which mark the contradistinctions of cases: they say magistri, magistrò, &c. and of a master, tò a master, &c.; when they read sentences, they accentuate differently. In speaking and reading English, we say-" Follow | the advice of a master." 1 It is evident here, that the article is joined to advice, that the preposition and article are joined to master, and also, that the verb and nouns only have accents. "I gave it to a màster." The same remarks apply again.

The accusative and nominative are alike, and have been before explained. The vocative, leaving out the o, is different from the nominative, because it has not an article.

And thus stands the accentuation of the ablative. "It was spoken by a màster."

- All the plurals might of course be exemplified in the

same way.

Possibly, the reader will anticipate what I am now going to advance: if custom would authorise the joining of English prepositions to nouns, on paper, in the way which I have shewn them to be actually joined by the voice in pronunciation and in reading, then the analogy between English and Latin nouns would be more easily recognized: it would be plainly understood, that the inflexions of English nouns are at the beginning of them; those of the Latin nouns, at the end. Instead, therefore, of saying a master of, or a master to, corresponding with the order of the inflexion in Latin nouns, we say of a master, to a master, &c. This candidly acknowledged to be the true state of the question, there is no plausible reason remaining, why the English grammar," as far as nouns are concerned, should not be systematized according to the Eton plan. With respect to the thirty

cases corresponding to the number of prepositions, mentioned by the objectors, the same argument would apply to the Latin. The following prepositions are succeeded by the Latin accusative, including of course all neuter nouns, &c. and these are like the nominative. Ad, adversum, adversus, ante, apud, circa, circum, eirciter, cis, citra, contra, erga, extra, infra, inter, intra, juxta, ob, penes, per, pone, post, præter, prope, propter, secundum, secus, supra, trans, versus, ultra, usque. In Latin, these are affirmed to govern a neuter accusative, and the accusative plural of the third and fourth declensions; why should they not be permitted to have the like power in the government of English accusatives? The same may be remarked of those prepositions which have an ablative case after them. A, ab, abs, absque, coram, cum, de, e, ex, palam, præ, pro, sine, tenus, and also of those which serve to both cases. Clam, in for into, in for in only, sub, subter, super. My reason for citing the prepositions at length is to shew that the argument against the appellation of case, on account of the number of them, is not more objectionable in English than in Latin: and I cannot perceive any reasonable objection, why we should admit that nouns in English are governed in particular cases by the assistance or force of these prepositions. In the list of the Latin prepositions may be seen some few, which require two or three parts of speech to English them. Ob, because of, penes, in the power of, prope, near to, secundum, according to, trans, on the farther side, ex, out of, tenus, up to, as far as, clam, unknown to. It is evident that every one of these phrases has the force of a preposition; and, also, that most of them should, in English, be parsed as prepositions; viz. because of,

near to, according to,* out of, as far as-assisting the verb in the government of either the accusative or ablative

case.

To what has been already said respecting the verb, little needs be added. It is generally admitted, that with the help of auxiliaries, or signs of tenses, the Englishverb corresponds pretty closely with the Latin. The, imperative, strictly speaking, has only one person; and here the English language, most unquestionably, has an advantage over the Greek and Latin. "Let me go, or let thou me to go; go, or go thou; let him go, or let thou him to let us go, or let ye us to go; go, or go yê; let them go, or let ye them to go."

go;

Every person of a verb in Latin, of any tense and mood, requires in English two or more parts of speech to express its meaning, and yet these English parts of speech are joined together in pronunciation, and have only one accent. Thus, monui may signify, I have advised him; representing to us four separate English parts of speech; but in pronouncing them, the parts of speech are united, and are recognized by the ear as one word, with the accent on the penultimate syllable. I have advised him. In parsing, therefore, the verb of this sentence, I have advised him, it would not be inconvenient, I conceive, to call have a sign of the preter or perfect tense, and "have advised," taken together, a verb. The same remarks are applicable to all the rest of the persons and tenses of English verbs.

With regard to the construction of sentences, there are certain rules which hold good in all languages.

* "According to," will be found in Johnson's Dictionary as a preposition.

"The verb agrees with its nominative case in number and person: when two verbs come together, the latter is in the infinitive mood: the verb to be has the same case after it that goes before it: the relative agrees with the antecedent in gender, number, and person;—and a few others. These rules, which are in all languages, and in the nature of things, are very different from that government of words peculiar to the Greck and Latin languages; in the former of which a neuter, and sometimes a masculine or feminine substantive in the plural number, requires a verb singular; and in the latter, not only adjectives, but adverbs and interjections govern the cases of nouns. The case absolute in the Latin is the ablative; in the Greek, the genitive; and in English, the nominative. It would, therefore, be the height of absurdity to follow the syntax of these languages, any farther than they follow the syntax of all other languages; and in these, if we adopt the same terms, it is because they are more universally known than any other." These outlines the author* did not judiciously fill up: but the deficiencies might be easily supplied by the aid of the valuable syntax and remarks of the Rev. Dr. Crombie.

Most persons, it is presumed, will be ready to admit, that, in the lower schools, where the classics are not studied by the pupils, the arrangement of our present English grammars will answer most common purposes, and, as far as they proceed, be more easy of comprehension than one formed upon the plan of the Eton Latin Grammar. But it is also to be admitted, that the term "easy" is only of comparative signification; for it has not been presumed, that so philosophic a know

* Walker.

ledge of language can be obtained by the plan of Dr. Ash, Dr. Lowth, or Mr. L. Murray, as by the plan of that which has been just named. The present mode of teaching the grammar of our vernacular language is easy in the same degree, as the present method of teaching Latin prosody is easy; viz. the custom of pronouncing the penultimate vowel long of all Latin words of two syllables, and one consonant in the middle, without any regard to quantity; and the custom of pronouncing the antepenultimate vowel short of all Latin words of three syllables, followed by a single consonant, without any regard to quantity: thus, the genitive singular of rex, and the second person singular of the present tense of Rego, are both pronounced alike: i. e. long; Regis: though every little boy in the second form is able to tell the master, that the penultimate vowel of the former is long, and that of the latter is short: and on the other hand, the antepenultimate vowel of regibus is pronounced exactly the same as that of the infinitive of rego, though the vowel in regibus is long, and that in regere is short. These anomalous methods of pronouncing the penultimate and antepenultimate vowels, succeeded by one consonant, are almost uniformly adopted and patronized in our public schools; and thus the eye and the ear are constantly at variance.* It is repeated that the present method of teaching English grammar is easy in the same degree as the present method of teaching Latin prosody is easy; either is only of comparative utility.

* A reformation in this particular is now being effected in some of our schools. I believe I am authorised in saying, that it receives the powerful sanction of Dr. Russell, head master of the Charter-House.