the sense necessarily requires_.

To say, "I _have_ visited Washington last summer; I _have seen_ the work
more than a month ago," is not good _sense_. The constructions should
be, "I _visited_ Washington, &c.; I _saw_ the work, &c." "This mode of
expression _has been_ formerly much admired:"--"_was_ formerly much
admired." "If I _had have_ been there;" "If I _had have_ seen him;"
"_Had_ you _have_ known him," are solecisms too gross to need
correction. We can say, I _have_ been, I _had_ been; but what sort of a
tense is, _had have been_? To place _had_ before the _defective_ verb
ought, is an error equally gross and illiterate:--"_had_ ought, _hadn't_
ought." This is as low a vulgarism as the use of _theirn_, _hern_, and
_hizzen_, _tother_, _furder_, _baynt_, _this ere_, I _seed_ it, I
_tell'd_ him.

3. When we refer to a past action or event, and no part of that time in
which it took place; remains, the _imperfect_ tense should be used; but
if there is still remaining some portion of the time in which we declare
that the thing has been done, the _perfect_ tense should be employed.

Thus, we say, "Philosophers _made_ great discoveries in the last
century;" "He _was_ much afflicted last year;" but when we refer to the
present century, year, week, day, &c. we ought to use the _perfect_
tense; as, "Philosophers _have made_ great discoveries in the present
century;" "He _has been_ much afflicted this year;" "I _have read_ the
president's message this week;" "We _have heard_ important news this
morning;" because these events occurred in this century, this year, this
week, and to-day, and still there remains a part of this century, year,
week, and day, of which I speak.

In general, the perfect tense may be applied wherever the action is
connected with the present time, by the actual existence either of the
author of the work, though it may have been performed many centuries
ago; but if neither the author nor the work now remains, the perfect
tense ought not to be employed. Speaking of priests in general, we may
say, "They _have_, in all ages, _claimed_ great powers;" because the
general order of the priesthood still exists; but we cannot properly
say, "The Druid priests _have claimed_ great powers;" because that order
is now extinct. We ought, therefore, to say, "The Druid priests
_claimed_ great powers."

The following examples may serve still farther to illustrate the proper
use and application of the tenses. "My br