Encyclopaedia Britannica; or, A dictionary of arts and sciences, compiled upon a new plan … > Volume 2, C-L

GRAM
ier ; other men:—A great number of individuals ta¬
ken cdlettively ; many men :—Afmall number ; few
men :—A proportionally greater number; more men :—
Smaller number; fewer men:—And fo on we might go
almofl to infinitude. But not to dwell longer upon this
article, we (hall only remark, “ that minute changes in
principles, lead to mighty changes in effects; fo
that principles are well entitled to regard, however
trivial they may appear.
Chapter IV.
Of CONNECTIVES.
Connectives, according as they conned either fen-
fences or ‘words,wz called by the different names of con¬
junctions, or prepositions. Of thefe names, that
of the prepojiiion is taken from a mere accident, as it
commonly Hands in connedtion before the part which it
conne&s. The conjunction, as is evident, has reference
to its effential character, We Hull treat of thefe two
feparately.
Seclion I. Of Conjunctions.
A conjunction is a part of fpeech void of fignifi-
cation itfelf, but fo formed as to help fignification, by
making two or more fignificant fentences to be one
Jignificant fentence. As, therefore, it is the ejfence of a
Conjunction to conneCl fentences ; at the fame time that
they do this, they muft either conned their meaning or
not. For example, let us take thefe two fentences,
Rome nuas enfaved,—Cue far was ambitious, and conned
them together by the conjundion because ; Rome was
enfaved, because Caifar was ambitious. Here the.
meanings, as well as the fentences, appear to be conned-
ed. But if I fay, manners muf be reformed, ovl liber¬
ty will be loft ; here the conjundion or, though it
join the fentences, yet, as to their refpedive meanings, is
a perfed disjundive. And thus it appears, that though
all conjundions conjoin fentences, yet, with refped to
the fenfe, feme are conjunctive, and others are dis¬
junctive.
Thofe conjunctions which conjoin both fentences and
their meanings are either copulatives or continu-
atives. The principal copulative in Englijh is and.
The continuatives are much more numerous; if, be¬
cause, therefore, wherefore, hence, that.
The difference between thefe js this ; The co¬
pulative does no more than barely couple fentences,.
and is therefore applicable to all. fubjeds whofe na¬
tures are not incompatible: Continuatives, on the, con¬
trary, by a more intimate connedion, confolidate fen¬
tences into one continuous whole', and"are therefore.-
applicable only to fubjeds which have an efential co¬
incidence'. For example, it is no way improper to fay,
Lyfippus was a ftatuary, and Prifcian a grammarian ;
ibefun Jhinetb, ahts the Jky is clear-, becaufe thefe are
things that may co-exift, and yet imply no abfurdity.
But it would be abfurd.to fay, Lyfippus was a fatuary}
M A R. 743:
because Prifcian was a grammarian', though not to-
fay, the fun Jhineth because the Jky is clear. The rea-
fon is, with refped to the full, the co-incidenee is mere¬
ly accidental: with refped to the laft, it is ejfenlial, and
founded in nature.
he, continuatives, they are suppositive, fuch
ifor positive, fuch as becaufe, therefore, as, fyc.
Take examples of each:—Tou will live happily you
live honefly —Tou live happily because you live ho-
neftly.—Tou live honefly, therefore you live happily.
The difference between thefe continuatives is this : The
fuppoftives denote connedion, but do not affert adual
exiftence; the pof lives imply both the one and the other.
Thefe pofttives above-mentioned are either casual,
fuch %.% becaufe, fince, as, <bc. or collective,
fuch as therefore, wherefore, foe. The difference be -
tween which is this: The cafuals fubjoin caufes to ef-
feds ; “ the fun is in ecclipfe because the moon inter¬
venes The colledives fubjoin effects to caufes; “ the
moon intervenes, therefore the fun is in echpfe." We
therefore ufe cafuals in thofe indances where the effed
being confpicuous we feek for its caufe; and colledives,
in demonftrations and fcience, properly fo called, where
the caufe being firft known, by its help we difeern ef-
feds.
All thefe continuatives are refolvable into copulatives:
For, inftead of faying, Because it is day, it it is light;
we may fay, It is day, and it is light. Inftead of If
it is day, it is light ; we may fay. It is at the fame time
neceffary-to be day, and to be light. The reafon is, That
the power of the copulative extends to all connedions,
as well to the effential as to the cafual. Hence the con-
tinuative may be refolved into a copulative and fomething;
more ; that is to fay, into a copulative implying an effen- -
tial coincidence in the fubjeds conjoined.,
As to cafual conjundions, we. may further obferve, .
that there is no one of the four fpecies of caufes which. -
they are not capable of denoting. Forexample, /^mate¬
rial caufe\ The trumpet founds, because it is made of
metal. The formal ; The trumpet founds, because//
is long and hollow. The efficient ; The trutnpet
founds, because an arlift blows it. The final: The
trumpet founds, that it may roufe our courage. It is
worth obferving, that the three iirft caufes are exprelfed
by the ftrongeft affirmation ; becaufe, if the effed adually
be, that muft be alfo. But this is not the cafe with re- -
fped to the laft, which is only affirmed as a thing that
may happen. The reafon is. That however this may be
the end which fet the artift firft to work, it may ftill be
beyond his power to obtain, and which, like all other
contingents, may either happen or not. Hence alfo it is
conneded by a particular conjundion, that,1 ahfolutely
confined to this caufe.
We now come, to the disjunctive conjunctions;:
a fpecies of words which bear th's contradidory name, .
becaufe, while thvg x>i%io\n .the fenfe, they conjoin
the fentences.
With refped to thefe, we may obferve, that as there
is a principle of union diffufed through all things by
which this whole is kept together and preferved from
dilfipation j fa there is, in like, manner, a principle of dj-