because in no case is there any such
government, except in the construction of those verbs which take the
infinitive after them without the preposition _to_. Professor Bullions will
have the infinitive to be governed by a finite verb, "when the _attribute
expressed by the infinitive is the subject_ of the other verb." An
infinitive may be made _the subject_ of a finite verb; but this grammarian
has mistaken the established meaning of _subject_, as well as of
_attribute_, and therefore written nonsense. Dr. Johnson defines his
_adverb_ TO, "A particle coming between two verbs, and noting the second as
the _object_ of the first." But of all the words which, according to my
opponents and their oracles, govern the infinitive, probably not more than
a quarter are such verbs as usually _have an object_ after them. Where then
is the propriety of their notion of infinitive government? And what
advantage has it, even where it is least objectionable?

OBS. 16.--Take for an example of this contrast the terms, "Strive to enter
in--many will seek to enter in."--_Luke_, xiii, 24. Why should it be
thought more eligible to say, that the verb _strive_ or _will seek_ governs
the infinitive verb _to enter_; than to say, that _to_ is a preposition,
showing the relation between _strive_ and _enter_, or between _will seek_
and _enter_, and governing the latter verb? (See the exact and only needful
form for parsing any such term, in the _Twelfth Praxis_ of this work.)
None, I presume, will deny, that in the Greek or the Latin of these
phrases, the finite verbs govern the infinitive; or that, in the French,
the infinitive _entrer_ is governed first by one preposition, and then by
an other. "_Contendite intrare--multi quaerent intrare_."--_Montanus_.
"Efforcez-vous _d'_entrer--plusieurs chercheront _a_ y entrer."--_French
Bible_. In my opinion, _to_ before a verb is as fairly a preposition as the
French _de_ or _a_; and it is the main design of these observations, while
they candidly show the reader what others teach, _to prove it so_. The only
construction which makes it any thing else, is that which puts it after a
verb or a participle, in the sense of an adverbial supplement; as, "The
infernal idol is bowed down _to_."--_Herald of Freedom_. "Going _to_ and
_fro_."--_Bible_. "At length he came _to_."--"Tell him to heave _to_."--"He
was ready to set _to_." With singular absurdness of opinion, some
grammarians call _to_ a preposition, when it thu