Ch.III.

LASTLY, there are times, when Prepofitions totally lose their connective Nature,

being

Hence then E and PER in compofition augment; Enormis, fomething not fimply big, but big in excess; fomething got out of the rule, and beyond the measure; Dico, to fpeak; Edico, to speak out; whence Edictum an Edict, something fo effectually spoken, as all are supposed to hear, and all to obey. So Terence,

Dico, Edico vobis-Eun. V. 5. 20.

which (as Donatus tells us in his Comment) is an "Aunois. Fari, to fpeak; Effari, to fpeak out-hence Effatum, an Axiom, or self-evident Propofition, fomething addreffed as it were to all men, and calling for univerfal Affent. Cic. Acad. II. 29. Permagnus, Perutilis, great throughout, useful through every part.

On the contrary, IN and SUB diminifh and leffen. Injuftus, Iniquus, unjust, inequitable, that lies within Juftice and Equity, that reaches not so far, that falls Short of them; Subniger, blackish; Subrubicundus, reddifh; tending to black, and tending to red, but yet under the standard, and below perfection.

Emo originally fignified to take away; hence it came to fignify to buy, because he, who buys, takes away his purchase. INTER, Between, implies Difcontinu

4

ance,

being converted into Adverbs, and used in Ch.III. Syntax accordingly. Thus Homer,

-Γέλασσε δὲ πᾶσα περὶ χθών.

-And Earth fmil'd all around.

IX. T. 362.

But of this we have spoken in a preceding Chapter (g). One thing we must however observe, before we finish this Chapter, which is, that whatever we may be told of CASES in modern Languages, there are in fact no fuch things; but their force and power is expreft by two Methods,

ance, for in things continuous there can nothing lie between. From thefe two comes, Interimo, to kill, that is to fay, to take a Man away in the midst of Life, by making a Difcontinuance of his vital Energy. So alfo Perimo, to kill a Man, that is to fay, to take him away thoroughly; for indeed what more thorough taking away can well be fuppofed? The Greek Verb, 'AvaiÇEN, and the English Verb, To take off, feem both to carry the same allufion. And thus 'tis that Prepofitions become Parts of other Words.

(g) See before p. 205.

T

Ch.III. thods, either by Situation, or by Prepofitions; the Nominative and Accufative Cafes by Situation; the reft, by Prepofitions. But this we shall make the Subject of a Chapter by itself concluding here our Inquiry concerning Prepofitions.

CHAP.

A

CHAP. IV.

Concerning Cafes.

S CASES, or at least their various Ch.IV. Powers, depend on the knowledge partly of Nouns, partly of Verbs, and partly of Prepofitions; they have been reserved, till those Parts of Speech had been examined and difcuffed, and are for that reafon made the Subject of fo late a Chapter, as the present.

THERE are no CASES in the modern

Languages, except a few among the pri

mitive Pronouns, fuch as I, and ME; JE, and Moy; and the English Genitive, formed by the addition of s, as when from Lion, we form Lion's; from Ship, Ship's. From this defect however we may be enabled to discover in fome inftances what a Cafe is, the Periphrafis, which fup

Ch.IV plies its place, being the Cafe (as it were)

unfolded. Thus Equi is analized into Du Cheval, Of the Horfe; Equo into Au Cheval, To the Horfe. And hence we fee that the GENITIVE and DATIVE CASES imply the joint Power of a Noun and a Prepofition, the Genitive's Prepofition being A, De, or Ex, the Dative's Prepofi tion being Ad, or Verfus.

We have not this affiftance as to the ACCUSATIVE, which in modern Languages (a few instances excepted) is only known from its pofition, that is to fay, by being subsequent to its Verb, in the collocation of the words.

THE VOCATIVE we pafs over from its little use, being not only unknown to the modern Languages, but often in the antient being fupplied by the Nominative.

THE ABLATIVE likewife was used by the Romans only; a Cafe they feem to have adopted