V. The measure of any thing has the prepofition air before the dimenfion; as, da fhichid traigh air doimhnachd, forty feet deep.

VI. Adjectives of plenty and want govern the genitive or dative; thus, lan fion, full of wine; fallamh do thuigfe, void of understanding.

All thofe Adjectives which fignify any affection of the mind have the preposition air before the follow. ing nouns; thus, math air fairge, experienced at fea; eolach air lagh, skilled in law, juris peritus.

VII. An active verb governs the Accufative; as, bhuail e me, he ftruck me : fcriobh e littir, he wrote a letter:-Duifgidh fuath imreafon : ach folachidh gradh gach cionta.-Hatred ftirreth up ftrife; but love covereth all fins.Prov.

N. B. We cannot with ftrict propriety say that the Galic has an accufative, because the nominative and accufative are always the fame. This conftruction means, that the noun (next to its immediate nominative) following the verb must be of the nominative cafe. To prove this, duifgidh imreafon is the verb and nominative, as well as duifgidh fuath, only fuath is here next the verb: fo both are of the nominative; the fituation only determining the nominative or perfon, and the governed noun.

EXCEPTION.

EXCEPTION. If the verb be of the infinitive, or of any of the combined tenfes, where the participle occurs, the noun following is of the genitive cafe ; as, dh'eifdachd fgeoil, to hear news; ag rufgadh nan craobh, ftripping the trees. And if the word governed be any of the pronouns, it must go before the verb; thus, Bhraithre ionmhin tha an scrioptoir ag ar brofnuchadh ann iomad ait, &c.-Dearly beloved brethren, the Scripture moveth us in fundry places, &c.

Here I think it proper to interdict the falfe con, structions common in converfation, and which the Rev. Mr Macfarlane of Killinvir, the only perfon who seems to have studied the genius of the lan、 guage, frequently falls into. Inftead of writing ag ar brofnuchadh, he writes, as it is rapidly pronounced in common speech, gar brofnuchadh; nor does he at the fame time account for the part of speech gar, but leaves it mysterious and undetermined. In like manner gam, instead of ag mo; as, ag mo bhuair adh, bhuairadh,

disturbing or tempting me; gam bhuairadh: fo gam eifdachd, or ga m' eifdachd, in place of ag m' eifdachd, hearing me, or listening to me: fo likewife gan, in place of ag an; as, gan eifdachd, instead of ag an eifdachd. The cause of this mistake, I am certain, is writing from the ear only, without an allowance for the velocity of found.

VIII. The infinitive (formed by the dative of the prefent participle) follows a verb of motion; as chu

aidh e dhufgadh chlach, he went to raise ftones; or has the noun governed going before it; as, tha e ceart Dia mholadh, it is right to praise God: and if an adjective come before it, though at a distance, the afpirate his dropped, or the nominative of the participle is used; thus, Is egin dhamh fcriobhadh, I must write; tha mi deonach dol amach, I am willing to go

out.

IX. The auxiliary verb ata, or tha, and is, with the prepofitions ag or le, govern the ablative; tha e agad, you have it; is leam e, it is mine.

X. When a fubftantive comes after the participle perfect of the active voice (made by putting air before the prefent), the fubftantive following is put in the dative; as, air labhairt dhamh, I having spoke, or when I fpake. This conftruction is equivalent to the Latin ablative absolute.

XI. The interjections O, and fome others, come before the vocative; as, O dhuine! O man!

EXCEPTION. Anaobhin, and mairg, like the Latin hei and va, govern the dative; as, anaobhin dhuibh, woe unto you.

XII. The fubjunctive particles cho, cho'n, cho do, not, chum agus gu, as obferved under the article of Verb, are joined with the fubjunctive mood. And,

XIII. The

XIII. The conditional particles ma, if; nuair, when; antra, when, &c. before the indicative; examples of which follow :

Chum agus gu do chruinich Chruinich fibh, ye gather. fibh, fo that ye gather

ed.

ed.

XIV. In all languages conjunctions couple like tenfes and cases; as, damfidh thufa us feinidh mife, you shall dance and I will fing; a' bhean & na paifdan, wife and children.

1

A N

ANAL Y Y SIS

OF THE

GALIC LANGUAGE.

S

BOOK IV.

PROSODY.

OUNDS are either quick or flow, rough or fmooth, ftrong or feeble. From the various modifications of thefe in a language, may, perhaps, be discovered, the manners, the temperament, and feelings of a people, at the time of its formation. The Gael, when their language was formed, feem to have been in that state of fociety, when the arts of peace and war were not entirely ftrangers; when it was an approved maxim, to " bind the ftrong in "arms, but fpare the feeble hand, be a ftream of many tides against the foes of thy people, but like "the gale that moves the grafs to those who ask thy