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Some Nouns, from the nature of the things which they exprefs, are used only in the Singular, others only in the Plural, Form: as, wheat, pitch, gold, floth, pride, &c. and bellows, fciffars, lungs, bowels, &c.

The English Language, to express different connexions and relations of one thing to another, ufes for the moft part, Prepofitions. The Greek and Latin among the antient, and fome too among the modern languages, as the German, vary the termination or ending of the Subftantive, to answer the fame purpofe. Thefe different endings are in those languages called Cafes. And the English being derived from the fame origin as the German, that is, from the Teutonic [1], is not wholly without them. For inftance, the relation of Poffeffion, or Belonging, is often expreffed by a Cafe, or different ending of the Substantive. This Cafe answers to

[1] Lingua Anglorum hodierna avitæ Saxonicæ formam in plerifque orationis partibus etiamnum retinet. Nam quoad particulas cafuales, quorundam cafuum terminationes, conjugationes verborum, verbum fubftantivum, formam paffivæ vocis, pronomina, participia, conjunctiones, et præpofitiones omnes ; denique, quoad idiomata, phrafiumque maximam, partem, etiam nunc Saxonicus eft Anglorum fermo." Hickes, Thefaur. Ling. Septent. Præf. p. vi. To which may be added the Degrees of Comparison, the form of which is the very fame in the English as in the Saxon.

the Genitive Cafe in Latin, and may ftill be fo called; though perhaps more properly the Poffeffive Cafe. Thus "God's grace :" which may alfo be expreffed by the Prepofition; as, "the grace of God." It was formerly written; "Godis grace;" we now always fhorten it with an Apostrophe; often very improperly, when we are obliged to pronounce it fully ; as, " Thomas's book:" that is, Thomafis book," not " Thomas his book," as it is commonly fuppofed [2].

When

[2] "Chrift bis fake," in our Liturgy, is a mistake either of the Printers, or of the Compilers." Nevertheless, Afa his heart was perfect with the Lord.” 1 Kings, xv. 14. "To fee whether Mordecai his

matters would ftand." Efther, iii. 4.

"Where is this mankind now? who lives to age
Fit to be made Methufalem his page " Donne.
By young Telemachus bis blooming years."
Pope's Odyffey.

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My paper is Ulyffes his bow, in which every man of wit or learning may try his ftrength." Addifon, Guardian, N° 98. See alfo Spe&t. N° 207. This is no flip of Mr. Addifon's pen: he gives us his opinion upon this point very explicitly in another place.

The fame fingle letter s on many occafions does the office of a whole word, and represents the his and ber of our forefathers." Addifon, Spect. N° 135. The latter inftance might have fhewn him, how groundless this notion is for it is not eafy to conceive how the letter s added to a Feminine Noun fhould reprefent the word her; any more than it should the word their

added

When the thing, to which another is faid to belong, is expreffed by a circumlocution, or by many terms; the fign of the Poffeffive Cafe is commonly added to the laft term; as, "The King of Great Britain's Soldiers." When it is a Noun ending in s, the fign of the Poffeffive Cafe is fometimes not added; as, " for righteoufnefs' fake [3];" nor ever to the Plural Number ending in s; as, "on eagles' wings [4]." Both. the Sign and the Prepofition feem fometimes to Be ufed; as," a foldier of the king's ;" but here

added to a Plural Noun ; as, “ the children's bread.” But the direct derivation of this Cafe from the Saxon Genitive Cafe is fufficient of itself to decide this matter.

[3] In Poetry, the Sign of the Poffeffive Cafe is fre-1 quently omitted after Proper Names ending ins or x; as, "The wrath of Peleus' Son." Pope. This feems not fo allowable in Profe: as "Mofes' minifter."

Joh. i. I. "Phinehas' wife." 1. Sam. iv. 19..

"Feftus came into Felix' room." Acts, xxiv. 27.

[4] It is very probable, that this Convocation: was called, to clear fome doubt, that King James. might have had, about the lawfulness of the Hollanders, their throwing off the Monarchy of Spain, andı their withdrawing for good and all their allegiance. to that Crown." Welwood's Memoirs, p. 31. 6thEdit. In this Sentence the Pronominal Adjective: their is twice improperly added; the Poffeffive Cafe being fufficiently expreffed without it..

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are really two Poffeffives; for it means, "one of
the foldiers of the king."

ective case

The English in its Subftantives has but two different terminations for Cafes; that of the Nominative, which fimply expreffes the Name of the thing, and that of the Poffeffive Cafe. The in nouns terminates as the nominative) Things are frequently confidered with relation to the diftinction of Sex or Gender; as being Male, or Female, or Neither the one, nor the other. Hence Subftantives are of the Masculine, or Feminine, or Neuter, (that is, Neither,) Gender: which latter is only, the exclusion of all confideration of Gender.

The English Language, with fingular propriety, following nature alone, applies the dif tinction of Mafculine and Feminine only to the names of Animals; all the reft are Neuter: except when, by a Poetical or Rhetorical fiction, things Inanimate and Qualities are exhibited as Perfons, and confequently become either Male, or Female; and this gives the English an advantage above most other languages in the Poetical and Rhetorical ftyle: for when Nouns naturally Neuter are converted into Mafculine and Feminine [5], the Perfonification is more diftin&ly and forcibly marked.

Some

[5]" At his command the uprooted hills retired
Each to his place; they heard his voice, and went

Obfequious:

Some few Subftantives are diftinguished in their Gender by their termination: as, prince, princefsi Obfequious: Heaven his wonted face renew'd, And with fresh flowrets Hill and Valley fmil'd." Milton, P. L. B. vi.

"Was I deceiv'd; or did a fable Cloud
Turn forth her filver lining on the Night?"

Milton, Comus.

"Of Law no lefs can be acknowledged, than that ber feat is the bofom of God; her voice, the harmony of the world. All things in heaven and earth do her homage the very leaft, as feeling her care; and the greatest, as not exempted from her power." Hooker, B. i. 16. "Go to your Natural Religion : lay before her Mahomet and his difciples, arrayed in armour and in blood:-fhew her the cities, which he fet in flames ; the countries, which he ravaged-when he has viewed him in this fcene, carry her into his retirements; fhew her the Prophet's chamber, his concubines and his wives when he is tired with this profpect, then fhew ber the bleffed Jefus." See the whole paffage in the conclufion of Bp. Sherlock's 9th Sermon, vol. i.

Of these beautiful paffages we may obferve, that as, in the English, if you put it and its inftead of his, She, her, you confound and deftroy the images, and reduce, what was before highly Poetical and Rhetorical, ` to mere profe and common difcourfe; fo if you render them into another language, Greek, Latin, French, Italian, or German; in which Hell, Heaven, Cloud, Law, Religion, are conftantly Mafculine, or Feminine, or Neuter, refpectively; you make the images B 6

obfcure

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