“ Although he was exceeding wealthy.”—Peers.
“He was moreover extraordinary courteous.”—Ibid.
“The Athenians were extreme apprehensive of his growing power.”—Tully.
And in our version of the Bible we find a few such expressions as the following: “The house I am to build, shall be wonderful great.”
Addison likewise often uses the phrase “exceeding great;” and Swift, less pardonably, writes “extreme unwilling,” “extreme good.”
[124] We say, indeed, “Messrs. Thomson;” but we seldom or never say, “the two Messrs. Thomson,” but “the two Mr. Thomsons.”
[125] Horne Tooke observes, that Lowth has rejected much good English: and it is to be apprehended, that the classical scholar is too prone to condemn in his own language whatever accords not with the Latin idiom.
[126] See Johnson’s Comm. p. 351, and Seyer on the Latin Verb, p. 174. To the arguments there offered, many others might be added.
[127] The propriety of this collocation of the negative will be more evident, if we attend to the two very different meanings of the word but. According to the former construction of the sentence, but is the imperative of beutan, “to be out,” and is synonymous with unless or except; thus, “but with the approbation,” or except with the approbation. According to the latter construction, it is properly bot, the imperative of botan, “to add.” Thus, “he was honoured not with (i.e. exclude or except) this reward, but (add) with the approbation of the people.”
[128] It is to be observed that a different collocation is sometimes admissible without any risk of ambiguity, especially when the clause is negative. Thus we may say, “His thoughts were entertained with not only,” i.e. “with not one thing,” viz. “the joys” with which he was surrounded; or, “not only with the joys; but (bot or add) a noble gratitude and divine pleasure.”