Part 113 (1/2)

OBSERVATIONS ON RULE VIII

OBS 1--Many grammarians make an idle distinction between the nominative _absolute_ and the nominative _independent_, as if these epithets were not synonymous; and, at the same ti of the words so employed Their two rules do not embrace more than one half of those _frequent_ examples in which the case of the noun or pronoun depends on no other word Of course, the re half cannot be parsed by any of the rules which they give The lack of a co defect in all the English grammars that the author has seen, except his own, and such as are indebted to him for such a rule It is proper, however, that the different foreneral rule, should be discriminated, one fro any nominative absolute, tell _how it is put so_; whether with a _participle_, by direct _address_, by _pleonasm_, or by _exclamation_ For, in discourse, a noun or a pronoun is put absolute in the no _four circumstances_: (of which Murray's ”case absolute,” or ”nominative absolute,” contains only the first:)

I When, _with a participle_, it is used to express a cause, or a conco broken_, justice takes place”--_Law and Grace_, p 27 _”Pontius Pilate being_ governor of Judea, and _Herod being_ tetrarch of Galilee, and his _brother_ Philip tetrarch of Iturea” &c--_Luke_, iii, 1 ”I _being_ in the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master's brethren”--_Gen_, xxiv, 27

---------”While sha on_, Shaor raise”--_Milton, P L_, B ix, 1, 312

II When, _by direct address_, it is put in the second person, and set off froth, _Seged_, reflect and be wise”--_Dr Johnson_ ”It may be, _drunkard, swearer, liar, thief_, thou dost not think of this”--_Law and Grace_, p 27

”_This said_, he forround, and in thy nostrils breath'd The breath of life”--_Milton's Paradise Lost_, B vii, l 524

III When, by _pleonasm_, it is introduced abruptly for the sake of emphasis, and is not made the subject or the object of any verb; as, ”_He_ that hath, to hiiven”--_Mark_, iv, 25 ”_He_ that is holy, let him be holy still”--_Rev_, xxii, 11 ”_Gad_, a troop shall overcome him”--_Gen_, xlix, 19 ”The _north_ and the _south_, thou hast created the masters, let them not despise theue is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare”--_Levit_, xiii, 45 ”_They_ who serve me with adoration,--I am in them, and they [are] in me”--R W EMERSON: _Liberator_, No 996

-------------------------”What ain in co night hideous; and, we fools of nature,[371]

So horribly to shake our disposition With thoughts beyond the reaches of our souls?”--_Shak Hamlet_

IV When, _by mere exclamation_, it is used without address, and without other words expressed or iive it construction; as, ”And the Lord passed by before hiracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth”

_Exodus_, xxxiv, 6 ”O _the depth_ of the riches both of the wisdoe of God!”--_Ro back, Poor _beast_!”--_Southey_

”Oh! deep enchanting prelude to repose, The dawn of bliss, the _twilight_ of our woes!”--_Campbell_

OBS 2--The nominative put absolute with a participle, is often equivalent to a dependent clause co with _when, while, if, since_, or _because_ Thus, ”I being a child,” may be equal to, ”When I was a child,”

or, ”Because I was a child” Here, in lieu of the noenitive case, and the Latins, the ablative Thus, the phrase, ”[Greek: Kai hysteraesantos oinou],” ”_And the wine failing_,” is rendered by Montanus, ”_Et deficiente vino_;” but by Beza, ”_Et cum defecisset vinum_;” and in our Bible, ”_And when they wanted wine_”--_John_, ii, 3

After a noun or a pronoun thus put absolute, the participle _being_ is frequently understood, especially if an adjective or a like case come after the participle; as,

”They left their bones beneath unfriendly skies, His worthless absolution [_being_] all the prize”

--_Cowper_, Vol i, p 84

”Alike in ignorance, _his reason_ [------] _such_, Whether he thinks too little or too much”--_Pope, on Man_

OBS 3--The case which is put absolute in addresses or invocations, is what in the Latin and Greek grammars is called _the Vocative_ Richard Johnson says, ”The only use of the Vocative Case, is, to call upon a Person, or a thing put Personally, which we speak to, to give notice to e direct our Speech; and this is therefore, properly speaking, the _only Case absolute or independent_ which we may make use of without respect to any other Word”--_Gram Commentaries_, p 131 This ree; for, with us, the vocative case, is unknown, or not distinguished frolish, all nouns of the second person are either put absolute in the no to Rule 8th, or in apposition with their own pronouns placed before the to Rule 3d: as, ”This is the stone which was set at nought of _you builders_”--_Acts_, iv, 11 ”How ht _you receivers_ to be considered as abandoned and execrable!”--_Clarkson's Essay_, p 114

”Peace! _minion_, peace! it boots not ers-on_”

--_Brown's Inst_, p 189

”Ye _Sylphs_ and _Sylphids_, to your chief give ear; _Fays, Faries, Genii, Elves_, and Daemons, hear!”

--_Pope, R L_, ii, 74

OBS 4--The case of nouns used in exclas, often depends, or_understood_; and, when their construction can be satisfactorily explained on the principle of ellipsis, they are _not put absolute_, unless the ellipsis be that of the participle The following exah the expressions will lose dom_ for a horse!”--_Shak_ ”And he said unto his father, My _head_! s_, iv, 19 ”And Samson said, With the jaw-bone of an ass, _heaps_ upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass, have I slain a thousand es_, xv, 16 ”Ye have heard that it hath been said, An _eye_ for an eye, and a _tooth_ for a tooth”--_Matt_, v, 38 ”_Peace_, be still”--_Mark_, iv, 39 ”One God, _world_ without end Amen”--_Coh at toil; _Fan! hood! glove! scarf!_ is her laconic style”--_Young_

OBS 5--”Such Expressions as, _Hand to Hand, Face to Face, Foot to Foot_, are of the nature of Adverbs, and are of elliptical Construction: For the Meaning is, _Hand_ OPPOSED _to Hand_, &c”--_W Ward's Graenious author seems to suppose the former noun to be here put absolute with a participle understood; and this is probably the best way of explaining the construction both of that word and of the preposition that follows it So Sa piled_ upon heaps;” and Scott's, ”_man toopposed_ toopposed_ to steel:”