2. Si Positivus non desinat in 2. If the Positive ends not in er, Superlativus formatur a er, the Superlative is formed from proximo Casu ini, addendo ssi- the next Case in i, by adding ssimus; ut,

mus; as,

Gen. Docti, doctissimus, most learned; Dat. miti, mitissimus, most meek.

By Grammattical COMPARISON, we understand three Adjective Nouns, of which the two last are formed from the first, and import Comparison with it, that is, heightening or lessening of its Signification.

Consequently those Adjectives only which are capable of having their Signification increased or diminished, can be compared. The POSITIVE signifies the Quality of a Thing simply and absolutely; as Durus, hard; Parvus, little..

The COMPARATIVE heightens or lessens that Quality; as, Durior, harder; Minor, less.

The SUPERLATIVE heightens or lessens it to a very high or very low degree; as Durissimus, hardest, or most hard; Min imus, very little, or least.

The Positive hath various Terminations; the Comparative ends always in or and us; the Superlative always in mus,ma,тит.

[The Positive, properly speaking, is no Degree of Comparison, for it does not compare Things together: however, it is accounted one, because the other two are founded upon, and formed from it.]

The sign of the Comparative in our Language is the Sylla ble er added to an Adjective, or the word more put before it. The sign of the Superlative is the Syllable est added to an Adjective, or the words very or most put before it.

NOTE. That when the Positive is a long word, or would othe erwise sound harsh by having er or est added to t, we commonly make the Comparative by the word more, and the Superlative by most or very put before it.

And for the like Reason, the Latin Comparative is sometimes made by Magis, and the Superlative by Valde or Maximè put before the Positive. And these are particularly used when the Positive ends in us with a Vowel before it; as, Pius, godly; Arduus, high; Idoneus, fit; though not always.

IRREGULAR COMPARISONS.

1. Bonus, melior, optimus:

Malus, pejor, pessimus:
Magnus, major, maximus:
Parvus, minor, minimus:

Good, better, best.

Evil, worse, worst.
Great, greater, greatest.
Little, less,

{

Multus, plurimus; multa, plurima; multum, plus, plurimum: much, more, most.

2. Facinis, easy; Humilis, low; Similis, like; make their Superlative by changing is into limus; thus, facillimus, humillimus,

(

simillimus.

Exter, outward; Citer, hither; Supěrus, above; Inferus, below; Postěrus, behind, have regular Comparatives; but their Superlatives are, extremus, (or extimus,) uttermost; citimus, hithermost; suprēmus (or summus,) uppermost, highest, last; infimus, (or imus,) lowest; postrēmus (or postumus,) latest or last. 4. Compounds in Dicus, Loquus, Ficus and Volus, have entior, and entissimus; as, Maledicus, one that raileth; Magniloquus, one that boasteth; Beneficus, Beneficent; Malevolus, Malevolent. But these seem rather to come from Participles or Nouns in ens. Besides, the Comparatives and Superlatives of Adjectives derived from Loquor and Facio are very rare; and Terence has Mirificissimus, and Plautus has Mendaciloquius.

5. Prior, former, has Primus, first; Ulterior, farther, Ultimus, farthest or last; Propior, nearer, Proximus, nearest or next; Ocior, swifter, Ocissimus, swiftest; their Positives being out of use, or quite wanting. Proximus has also another Comparative formed from it, viz. Proximior.

6. There are also a great many other Adjectives capable of having their Signification increased, which yet want one or more of these Degrees of Comparison; as, Albus, white, without Comparative and Superlative; Ingens, great, Ingentior, greater, without the Superlative; Sacer, holy, Sacerrimus, most holy, without the Comparative; Anterior, former, without Positive and Superlative.

These three Degrees of Comparison being nothing else but three distinct Adjectives, may be declined either severally, each by itself, or jointly together; respect still being had to their Declensions. But the first Way is much easier, and will answer all the Purposes of Comparison as well as the other.

CAP. II.

DE PROΝΟΜΙΝΕ.

M. QUOT sunt Pronomina* simplicia?

D. Octodecim; Ego, Tu, Sui, Ille, Ipse, Iste, Hic, Is, Quis, Qui,

CHAP. II.

OF PRONOUN.

M. HOW many* simple Pronouns are there ?

S. Eighteen; Ego, Tu, Sui, Ille, Ipse, Iste, Hic, Is, Quis, Meus, Tuus, Suus, Noster, Ves-Qui, Meus, Tuus, Suus, Noster, ter, Nostras, Vestras, & Cujas. Vester, Nostras, Vestras, &

Cujas.

Ex his, tria sunt Substanti- Of these, three are Substanva; Ego, Tu, Sui; reliqua quin-tives, Ego, Tu, Sui; the other decim, sunt Adjectiva.

fifteen are Adjectives.

A PRONOUN is an irregular kind of Noun; or it is a Part of Speech, which has respect to, and supplies the Place of a Noun; as, instead of your name, I say, Tus Thou or You; instead of Jacobus fecit, James did it, I say, Ille fecit, He did it, viz. James.

NOTE 1. That the Dat. Mihi, is sometimes by the Poets contracted into mi.

NOTE 2. That of old, the Gen. Plur. of Ego was Nostrorum, and Nostrarum; of Tu, Vestrorum and Vestrarum, (of which there are several examples in Plautus and Terence) which were afterwards contracted into Nostrum and Vestrúm.

C2

NOTE 3. That we use Nostrum and Vestrúm after Numerals, Partitives, Comparatives, and Superlatives; and Nostri and Vestri after other Nouns and Verbs; though there want not some Examples of these last with Nostrum and Vestrum, even in Cicero himself, as Vossius shews.

Ille, illa, illud, He, She, That or It.

Abl. illo, illa, illo:

Abl. illis,

illis,

illis.

Ipse, ipsa, ipsum, He himself, she herself, itself; and iste

ista, istud, he, she, that, are declined as ille, save only that ipse

hath ipsum, in the Nom. Acc. and Voc. Sing. Neut.

Gen. eorum, earum, eorum,

Quis, quæ, quod vel quid? Who, which, what ?

G. cujus, cujus, cujus,

D. cui,

cui, cui,

quæ, quod v. quid,

D. queis v. quibus,

quæ,

ν.

A. quo, qua, quo:

A. quem, quam, quod v. quid, A. quos, quas,

Dat. iis vel eis,

Acc. eos, eas,
Voc.

ea,

Abl. iis vel eis.

Meus, my or mine; Tuus, thy, or thine; Suus, his own, her own, its own, their own, are declined like Bonus, -a, -um; and Noster, our, or ours; Vester, your, or yours; like Pulcher, -chra, -chrum, of the First and Second Declension. But Tuus, Suus, and Vester want the Vocative; Noster and Meus have it, in which this last hath mi (and sometimes meus) in the Masculine Singular.

Nostras, of our Country; Vestras, of your Country; Cujas, of what or which Country; are declined like Felix of the Third Declension; Gen. nostrātis, Dat. nostrāti, &c.

NOTE 1. That all Nouns and Pronouns which one cannot call upon, or address himself unto, want the Vocative. In consequence of which Rule, many Nouns, as Nullus, Nemo, Qualis, Quantus, Quot, &c. and several Pronouns, as Ego, Sui, Quis, &c. want the Vocative; but not so many, either of the one or the other, as is commonly taught. For which Reason we have given Vocatives to Ille, Ipse, Hic, and Idem, therein following the Judgment of the great Vossius, Messieurs de Port Royal, and Johnson, which they support by the following Authorities : Esto nunc, Sol, testis, & hæc mihi terra precanti. Virg. Æn. 12. Tu mihi libertas illa paterna veni. Tibul. lib. 2. El. 4. O nox illa, quæ pene æternas huic urbi tenebras attulisti. Cic. pro Flas. Ipse meas æther accipe summe preces. Ovid in Ibin.

And the Vocative of Idem seems to be confirmed by that of Ovid, Met. 15.

-Quique fuisti

Hyppolites, dixit, nunc idem Virbius esto.

Though all Authors before them will only allow four Pronouns; viz. Tu, Meus, Noster and Nostras, to have the Vocative.

NOTE 2. That Qui is sometimes used for Quis; as, Cic. Qui tantus fuit labor? Ter. Qui erit rumor populi, si id feceris.