virtuousest, powerfullest, which were used by Milton, have gone out of fashion.  The following, though not very commonly used, are perhaps allowable.  “Yet these are the two commonest occupations of mankind.”—­Philological Museum, i, 431.  “Their pleasantest walks throughout life must be guarded by armed men.”—­Ib., i, 437.  “Franklin possessed the rare talent of drawing useful lessons from the commonest occurrences.”—­Murray’s Sequel, p. 323.  “Unbidden guests are often welcomest when they are gone.”—­SHAK.:  in Joh.  Dict.

   “There was a lad, th’ unluckiest of his crew,
    Was still contriving something bad, but new.”—­KING:  ib.

OBS. 2.—­I make a distinction between the regular comparison by er and est, and the comparison by adverbs; because, in a grammatical point of view, these two methods are totally different:  the meaning, though the same, being expressed in the one case, by an inflection of the adjective; and in the other, by a phrase consisting of two different parts of speech.  If the placing of an adverb before an adjective is to be called a grammatical modification or variation of the latter word, we shall have many other degrees than those which are enumerated above.  The words may with much more propriety be parsed separately, the degree being ascribed to the adverb—­or, if you please, to both words, for both are varied in sense by the inflection of the former.  The degrees in which qualities may exist in nature, are infinitely various; but the only degrees with which the grammarian is concerned, are those which our variation of the adjective or adverb enables us to express—­including, as of course we must, the state or sense of the primitive word, as one.  The reasoning which would make the positive degree to be no degree, would also make the nominative case, or the casus rectus of the Latins, to be no case.

OBS. 3.—­Whenever the adjective itself denotes these degrees, and is duly varied in form to express them, they properly belong to it; as, worthy, worthier, worthiest. (Though no apology can be made for the frequent error of confounding the degree of a quality, with the verbal sign which expresses it.) If an adverb is employed for this purpose, that also is compared, and the two degrees thus formed or expressed, are properly its own; as, worthy, more worthy, most worthy.  But these same degrees may be yet otherwise expressed; as, worthy, in a higher degree worthy, in the highest degree worthy.  Here also the adjective worthy is virtually compared, as before; but only the adjective high is grammatically modified.  Again, we may form three degrees with several adverbs to each, thus:  Pos., very truly worthy; Comp., much more truly worthy; Sup., much the most truly worthy.  There are also other adverbs, which, though not varied in themselves like much, more, most, may nevertheless have nearly the same effect upon the adjective; as, worthy, comparatively worthy, superlatively worthy.  I make these remarks, because many grammarians have erroneously parsed the adverbs more and most, less and least, as parts of the adjective.