Befide the foregoing, there are feveral other Pronominal Adjectives; which, though they may fometimes feem to ftand by themselves, yet have always fome Substantive belonging to them, either referred to, or understood: as, This, that, other, any, fome, one, none. Thefe are called Definitive, because they define and limit the extent of the Common Name, or General Term, to which they either refer, or are joined. The three first of these are varied, to exprefs Number; as, Thefe, thofe, others [9]; the laft of which admits of the Plural form only when its Subftantive is not joined to it, but referred to, or understood: none of them are varied to exprefs the Gender; only two of them to exprefs the Cafe; as, other, one, which have the Poffeffive Cafe. One is fomé times used in an Indefinite fenfe, (answering to the French: on,) as in the following phrafes; "one is apt to think;" one fees;" "one fuppofes." Who, which, that, are called Relatives, because they more directly refer to some Substantive going before; which therefore is called the Antecedent. They also connect the following part of the Sentence with the foregoing. These belong to all the three Perfons; whereas the reft belong only to the Third. One of them only is varied to express the three

[9]" Diodorus, whofe defign was to refer all occurrences to years,—is of more credit in a point of Chronology, than Plutarch or any other, that write Lives by the lump." Bentley, Differt. on Themistocles's Epiftles, Sect, vi. It ought to be others, or writes.

I

Cafes

s;

Cafes; Who, whofe [1], (that is, who's [2],) whom: none of them have different endings for the Numbers. Who, which, what, are called Interrogatives, when they are used in asking questions. The two. Jatter of them have no variation of Number or Cafe. Each, every [3], either, are called Diftributives; because they denote the perfons, or things, that make up a number, as taken separately and fingly.

[1] Whofe is by fome authors made the Poffeffive Cafe of which, and applied to things as well as perfons: I think, improperly.

"The question, whofe folution I require,
Is, what the fex of women most defire."

Dryden.

"Is there any other doctrine, whofe followers are punished ?" Addison.

The higher Poetry, which loves to confider every thing as bearing a Personal Character, frequently applies the perfonal Possessive whose te inanimate beings:

"Of man's first difobedience, and the fruit
Of that forbidden Tree, whofe mortal taste
Brought death into the world, and all our woe."

Milton.

[2] So the Saxon bwa hath the Poffeffive Cafe bras. Note, that the Saxons rightly placed the Afpirate before the w: as we now pronounce it. This will be evident to any one that shall confider in what manner he pronounces the words what, when; that is, beo-at, boo-in.

[3] Every was formerly much used as a Pronominal Adjective standing by itself: as, " He proposeth unto God their neceffities, and they their own requests, for relief in every of them." Hooker, v. 39. "The corruptions and depredations to which every of these was fubject." Swift, Contests and Diffentions. We now commonly say, every one.

Qwn,

Own, and self, in the Plural felves, are joined to the poffeffives, my, our, thy, your, his [4], her, their; as, my own hand; myself, yourselves: both of them expreffing emphafis, or oppofition; as, "I did it my own felf," that is, and no one else : the latter alfo forming the Reciprocal Pronoun; as, "he hurt himself." Himfelf, themselves, feem to be used in the Nominative Cafe by corruption. inftead of his felf, their felves [5]: as, "he came bimfelf;" "they did it themselves;" where himSelf, themselves, cannot be in the Objective Case. If this be fo, felf muft be, in these inftances, not a Pronoun, but a Noun. Thus Dryden uses it;

"What I fhow,

Thy felf may freely on thyfelf beftow."

Ourself, the Plural Pronominal Adjective with the Singular Subftantive, is peculiar to the Regal Style.

[4] The Poffeffives bis, mine, thine, may be accounted either Pronominal Adjectives, or Genitive Cafes of the refpective Pronouns. The form is ambiguous; juft in the fame manner as, in the Latin phrafe" cujus liber," the word cujus may be either the Genitive Cafe of qui, or the Nominative Masculine of the Adjective cujus, cuja, cujum. So likewife mei, tui, fui, neftri, veftri, have the fame form, whether Pronouns, or Pronominal Adjectives.

[5] His felf and their felves were formerly in ufe, even in the Objective Cafe after a Prepofition: "Every of us, each for bis self, laboured how to recover him." Sidney. "That they would willingly and of their felves endeavour to keep a perpetual chastity." Stat. 2 and 3 Ed. VI. ch. 21.

5

Own

3

Own is an Adjective; or perhaps the Participle (owen) of the verb to owe; to poffefs; to be the right owner of a thing [6].

All Nouns whatever in Grammatical Conftruction are of the Third Perfon; except when an addrefs is made to a Perfon: then the Noun, (anfwering to what is called the Vocative Cafe in Latin,) is of the Second Perfon.

A

ADJECTIVE.

N ADJECTIVE is a word added to a Subftantive to exprefs its quality [7].

In English the Adjective is not varied on account of Gender, Number, or Cafe [8].

The only va

[6]" The Man that oweth this girdle." Acts xxi. 21.

[7] Adjectives are very improperly called Nouns; for they are not the Names of things. The Adjectives good, white, are applied to the Nouns man, fnow, to exprefs the Qualities belonging to those Subjects; but the Names of thofe Qualities in the Abstract, (that is, confidered in themselves, and without being attributed to any Subject,) are goodnefs, whiteness; and these are Nouns, or Subftantives.

[8] Some few Pronominal Adjectives must here be excepted, as having the Poffeffive Cafe; as one, other, anotber: By one's own choice." Sidney.

Teach me to feel another's woe."

Pope, Univ. Prayer.

And the Adjectives former, and latter, may be considered as Pronominal, and representing the Nouns, to which they refer; if the phrase in the following fentence be allowed to be just: “ It was happy for the ftate, that Fabius continued in the command with Minucius: the former's phlegm was a check upon the latter's vivacity.

riation,

riation, which it admits of, is that of the Degrees of Comparison.

Qualities for the most part admit of more and lefs, or of different degrees: and the words that exprefs fuch Qualities have accordingly proper forms to exprefs different degrees. When a Quality is fimply exprefled without any relation to the fame in a different degree, it is called the Pofitive; as, wife, great. When it is expreffed with augmentation, or with reference to a lefs degree of the fame, it is called the comparative; as, wifer, greater. When it is expreffed as being in the highest degree of all, it is called the Superlative; as, wifeft, greatest.

So that the fimple word, or Pofitive, becomes Comparative by adding ror er; and Superlative by adding A, or eft, to the end of it. And the Adverbs more or most placed before the Adjective have the fame effect; as, wife, more wife, most wife [9].

[9] Double Comparatives and Superlatives are improper: "The Duke of Milan,

And his more braver Daughter could controul thee."

Shakespear, Tempest.. "After the most firaiteft fect of our religion I have lived a Pharifee," Acts xxvi. 5. So likewife Adjectives, that have in themfelves a Superlative fignification, admit not properly the Superlative form superadded: “ Whosoever of you will be chiefest, shall be servant to all." Mark x. 44. "One of the first and chiefeft instances of prudeace." Atterbury, Serm. IV. 10. "While the extremeft parts of the earth were meditating a fubmiffion," Ibid. I. q.

Mono