prince, that no man was a hero to the servants of his chamber, it is equally true that every man is less a hero to himself.' 'Two young men have made a discovery that there was a God.' 'If similitude of manners be a motive to kindness, the Idler may flatter himself with universal patronage.' 'No one can thoroughly understand the Scriptures of the New Testament, unless he be well acquainted with those of the Old.'

ERRORS IN THE SEQUENCE OF MOODS AND TENSES.

When two propositions are coupled by a conjunction, the verbs in each proposition must correspond with each other in mood and tense. This rule is infringed in the examples below:

'If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and rememberest,' &c. 'Ye will not come to me that ye might have life.' 'Then shalt thou prosper, if thou takest heed to fulfil the statutes,' &c. 'Whether our conduct be inspected, and we are under a righteous government,' &c. Let us consider how many things we formerly knew, but now have either wholly forgotten, or but very imperfectly remembered,' &c. These contacts. would rather occasion silence than to produce a voice,' &c.

A participle should not be joined with a verb, as in the following passage:

'Nor is it then a welcome guest, affording only an uneasy sensation, and brings with it a mixture of concern and compassion.'

An ellipsis of part of a compound tense should be avoided. The following sentences are exceptionable in this respect:

'I am, and always have, taken great pains,' &c. 'You never have, and never will see, such a sight again.' 'This dedication may serve for almost any book that has, is, or shall be published.' 'I shall do all I can to persuade others to take the same measures for their cure which I have."

ERRORS IN THE USE OF PARTICIPLES.

The past tense indicative is frequently used incorrectly for the participle; as:

'I had no sooner drank, but,' &c. 'I do not find that any science has throve among us,' &c. 'Had he wrote English poetry,' &c. 'The seeds of future divisions were sowed.' 'The court of Augustus had not wore off the manners of the republic.' 'A con

stitution, when it has been shook by the iniquity,' &c. 'Some philosophers have mistook.' 'The greater regard was showed.' The fountains of the earth were broke 6 open or clove asunder.' This nimble operator will have stole it.' 'If a new species of controversial books had not arose,' &c.

ERRORS IN THE USE OF ADJECTIVES.

Some adjectives which bear in themselves a comparative or a superlative meaning do not admit of degrees of comparison. In the following extracts, the form of the adjective is incorrect:

'The last are, indeed, more preferable, because they are founded,' &c. The two chiefest properties of air.' The extremest parts of the earth were meditating a submission.' 'Money, in a word, is the most universal incitement of human misery.'

Double comparatives and superlatives are no longer admissible; such as, 'Which title had been more truer,' &c. The waters are more sooner frozen than more further upwards,' &c. 'I wish your grandam had a worser march.' 'This was the most unkindest cut of all.'

When two objects are compared together, the comparative, not the superlative, degree of the adjective should be used. In the following sentences this rule is infringed :

'This was, in reality, the easiest manner of the two." 'The question is not whether a good Indian or bad (a bad) Englishman be most happy; but which state is most desirable, supposing virtue and reason to be the same in both.’

Adjectives are sometimes incorrectly used as adverbs; as:

'I shall endeavour to live suitable to a man in my station.' 'He behaved himself conformable to that blessed example.' 'His expectations run high, and the fund to supply them is extreme scanty.' 'I never could think so very mean of him.' 'There is scarce a man

living,' &c.

'Exceeding fair.' 'Exceeding popular.'

Extreme good bargains.' 'His speech was all excellent good in itself,' &c.1

INACCURACIES IN THE USE OF THE COMPARATIVE AND

SUPERLATIVE.

'This noble nation hath, of all others, admitted fewer corruptions' (than any other). 'The vice of

1 Some adjectives are correctly used as adverbs; as: 'The door was fast locked;' 'Do not speak too loud;' 'I long loved your daughter,' &c.

covetousness is what enters deepest into the soul of any other' (deeper than any other). 'We have a profession set apart for the purposes of persuasion, wherein a talent of this kind would prove the likeliest, perhaps, of any other' (likelier than any other). older than tradition' (as old as).

As old, or even

The event, of all

others, which the Orleans party most ardently wished to avoid' (more ardently than any other).

ERRORS IN THE USE OF NEGATIVE AND DISJUNCTIVE

PARTICIPLES.

'Neither' should be followed by 'nor,' and not as in the following extracts :

"That neither partiality or prejudice appear.' These can point out the straight way upon the road, but can neither tell you the next turning, or answer your questions.' 'He was charged as neither faithful or exact.' 'I demand neither place, pension, exclusive privilege, or any other reward whatever.' "Neither by them or me would it be regarded as an objection.'

In English, two negatives make an affirmative; and, therefore, if we wish to deny, only one negative should be used. In the following examples, this principle is transgressed :—

'We need not, nor do not, confine the purposes of God' (nor do we). 'In the growth and stature of souls, as well as bodies, the common productions are of different sizes, that occasion no gazing, nor no wonder' (nor any). 'I'll prove that you are no

composer, nor know no more of music than you do of

algebra' (and know).

'Nor is danger ever appre

hended in such a government from the

violence of

the sovereign, no more than we commonly apprehend danger from thunder or earthquakes.' (Take out no).

FOREIGN IDIOMS.

5. An idiom is an expression peculiar to some one language, and which, if translated literally into any other, will be pronounced incorrect. Thus, if any one were to translate into English the German expression, 'Wo sind Sie gewesen?' by 'Where are they been?' or the French, 'Je viens de voir mon père' by 'I come from to see my father,' every one would condemn these forms as bad English. Both these sentences have corresponding equivalents in English; but they are not translateable word for word, and therefore they are idioms.

The style of a writer, as regards idiom, is very likely to be affected by the direction of his studies. Many, not unnaturally, imbibe so strong a love for classical scholarship, or for the modern European languages, that they sometimes unconsciously introduce into their English compositions forms of expression which properly belong to Greek, Latin, French, or German. From this cause, some of our most learned authors are among the least idiomatic of English writers. In all cases this is a great error, because it is unEnglish, and distorts the proper character of our language; but it is not unfrequently an absurd affectation, a mere ostentatious display of learning. The following are a few of the many errors of this kind that are profusely scattered over the English writings of the last and the present century :

'The king soon found reason to repent him of his