to say t the more elegant of the two; the most elegant of the three. This obvious rule has, however, been neglected by various writers of eminence. This was in reality the easiest manner of the two.-Shaftesbury's Advice to an Author. The adjective antiquarian is not unfrequently used as a substantive; but the more legitimate form is antiquary. Adjectives are sometimes improperly used as adverbs. I shall endeavour to live hereafter suitable to a man in my Station.Addison, Spectator. The queen having changed her ministry suitable to her own visdom.-Swift, Examiner. He behaved himself conformable to that blessed example-Sprat's Simons. His expectations run high; and the fund to supply them is extreme scanty, Lancaster's Essay on Delicacy. I can never think so very mean of him.-Bentley's Dissertation on Phalaris. The art of pronouncing with propriety and grace being calculated to make the sound an echo to the sense, scarce admits of any other general rule.-Kames's Elements of Criticism. In these Examples, the idiom of the language requires the adverbs, suitably, conformably, extremely, meanly, and scarcely. 5. Grammatical Errors in the use of negative and disjunctive Particles. That neither partiality or prejudice appear: but that truth may every where be sacred.-Dryden's Life of Plutarch. There is another use that, in my opinion, contributes rather to make a man learned than wise, and is neither capable of pleasing the understanding or imagination.-Addison on Medals. **These, like a hand with an inscription, can point out the straight way upon the road, but can neither tell you the next turnings,resolve your your doubts, or answer your questions, like a guide that has traced it over, and perhaps knows it as well as his chamber.-Temple on Ancient and Modern Learning. He was early charged by Asinius Pollio as neither faithful or exact.-Ledwick's Antiquities of Ireland. The legitimate correspondent of neither is nor. We need not, nor do not, confine the purposes of God.—Bentley's Sermons. In the growth and stature of souls as well as bodies, the common productions are of different sizes, that occasion no gazing, nor no wonder.—Temple on Ancient and Modern Learning. I'll prove by twenty-five substantial reasons, that you're no composer, nor know no more of music, than you do of algebra.-Arbuthnot, Harmony in an Uproar. Nor is danger ever apprehended in such a government from the violence of the sovereign, no more than we commonly apprehend danger from thunder or earthquakes.—Hume's Essays. In each of these sentences, there is a double negative, which amounts to an affirmative. II. FOREIGN idioms. The use of such constructions as belong to the idiom of another language, is, like every species of affectation, nauseous and disgusting.* An author may sometimes happen to admit them through mere inadvertency; but "Dryden had a vanity, unworthy of his abilities, to shew, as may be suspected, the rank of the company with whom he lived, by the use of French words, which had then crept into conversation; such as fraicheur for coolness, fougue for turbulence, and a few more, none of which the language has incorporated or retained. They continue only where they stood first, perpetual warnings to future innovaters."-Johnson's Life of Dryden. he he will more frequently have recourse to them, in order to display his erudition. The king soon found reason to repent him of his provoking such dangerous enemies.-Hume's History of England. The popular lords did not fail to enlarge themselves on the subject. -Macaulay's History of England. - Solomon was of this mind; and I make no doubt, but he made as wise and true proverbs as any body has done since; Him only excepted, who was a much greater and wiser man tian Solomon.— Tillotson's Sermons. Removing the term from Westminster, sitting the parliament, was illegal.― Macaulay's History of England. 1 shall here subjoin some examples of prepositions, which, if not applied according to the idiom of other languages, are at least applied contrary to the general usage of our standard writers. The only actions to (upon) which we have always seen, and stillsee all of them intent, are such as tend to the destruction of one another.-Burke's Vindication of Natural Society. To (with) which, as Bishop Burnet tells us, the prince of Orange was willing to comply.-Bolingbroke's Dissertation on Parties. He had been perplexed with a long compliance to (with) foreign manners.-Sprat's Life of Cowley. " Your character, which I, or any other writer, may now value ourselves by (upon) drawing, will probably be dropt, on account of the antiquated style and manner they are delivered in.-Swift on the English Tongue. The discovery he made and communicated with (to) his friends. -Swift's Tale of a Tub. The people being only convoked upon such occasions, ás, by this institution of Romulus, fell into (under) their cognizance.-Swift's Contests and Dissensions in Athens and Rome. Not from any personal hatred to them, but in justification to (of) the best of queens.-Swift, Examiner. The wisest princes need not think it any diminution to (of) their greatness, greatness, or derogation to (from) their sufficiency to rely upon counsel.---Bacon's Essays. A supercilious attention to minute formalities, is a certain indication of a little mind, conscious to (of) the want of innate dignity. -Hawkesworth's Almoran and Humet. He found the greatest difficulty of (in) writing.-Hume's History of England. The esteem which Philip had conceived of (for) the embassador. Ibid. The greatest difficulty was found of (in) fixing just sentiments. Ibid. The Christians were driven out of all their Asiatic possessions, in acquiring of which (in acquiring which) incredible numbers of men had perished.—Robertson's View of Society. You know the esteem Law Tracts. have of (for) his philosophy.-Kames's He is so resolved of (on) going to the Persian Court.---Bentley's Dissert. on Themistocles's Epistles. Neither the one nor the other shall make me swerve out of (from) the path which I have traced to myself.—Bolingbroke's Letter to Wyndham. .. I do likewise dissent with (from) the Examiner.-Addison, WhigExaminer. Dr. Johnson (with (from) whom I am sorry to differ in opinion) has treated it as a work of merit.-Scott's Critical Essays. Ovid, whom ye accuse for (of) luxuriancy of verse.—Dryden on Dramatic Poesy. If policy can prevail upon (over) force.---Addison's Travels. This effect, we may safely say, no one beforehand could have promised upon.-Hume's History of England. A greater quantity may be taken from the beap, without making any sensible alteration upon (in) it.-Hume's Essays. Every office of command should be intrusted to persons on (in) whom the parliament shall confide.--Macaulay's History of England. All of which required abundance of finesse and delicatesse to manage with advantage, as well as a strict observance after (of) times and fashions.-Swift's Tale of a Tub. The The memory of Lord Peter's injuries produced a degree of hatred and spite, which had a much greater share of (in) inciting him, than any regards after (for) his father's commands.—Swift's Tale of a Tub. III. NEW AND Obsolete words. On this subject, I shall take the liberty of quoting a passage from Dr. Armstrong, but without professing to adopt all the opinions which it contains. "It is the easiest thing imaginable to coin new words. The most ignorant of the mobility are apt to do it every day, and are laughed at for it. What best can justify the introducing a new word, is necessity, where there is not an established one to express your meaning. But, while all the world understands what is meant by the word pleasure, which sounds very well too, what occasion can there be for saying volupty? "Nothing can deform a language so much as an inundation of new words and phrases. It is, indeed, the readiest way to demolish it. If there is any need to illustrate the barbarous effects which a mixture of new words must produce, only consider how a discourse, patched all over with sentences in different languages, would sound; or how oddly it would strike you in a serious conversation to hear, from the same person, a mixture of all the various dialects and tones of the several counties of the three kingdoms; though it is still the same language. To make it sensible to the eye; how greatly would a mixture of Roman, Italic, Greek, and Saxon characters deform a page. A picture imitating the style of different masters, which is commonly called |