Weeks.  “Pride, ambition, and selfishness, need to be restrained.”—­Id. “Articles are sometimes omitted, where they need to be used.”—­Sanborn’s Gram., p. 197.  “Whose power needs not to be dreaded.”—­Wilson’s Hebrew Gram., p. 93.  “A workman that needeth not to be ashamed.”—­2 Tim., ii, 15.  “The small boys may have needed to be managed according to the school system.”—­T.  D. Woolsey.  “The difficulty of making variety consistent, needs not to disturb him.”—­Rambler, No. 122.  “A more cogent proof needs not to be introduced.”—­Wright’s Gram., p. 66.  “No person needs to be informed, that you is used in addressing a single person.”—­Wilcox’s Gram., p. 19.  “I hope I need not to advise you further.”—­Shak., All’s Well.

   “Nor me, nor other god, thou needst to fear,
    For thou to all the heavenly host art dear.”—­Congreve.

OBS. 13.—­If need is ever an auxiliary, the essential difference between an auxiliary and a principal verb, will very well account for the otherwise puzzling fact, that good writers sometimes inflect this verb, and sometimes do not; and that they sometimes use to after it, and sometimes do not.  Nor do I see in what other way a grammarian can treat it, without condemning as bad English a great number of very common phrases which he cannot change for the better.  On this principle, such examples as, “He need not proceed,” and “He needs not to proceed,” may be perfectly right in either form; though Murray, Crombie,[416] Fisk, Ingersoll, Smith, C. Adams, and many others, pronounce both these forms to be wrong; and unanimously, (though contrary to what is perhaps the best usage,) prefer, “He needs not proceed.”—­Murray’s Key, 8vo, p. 180.

OBS. 14.—­On questions of grammar, the practice of authors ought to be of more weight, than the dogmatism of grammarians; but it is often difficult to decide well by either; because errors and contradictions abound in both.  For example:  Dr. Blair says, (in speaking of the persons represented by I and thou,) “Their sex needs not be marked.”—­Rhet., p. 79.  Jamieson abridges the work, and says, “needs not to be marked.”—­Gram. of Rhet., p. 28.  Dr. Lowth also says, “needs not be marked.”—­Gram., p. 21.  Churchill enlarges the work, and says, “needs not to be marked.”—­New Gram., p. 72.  Lindley Murray copies Lowth, and says, “needs not be marked.”—­Gram., 12mo, 2d Ed., p. 39; 23d Ed., p. 51; and perhaps all other editions.  He afterwards enlarges his own work, and says, “needs not to be marked.”—­Octavo Gram., p. 51.  But, according to Greenleaf they all express