the latter verb? (See the exact and only needful form for parsing any such term, in the Twelfth Praxis of this work.) None, I presume, will deny, that in the Greek or the Latin of these phrases, the finite verbs govern the infinitive; or that, in the French, the infinitive entrer is governed first by one preposition, and then by an other. “Contendite intrare—­multi quaerent intrare.”—­Montanus.  “Efforcez-vous d’entrer—­plusieurs chercheront a y entrer.”—­French Bible.  In my opinion, to before a verb is as fairly a preposition as the French de or a; and it is the main design of these observations, while they candidly show the reader what others teach, to prove it so.  The only construction which makes it any thing else, is that which puts it after a verb or a participle, in the sense of an adverbial supplement; as, “The infernal idol is bowed down to.”—­Herald of Freedom.  “Going to and fro.”—­Bible.  “At length he came to.”—­“Tell him to heave to.”—­“He was ready to set to.”  With singular absurdness of opinion, some grammarians call to a preposition, when it thus follows a verb and governs nothing, who resolutely deny it that name, when it precedes the verb, and requires it to be in the infinitive mood, as in the last two examples.  Now, if this is not government, what is?  And if to, without government, is not an adverb, what is?  See Obs. 2d on the List of Prepositions.

OBS. 17.—­The infinitive thus admits a simpler solution in English, than in most other languages; because we less frequently use it without a preposition, and seldom, if ever, allow any variety in this connecting and governing particle.  And yet in no other language has its construction given rise to a tenth part of that variety of absurd opinions, which the defender of its true syntax must refute in ours.  In French, the infinitive, though frequently placed in immediate dependence on an other verb, may also be governed by several different prepositions, (as, a, de, pour, sans, apres,) according to the sense.[406] In Spanish and Italian, the construction is similar.  In Latin and Greek, the infinitive is, for the most part, immediately dependent on an other verb.  But, according to the grammars, it may stand for a noun, in all the six cases; and many have called it an indeclinable noun.  See the Port-Royal Latin and Greek grammars; in which several peculiar constructions of the infinitive are referred to the government of a preposition—­constructions that occur frequently in Greek, and sometimes even in Latin.