In support of the position, that there are in English but two cases of nouns, we cite the authority of Ruddiman, Lowth, Johnson, Priestley, &c. ; names which are sufficient 'to decide the point. If case, in Grammar, means only the variation of a noun or pronoun, by termination or within itself, (for which there are the highest authorities,*) with what propriety can we distinguish the relations, signified by the addition of articles and prepositions, by the name of cases?

If these relations were to be so distinguished, the English language would have a much greater number of cases than the Greek and Latin tongues.; for, as every preposition has its distinct meaning and effect, every combination of a preposition and article with the noun, would form a different relation, and would constitute a distinct case. This would encumber our language with many new terms, and a heavy and useless load of distinctions.t

On the principle of imitating other languages in names. and forms, without a correspondence in nature and idiom, we might adopt a number of declensions, as well as cases,

* Vossius, Clarke, Ruddiman, Harris, Lowth, Johnson, Priestley, Beattie, Blair, Coote, the writers of the French and the English Encyclopædia, and many other grammarians, assert, that the cases of a noun are its different inflections or terminations.

+"If we admit the termination to be the sole characteristic of a case, then there are, in English, no more cases than those above specified. If cases are to be distinguished by the different significations of the noun, or by the different relations it may bear to the governing word, then we have in our language as many cases almost, as there are prepositions: and, above a man, beneath a man, beyond a man, round about a man, within a man, without a man, &c. shall be cases, as well as, of a man, to a man, and with a man.",

Dr. Beattie,

for English substantives. Thus, five or six declensions, distinguished according to the various modes of forming the plural of substantives, with at least half a dozen cases to each declension, would furnish a complete arrangement of English nouns, in all their trappings. See on this subject, the fifth and ninth sections of the sixth chapter of etymology..

The assumption of a variety of cases, is not necessary for the purpose of regular parsing. Though, in the sentence, "A wise man controls his passions," we cannot properly say, that the noun "passions," is in the objective case, and governed by the active verb, "control;" yet we may with propriety assert, that the noun, "passions" is the object of that active verb.. This will answer all the ends of parsing, and of showing the connexion and dependence of words under such circumstances, without the arbitrary supposition of a case not at all correspondent to the nature, or the design of cases.

If, notwithstanding what has been alledged in support of the position, that the termination of nouns constitutes their case, and that English nouns have but two cases, any teachers should be of opinion, that it would be more convenient for parsing, and more intelligible to learners, to consider the case of a noun as something different from its termination, and to suppose an objective case after verbs active and prepositions, we shall, for the accommodation of such teachers, give the declension of two nouns with this supposed objective case.

When the thing to which another is said to belong," is expressed by a circumlocution, or by many terms, the sign.

of the possessive case is commonly added to the last term: as, "The king of Great Britain's dominions."

Sometimes, though rarely, two nouns in the possessive case, immediately succeed each other, in the following form: "My friend's wife's sister;" a sense which would be better expressed by saying, "the sister of my friend's wife;" or, 66 my friend's sister in law." In each of the following phrases, viz. "A book of my brother's," "A servant of the queen's," " A soldier of the king's," there are two genitive cases; the first phrase implying, “one of the books of my brother," the next," one of the servants of the queen ;" and the last, "one of the soldiers of the king." This will be more evident to the scholar, if we supply what is understood after each genitive, and transpose the phrase: as, "Of my brother's books, a book;" or, Of my brother's books, one;" and so of the rest.

CHAPTER IV.

Of PRONOUNS..

A PRONOUN is a word used instead of a noun, to avoid the too frequent repetition of the same word: as, "The man is happy; he is benevolent; be is useful."

There are three kinds of pronouns, viz. the PERSONAL, the RELATIVE, and the ADJECTIVE

PRONOUNS.

SECT. 1. Of the Personal Pronouns.

THERE are five Personal Pronouns, viz. I, thou, be, she, it ;* with their plurals, we, ye or you, they.

* By the indulgence of grammarians, the pronoun it is allowed to rank amongst the personal pronouns. It conveniently officiates as a third person to the verb.

Personal pronouns admit of person, number, gender, and case.

The persons of pronouns are three in each number, viz.

I is the first person

Thou is the second person

He, she, or it, is the third person

We, is the first person

Ye or you, is the second
They, is the third person

Singular.

person Plural.

This account of persons will be very intelligible, when we reflect, that there are three persons who may be the subject of any discourse first, the person who speaks, may speak of himself; secondly, he may speak of the person to whom he addresses himself; thirdly, he may speak of some other person : and as the speakers, the persons spoken to, and the other persons spoken of, may be many, so each of these persons must have the plural number.

The Numbers of pronouns, like those of substantives, are two, the singular and the plural : as, I, thou, he; we, ye or you, they.

Gender has respect only to the third person singular of the pronouns, he, she, it. He is masculine; she is feminine; it is neuter.

The persons speaking and spoken to, being at the same time the subjects of the discourse, are supposed to be present; from which, and other circumstances, their sex is commonly known, and needs not to be marked by a distinction of gender in the pronouns but the third person or thing spoken of, being absent, and in many respects unknown, it is necessary that it should be marked by a distinction of gender; at least when some particular person or thing is spoken of, and ought to be more distinctly

marked accordingly the pronoun singular of the third person has the three genders, he, she, it.

Personal Pronouns have three cases; the nominative, the possessive, and the objective.

The objective case follows a verb active, or a preposition, expressing the object of an action, or of a relation.

SECT. 2. Of the Relative Pronouns.

RELATIVE Pronouns are such as relate, in gene