H. Brown, Bucke, Bullions, Burn, Burr, Chandler, Churchill, Coar, Cobbett, Cobbin, Comly, Cooper, Davis, Dearborn, Ensell, Everett, Farnum, Fisk, A. Flint, Folker, Fowler, Frost, R. G. Greene, Greenleaf, Guy, Hall, Hallock, Hart, Harrison, Matt.  Harrison, Hazen, Hendrick, Hiley, Hull, Ingersoll, Jaudon, Johnson, Kirkham, Latham, Lennie, A. Lewis, Lowth, Maltby, Maunder, Mennye, Merchant, T. H. Miller, Murray, Nixon, Nutting, Parker and Fox, John Peirce, Picket, Pond, S. Putnam, Russell, Sanborn, Sanders, R. C. Smith, Rev. T. Smith, Spencer, Tower, Tucker, Walker, Webber, Wilcox, Wilson, Woodworth, J. E. Worcester, S. Worcester, Wright.  The articles characterize our language more than some of the other parts of speech, and are worthy of distinction for many reasons, one of which is the very great frequency of their use.

[135] In Murray’s Abridgement, and in his “Second Edition,” 12mo, the connective in this place is “or;” and so is it given by most of his amenders; as in Alger’s Murray, p. 68; Alden’s, 89; Bacon’s, 48; Cooper’s, 111; A.  Flint’s, 65; Maltby’s, 60; Miller’s, 67; S.  Putnam’s, 74; Russell’s, 52; T.  Smith’s, 61.  All these, and many more, repeat both of these ill-devised rules.

[136] When this was written, Dr. Webster was living.

[137] In French, the preposition a, (to,) is always carefully distinguished from the verb a, (has,) by means of the grave accent, which is placed over the former for that purpose.  And in general also the Latin word a, (from,) is marked in the same way.  But, with us, no appropriate sign has hitherto been adopted to distinguish the preposition a from the article a; though the Saxon a, (to,) is given by Johnson with an acute, even where no other a is found.  Hence, in their ignorance, thousands of vulgar readers, and among them the authors of sundry grammars, have constantly mistaken this preposition for an article.  Examples:  “Some adverbs are composed of the article a prefixed to nouns; as a-side, a-thirst, a-sleep, a-shore, a-ground, &c.”—­Comly’s Gram., p67.  “Repeat some [adverbs] that are composed of the article a and nouns.”—­Kirkham’s Gram., p. 89.  “To go a fishing;” “To go a hunting;” i.e. “to go on a fishing voyage or business;” “to go on a hunting party.”—­Murray’s Gram., p. 221; Fisk’s, 147; Ingersoll’s, 157; Smith’s, 184; Bullions’s, 129; Merchant’s, 101; Weld’s, 192, and others. That this interpretation is false and absurd, may be seen at once by any body who can read Latin; for, a hunting, a fishing, &c., are expressed by the supine in um:  as, “Venatum ire.”—­Virg.  AEn.  I.e., “To go a hunting.” “Abeo piscatum.”—­Beza.  I.e.  “I go a fishing.”—­John,