the virtues which form the happiness, and the crimes which occasion the misery of mankind; originates in that silent and secret recess of thought, which is hidden from every human eye.”—­See Murray’s Octavo Gram., Vol. ii, p. 181; or his Duodecimo Key, p. 21.  The true subject of this proposition is the noun all, which is singular; and the other nominatives are subordinate to this, and merely explanatory of it.

OBS. 7.—­Dr. Webster says, “Enumeration and addition of numbers are usually expressed in the singular number; [as,] two and two is four; seven and nine is sixteen; that is, the sum of seven and nine is sixteen.  But modern usage inclines to reject the use of the verb in the singular number, in these and similar phrases.”—­Improved Gram., p. 106.  Among its many faults, this passage exhibits a virtual contradiction.  For what “modern usage inclines to reject,” can hardly be the fashion in which any ideas “are usually expressed.”  Besides, I may safely aver, that this is a kind of phraseology which all correct usage always did reject.  It is not only a gross vulgarism, but a plain and palpable violation of the foregoing rule of syntax; and, as such it must be reputed, if the rule has any propriety at all.  What “enumeration” has to do with it, is more than I can tell.  But Dr. Webster once admired and commended this mode of speech, as one of the “wonderful proofs of ingenuity in the framers of language;” and laboured to defend it as being “correct upon principle;” that is, upon the principle that “the sum of” is understood to be the subject of the affirmation, when one says, “Two and two is four,” in stead of, “Two and two are four.”—­See Webster’s Philosophical Gram., p. 153.  This seems to me a “wonderful proof” of ignorance in a very learned man.  OBS. 8.—­In Greek and Latin, the verb frequently agrees with the nearest nominative, and is understood to the rest; and this construction is sometimes imitated in English, especially if the nouns follow the verb:  as, “[Greek:  Nuni do MENEI pistis, elpis agape, ta tria tanta].”—­“Nunc vero manet fides, spes, charitas; tria haec.”—­“Now abideth faith, hope, charity; these three.”—­1 Cor., xiii, 13.  “And now abideth confession, prayer, and praise, these three; but the greatest of these is praise.”—­ATTERBURY:  Blair’s Rhet., p. 300.  The propriety of this usage, so far as our language is concerned, I doubt.  It seems to open a door for numerous deviations from the foregoing rule, and deviations of such a sort, that if they are to be considered exceptions, one can hardly tell why.  The practice, however, is not uncommon, especially if there are more nouns than two, and each is emphatic; as, “Wonderful was the patience, fortitude, self-denial, and bravery of our ancestors.”—­Webster’s