e of the "wonderful proofs of ingenuity in the _framers_ of language;"
and laboured to defend it as being "correct upon principle;" that is, upon
the principle that "_the sum of_" is understood to be the subject of the
affirmation, when one says, "Two _and_ two _is_ four," in stead of, "Two
and two _are_ four."--See _Webster's Philosophical Gram._, p. 153. This
seems to me a "wonderful proof" of _ignorance_ in a very learned man.
OBS. 8.--In Greek and Latin, the verb frequently agrees with the nearest
nominative, and is understood to the rest; and this construction is
sometimes imitated in English, especially if the nouns follow the verb: as,
"[Greek: Nuni do MENEI pistis, elpis agape, ta tria tanta]."--"Nunc vero
_manet_ fides, spes, charitas; tria haec."--"Now _abideth_ faith, hope,
charity; these three."--_1 Cor._, xiii, 13. "And now _abideth_ confession,
prayer, and praise, these three; but the greatest of these is
praise."--ATTERBURY: _Blair's Rhet._, p. 300. The propriety of this usage,
so far as our language is concerned, I doubt. It seems to open a door for
numerous deviations from the foregoing rule, and deviations of such a sort,
that if they are to be considered exceptions, one can hardly tell why. The
practice, however, is not uncommon, especially if there are more nouns than
two, and each is emphatic; as, "Wonderful _was_ the patience, fortitude,
self-denial, _and_ bravery of our ancestors."--_Webster's Hist. of U. S._,
p. 118. "It is the very thing I would have you make out: for therein
_consists_ the form, and use, and nature of language."--_Berkley's
Alciphron_, p. 161. "There _is_ the proper noun, and the common noun. There
_is_ the singular noun, and the plural noun."--_Emmons's Gram._, p. 11.
"From him _proceeds_ power, sanctification, truth, grace, and every other
blessing we can conceive."--_Calvin's Institutes_, B. i, Ch. 13. "To what
purpose _cometh_ there to me incense from Sheba, _and_ the sweet cane from
a far country?"--_Jer._, vi, 20. "For thine _is_ the kingdom, _and_ the
power, _and_ the glory, forever."--_Matt._, vi, 13. In all these instances,
the plural verb might have been used; and yet perhaps the singular may be
justified on the ground that there is a distinct and emphatic enumeration
of the nouns. Thus, it would be proper to say, "Thine _are_ the kingdom,
the power, and the glory;" but this construction seems less emphatic than
the preceding, which means, "For thine is the kingdom, _thin