drive a brougham.--THACKERAY.

In New York I read a newspaper criticism one day, commenting upon
a letter _of mine_.--_Id._

What would the last two sentences mean if the word _my_ were written
instead of _of mine_, and preceded the nouns?

[Sidenote: _About the case of absolute pronouns._]

88. In their function, or use in a sentence, the absolute possessive
forms of the personal pronouns are very much like adjectives used as
nouns.

In such sentences as, "_The good_ alone are great," "None but _the
brave_ deserves _the fair_," the words italicized have an adjective
force and also a noun force, as shown in Sec. 20.

So in the sentences illustrating absolute pronouns in Sec. 86: _mine_
stands for _my property_, _his_ for _his property_, in the first
sentence; _mine_ stands for _my praise_ in the second. But the first
two have a nominative use, and _mine_ in the second has an objective
use.

They may be spoken of as possessive in form, but nominative or
objective in use, according as the modified word is in the nominative
or the objective.

III. The Objective.

[Sidenote: _The old_ dative _case._]

89. In Old English there was one case which survives in use, but not
in form. In such a sentence as this one from Thackeray, "Pick _me_ out
a whip-cord thong with some dainty knots in it," the word _me_ is
evidently not the direct object of the verb, but expresses _for whom_,
_for whose benefit_, the thing is done. In pronouns, this dative
use, as it is called, was marked by a separate case.

[Sidenote: _Now the objective._]

In Modern English the same _use_ is frequently seen, but the _form_ is
the same as the objective. For this reason a word thus used is called
a dative-objective.

The following are examples of the dative-objective:--

Give _me_ neither poverty nor riches.--_Bible._

Curse _me_ this people.--_Id._

Both joined in making _him_ a present.--MACAULAY

Is it not enough that you have _burnt me_ down three houses with
your dog's tricks, and be hanged to you!--LAMB

I give _thee_ this to wear at the collar.--SCOTT

[Sidenote: _Other uses of the objective._]

90. Besides this use of the objective, there are others:--

(1) _As the direct object of a verb._

They all handled _it_.--LAMB

(2) _As the object of a preposition._

Time is behind _them_ and before _them_.--CARLYLE.

(3) _In apposition._

She sate all last s