173. A is the first letter of the alphabet, and the character answering to it was, previous to the Arabian figures, used for the number one, in most known languages, except the Coptic, or Ethiopian, in which it was the eleventh. This letter, with a trifling addition, became an or ane. It made the first number, as actually written, in the Syriac, Teutonic, and Scandinavian dialects, and runs through most languages of northern Europe at the present day.

The difference between a and two belongs to arithmetic, and not to grammar.

174. The errors into which men may be carried through traditionary prejudice, is a subject of curious contemplation. The following, from Murray's grammar, Chapter II. "Of the Articles," is an attempt to illustrate the distinctive force of a and the, according to the received theory of these two words, as a separate part of speech. "Thou art A man," is a very general and harmless position; but "Thou art The man," as Nathan said to David, is an assertion capable of striking terror and remorse into the heart."

This may sound well to persons inclined to take upon trust whatever is offered as a rule of language. A moment's attention will show whether the operation, here imputed to a and the, has any existence, except in imagination, or the connexion with other words.

175. Suppose that, after the treacherous attempt to deliver West Point to Sir Henry Clinton, the three American patriots had met and arrested Arnold, with the declaration, "thou art A traitor!" would not "this very harmless position have struck terror and remorse into the heart" of the culprit?

and suppose that Major André, instead of being executed in America, had gone home triumphant, to meet Miss Sneyd, and received from her the declaration, "My heart long since determined the husband of my choice, and Thou art the man :" would it probably have produced the same effect on the British lover, as Nathan's assertion did on King David? Whatever terror or joy might be conveyed by either of these expressions, does not depend on the adjective a or the, but on the association of circumstances.

176. According to most Greek grammarians, there is one article in that language; and the noun is indefinitely defined by the "negation" of an article.

"Articulus est duplex; prepositivus ỏ, ʼn, rò, hic, hæc, hoc; subjunctivus, ös,,, qui, quæ, quod.” -Westminster Greek Grammar. ́Art.

177. The learned Dr. Adam, in his Latin Grammar, states that there is no article in that language, and that this want is a great defect. This defect is one which Cicero and Quinctillian seem never to have suspected; and the greatest difficulty, in explaining on this point, is the seeming presumption of even remotely hinting that the Rector of the high school of Edinburgh had not read his Latin books with sufficient attention. It is altogether probable that Dr. Adam would not have found this defect in a language abounding in articles, if Dr. Wilkins, and other authors, of more reputation than sound. philosophy, had not made it before him.

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Appius decreto præfatus quam libertati faverit, eam ipsam legem declarare, quam Virginii amici postulatione suæ prætendant."-T. Livii, III. 45. "The Romans, in solemn oaths, used to hold a

flint stone in their right hand, saying, "Si sciens fallo, tum me, diespiter, salva urbe, arceque, bonis ejiciat, ut ego hunc lapidem. Festus in Lapis."Adam's "Antiquities." Ch. VI. p. 264.

178. Dr. Adam's example is Filius Regis, which

he says may mean, a son of a king, the son of the king, a son of the king, or the son of a king.

As he leaves the matter, one would suppose the Latin language afforded no means of rendering this idea more specific.

The phrase means, of course, a son of a king, or one son of one king; for it is most clearly restricted to the singular number. If it was necessary to specify identity as well as extension, it would be done by employing some of the many words with which the Latin language abounds for that purpose: is, quis, hic, ipse, ille, iste, meus, tuus, suus, noster, vester, and others.

179. Besides that a word precisely equivalent to an article, or specifying adjective, is contained in the Latin and Greek terminations, additional articles are often prefixed, and sometimes two or three to the same noun, "to point them out" more definitely, and show with great precision "how far the signification extends." In the very example, "filius regis," which Dr. Adam has given, the Latin books supply the deficiency which he has alleged, under every form of its supposed existence. Ipse filius regis, and filius ipsius regis, are too well known to good Latin scholars to need special quotations.

180. One mistake of the grammarians has led to considerable errors in practice. It has been common to represent these and those, as the direct plural forms of this and that. They have, in some degree,

a correlative application: but those is no more the plural of that, than five and ten are simple plurals of

one.

The nice distinction between the "definite article," and the "demonstrative adjective pronouns," as to their measure of meaning, is commonly this:

181. The is applied to a thing which is before sufficiently understood, or where it is not necessary to be particularly "definite;" and this, that, these, and those, refer to nouns more emphatically, with some concomitant explanation.

The moon.

"This moon that rose last night, round as my shield."

Give me the news-paper.

Give me that news-paper which lies yonder. "The Heavens declare the glory of God." "Above these Heavens, to us invisible, or dimly seen, in these thy lower works."

182. In the colloquial use of these words, some visible sign, as a look or motion, often forms the attendant explanation; as, give me that volume and take this. Such allusions are, from familiar habit, carried into written language, with some reference to surrounding objects.

The satellites of Jupiter.

Those satellites which revolve around Jupiter.

183. But the specifying adjective of relation, where it can be used, is the best "article" to point out nouns, and show how far their signification extends; as, Jupiter's satellites; which means, with precise limitation and identity, those four particular satellites which revolve around the planet Jupiter. A father, the father, my father, John's father.

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Does not every person see, at once, that these possessives," as words to "ascertain what particular thing or things are meant," are better" definite articles" than the ?

184. There is one other rule of the grammars, respecting the adjectives a and the, which will require a moment's attention.

"A substantive without any* article to limit it, is generally taken in its widest sense; as "man is mortal."

"A candid temper is proper for man; that is, for all mankind." The application is correct in this particular instance; but for a different reason from any thing which is to be understood by the rule. All mankind partake of a common nature, and the same mortality and the same moral temper which belong to one, extend to the whole.

"So God created man in his own image.”—Ex. I. To explain this sentence by the same principle, it would read "All Gods, true and false, created in one day, the whole human race in every possible form."

185. If we should ask "what is the price of flour in market?" it would, by this rule of construction, mean all flour kind in all the markets in the world. This would give an extent and importance to the question which a merchant, unacquainted with grammar, would never suspect.

"Seven candlesticks," according to the same system, would imply all the candlesticks, to the greatest conceivable extent; because seven is not

* Any article means, according to Mr. Murray, any one of the two, a and the.