Only we add a ninth, which is the article: and that is two-fold;

Finite, i. e. relating to both numbers; as the.
Infinite, relating only to the singular; as a.
The finite is set before nouns appellatives; as
the horse, the horses;

the tree, the trees.

Proper names and pronouns refuse articles, except for emphasis sake; as

the Henry of Henries,

the only He of the town.

Where he stands for a noun, and signifies man. The infinite hath a power of declaring and designing uncertain or infinite things; as

a man, a house; not a men, a houses.

This article a answers to the German ein, or the French or Italian articles, derived from one, not numeral, but præpositive; as

a house, ein hause.

Ger.

une maison. French.

una casa. Italian.

The is put to both numbers, and answers to the German article, der, die, das.

Save that it admits no inflection.

Their accidents are

I. Masculine.

gender, case, declension.

Of the genders, there are six. First, the masculine, which comprehendeth all males, or what is understood under a masculine species; as angels, men, stars: and (by prosopopeia) the months, winds, almost all the planets.

2. Feminine.

Second, the feminine, which compriseth women, and female species: islands, countries, cities :

and some rivers with us; as

3. Neuter.

Severn, Avon, &c.

Third, the neuter, or feigned gender: whose notion conceives neither sex: under which are comprised all inanimate things, a ship excepted: of whom we say, she sails well, though the name be Hercules, or Henry, or the Prince. As Terence called his comedy Eunuchus, per vocabulum artis.

4. Epicene.

Fourth, the promiscuous, or epicene, which understands both kinds: especially, when we cannot make the difference; as, when we call them horses, and dogs, in the masculine, though there be bitches and mares amongst them. So to fowls, for the most part, we use the feminine; as of eagles, hawks, we say, she flies well; and call them geese, ducks, and doves, which they fly at, not distinguishing the sex.

5. Doubtful.

Fifth, the common, or rather doubtful gender, we use often, and with elegance; as in

cousin, gossip, friend, neighbour, enemy,
servant, thief, &c., including both sexes.

6. Common of Three.

The sixth is, the common of three genders; by which a noun is divided into substantive and adjective. For a

substantive is a noun of one only gender, or (at the most) of two and an adjective is a noun of three genders, being always infinite.

CHAP. XI.

OF THE DIMINUTION OF NOuns.

HE common affection of nouns is diminution. A diminutive is a noun noting the diminution of his primitive.

The diminution of substantives hath

these four divers terminations.

El. part, parcel; cock, cockerel.

Et. capon, caponet; poke, pocket; baron, baronet.
Ock. hill, hillock; bull, bullock.

Ing. goose, gosling; duck, duckling.

So from the adjective, dear, darling.

Many diminutives there are, which rather be abusions of speech, than any proper English words. And such for the most part are men's and women's names: names which are spoken in a kind of flattery, especially among familiar friends and lovers; as Richard, Dick; William, Will; Margery, Madge; Mary, Mal.

Diminution of adjectives is in this one end, ish; as white, whitish; green, greenish.

After which manner certain adjectives of likeness are also formed from their substantives; as

devil, devilish; thief, thievish;

colt, coltish; elf, elvish.

Some nouns steal the form of diminution, which neither in signification shew it, nor can derive it from a primitive; as

gibbet, doublet, peevish.

but

CHAP. XII.

OF COMPARISONS.

HESE then are the common affections both of substantives and adjectives: there follow certain others not general to them both, proper and peculiar to each one. The proper affection therefore of adjectives is comparison: of which, after the positive, there be two degrees reckoned, namely, the comparative, and the superlative.

The comparative is a degree declared by the positive with this adverb more; as

wiser, or more wise.

The superlative is declared by the positive, with this adverb most; as

wisest, or most wise.

Both which degrees are formed of the positive; the comparative, by putting to er; the superlative, by putting to est; as in these examples:

learned, learneder, learnedest;

simple, simpler, simplest;

true, truer, truest;

black, blacker, blackest;

From this general rule a few special words are

excepted; as

good, better, best;

ill, or bad, worse, worst;

little, less, least;

much, more, most.

Many words have no comparison; as

reverend, puissant;

victorious, renowned.

Others have both degrees, but lack the positive, as former, foremost.

Some are formed of adverbs; as

wisely, wiselier, wiseliest;

justly, justlier, justliest.

Certain comparisons form out of themselves; as less, lesser;

worse, worser.

CHAP. XIII.

OF THE FIRST DECLENSION.

ND thus much concerning the proper affection of adjectives: the proper affection of substantives followeth; and that consisteth in declining.

A declension is the varying of a noun substantive into divers terminations. Where, besides the absolute, there is as it were a genitive case, made in the singular number, by putting to s.

Of declensions there be two kinds: the first maketh the plural of the singular, by adding thereunto s; as tree, trees; thing, things; steeple, steeples.

So with s, by reason of the near affinity of these two letters, whereof we have spoken before: park, parks; buck, bucks; dwarf, dwarfs; path, paths;

And in this first declension, the genitive plural is all one with the plural absolute; as

Singular.

I father,
Plur.
father's,

Sfathers.

fathers.
z,

General Exceptions. Nouns ending in 2, s, sh, g, and ch, in the declining take to the genitive singular

i, and to the plural e; as