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PHILOSOPHICAL NOTES.

From, according to H. Tooke, is the Anglo-Saxon and Gothic noun frum, beginning, source, author.  “He came from (beginning) Rochester.” Of, he supposes to be a fragment of the Gothic and Saxon noun afora, consequence, offspring, follower.  “Solomon, the son of (offspring) David.” Of or off, in its modern acceptation, signifies disjoined, sundered:  A piece of (off) the loaf, is, a piece disjoined, or separated from the loaf.  The fragrance of or off the rose.

For signifies cause.  “I write for your satisfaction;” i.e. your satisfaction being the cause.  By or be is the imperative byth, of the Saxon beon, to be. With, the imperative of withan, to join; or, when equivalent to by, of wyr-than, to be.  “I will go with him.”  “I, join him, will go.” In comes from the Gothic noun inna, the interior of the body; a cave or cell. About, from boda, the first outward boundary. Among is the past part. of gamaengan, to mingle. Through or thorough is the Gothic substantive dauro, or the Teutonic thuruh.  It means passage, gate, door.

Before—­be-fore, be-hind, be-low, be-side, be-sides, be-neath are formed by combining the imperative, be, with the nouns fore, hind, low, side, neath.  Neath—­Saxon neothan, neothe, has the same signification as nadir.  Be-tween, be-twixt—­be and twain.  A dual preposition. Be-yond—­be-passed.  Beyond a place, means, be passed that place. Notwithstanding—­not-stand-ing-with, not-withstanding.  “Any order to the contrary not-withstanding,” (this order;) i.e. not effectually withstanding or opposing it.

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LECTURE VIII.

OF PRONOUNS.

A PRONOUN is a word used instead of a noun, and generally to avoid the too frequent repetition of the same word.  A pronoun is, likewise, sometimes a substitute for a sentence, or member of a sentence.

The word pronoun comes from the two Latin words, pro, which means for, or instead of, and nomen, a name, or noun. Hence you perceive, that pronoun means for a noun, or instead of a noun.

In the sentence, “The man is happy; he is benevolent; he is useful;” you perceive, that the word he is used instead of the noun man; consequently he must be a pronoun.  You observe, too, that, by making use of the pronoun he in this sentence, we avoid the repetition of the noun man, for without the pronoun, the sentence would be rendered thus, “The man is happy; the man is benevolent; the man is useful.”