age must have obtained the sanction of good
usage."--_Ib._, p. 143.

CHAPTER X.--PREPOSITIONS.

The syntax of Prepositions consists, not solely or mainly in their power of
governing the objective case, (though this alone is the scope which most
grammarians have given it,) but in their adaptation to the other terms
between which they express certain relations, such as appear by the sense
of the words uttered.

RULE XXIII.--PREPOSITIONS.

Prepositions show the relations of words, and of the things or thoughts
expressed by them: as; "He came _from_ Rome _to_ Paris, _in_ the company
_of_ many eminent men, and passed _with_ them _through_ many
cities"--_Analectic Magazine_.

"Ah! who can tell the triumphs _of_ the mind,
_By_ truth illumin'd, and _by_ taste refin'd?"--_Rogers_.

EXCEPTION FIRST.

The preposition _to_, before an abstract infinitive, and at the head of a
phrase which is made the subject of a verb, has no proper antecedent term
of relation; as, "_To_ learn to die, is the great business of
life."--_Dillwyn_. "Nevertheless, _to_ abide in the flesh, is more needful
for you."--ST. PAUL: _Phil._, i, 24. "_To_ be reduced to poverty, is a
great affliction."

"Too much _to_ know, is, to know nought but fame;
And every godfather can give a name."--_Shakspeare_.

EXCEPTION SECOND.

The preposition _for_, when it introduces its object before an infinitive,
and the whole phrase is made the subject of a verb, has properly no
antecedent term of relation; as, "_For_ us to learn to die, is the great
business of life."--"Nevertheless, _for_ me to abide in the flesh, is more
needful for you."--"_For_ an old man to be reduced to poverty is a very
great affliction."

"_For_ man to tell how human life began,
Is hard; for who himself beginning knew?"--_Milton_.

OBSERVATIONS ON RULE XXIII.

OBS. 1.--In parsing any ordinary preposition, the learner should name the
_two terms_ of the relation, and apply the foregoing rule, after the manner
prescribed in Praxis 12th of this work. The principle is simple and
etymological, being implied in the very definition of a preposition, yet
not the less necessary to be given as a rule of syntax. Among tolerable
writers, the prepositions exhibit more errors than any other equal number
of words. This is probably owing to the careless manner in which they are
usually slurred over in parsing. But the parsers, in general, have at least
this excuse, that t