Page images
PDF
EPUB

If thou wouldst improve in knowledge, be diligent. Unless thou shouldst make a timely retreat, the danger will be unavoidable.

I have laboured and wearied myself, that thou mayst be at ease.

He enlarged on those dangers, that thou shouldst avoid them.

9. Neither the cold nor the fervid, but characters uniformly warm, are formed for friendship.

They are both praise-worthy, and one is as deserving as the other. Or-and equally deserving. He is not so diligent and learned as his brother. I will either present it to him myself, or direct it to be given to him.

Neither despise nor oppose what thou dost not understand.

The house is not so commodious as we expected it would be.

I must, however, be so candid as to own that I have been mistaken.

There was something so amiable, and yet so piercing in his look, that it affected me at once with love and terror.

"I gain'd a son;

And such a son, that all men hail'd me happy.

The dog in the manger would neither eat the hay himself, nor suffer the ox to eat it.

So far as I am able to judge, the book is well

written.

We should either faithfully perform the trust committed to us, or ingenuously relinquish the charge. He is not so eminent, and so much esteemed, as he thinks himself to be.

The work is a dull performance; and is capable of pleasing neither the understanding, nor the imagination.

There is no condition so secure, as not to admit of change.

This is an event, which nobody presumes upon, or is so sanguine as to hope for.

We are generally pleased with any little accomplishments either of body or of mind.

10. Be ready to succour such persons as need thy assistance. Or-those persons who need, &c.

The matter was no sooner proposed, than he privately withdrew to consider it.

He has too much sense and prudence to become a dupe to such artifices.

It is not sufficient that our conduct, so far as it respects others, appears to be unexceptionable.

The resolution was not the less fixed, though the secret was as yet communicated to very few.

He opposed the most remarkable corruptions of the church of Rome; and, on this account, his doctrines were embraced by great numbers.

He gained nothing further by his speech, than to be commended for his eloquence. Or-nothing by his speech but commendation for his eloquence.

Or

He has little more of the scholar than the name. He has little of the scholar but the name. besides the name.

They had no sooner risen, than they applied themselves to their studies.

From no other institution, than the admirable one of juries, could so great a benefit be expected.

Those savage people seemed to have no other element than war. Or-no element but that of war. Such men as act treacherously ought to be avoided. Or-The men who act treacherously, &c.

Germany ran the same risk that Italy had done. No errors are so trivial, that they do not deserve to

be mended. Or-as not to deserve amendment.*

RULE XX.

Grammar, p. 206. Exercises, p. 90.

In some respects, we have had as many advantages as they; but in the article of a good library, they have had a greater privilege than we have had. The undertaking was much better executed by his brother than by him.

They are much greater gainers than I am by this unexpected event.

They know how to write as well as he does; but he is a much better grammarian than they are.

Though she is not so learned as he is, she is as much beloved and respected.

These people, though they possess more shining qualities, are not so proud as he is, nor so vain as she.

The following examples are adapted to the notes and observations under RULE XX.

Grammar, p. 206. Exercises, p. 91.

1. Who betrayed her companion? Not I. Who revealed the secrets he ought to have concealed? Not he.

Who related falsehoods to screen herself, and to bring an odium upon others? Not I; it was she. There is but one in fault, and that is I. myself.

Or

* Some respectable grammarians suppose, that the word as is always a pronoun; and that, in every situation, it has the meaning of it, that, or which. They would, however, find it difficult to prove, that, in the following sentences, this word has the meaning of any one of those pronouns. "As to those persons, I must say, as it is due to them, that they were as disinterested as their opponents.” “Love thy neighbour as thyself." " Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." "And as Paul was long preaching, Eutychus sunk down.” See the Grammar, Stereotype edition, pages 142, 143.

Whether he will be learned or not, must depend on his application.

Charles XII. of Sweden, than whom a more courageous person never lived, appears to have been destitute of the tender sensibilities of nature.

Salmasius (and a more learned man than he has seldom appeared) was not happy at the close of life.*

RULE XXI.

Grammar, p. 207. Exercises, p. 92.

I gladly shunned him who gladly fled from me. And this is that which men mean by distributive justice, and which is properly termed equity.

His honour, his interest, his religion, were all embarked in this undertaking.

When so good a man as Socrates fell a victim to the madness of the people, truth, and virtue, and religion, fell with him.

Some grammarians suppose that the words than and but are sometimes used as prepositions, and govern the objective case. They adopt this idea, from the difficulty, if not impossibility, as they conceive, of explaining many phrases, on any other principle. This plea of of necessity appears, however, to be groundless. The principle of supplying the Ellipsis is, we think, sufficient to resolve every case, in which than or but occurs, without wresting these words from their true nature, and giving them the character of prepositions. In the Grammar, under Rule 20th, page 206, we have exhibited a number of examples, showing that the supply of the ellipsis sufficiently explains their construction. But as these may be deemed obvious cases, we shall select some, which appear to be more difficult in their developement. The following are of this nature. "I saw nobody, but him; "No person but he was present;""More persons than they, saw the action;" "The secret was communicated to more men than him;" "This trade enriched some people more than them." All these sentences may be explained, on the principle of supplying the ellipsis, in the following manner. In the first, we might say "I saw nobody, but I saw him;" or, " I saw nobody but him I saw ;” in the second," None was present, but he was present;" in the third, "More persons than they were, saw the action." or, "More than these persons were, saw the action;" in the fourth, "The secret was communicated to more persons than to him;" in the fifth, "This trade enriched some people more than it enriched them."-The suppl

G

3

Neither the fear of death, nor the hope of life, could make him submit to a dishonest action.

An elegant house and much costly furniture were, by this event, irrecoverably lost to the owner.

The examples which follow, are suited to the notes and observations under RULE xxi.

Grammar, p. 207. Exercises, p. 92.

1. These rules are addressed to none but the intelligent and attentive.

The gay and pleasing are, sometimes, the most insidious and dangerous companions.

of the ellipsis certainly gives an uncouth appearance to these sententes: but this circumstance forms no solid objection to the truth of the principle for which we contend. Most of the idioms in a language could not be literally accounted for, but by very awkward modes of expression.

If the rule which has been recommended, effectually answers the purpose of ascertaining the cases of nouns and pronouns, in connexion with the words than and but, why should we have recourse to the useless expedient of changing these words into other parts of speech; especially when this expedient would often produce ambiguity, and lead into error? That it would have this effect, might be shown in numerous instances. One, however, will be sufficient. "If we use the word than, as a preposition, we should say, than him,' whether it be meant, I love her better than I love him,' or, I love her better than he does.' By using the word as a conjunction, the ambiguity is prevented. For, if the former sentiment is implied, we say, I love her better than him;' that is, 'than I love him; if the latter, we say, 'I love her better than he,' that is, than he loves her.""

[ocr errors]

"I love her better

[ocr errors]

If it should be said, that but and than may be properly supplied by the prepositions except and besides, and that therefore the substitution of the latter for the former must be allowable; we reply, that in numerous instances, these words cannot be properly substituted for each other. But if this could be universally done, it might still be said, that equivalence of meaning, by no means implies identity of grammatical construction. This, we think, has been fully proved at page 72, of the Grammar; the twelfth, or any subsequent edition. From what has been advanced on this subject, the following rule may be laid down. "When the pronoun following but or than, has exactly the same bearing and relation as the preceding noun or pronoun has, with regard to other parts of the sentence, it must have the same grammatical construction." By applying this rule to the various examples already exhibited, the reader will, we doubt not, perceive its propriety and use.

« ՆախորդըՇարունակել »