been frequent; and that of on for of, or on't for of it, though it may never have been a polite custom, is now a manifest archaism, or imitation of ancient usage. "And so my young Master, whatever comes on't, must have a Wife look'd out for him."—Locke, on Ed., p. 378. In Saxon, on was put for more than half a dozen of our present prepositions. The difference between of and on or upon, appears in general to be obvious enough; and yet there are some phrases in which it is not easy to determine which of these words ought to be preferred: as, "Many things they cannot lay hold on at once."—HOOKER: Joh. Dict. "Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it."—2 SAM.: ib. "Rather thou shouldst lay hold upon him."—BEN JONSON: ib. "Let them find courage to lay hold on the occasion."—MILTON: ib. "The hand is fitted to lay hold of objects."—RAY: ib. "My soul took hold on thee."—ADDISON: ib. "To lay hold of this safe, this only method of cure."—ATTERBURY: ib. "And give fortune no more hold of him."—DRYDEN: ib. "And his laws take the surest hold of us."—TILLOTSON: ib. "It will then be impossible you can have any hold upon him."—SWIFT: ib. "The court of Rome gladly laid hold on all the opportunities."—Murray's Key, ii, p. 198. "Then did the officer lay hold of him and execute him."—Ib., ii, 219. "When one can lay hold upon some noted fact."—Blair's Rhet., p. 311. "But when we would lay firm hold of them."—Ib., p. 28. "An advantage which every one is glad to lay hold of."—Ib., p. 75. "To have laid fast hold of it in his mind."—Ib., p. 94. "I would advise them to lay aside their common-places, and to think closely of their subject."—Ib., p. 317. "Did they not take hold of your fathers?"—Zech., i, 6. "Ten men shall take hold of the skirt of one that is a Jew."—Ib., viii, 23. "It is wrong to say, either 'to lay hold of a thing,' or 'to take hold on it.'"—Blair's Gram., p. 101. In the following couplet, on seems to have been preferred only for a rhyme:
"Yet, lo! in me what authors have to brag on!
Reduc'd at last to hiss in my own dragon."—Pope.
OBS. 19.—In the allowable uses of prepositions, there may perhaps be some room for choice; so that what to the mind of a critic may not appear the fittest word, may yet be judged not positively ungrammatical. In this light I incline to view the following examples: "Homer's plan is still more defective, upon another account."—Kames, El. of Crit., ii, 299. Say—"on an other account." "It was almost eight of the clock before I could leave that variety of objects."—Spectator, No. 454. Present usage requires—"eight o'clock." "The Greek and Latin writers had a considerable advantage above us."—Blair's Rhet., p. 114. "The study of oratory has this advantage above that of poetry."—Ib., p. 338. "A metaphor has frequently an advantage above a formal comparison."— Jamieson's Rhet., p. 150. This use of above seems to be a sort of Scotticism: an Englishman, I think, would say—"advantage over us," &c. "Hundreds have all these crowding upon them from morning to night."—Abbott's Teacher, p. 33. Better—"from morning till night." But Horne Tooke observes, "We apply TO indifferently to place or time; but TILL to time only, and never to place. Thus we may say, 'From morn TO night th' eternal larum rang;' or, 'From morn TILL night.' &c."—Diversions of Purley, i, 284.
NOTES TO RULE XXIII.
NOTE I.—Prepositions must be chosen and employed agreeably to the usage and idiom of the language, so as rightly to express the relations intended. Example of error: "By which we arrive to the last division."—Richard W. Green's Gram., p. vii. Say,—"arrive at." NOTE II.—Those prepositions which are particularly adapted in meaning to two objects, or to more, ought to be confined strictly to the government of such terms only as suit them. Example of error: "What is Person? It is the medium of distinction between the speaker, the object addressed or spoken to, and the object spoken of."—O. B. Peirce's Gram., p. 34. "Between three" is an incongruity; and the text here cited is bad in several other respects.
NOTE III.—An ellipsis or omission of the preposition is inelegant, except where long and general use has sanctioned it, and made the relation sufficiently intelligible. In the following sentence, of is needed: "I will not flatter you, that all I see in you is worthy love."—Shakspeare. The following requires from: "Ridicule is banished France, and is losing ground in England."—Kames, El. of Crit., i, 106.
NOTE IV.—The insertion of a preposition is also inelegant, when the particle is needless, or when it only robs a transitive verb of its proper regimen; as, "The people of England may congratulate to themselves."—DRYDEN: Priestley's Gram., p. 163. "His servants ye are, to whom ye obey."—Rom., vi, 16.
NOTE V.—The preposition and its object should have that position in respect to other words, which will render the sentence the most perspicuous and agreeable. Examples of error: "Gratitude is a forcible and active principle in good and generous minds."—Murray's Key, 8vo, p. 169. Better: "In good and generous minds, gratitude is a forcible and active principle." "By a single stroke, he knows how to
