RUDIMENTS OF LATIN AND ENGLISH · GRAMMAR; DESIGNED TO FACILITATE THE STUDY OF BOTH LANGUAGES, BY CONNECTING THEM TOGETHER. BY ALEXANDER ADAM, LL. D. RECTOR OF THE HIGH SCHOOL OF EDINBURGH. Grammatice est ars, necessaria pueris, jutunda senibus, dulcis secretorum comes, et quæ vel sola omni Quinctilian, i. 4, 5. FOURTH AMERICAN, FROM THE FIFTH ENGLISH Recommended by the University at Cambridge, (Mass.) M BOSTON: PUBLISHED BY THOMAS & ANDREWS. MANNING & LORING, PRINTERS.....Nov. 1812. +7 EstucF SEP 7 1888 918.12 LIBRARY John F. Hest. Advertisement of Cambridge University. WHEREAS the University in Cambridge for several years past has suffered much inconvenience, and the interest of letters no small detriment, from the variety of Latin and Greek Grammars used by the students, in consequence of that diversity, to which, under different instructors, they have been accustomed in their preparatory course; to promote, so far as may be, the cause of Literature, by preventing those evils in future, the Government of the University, on due consideration of the subject, has thought it expedient to request all instructors of Youth, who may resort to Cambridge for education, to adopt "Adam's Latin Grammar," and the "Gloucester Greek Grammar," with reference to such pupils, as Books singularly calculated for the improvement of students in these languages. The University has no wish to recommend, much less to dictate, to any other institution, but only to facilitate the acquisition of Literature, by promoting uniformity within itself. These being the Grammars which will be used at this College by all classes, admitted after the present year, it seems necessary, to prevent future difficulty, by giving this public and timely notice; for though a knowledge of the Grammar is not at present made indispensably necessary to admission into the University, yet every Scholar who may be accepted after the present Commencement without such knowledge, will be required immediately to form a radical and intimate acquaintance with them, as no student will be permitted at the classical exercises to use any other Grammar. Cambridge, July 7, 1799. TO THE FIRST EDITION. MAN enjoys the singular advantage of being able to communicate his thoughts by articulate sounds. Different nations employ very different verbal signs for the expression of thought; but with respect to the nature and use of the several parts of speech in general, they uniformly agree. Hence the Principles of Grammar in all languages are much the same. The study of Grammar has been considered as an object of great importance by the wisest men in all ages. But, like other sciences, it has often been involved in mystery, and perplexed with needless difficulties. Instead of facilitating the acquisition of languages, which was its original design, it has frequently served to render that more laborious. As language is regular in its general structure, rules must no doubt be useful to assist us in understanding it. We first learn to speak from imitation. We use the expressions which we hear from others. But when we have once gained a certain stock of words, we employ them according to general rules. When a child, for instance, has occasion to speak of two persons, he will say "two mans, " instead of "two men ; "because he learns the general method of forming the plural, before he attends to particular exceptions. The same may be observed of a person who endeavours to acquire any foreign language. Memory furnishes us with proper terms to express our thoughts, but judgment must be exerted in adapting these to particular circumstances. Every science may be reduced to principles. The principles of Grammar may be traced from the progress of the mind in the acquisition of language. Children first express their feelings by motions and gestures of the body, by cries and tears. This is the language of nature, and therefore universal. It fitly represents the quickness of sentiment and thought, which are as instantaneous as the impression of light on the eye. Hence we always express our stronger feelings by these natural signs. But when we want to make known to others the particular conceptions of the mind, we must represent them by parts, we must divide and analyze them. We express each part by certain signs, and join these together according to the order of their relations. Thus words are both the instrument. and signs of the division of thought. But as words are only artificial signs of thought, and their connexion with what they represent, merely arbitrary; the same thought may be expressed by different signs, and these signs variously arranged: hence the diversity of languages and idioms. All languages, however, must consist of the same essential parts. There must be some words to mark the subject of discourse, and: |