and if this citation from me, was meant for a
confirmation of the reasonless dogmatism preceding, it is not made with
fairness, because my _opinion_ of the construction is omitted by the
quoter. See _Institutes of English Gram._, p. 162. In an other late
grammar,--a shameful work, because it is in great measure a tissue of petty
larcenies from my Institutes, with alterations for the worse,--I find the
following absurd "Note," or Rule: "An infinitive or participle is often
followed by a substantive _explanatory_ of an _indefinite_ person or thing.
The substantive is then in the _objective_ case, and may be called the
_objective after the infinitive_, or _participle_; [as,] It is an honor to
be the _author_ of such a work. His being a great _man_, did not make him a
happy man. By being an obedient _child_, you will secure the approbation of
your parents."--_Farnum's Practical Gram._, 1st Ed., p. 25. The first of
these examples is elliptical; (see Obs. 12th above, and the Marginal Note;)
the second is bad English,--or, at' any rate, directly repugnant to the
rule for same cases; and the third parsed wrong by the rule: "_child_" is
in the nominative case. See Obs. 7th above.

[362] When the preceding case is not "_the verb's nominative_" this phrase
must of course be omitted; and when the word which is to be corrected, does
not literally follow the verb, it may be proper to say, "_constructively
follows_," in lieu of the phrase, "_comes after_."

[363] The author of this example supposes _friend_ to be in the nominative
case, though _John's_ is in the possessive, and both words denote the same
person. But this is not only contrary to the general rule for the same
cases, but contrary to his own application of one of his rules. Example:
"_Maria's_ duty, as a _teacher_, is, to instruct her pupils." Here, he
says, "_Teacher_ is in the _possessive_ case, from its relation to the name
_Maria_, denoting the same object."--_Peirce's Gram._, p. 211. This
explanation, indeed, is scarcely intelligible, on account of its
grammatical inaccuracy. He means, however, that, "_Teacher_ is in the
possessive case, from its relation to the name _Maria's_, the two words
denoting the same object." No word can be possessive "from its relation to
the name _Maria_," except by standing immediately before it, in the usual
manner of possessives; as, "_Sterne's Maria_."

[364] Dr. Webster, who was ever ready to justify almost any usage for which
he co