Many respectable grammarians refer the government of this mood invariably to the preposition to prefixed, which word they do not, of course, consider a part of the verb.  Others contend, and with some plausibility, that this mood is not governed by any particular word.  If we reject the idea of government, as applied to the verb in this mood, the following rule, if substituted for the foregoing, might, perhaps, answer all practical purposes.

RULE.

A verb in the infinitive mood, refers to some noun or pronoun, as its subject or actor.

ILLUSTRATION of the examples under Rule XXIII.  “To do” refers to thou understood for its agent; “to be improved” refers to talent; “to learn,” to she; “to go,” to they; and “to do,” refers to him.

    NOTE 1.  The infinitive mood absolute stands independent of the rest
    of the sentence; as, “To confess the truth, I was in fault.”

    2.  The infinitive mood is sometimes governed by conjunctions or
    adverbs; as, “An object so high as to be invisible;” “He is wise
    enough to deceive;” “The army is about to march.”

RULE XXIV.

The infinitive mood, or part of a sentence, is frequently put as the nominative case to a verb, or the object of an active-transitive verb; as, “To play is pleasant;” “Boys love to play;” “That warm climates shorten life, is reasonable to suppose;” “He does not consider how near he approaches to his end.”

    NOTE. To, the sign of the infinitive mood, is sometimes properly
    omitted; as, “I heard him say it;” instead of, “to say it.”

RULE XXV.

The verbs which follow bid, dare, need, make, see, hear, feel, help, let, and their participles, are in the infinitive mood without the sign to prefixed; as, “He bids me come;” “I dare engage;” “Let me go;” “Help me do it;” i.e. to come, to go, to do it, &c.  “He is hearing me recite.”

FALSE SYNTAX.

    Bid him to come.

    He durst not to do it without permission.

    Hear him to read his lesson.

    It is the difference in their conduct, which makes us to approve the
    one, and to reject the other.

    It is better live on a little, than outlive a great deal.

    I wish him not wrestle with his happiness.

RULE XXVI.

Participles have the same government as the verbs have from which they are derived; as, “I saw the tutor instructing his pupils.”

NOTE.  The present participle with the definite article the before it, becomes a noun, and must have the preposition of after it. The and of must both be used, or both be omitted; as, “By the observing of truth, you will command respect;” or, “By observing truth,” &c.

FALSE SYNTAX.