The Rev. WILLIAM WARD, son of William Ward, of Broughton, (Steward to Commissioner Hill, of Thornton, Yorkshire), was a Member of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge; B. A. 1730; M. A. 1740; Vicar of Scawby in Yorkshire, and Vicar also of Yeddingham in 1740 (on the presentation of the Marquis of Rockingham, to whom Mr. Ward was Chaplain); Head Master of the Free School of Beverley; and Lecturer of St. Mary's in that Town. Mr. Ward married Elizabeth daughter of John Watson, of Belton Park, esq. by whom he had one son, Pennock; and five daughters, Elizabeth, Mary, Anne, Isabella, and Margaret. He died in 1772; and was buried in the chancel of St. Mary's church Beverley; where a small tablet of marble (by Fisher of York) is erected. His memory is still held in high esteem by all who had the happiness of his acquaintance, and particularly by the gentlemen who were brought up and educated under his immediate care. On his monument is the following epitaph, written by himself some years before his death: "To the memory of William Ward, Clerk, Master of Arts, who, after fifteen years spent in the constant instruction of youth, presided in the Grammar School of this town seventeen years. He resigned this station in the year 1768, on account of his declining health; died in 1772, aged 63 years; and resteth here in humble hope of a happy resurrection. "And shall it be? Shall my vile dust assume Celestial glories in a life to come? Shall my weak soul in boundless realms of day His publications were, 1. "An Essay on Grammar;" as it may be applied to the English Language; in Two Treatises. The one Speculative, being an Attempt to investigate proper Principles. The other Practical; containing Definitions and Rules deduced from the Principles, and illustrated in a Variety of Examples from the most approved Writers, 1763," 4to. 2. "A Grammar of the English Language, in Two Treatises. The first, containing Rules for every "As far as this work relates to the grammatical construction of our language, it appears to be an useful performance; abounding in rules, both in prose and verse, for the direction of young and unexperienced writers.-These being, for the most part, as uncouth and inharmonious as can well be conceived, our Author thus modestly apologizes for them in his Preface: I have given the substance of the Practical Granımar in verse, for the case of memory. In this I have undoubtedly subjected myself to much poetical criticism; but, if I have made the lists of irregular words more easy to be remembered, by putting them into rhime, however harsh, or the rules more easy to be acquired and retained by the same means, I am very little solicitous about my reputation as a Poet." Monthly Review, vol. XXXII. p. 293. "These Treatises are drawn from a larger work. The Author appears to have studied carefully, and to be perfectly well acquainted with, the principles of Grammar. No modern Grammarian, indeed, as far as we know, has treated his subject with greater accuracy or precision. Those who are conversant with the theory of Grammar will find, by attentively perusing his larger work, that he has given such an account of the conceptions annexed to Nouns and Verbs as enables us, from the very nature of these conceptions, to deduce the reasons of every part of construction, and that the principles upon which his system is established are very simple and evident, if duly considered.―The work now before us is chiefly intended for the use of Learners, and those Masters who shall take the trouble of entering fully into the Author's ideas will find, notwithstanding the obscurity of some parts of it, that it is a very useful and instructive performance." Monthly Review, vol. XL. p. 258. *** I have transcribed the preceding opinions from an able Critic, in order to confirm them by a series of Letters to the Author from those whose commendation may justly be called fame. Hull, Nov. 29, 1759. "SIR, "I am obliged to you for the pleasure I have received this morning from the perusal of your entertaining piece. I am inclined to think it calculated to answer the useful end you have in Part of the Construction, with a Praxis, both of true and false English, shewing how the Rules are to be applied, in resolving the true, and rectifying the false. The second, shewing the Nature of the several Parts of Speech, and the Reasons of every Part of Construction, 1769," 12mo. view, and (in Robertson's hands especially) to furnish much amusement.There is one circumstance of your Letter I cannot pass over without expressing to you the pleasure it gave me;-1 niean the care you seem to take, and the attention you pay, to an article of education, perhaps of all others the most ornamental and useful to a gentleman, and more especially an English gentleman: the talent of speaking, nay, and I will say, even of reading too, is what I have, with much concern, and much surprise (till I found it so common), observed many, even scholars, to be without. I mean strictly as I say, reading English; for I have more than once met with persons who had very scholar-like educations, and who, either by rote, or perhaps some degree of acquired taste, would pronounce a beautiful passage out of one of the Classicks with a great seeming energy, who at the same time would really blunder in point of emphasis in a Newspaper paragraph. Excuse the hasty throwing out of my thoughts to one who, I am sure, has little need of any help. I am, Sir, your obliged humble servant, G. SAVILE." "DEAR SIR, St. John's College, Cambridge, Feb. 20, 1761. "I have read the book you sent me twice, and some parts of it oftener; and, at each review of any part, have found myself more able to receive instruction from it than I had been before. The subject is very difficult, and the manner in which you have treated it so new to me, that at first I was often obliged to look back, and consider a paragraph again, before I was satisfied that I understood it. And I have therefore great reason to suspect, that the difficulties which remain with me arise chiefly from my own ignorance. However, I have ventured to set them down, that you may consider whether any of the passages want alteration. The two sections concerning the nature and formation of species, contain much excellent logic; and the account of adjectives and of articles appeared to me very clear and complete. I was not quite so well satisfied with the section on the verb; but this you have considered farther, and, I doubt not, have improved. If there is any general alteration that I can propose, it is to take the examples you make use of from some of our most correct Writers. You have done so sometimes; but in other instances I was afraid that the language could only be justified by the licence of common conversation: he is walked out; the hill is looked from; can a usurer in conscience these are of the sort which I suspect. My observations on particular sentences you' will hardly understand 'till you receive the book, in which I have set some little numbers on the blank pages to point out the places. Mr. Constable will probably bring it you in a month. Before that time I hope that Dr. Balguy will spend a week or two with us, and will give me his judgment of it. At present Mr. Abbot is reading it, a person who always makes himself master of any subject to which he applies. 1. The definitions afterwards given of the two sorts of Nouns seem to shew a greater resemblance between them, than between either of them and any other part of speech. 2. This observation is certainly right; and it would be illustrated by shewing in what cases our language allows two or more substantives to be compounded, so that either all of them must be considered as one word, or all but one as adjectives. ་ 3. Concerning this, and the two following paragraphs, I have some doubts. If I say this consists of the characters, t, h, i, s, by the word this I mean the visible appearance, &c.' Do not 1 rather mean a visible appearance? It may be in one book, or another; it may be written, or printed, or painted._ Can it therefore be considered as an individual appearance ? - There is the like difficulty in the other senses, in which all words are said to become proper names. 4. Have sounds, smells, or tastes, any proper names?—or do not I exactly understand this passage? 5. Here is some obscurity, or the appearance of some inconsistency with an observation in the section which treats of the articles; viz. that when we speak of the species we may use either the singular or plural number. 6. Is it not possible to reduce the several relations which the cases represent to certain classes ? And if this could be done, would it not be an improvement of this part of grammar?-With respect to the ablative case you observe, that the seven prepositions denote, though not constantly nor exactly, different sorts of relative connexions. One would wish to find an exact division of all the relations expressed by the several cases. But, perhaps, these relations being almost infinite, and running perpetually into each other, it may be difficult to class them. 7. Is there any general rule by which we may know whether the connexion between two nouns is reciprocal? We may say, a bar of iron, or the iron of a bar; a horse of strength, or the strength of a horse; but we cannot say, a body of the limb, or a house of the door. 8. Does not the word 'wicked,' i. e. mischievous, make the sense of this line tolerably clear? 9. Its signification cannot admit of more extent.'-'One object may have more of the qualities.'-The word more is antiguous. It may mean a greater number of the qualities, or a greater share of each quality. I suppose, that it must be taken in these different senses in the two sentences here quoted. But the matter seems to want some farther illustration. 2 L VOL. III. 10. Here 10. Here seems to be a very small inaccuracy. Wise, i. e. possessed of wisdom; wiser, i. e. possessed of more wisdom; wisest, i. e. possessed of most wisdom. So that the terminations er and est supply the places of more and most, not of possessed of more and most. 11. Are there not many connecting circumstances, besides those here mentioned; as in these examples,-my father, our country, your business, his verses, their religion. 12. The person must be added to every object that is named in any sentence.'-Is it not sufficient that it be added to one object in each sentence? 13. I doubt whether this common division of verbs into active, passive, and neuter, (to which the definition seems to refer) be very accurate. If we attend to the signification only, we shall often not know to which class the verb belongs. Thus, 'to feel' is called an active verb, but several of the species belonging to it, as their genus, are neuters; as, to smart, to tingle, to glow; and many difficulties of a like sort will occur. 14. To possess, to owe, to stand, denote continued actions. Is it with verbs of this kind, and with them only, that the auxiliary have' denotes an act unfinished ? 15. I fear that these observations are not sufficient to distinguish the uses of shall and will; as in these examples, we shall all die,' 'you will die ;' we will do what we are compelled to do, and no more;' 'you shall do as you please;' if he acts so, he will be much blamed ;' 'I shall be blamed.' There is the same variety in the application of 'would' and 'should' to the pronouns of different persons; as, had the ship been old, it would have sunk, and we should have perished. 16. Have arose ;' 'have arisen,' qu.? 17. Or in asking a question;' it is used also in the answer to it, and in negative sentences, as, I do not think so, I did not see him. 18. See some other senses of but' in Locke's Essay on Human Understanding, book iii. cap. vii. 19. Should it not be observed, that the senses of the prepositions here set down, are only the most usual senses of them; since there may be found many instances of the use of them, which cannot easily be referred to these significations. "I have enquired of the Booksellers here for Gregory's Euclid; but have found only one copy. Merril thinks that he can get me some more at the price you mention; and has undertaken to do it in a fortnight. I have ordered him to place the price to your son's account, and to carry the bill to Mr. Abbot, to whom I have lately committed the care of all accounts, and shall after some months resign the rest of my business. I do it with great satisfaction, as I am sure that there could not have been found a man superior to him, either in abilities, or in care and industry. I shall recommend to him your son in a particular manner, and I doubt not but you will be so well satisfied with his care of him, that |