pressions, "This picture of my friend," and "This picture of my friend's," suggest very different ideas. The latter only is that of property in the strictest sense. The idea would, doubtless, be conveyed in a better manner, by saying, "This picture belonging to my friend.”

When this double genitive, as it may be called, is not necessary to distinguish the sense, and especially in a grave style, it is generally omitted. Except to prevent ambiguity, it seems to be allowable only in cases which suppose the existence of a plurality of subjects of the same kind. In the expressions, "A subject of the emperor's ;” “ A sentiment of my brother's;" more than one subject, and one sentiment, are supposed to belong to the possessor. But when this plurality is neither intimated, nor necessarily supposed, the double genitive, except as before mentioned, should not be used: as, "This house of the governor is very commodious ;" "The crown of the king was stolen;""That privilege of the scholar was never abused." (See page 56.) But after all that can be said for this double genitive, some grammarians think that it would be better to avoid the use of it altogether, and to give the sentiment another form of expression.

7. When an entire clause of a sentence, beginning with a participle of the present tense, is used as one name, or to express one idea or circumstance, the noun on which it depends may be put in the genitive case; thus, instead of saying, "What is the reason of this person dismissing his servant so hastily?" that is, "What is the reason of this person in dismissing his servant so hastily?" we may say, and perhaps ought to say, "What is the reason of this person's dismissing of his servant so hastily?"

Just as we say, "What is the reason of this person's hasty dismission of his servant?" So also, we say, "I remember it being reckoned a great exploit ;" or more properly, "I remember its being reckoned," &c. The following sentence is correct and proper: "Much will depend on the pupil's composing but more on his reading frequently." It would not be ac

curate to say, " much will depend on the pupil composing," &c. We also properly say; " This will be the effect of the pupil's composing frequently;" instead of, "Of the pupil composing frequently."

RULE XI.

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

In English, the nominative case, denoting the subject, usually goes before the verb; and the objective case, denoting the object, follows the verb active; and it is the order that determines the case in nouns ; as, " Alexander conquered the Persians." But the pronoun having a proper form for each of those cases, is sometimes, when it is in the objective case, placed before the verb; and, when it is in the nominative case, follows the object and verb; as, "Whom ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you."

This position of the pronoun sometimes occasions its proper case and government to be neglected: as in the following instances : "Who should I esteem more than the wise and good?" "By the character of those who you choose for your friends, your own is likely to be formed." "Those are the persons who he thought true to his interests." "Who should I see the other day but my old friend?" "Whosoever the court favours." In all these places it ought to be whom, the relative being governed in the objective case 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, or govern, nouns and pro"He sleeps; they muse ;"&c. are not transitive. They are, therefore, not followed by an objective case, specifying the object of an action. But when this case, or an

object of action, comes after such verbs, though it may carry the appearance of being governed by them, it is affected by a preposition or some other word understood : as, "He resided many years [that is, for or during many years] in that street;" "He rode several miles [that is, for or through the space of several miles] on that day;" "He lay an hour [that is, during an hour] in great torture." In the phrases, "To dream a dream," "Tolive a virtuous life," &c. it appears that the noun expresses the same 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 transitive, putting after them the objective case of the pronoun which was the nominative case to it, agreeably to the French construction of the reciprocal verbs ; but this custom is so foreign to the idiom of the English tongue, that it ought not to be adopted or imitated. The following are some instances of this practice. "Repenting him of his design." "The king soon found reason to repent him of his provoking such dangerous enemies." "The popular lords did not fail to enlarge themselves on the subject." "The nearer his successes 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 sacred with the profane chronology."

2. Active verbs are sometimes as improperly made neuter; as, "I must premise with three circumstances." "Those that think to ingratiate with him by calumniating me."

3. The neuter verb is varied like the active; but, having in some degree the nature of the passive, it admits, in many instances, of the passive form, retaining still the neuter signification, chiefly in such verbs as signify some sort 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 a passive form, instead of an active one. "The rule of our holy religion, from which we are infinitely swerved.” "The whole obligation of that law and covenant was also ceased." "Whose number was now amounted to three hundred." "This mareschal, upon some discontent, was entered into a conspiracy against his master." "At the end of a campaign, when half the men are deserted or killed." It should be," have swerved, had ceased," &c.

4. The verb to be, through all its variations, has the same case 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 impossible to be they" "It seems to have been he, who conducted himself so wisely ;"" It appeared to be she that transacted the business ;" "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 she." "He is not the person who it seemed he was." "He is really the person who he appeared to be." "She is not now the woman whom they represented her to have been." "Whom do you fancy him to be?" By these examples, it appears that this substantive verb has no government of case, but serves, in all its forms, as a conductor to the cases; so that the two cases which, in the construction of the sentence, are the next before and after it, must always be alike. Perhaps this subject will be more intelligible to the learner, by observing that the words in the cases preceding, and following the verb to be, may be said to be in apposition to each other. Thus, in the sentence, “ I understood it to be him," the words it and him are in apposition; that is, they refer to the same thing, and are in the same case.

دو

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

was blamed, it could not have been me;" "I saw one whom I took to be she ;"" She is the person who I understood 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 case: as, “ Let him beware;" "Let us judge candidly;" "Let them not presume;" "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, "Cease to do evil; learn to do well;" "We should be prepared to render an account of our actions."

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

The verbs which have commonly other verbs following them in the infinitive mood, without the sign to, are Bid, dare, need, make, sce, 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 saw him do it ;" "I heard him say it ; "Thou lettest him go."

1. In the following passages, the word to, the sign of the infinitive mood, where it is distinguished by Italic characters, is superfluous and improper. "I have observed some satirists to use," &c. "To see so many to make so little conscience of so great a sin." "It cannot but be a delightful spectacle to God and angels, to see a young person, besieged by powerful temptations on every side, to acquit himself gloriously, and resolutely to hold out against the most violent assaults; to behold one in the prime and flower of his age, that is courted by pleasures and honours, by the devil, and all the bewitching vanities of the world, to reject all these, and to cleave steadfastly unto God."