ΕΠΕΑ ΠΤΕΡΟΕΝΤΑ, &c. I CHAP. VII. OF CONJUNCTIONS. H. WAS afraid of fome fuch inftances as thefe, when I wished to poftpone the whole confideration of this subject till after we had discuffed the other received Parts of Speech. Because, in order to explain it, I must forestall something of what I had to say concerning Conjunctions. However, fince the question is started, perhaps it may be as well to give it here. The truth of the matter is, that IF is merely a Verb. It is merely the Imperative of the Gothic and Anglo-faxon verb гIFAN, Lipan. And in those languages, as well as in the English formerly, this fuppofed Conjunction was pronounced and written as the common Imperative, purely rik, Gif, Gif. Thus -"My "My largeffe "Hath lotted her to be your brother's mistreffe And accordingly our corrupted IF has always the signification of the English Imperative Give; and no other. So that the refolution of the conftruction in the instances you have produced, will be as before in the others. RESOLUTION. "His feelings be the fame with mine, GIVE THAT, I "wonder he can move, &c." "The King may have forgotten your good deferts, GIVE THAT in any way, he bids you name your griefs." And here, as an additional proof, we may obferve, that whenever the Datum, upon which any conclufion depends, is a sentence, the Article THAT, if not expreffed, is always understood, and may be inferted after IF. As in the inftance I have produced above, the Poet might have said, Gif that she can be reclaimed," &c.. For the refolution is-" She can be reclaimed, Give "that; my largeffe hath lotted her to be your brother's * Sad Shepherd, A& II. Scene 1. 9 "miftreffe. "mistreffe. She cannot be reclaimed, Give that; my largeffe "hath lotted her to be your brother's prey." But the Article THAT is not understood, and cannot be inferted after IF, where the Datum is not a sentence, but As, fome Noun governed by the Verb IF or GIve. EXAMPLE. "How will the weather difpofe of you to-morrow? IF "fair, it will fend me abroad; I foul, it will keep me "at home." Here we cannot fay-" IF THAT fair it will send me "abroad; IF THAT foul it will keep me at home."-Because in this cafe the verb IF governs the Noun; and the refolved conftruction is, " GIVE fair weather, it will fend me abroad; GIVE foul "weather, it will keep me at home." But make the Datum a fentence, As-" IF it is fair "weather, it will fend me abroad; IF it is foul weather, "it will keep me at home." And then the article THAT is understood, and may be inferted after IF; As-" IF THAT it is fair weather, it will ❝ fend 2 "fend me abroad; IF THAT it is foul weather, it will keep "me at home." The refolution then being, "It is fair weather, GIVE THAT; it will fend me abroad; "It is foul weather, GIVE THAT; it will keep me at home." And this you will find to hold univerfally, not only with IF; but with many other fuppofed Conjunctions, such as, But that, Unless that, Though that, Left that, &c. (which are really Verbs) put in this manner before the Article THAT. B. One word more to clear up a difficulty which occurs to me concerning your account of IF, and I have done. We have in English another word which (though now rather obsolete) used frequently to fupply the place of ir. As-❝ AN you had any eye behind you, you might see more "detraction at your heels, than fortunes before you *." In this and in all fimilar inftances, what is AN? For I can by no means agree with the account which Dr. S. Johnson * Twelfth Night, Act II. Scene 8. P gives |