[545] Many examples and authorities may be cited in favour of these corrections; as, “He acted independently of foreign assistance.”—­ Murray’s Key, Gram., Vol. ii, p. 222.  “Independently of any necessary relation.”—­Murray’s Gram., Vol. i. p. 275.  “Independently of this peculiar mode of construction.”—­Blair’s Rhet., p. 473.  “Independent of the will of the people.”—­Webster’s Essays, p. 13.  “Independent one of an other.”—­Barclay’s Works, i, 84.  “The infinitive is often independent of the rest of the sentence.”—­Lennie’s Gram., p. 85.  “Some sentences are independent of each other.”—­Murray’s Gram., i, 277.  “As if it were independent of it”—­Priestley’s Gram., p. 186.  “Independent of appearance and show.”—­Blair’s Rhet., p. 13.

[546] The preposition of which Jefferson uses before about, appears to me to be useless.  It does not govern the noun diameter, and is therefore no substitute for the in which I suppose to be wanting; and, as the preposition about seems to be sufficient between is and feet, I omit the of.  So in other instances below.—­G.  BROWN.

[547] Murray, Jamieson, and others, have this definition with the article “a,” and the comma, but without the hyphen:  “APOSTROPHE is a turning off from the regular course,” &c.  See errors under Note 4th to Rule 20th.

[548] This sentence may be written correctly in a dozen different ways, with precisely the same meaning, and very nearly the same words.  I have here made the noun gold the object of the verb took, which in the original appears to govern the noun treasure, or money, understood.  The noun amount might as well be made its object, by a suppression of the preposition to.  And again, for “pounds’ weight,” we may say, “pounds in weight.”  The words will also admit of many other positions.—­G.  BROWN.

[549] See a different reading of this example, cited as the first item of false syntax under Rule 16th above, and there corrected differently.  The words “both of,” which make the difference, were probably added by L. Murray in some of his revisals; and yet it does not appear that this popular critic ever got the sentence right.—­G.  BROWN.

[550] “If such maxims, and such practices prevail, what has become of national liberty?”—­Hume’s History.  Vol. vi, p. 254; Priestley’s Gram., p. 128.

[551] According to my notion, but is never a preposition; but there are some who think otherwise.—­G.  BROWN.

[552] “Cum vestieris te coccino, cum ornata fueris monili aureo, et pinxeris stibio oculos tuos, frustra componeris.”—­Vulgate. “[Greek:  Ean peribalae[i] kokkinon, kai kosm’aesae[i] kosmw[i] chrys~w[i]. ean egchrisae[i] stibi tous ophthalmous sou eis mataion wraismos sou.]”—­Septuagint.  “Quoique tu te revetes de pourpre, que tu te pares d’ornemens d’or, et que tu te peignes les yeux avec du fard, tu t’embellis en vain.”—­French Bible.