writers.

The citations are all taken from the fifth volume of his great work, as edited by Dean Milman :

"The use of fraud and perfidy, of cruelty and injustice, were often subservient to the propagation of the faith."-Decline and Fall.

"The richness of her arms and apparel were conspicuous in the foremost ranks."-Ibid.

"The jurisdiction of the presidents, the consulars, and the counts, were superseded by the institution of the themes or military governments."-Ibid.

“The pronunciation of the two vowels have been nearly the same."-Ibid.

Such are ordinary instances of the occurrence of this fault; but there are other forms of it which are quite as incorrect, though not quite so palpable. These arise in connexion with the words or, neither, no one, each, every one, everything, as well as, much, more, less, many a, with, little, nothing.

Or.

As the proper office of "and" is to conjoin, so that of "or" is to disjoin. And yet, how commonly do we meet with "or" performing the function of conjoining nouns singular! Examples :

"Those whose profession or whose reputation regulate public opinion."-D'ISRAELI. Curiosities.

"When the helplessness of childhood, or the frailty of woman, make an appeal to her generosity."-JEFFREY. Essays.

Satire, a poem in which wickedness or folly are censured." -WALKER. Sub voce Satire."

"Often Caulincourt or Duroc were up with him hard at work all night."-ALISON. History of Europe.

"Either a pestilence or a famine, a victory or a defeat, an oracle of the gods or the eloquence of a daring leader, were sufficient to impel the Gothic arms."-GIBBON. Decline and Fall.

Surely, the writer's meaning is that any one of those causes was sufficient to impel the Gothic arms; and not (as his use of the plural would imply) that all those causes were sufficient to produce that effect. The same remarks apply to

Neither.

"Neither Charles nor his brother were qualified to support such a system."-JUNIUS. Letters.

"How happy it is that neither of us were ill in the Hebrides!" -JOHNSON. Letter to Boswell, 17th Feb. 1774.

"In the names of objects which address the sight only, where neither noise nor motion are concerned." - BLAIR. Lectures.

"Neither bear any sign of case at all."-LATHAM. The English Language.

No one.

"No one can have lost their character by this sort of exercise."-D'ISRAELI. Curiosities.

Each.

"How far each of the three great Epic poets have distinguished themselves in this part."-BLAIR. Lectures.

"Each of these chimerical personages come from different provinces in the gesticulating land of pantomime."-D'ISRAELI. Curiosities.

"No one can consider their works without perceiving the analogy of the place each hold in their respective arts."HALLAM. Literature of Europe.

"It embraces five great periods, each of which have stamped their own peculiar impress on the character of the people."-ALISON. Essay on Karamsin's Russia.

"I have known few comrades whose loss I more deeply mourned than those of Lemon, Kempe, Brandreth, and Rosser, each of whom was warm in personal attachment, and valuable contributors to the Literary Gazette."-JERDAN. Autobiography.

Every one.

Every one of this grotesque family were the creatures of national genius."-D'ISRAELI. Curiosities.

"Every one of these polysyllables still keep their ground."Ibid.

Everything.

"Everything that painting, music, and even place furnish, were called in to interest the audience."-ALISON. Essay on the British Theatre.

As well as.

"The honour, as well as the genius of De Foe, were questioned."-D'ISRAELI. Curiosities of Literature.

"I cannot so thoroughly admire the ode addressed to sleep, which Bouterwek as well as Sedano extol." HALLAM. Literature of Europe.

"Foresight in preparation, as well as energy in action, were necessary to sustain their fortunes."-ALISON. History of Europe.

I was surprised to meet with this inaccuracy in so correct a writer as Gibbon. And even Gibbon seems to have no fixed rule on the subject; for he sometimes employs the plural, and

sometimes the singular. Here are some examples of the former :

"The temper, as well as knowledge, of a modern historian, require a more sober and accurate language."-Decline and Fall. 'Homer, as well as Virgil, were transcribed and studied on the banks of the Rhine and Danube."-Ibid.

66

In the following sentences, of a precisely similar structure, the verb is put in the singular

:

"The strength, as well as the attention, of the defenders, is divided."-Ibid.

America, as well as Europe, has received letters from the one and religion from the other."—Ibid.

"Africa, as well as Gaul, was gradually fashioned to the imitation of the capital."-Ibid.

Much.

"From every eye and soul have disappeared much of the beauty and glory both of nature and life."-WILSON. Recreations of C. North.

"Madame de Staël observes that much of the guilt and the misery which are vulgarly imputed to great talents, really arise from not having talent enough."-JEFFREY. Essays.

More.

"More than a century and a half have elapsed since the first publication of' Gondibert.'"-D'ISRAELI. Quarrels of Authors.

Less.

"At present the trade is thought to be in a depressed state, if less than a million of tons are produced in a year.”—MACAULAY. History of England.

Many a.

"There sleep many a Homer and Virgil, legitimate heirs of their genius."-D'ISRAELI. The Literary Character.

With.

"Olympus, with its multitude of stately, celestial natures, dwindle before the solitary, immutable throne of Jehovah.". GILFILLAN. Literary Portraits.

"The duchy of Pomerania, with the island of Rugen, were ceded by Sweden to the Danish crown."-ALISON. History of Europe.

In this sentence the writer makes "duchy" and "island" the nominative to "were." But sound grammar requires the verb in the singular: 1st. Because the preposition "with" has for its objective case the word "island," which cannot be at the same time both in the nominative and the objective cases. And 2ndly. Because the sentence, if transposed, will resolve itself into the following ungrammatical form :

"The duchy of Pomerania were ceded by Sweden to the Danish crown, with the island of Rugen."

And here let me remark on the strange inconsistency of certain writers. At one time, disregarding the proper office of the conjunction "and," they disjoin what it couples, and put the verb in the singular. At another time, overlooking the proper function of the preposition "with," they couple the noun which it governs with a nominative, and put the verb in the plural.

As to the form of phrase in question, the weight of authority is with those who employ the verb in