plays well on the fiddle," is, for the same reason, objectionable.

Of expressions involving a contradiction, the following will serve as an example. "There were four ladies in company, every one prettier than another." This is impossible. If A was prettier than B, B must have been less pretty than A; but by the expression every one was prettier than another, therefore B was also prettier than A. Such absurdities as this ought surely to be banished from every language.

Of those, which have little or no meaning, Campbell has given us examples, "currying favour," "having a month's mind," "shooting at rovers." Such modes of expression, he justly calls trash, the disgrace of any language.

These canons I have extracted from "Campbell on Rhetoric," a book which I would recommend to the reader's attentive perusal.

I proceed to observe, that to write any language with grammatical purity, implies these three things:

1st. That the words be all of that language.

2ndly. That they be construed and arranged, according to the rules of syntax in that language.

3rdly. That they be employed in that sense, which usage has annexed to them.

Grammatical purity, therefore, may be violated in three

ways:

1st. The words may not be English. This error is called barbarism.

2ndly. Their construction may be contrary to the English idiom. This error is termed solecism.

3rdly. They may be used in a sense different from their established acceptation. This error is named impropriety.

The barbarism is an offence against lexicography, by admitting new words, as, "volupty," "connexity," "majestatic;" or by using obsolete words, as, "uneath," "erst;" or an

a We have remarked the same violation of common sense, as occurring in Cicero, oftener than once. "Alium alio nequiorem."-Ep. Fam. "Aliam alia jucundiorem.”—Att.

Deprehendat, quæ barbara, quæ impropria, quæ contra legem loquendi composita.— Quintil. lib. i. cap. 5.

offence against etymology, by improper inflection, as, "teached" for "taught," "oxes" for "oxen."

The solecism is an offence against the rules of syntax, as, "I reads," " you was."

The impropriety is an offence against lexicography, by mistaking the meaning of words or phrases.

A solecism is regarded by grammarians as a much greater offence than either of the others; because it betrays a greater ignorance of the principles of the language. Rhetorically considered, it is deemed a less trespass; for the rhetorician and grammarian estimate the magnitude of errors by different standards; the former inquiring only how far any error militates against the great purpose of his art—persuasion; the latter, how far it betrays an ignorance of the principles of grammar. Hence with the former, obscurity is the greatest trespass; with the latter, solecism, and that species of barbarism which violates the rules of etymology.

a In conformity to the example of most of our grammarians, I have employed the term etymology in the title of this work, and wherever else it occurs, as denoting that part of grammar, which teaches the inflection of words. In its primitive acceptation, it means an exposition of their derivation, and is still employed in that sense, as well as in the signification in which it is here used. Some writers have preferred the term analogy to express the doctrine of inflection. If the principle of analogy or similitude were confined to inflection, the designation might be proper; but, as this principle extends to the concord, the government, and the collocation, generally termed the syntax of words, it cannot be considered an appropriate name for that part of grammar, which teaches merely inflection or verbal termination. Analogy is the leading principle, on which every grammatical rule is founded; and those, who have employed the term for etymology, it would be easy to show, have not been observant of strict consistency.

CHAPTER II.

CRITICAL REMARKS AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

HAVING, in the preceding chapter, explained the nature of that usage which gives law to language; and having proposed a few rules for the student's direction in cases where usage is divided, and also where her authority may be justly questioned and checked by criticism; I intend, in the following pages, to present the young reader with a copious exemplification of the three general species of error against grammatical purity, arranging the examples in the order of the parts of speech.

SECTION I.

THE NOUN.

BARBARISM.

"I RODE in a one-horse chay." It ought to be "a one-horse chaise." There is no such word as chay.

"That this has been the true and proper acception of this word, I shall testify by one evidence.”—Hammond. Acception is obsolete; it ought to be acceptation.

"Were the workmen to enter into a contrary combination of the same kind, not to accept of a certain wage."-Wealth of Nations. Wage is obsolete; the plural only is used.

"Their alliance was sealed by the nuptial of Henry, with the daughter of the Italian prince."-Gibbon. Nuptial has not, I believe, been used as a substantive since the days of Shakspeare, and may be deemed obsolete. The plural nuptials is the proper word.

"He showed that he had a full comprehension of the whole of the plan, and of the judicious adaption of the parts to the whole."-Sheridan's Life of Swift. Adaption is obsolescent, if not obsolete: adaptation is the proper term. Adaption is frequently employed by Swift, from whom Sheridan seems to have copied it.

....

"Which even his brother modernists themselves, like ungrates, whisper so loud that it reaches up to the very garret I am now writing in."-Swift. "Ungrate" is a barbarism. "Ingrate" is to be found in some of our English poets as an adjective, and synonymous with "ungrateful ;" but "ungrate," as a substantive, is truly barbarous. Almost equally objectionable is Steele's use of stupid as a substantive plural. "Thou art no longer to drudge in raising the mirth of stupids."-Spectator, No. 468. And also of ignorant, "the ignorants of the lowest order."—Ibid.

Pope also says, in one of his letters, "We are curious impertinents in the case of futurity." This employment of the adjective as a noun substantive, though never sanctioned by general use, is now properly avoided by our most reputable writers. It tends to confusion, where distinction is necessary.

"The Deity dwelleth between the cherubims." The Hebrews form the plural of masculines by adding im; "cherubims," therefore, is a double plural. "Seraphims," for the same reason, is faulty. The singular of these words being "cherub" and "seraph," the plural is either "cherubs" and "seraphs," or "cherubim" and "seraphim." Milton has uniformly avoided this mistake, which circumstance Addison, in his criticisms on that author, has overlooked; nay, he has, even with Milton's correct usage before him, committed the "The zeal of the seraphim," says he, "breaks forth in a becoming warmth of sentiments and expressions, as the character which is given of him, &c. Here "seraphim," a plural noun, is used as singular. It should be, "the zeal of the seraph."

error.

'Nothing can be more pleasant than to see virtuosoes about a cabinet of medals descanting upon the value, the rarity, and authenticalness of the several pieces." Authenticalness, though used by Addison, is obsolescent, and may, perhaps, be deemed a barbarism. It may be properly dismissed, as a harsh and unnecessary term.

He broke off with Lady Gifford, one of his oldest acquaintances in life."-Sheridan's Life of Swift. Acquaintances is now deemed a Scotticism, being almost peculiar + the northern parts of the island. Johnson, however, di

disclaim it. "A young student from the inns of court, who has often attacked the curate of his father's parish, with such arguments as his acquaintances could furnish."-Rambler. We find it also in Steele; thus, "she pays everybody their own, and yet makes daily new acquaintances.”—Tatler, No.109. "I am sure that the farmeress at Bevis would feel emotions of vanity . . . . . if she knew you gave her the character of a reasonable woman."-Lord Peterborough to Pope. This, I believe, is the only passage in which farmeress is to be found; but, though it may therefore be pronounced a barbarism, the author could not have expressed himself so clearly and so concisely, in any other way. way. We every now and then, as Johnson observes, feel the want of a feminine termination.

"The bellowses were broken." The noun, as here inflected, is barbarous. "Bellows" is a plural word denoting a single instrument, though consisting of two parts. There is, therefore, no such word as "bellowses."

SOLECISM".

"I have read Horace Art of Poetry." This expression may be deemed solecistical, being a violation of that rule, by which one substantive governs another in the genitive. It should be, "Horace's Art of Poetry." "These are ladies ruffles," "this is the kings picture," are errors of the same kind, for "ladies' ruffles," "the king's picture."

"These three great genius's flourished at the same time." Here "genius's," the genitive singular, is improperly used for "geniuses," the nominative plural.

"They have of late, 'tis true, reformed, in some measure, the gouty joints and darning work of whereunto's, whereby's, thereof's, therewith's, and the rest of this kind."-Shaftesbury. Here also the genitive singular is improperly used for the objective case plural. It should be, whereuntos, wherebys, thereofs, therewiths.

"Both those people, acute and inquisitive to excess, corrupted the sciences."-Adams's History of England.

a The reader is requested to observe, that under "solecism," I have included several phraseologies, which, though not consistent with syntactical propriety, may be justly called by the softer name of " inaccuracies."