Rules of Construction in English Grammar, Part 4
The caſe of the relatiue.
Qu. TO what vſe or purpoſe ſerue theſe rules folowing, which hauehave this title ſet ouer the head of them, The caſe of the relatiue?
An. To ſhew what caſe the relatiue ſhall be, as well when he commeth before the verbe, as after the verbe, or after anie other part of ſpéech, for although the relatiue be alwaies ſet before the verbe in reſpect of his placing, yet in order of conſtruction he is often in ſuch ſort conſidered as folowing the verbe, or elſe ſome other part of ſpéech, whereof he is gouerned.
Qu. What is your firſt rule?
The first rule for the caſe of the relatiue.An. When there commeth no nominatiue caſe betwéene the relatiue and the verbe, the relatiue ſhall be the nominatiue caſe vntounto the verbe: as Miſer eſt, qui nummos admiratur, Wretched is that perſon, which is in louelove with monie.
The example applied.In this example the relatiue qui, is the nominatiue caſe vntounto the verbe admiratur, bicauſe there is no other nominatiue caſe comming before him and the verbe.
Qu. Rehearſe the ſecond rule.
The ſecond ruleAn. But when there commeth a nominatiue caſe betwéen the relatiue and the verbe, the relatiue ſhall be ſuch caſe as the verbe will hauehave after him: as Foelix, quem faciunt aliena pericula cautum, Happie is he, whom other mens harmes do make to beware.
The example applied.Héere this word pericula though in the latin it be ſet after the verbe, yet is it in conſtruing the nominatiue caſe, and to be ſet before the verbe faciunt, betwéene whom and the relatiue quem in conſtruing it doth come, and therefore is the relatiue quem the accuſatiue caſe gouerned of the verbe faciunt, by the rule of verbs tranſitiues folowing héere after among the rules for the caſes which verbs do gouerne.
The third rule.As the relatiue may be the nominatiue caſe vntounto the verbe, ſo it may be the ſubſtantiue vntounto the adiectiue, that is ioyned with him, or commeth next after him: as Diuitias amare noli, quod omnium eſt ſordidiſſimum, Will not thou louelove riches, which to do, is the most beggerly thing in the world.
The example applied.Héere the relatiue quod, being the nominatiue caſe before the verbe eſt, is alſo ſubſtantiue vntounto the adiectiue ſordidiſſimum by this rule. And marke, that whatſoeuer may be the nominatiue caſe vntounto the verbe, or antecedent vntounto the relatiue, the ſame alſo may be the ſubſtantiue vntounto the adiectiue.
The fourth ruleNounes interrogatiues and indefinites follow the rule of the relatiue: as Quis, who, vter, whether, qualis, what maner one, quantus, how great, quotus, how manie, &c. And theſe euermore come before the verbe, like as the relatiue doth: as Hei mihi, qualis erat? talis erat, qualem nunquam vidi, Wo is me, what maner of perſon was he? ſuch a one he was, the like whereof I neuer ſaw.
The example applied.In this example, the noune interrogatiue qualis, is nominatiue caſe vntounto the verbe eſt, bicauſe there is no other nominatiue caſe betwéene him and the verbe, and ſo is talis alſo the noune redditiue, or indefinite, and qualem is the accuſatiue caſe in conſtruction after the verbe vidi, bicauſe that the nominatiue caſe ego, vnderſtood commeth before the verbe: for theſe kind of nounes do follow the rule of the relatiue, that is, if there come no nominatiue caſe betwéene them, and the verbe, then are they the nominatiue caſe vntounto the verbe, like as the relatiue is, but if there come a nominatiue caſe betwéen them and the verbe, then ſhall they be ſuch caſe as the verbe will hauehave after him, like as the relatiue muſt be.
Qu. HaueHave you nothing elſe to ſay concerning theſe kinde of nounes?
A rule for nounes interrogatiues and indefinites.An. As the relatiue agréeth in gender, number and perſon with his antecedent, the which for the moſt part goeth before the relatiue, ſo theſe nounes do alwaies agrée with the worde that foloweth after them: as, quot homines, tot ſententiae, So many men, ſo many minds, where in the firſt place quot agréeeth with homines following after him, and in the ſecond place tot is the ſame caſe, gender, and number that his ſubſtantiue ſententiae, which followeth after him, is of.
An obiection against this rule.Qu. What ſay you then vntounto this ſentence of the poet Horace: Mammaeque putres, equina quales vbera, And rotten brests, ſuch as are the vdders of a mare: Where you ſée this noune quales, to be the feminine gender, with the former ſubſtantiue mammae, and not the neuter gender, with the latter ſubſtantiue vbera?
Anſwer.An. This ſaying of Horace is to be noted of yoong ſchollers, but not to be followed: for he ſhould rather hauehave ſaid, qualia, than quales, making it to agrée with vbera the ſubſtantiue following, according to the rule.
Qu. What is the next rule of relatiues?
The fift rule of relatiues.An. Yet héere is to be vnderſtanded and noted, that the relatiue is not alwaies gouerned of the verbe that he commeth before, but ſomtime of the infinitiue moode that commeth after the verbe: as Quibus voluiſti me gratias agere, egi, What perſons thou willedst me to thanke, I hauehave thanked.
The example applied.In this ſentence the relatiue quibus is not gouerned of the verbe voluiſti, before whom he commeth, but of the infinitiue moode agere, comming after the verbe voluiſti, and it is the datiue caſe, by a rule of verbs gouerning a datiue caſe, which rule followeth in his due place.
The ſixt rule. The example applied: yet Quibus rather indeed agreeth with rebus, thā is gouerned of adductus. The 7. rule. The example applied.Somtime of a participle: as Quibus rebus adductus feciſti? With what things mooued diddest thou it?
Héere quibus the relatiue is the ablatiue caſe gouerned of the participle adductus, by the rule of participles gouerning ſuch caſe, as the verbe they come of.
Somtime of the gerund: as Quae nunc non eſt narrandi locus, Which things at this preſent it is no time to tell.
In this place the relatiue quae is the accuſatiue caſe plurall, gouerned of the gerund narrandi by the rule of gerunds, which will hauehave ſuch caſe as their verbs, whereof they come, do require.
The 8. rule.Sometime of a prepoſition ſet before him: as Quem in locum deducta res ſit, vides, Into what ſtate the matter is now brought, thou ſeest.
The example applied and corrected.In this example the relatiue quem is gouerned of the prepoſition in, which in conſtruction is ſet before him, albeit in the order of words, as they ly in Latin, this prepoſition in be put betwéene quem and locum. But in truth qui in this example is rather an indefinite than a relatiue, and agréeth with locum in caſe, gender, and number, by the rule of the adiectiue agréeing with his ſubſtantiue, ſo that locum and not quem is héere gouerned of the prepoſition in, albeit that it is not to be denied, but that ſometimes the prepoſition in may cauſe the relatiue quem to be put in the accuſatiue caſe, like as other prepoſitions may cauſe him to be put in other caſes alſo.
The 9. rule.Somtime of the ſubſtantiue, that he doth accord or agrée with: as Senties qui vir ſiem, Thou ſhalt perceiue what a fellow I am. Albeit in this maner of ſpeaking, qui is an indefinite, and not a relatiue.
The example applied.Héere the relatiue qui, agréeth with the ſubſtantiue vir being the nominatiue caſe, the maſculine gender, and ſingular number, as vir is by the rule laſt before ſet downe: for qui is in this place a noune indefinite, that is, noting no any one certaine thing, and not a relatiue.
The 10. rule.Somtime of a noune partitiue, or diſtributiue: as Quarum rerum vtram minus velim, non facile poſſum exiſtimare, Of the which two things, whether I would with leſſe will hauehave, I cannot eaſily esteeme.
The example applied, and corrected.In this example the relatiue quarum is the genitiue caſe plurall gouerned of the partitiue vtram by the rule of interrogatiues, partitiues, diſtributiues, gouerning a genitiue caſe, as ſhall be ſhewed afterward: yet héere alſo qui is rather an indefinite, and agréeth with the genitiue caſe rerum in caſe, gender, and number, which genitiue caſe rerum is gouerned of the partitiue vtram by the rule aforeſaid, albeit the relatiue is notwithſtanding ſomtime put in the genitiue caſe, by the ſame rule of interrogatiues and partitiues, and ſuch like, gouerning a genitiue caſe.
The 11. rule.Somtime it is put in the genitiue caſe, by reaſon of a ſubſtantiue comming next after him: as Ego illum non noui, cuius cauſa hoc incipis, I knew him not, for whoſe cauſe thou beginnest this matter.
The example applied.Héere the relatiue cuius is the genitiue caſe gouerned of the ſubſtantiue cauſa comming after him, by the rule of ſubſtantiues comming togither betokening diuers things, whereof the latter muſt be the genitiue caſe. Where note that in ſuch caſes the relatiue cuius ſupplieth the roome of a ſubſtantiue, and in conſtruction is taken to be the latter ſubſtantiue, albeit that in Latin he be alwaies ſet foremoſt.
The 12. rule.Somtime it is otherwiſe gouerned of a noune ſubſtantiue: as, Omnia tibi dabuntur, quibus opus habes, All things ſhall be giuen thee, which thou hast need of.
The example applied.In this place the relatiue quibus is the ablatiue caſe plural, gouerned of the ſubſtantiue opus, which requireth an ablatiue caſe by a rule to be ſet downe in his place.
The 13. rule.Somtime it is put in the ablatiue caſe with this ſigne than, and is gouerned of the comparatiue degrée comming after him: as Vtere virtute, qua nihil eſt melius, Vſe vertue, than the which nothing is better.
The example applied.In this example the relatiue qua is the ablatiue caſe ſingular, hauing in the conſtruing in Engliſh this ſigne than before it, and is gouerned of the comparatiue degrée melius, which will hauehave an ablatiue caſe, when it may be expounded by this aduerbe quàm, in Engliſh than, as ſhall be ſhewed héerafter.
The 14. rule.Somtime it is not gouerned at al, but is put in the ablatiue caſe abſolute: as Quantus erat Iulius Caeſar, quo imperatore, Romani primum Britanniam ingreſſi ſunt? How woorthy a man was Iulius Caeſar, vnderunder whoſe conduct (or who being emperor) the Romans first entred into Britaine?
The example applied.Héere the relatiue quo hath no word whereof it may be gouerned, but is put in the ablatiue caſe, which in this kind of ſpeaking, is called the ablatiue caſe abſolute, for a cauſe to be ſhewed héereafter.
The 15. rule.Alſo when it ſignifieth an inſtrument wherewith a thing to be done, it is put in the ablatiue caſe: as Ferrum habuit, quo ſe occideret, He had aſword, wherewith he would hauehave killed himſelfe.
The example applied.In this example the relatiue quo is the ablatiue caſe ſingular, gouerned of the verbe occideret, bicauſe the ſaid quo in this place ſignifieth an inſtrument to do ſome thing withall, and therefore muſt be put in the ablatiue caſe by a rule héereafter following concerning this matter.
The 16. rule.Somtime the relatiue is gouerned of an aduerbe: as Cui vtrum obuiam procedam, nondum ſtatui, Whom, whether I will go to meete with, I hauehave not yet determined.
The example applied.Héere the relatiue cui, is the datiue caſe ſingular gouerned of the aduerbe obuiam, which with ſuch other like will hauehave a datiue caſe, as héereafter ſhall be declared more at large.
Admonition.There are beſides theſe, many other rules whereby a relatiue may be gouerned, yea almoſt by all the rules of all other partes of ſpéech, but theſe before are the moſt principall by which the yoong beginners may be learned to iudge of the reſt.