OBS. 25.—­The possessive case of pronouns should never be written with an apostrophe.  A few pronominal adjectives taken substantively receive it; but the construction which it gives them, seems to make them nouns:  as, one’s, other’s, and, according to Murray, former’s and latter’s.  The real pronouns that end in s, as his, hers, its, ours, yours, theirs, though true possessives after their kind, have no occasion for this mark, nor does good usage admit it.  Churchill, with equal disregard of consistency and authority, gives it to one of them, and denies it to the rest.  Referring to the classification of these words as possessives, and of my, thy, her, our, your, their, as adjectives, he says:  “It seems as if the termination in s had led to the distinction:  but no one will contend, that ours is the possessive case of our, or theirs of their; though ours, yours, hers, and theirs, are often very improperly spelt with an apostrophe, a fault not always imputable to the printer; while in it’s, which is unquestionably the possessive case of it, the apostrophe, by a strange perverseness, is almost always omitted.”—­Churchill Gram., p. 222.  The charge of strange perverseness may, in this instance, I think, be retorted upon the critic; and that, to the fair exculpation of those who choose to conform to the general usage which offends him.

OBS. 26.—­Of the compound personal pronouns, this author gives the following account:  “Self, in the plural selves, a noun, is often combined with the personal pronouns, in order to express emphasis, or opposition, or the identity of the subject and [the] object of a verb; and thus forms a pronoun relative:  as, ‘I did it myself;’ ’he was not himself, when he said so;’ ’the envious torment themselves more than others.’  Formerly self and selves were used simply as nouns, and governed the pronoun, which was kept distinct from it [them] in the possessive case:  but since they [the pronoun and the noun] have coalesced into one word, they [the compounds] are used only in the following forms:  for the first person, myself, ourselves; for the second, thyself, or yourself, yourselves; for the third, himself, herself, itself, themselves:  except in the regal style, in which, as generally in the second person, the singular noun is added to the plural pronoun, [making] ourself.  Each of these is the same in all three cases.”—­Churchill’s Gram., p. 75.  In a note referring to the close of this explanation, he adds:  “Own also is often employed with the possessive cases of the personal pronouns by way of emphasis, or opposition; but separately, as an adjective, and not combining with them to form a relative:  as, ’I did it of my own free will:’  ‘Did he do it with his own hand?’”—­Ib., p. 227.