" "Religion, the support of adversity, adorns prosperity." Nouns thus circumstanced are said to be in opposition to each other; and will admit a relative and verb to be inserted between them: as we may say, "George, who is king," &c.; "Cesar who was the greatest," &c.; Religion, which is the support of adversity," &c. The preposition of joined to a substantive, is not always equivalent to the possessive case. It is only so, when the expression can be converted into the regular form of the possessive case. We can say, "The reward of virtue," and "Virtue's reward:" but though it is proper to say "A crown of gold," we cannot convert the expression into the possessive case, and say, "Gold's crown." Р Substantives govern pronouns as well as nouns, in the possessive case: as, "Every tree is known by its fruit ;" "Goodness brings its reward ;” “That desk is mine.” The genitive its is often improperly used for 'tis or it is ; as, "Its my book." The pronoun his, when detached from the noun to which it relates, is to be considered, not as a possessive pronoun, but as the genitive case of the personal pronoun: as, "This composition is his." "Whose book is that?" "His." If we used the noun itself, we should say, "This composition is John's" "Whose book is that?" "Eliza's." The position will be still more evident, when we consider that both the pronouns in the following sentence must have a similar construction: "Is it her or his honour that is tarnished ?" "It is not hers, but his." Sometimes a substantive in the genitive or possessive case stands alone, the latter one by which it is governed being understood as, "I called at the bookseller's," that is,. "at the bookseller's shop." 1. If several nouns come together in the genitive.case, the apostrophe with s is annexed to the last, and understood to the rest: as, " John and Eliza's books ;" "This was my father, mother, and uncle's advice." But when any words intervene, perhaps on account of the increased pause, the sign of the possessive should be annexed to each as, "They are John's as well as Eliza's books;" I had the physician's, the surgeon's, and the apothecary's assistance." 2. In poetry, the additional is frequently omitted, but the apostrophe retained, in the same manner as in substantives of the plural number ending in s: as "The wrath of Pelus' son." This seems not so allowable in prose; which the following examples will demonstrate : "Festus came "Moses' minister;" "Phinehas' wife ?" into Felix' room." "These answers were made to the tness' questions." But in cases which would give too much of the hissing sound, or increase the difficulty of pronunciation, the omission takes place even in prose: as, "For righteousness' sake;" "For conscience' sake." 3. Little explanatory circumstances are particularly awkward between a genitive case and the word which usually follows it; as, "She began to extol the farmer's, as she called him, excellent understanding ;"" the excellent understanding of the farmer, as she called him." 4. When a sentence consists of terms signifying a name and an office, or of any expressions by which one part is descriptive or explanatory of the other, it may occasion some doubt to which of them the sign of the genitive case should be annexed; or whether it should be subjoined to them both. Thus some would say; "I left the parcel at Smith's the bookseller;" others," at Smith the bookseller's ;" and perhaps others, "at Smith's the bookseller's." The first of these forms is most agreeable to the English idiom; and if the addition consists of two or more words, the case seems to be less dubious; as, "I left the parcel at Smith's the bookseller and stationer." But as this subject requires a little further explanation to make it intelligible to the learners, we shall add a few observations tending to unfold its principles. A phrase in which the words are so connected and dependent, as to admit of no pause before the conclusion, necessarily requires the genitive sign at or near the end of the phrase: as, "Whose prerogative is it? It is the king of Great Britain's," "That is the duke of Bridgewater's canal;" "The bishop of Landaff's excellent book;" "The Lord mayor of London's authority;""The captain of the guard's house." When words in apposition follow each other in quick succession, it seems also most agreeable to our idiom, to give the sign of the genitive a similar situation; eecially if the noun which governs the genitive be expressed: as, "The emperor Leopold's ;""Dionysius the tyrant's;' |