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a bookseller; him who lives at the Bible and Crown." "Whom did you see there? Both him and the shopman.' The learner will readily comprehend this rule, by sup. plying the words which are understood in the answers. Thus, to express the answers at large, we should say, They are John's books." "We gave them to him." "We bought them of him who lives," &c. "We saw both him and the shopman."-As the relative pronoun, when used interrogatively, refers to the subsequent word or phrase containing the answer to the question, that word or phrase may properly be termed the subsequent to the interrogative.

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Pronouns are sometimes made to precede the things which they represent: as, "If a man declares in autumn when he is eating them, or in spring when there are none, that he loves grapes," &c. But this is a construction which is very seldom allowable.

RULE VII.

WHEN the relative is preceded by two nominatives of different persons, the relative and verb may agree in person with either, according to the sense: as, "I am the man who command you;" or, "I am the man who commands you."

See vol. ii. p. 94.

THE form of the first of the two preceding sentences, expresses the meaning rather obscurely. It would be more perspicuous to say; "I, who command you, am the man." Perhaps the difference of meaning, produced by referring the relative to different antecedents, will be more evident to the learner, in the following sentences. "I am the general who gives the orders to-day;" "I am the general, who give the orders to-day;" that is, "I, who give the orders to-day, am the general."

When the relative and the verb have been determined

'to agree with either of the preceding nominatives, that agreement must be preserved throughout the sentence; as, in the following instance: "I am the Lord that maketh all things; and stretcheth forth the heavens alone." Isa. xliv. 24. Thus far is consistent: The Lord, in the third person, is the antecedent, and the verb agrees with the relative in the third person: "I am the Lord, which Lord, or he that maketh all things." If I were made the antecedent, the relative and the verb should agree with it in the first person: as, I am the Lord, that make all things, that stretch forth the heavens alone." But should it follow; "That spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;" there would arise a confusion of persons, and a manifest solecism.

RULE VIII.

EVERY adjective, and every adjective pronoun, belongs to a substantive, expressed or understood: as, "He is a good, as well as a wise man ;” "Few are happy," that is, "persons :" "This is a pleasant walk;" that is, "This walk is," &c.

Adjective pronouns must agree, in number, with their substantives: as, "This book, these books; that sort, those sorts; another road, other roads."

See vol. ii. p. 95. and p. 332, the note.

1. ADJECTIVE PRONOUNS.

A few instances of the breach of this rule are here exhibited. "I have not travelled this twenty years;' not recommending these kind of "Those set of books was a

"these twenty." "I am sufferings;" "this kind" valuable present;"" that set."

1. The word means in the singular number, and the phrases, "By this means," " By that means," are used by our best and most correct writers; namely, Bacon, Tillotson, Atterbury, Addison, Steele, Pope, &c.* They are,

"By this means he had them the more at vantage, being tired and harassed with a long march." ...Bacon.

By this means one great restraint from doing evil, would be taken away.” -"And this is an admirable means to improve men in virtue."—" By that means they have rendered their duty more difficult.". Tillotson.

... .......
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"It renders us careless of approving ourselves to God, and by that means securing the continuance of his goodness." "A good character, when established, should not be rested in as an end, but employed as a means of doing still further good."..... .........Atterbury.

"By this means they are happy in each other." "He by that means preserves his superiority."..

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"Your vanity by this means will want its food."

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......Steele.

“By this means alone, their greatest obstacles will vanish.”........... ......Pope. "Which custom has proved the most effectual means to ruin the nobles." Dean Swift.

"There is no means of escaping the persecution.""Faith is not only a means of obeying, but a principal act of obedience.".. ..................Dr. Young. "He looked on money as a necessary means of maintaining and increasing power." ...............Lord Lyttelton's Henry II. "John was too much intimidated not to embrace every means afforded for his safety."........... "Lest this means should fail."—"By means of ship-money, the late king," &c. "The only means of securing a durable peace."

...............

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"By this means there was nothing left to the Parliament of Ireland," &c...........

............ Blackstone.

"By this means so many slaves escaped out of the hands of their masters." .....Dr. Robertson. ...Burke.

..............

66 By this means they bear witness to each other."......... "By this means the wrath of man was made to turn against itself."

Dr. Blair.

"A magazine, which has, by this means, contained," &c.-" Birds, in general, procure their food by means of their beak.".........

....Dr. Paley.

indeed, in so general and approved use, that it would appear awkward, if not affected, to apply the old singular form, and say, "By this mean; by that mean; it was by a mean," although it is more agreeable to the general analogy of the language. "The word means (says Priestley) belongs to the class of words, which do not change their termination on account of number; for it is used alike in both numbers."

The word amends is used in this manner, in the following sentences: "Though he did not succeed, he gained the approbation of his country; and with this amends he was content." "Peace of mind is an honourable amends for the sacrifices of interest." "In return, he received the thanks of his employers, and the present of a large estate these were ample amends for all his labours.” "We have described the rewards of vice: the good man's amends are of a different nature.”

It can scarcely be doubted, that this word amends (like the word means) had formerly its correspondent form in the singular number, as it is derived from the French amende, though now it is exclusively established in the plural form. If, therefore, it be alleged that mean should be applied in the singular, because it is derived from the French moyen, the same kind of argument may be advanced in favour of the singular amende: and the general analogy of the language may also be pleaded in support of it.

Campbell, in his "Philosophy of Rhetoric," has the following remark on the subject before us: "No persons of taste will, I presume, venture so far to violate the present usage, and consequently to shock the ears of the generality of readers, as to say, By this mean, by that

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Bishop Hurd, quoted in Todd's Johnson's Dictionary, under the word means, observes, that "The use of the word means, in English, is remarkable, and may be

thought capricious. It seems to be of French extraction. The French have le moyen frequently, but seldom les moyens. We, on the contrary, prefer the plural termination means; yet still, for the most part, though not always, we use it as a noun of the singular number, or as the French le moyen. It is one of those anomalies, which use hath introduced and established, in spite of analogy. We should not be allowed to say—a mean of making men happy."

It is remarkable, that our present version of the Scriptures makes no use, as far as the Compiler can discover, of the word mean; though there are several instances to be found in it of the use of means, in the sense and connexion contended for. 66 By this means thou shalt have no portion on this side the river." Ezra iv. 16. "That by means of death," &c. Heb. ix. 15. It will scarcely be pretended, that the translators of the sacred volumes did not accurately understand the English language; or that they would have admitted one form of this word, and rejected the other, had not their determination been conformable to the best usage. An attempt therefore to recover an old word, so long since disused by the most correct writers, seems not likely to be successful; especially as the rejection of it is not attended with any incon

venience.

The practice of the best and most correct writers, or a great majority of them, corroborated by general usage, forms, during its continuance, the standard of language; especially, if, in particular instances, this practice continue, after objection and due consideration. Every connexion and application of words and phrases, thus supported, must therefore be proper, and entitled to respect, if not exceptionable in a moral point of view.

"Sermo constat ratione, vetustate, auctoritate, consuetudine. "Consuetudo verò certissima loquendi magistra."

QUINCTILIAN.

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