§ 262. Peculiar Use of Past Infinitive.-The Past Infinitive [to have. . . to have been ] is sometimes used by a kind of attraction after a Verb in the Past Tense: as,

"I thought to have slain him where he stood." (Scott, Marm.)

"I should have certainly endeavoured to have executed [incorrect : it should be, to execute] vengeance on his baseness." (Fielding, T. J. viii. 14.)

"My purpose was to have withdrawn my health to a safer country.' (Johnson, Rambler, 120.)

§ 263. Complementary Infinitive.—The Infinitive, when not the Object of the Verb, is often its COMPLEMENT, serving to define its application in some way. This is especially the case with Verbs of commanding, compelling, persuading, teaching, which do not convey a complete sense by themselves. Also the Infinitive often expresses the Purpose of the action denoted by the Verb.

Examples:

"Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome."

(Acts xviii. 2.)

"He was forced to depart, so as to be within Grey Friars' gate before

ten." (Newc. ch. xii.)

"He invoked Heaven to witness the sincerity of his professions."

(Mac. H. E. i. 110.)

(Ev. Hymn.)

"Teach me to live that I may dread
"God spoke and gave us the word to keep..."

(Rob. Browning, H. Cross Day.) (J. Cæs. iii. 2.)

"I come to bury Cæsar, not to praise him . . "He spoke, and to confirm his words out flew Millions of flaming swords." (P. L. i.)

The Complementary Infinitive of Purpose is often introduced by so as to, in order to, and in older English by for (to): as—

"Max gave up a costume and a carriage so as to help Paul." (Newc. ch. xxxviii.)

"A dragoon was a soldier who used a horse only in order to arrive with more speed at the place where military service was required." (Mac. H. E. i. 296.)

"What went you out for to see?" (Matt. xi. 9.)

§ 264. The Infinitive is often the Complement of an Adjective: as

"Swift to hear, slow to speak." (Jas. i. 19.)

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Things hard to be understood." (1 Pet. iii. 16.)

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Eager to be pleased and to please . . ." (Newc. ch. xxxviii.)

"A body of members anxious to preserve and eager to reform..." (Mac. H. E. i. 99.)

"Desirous to erect a commonwealth." (Ib. 117.)

§ 265. The Infinitive may also be the Complement of a Noun: as

"A time to weep and a time to laugh

(Eccl. iii. 4.)

"Hast thou a charm to stay the morning star?"

(Coleridge, Hymn.)

"A crime to be expiated by blood." (Mac. H. E. i. 109.)

"A house to let;" "Chairs to mend," &c.

§ 266. Sometimes an Infinitive Mood is attached as a Complement to an entire sentence: as

"In politics, the Independents were-to use the phrase of their time -root and branch men . . (Mac. H. E. i. 117.)

"Not favoured spots alone, but the whole earth
The beauty wore of promise,-that which sets
(To take an image which was felt no doubt
Among the bowers of Paradise itself)

The budding rose above the rose full-blown." (Wordsworth) Under this head come all such parenthetical expressions as, to be brief, so to speak, to return to the point, not to make a long story of it, not to mince matters, &c.

§ 267. Sometimes the Infinitive is used by way of exclamation: as

"Thus to rob me of my child!" (Vicar of W. xvii.)

"To think that there she is in the market .!" (Newc. xxxvii.)

4. Gerund.

§ 268. A Gerund is a Verbal Noun, and may be used in most of the constructions of a Noun. Thus it may be the Subject or the Object of a Verb, and it may be under the government of an Adjective or of a Preposition.

1. GERUND AS SUBJECT.

"The leaving a neighbourhood in which we had enjoyed so many hours of tranquillity, was not without a tear." (Vicar of W. ch. iii.) "Running to see fireworks alone is dreary work."

(Newc. ch. xxxviii.) "It is not dying for a faith that is hard ..." (Esmond, ch. vi.) "The sea begins, and there is no more jumping ashore." (F. Holt, ch. xxvii.)

2. GERUND AS OBJECT.

"Thou respectst not spilling Edward's blood." (Rich. II. ii. 1.) "He contemplated marrying Esther." (F. Holt, ch. xxxvi.)

3. GERUND AFTER AN ADJECTIVE.

"Not worth his serious considering." (Hen. VIII. iii. 2.) "Whether it is truth worth my knowing is another question." (F. Holt, ch. xxviii.)

4. GERUND GOVERNED BY A PREPOSITION.

"Cannot but by annihilating die." (P. L. vi.)

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Who can hold a fire in his hand

By thinking on the frosty Caucasus?" (Rich. II. i. 3.)

Obs. Such expressions as the following are occasionally to be met with in writers of the present day:

"We do not dance for dancing's sake." (Standard, Feb. 9, 1872.)

"To go for going's sake. (Sunday Mag.)

Here the Possessive forms are to be parsed as Nouns, not as Gerunds. See ◊ 127, Obs. 1. (But it is better to say, "for the sake of dancing, going," &c.)

§ 269. The Gerund of a Transitive Verb retains the same power of governing the Objective Case as the Verb to which it belongs: as,

"The year was spent in visiting our rich neighbours and relieving such as were poor." (Vicar of W. ch. i.)

"I determined to increase my salary by managing a little farm."

(Ib. iii.)

§ 270. It must be borne in mind that the original use of the forms in -ing (also -ung) was that of Nouns, the Gerund being a totally distinct thing. (See § 127, Obss. 1 and 2.) And they must still be parsed as such when they have the full construction of Nouns; admitting an Adjective or

Article before them, and being followed by the Preposition of. This is the case in the following examples :

"The middle station of life seems to be the most advantageously situated for the gaining [Noun] of wisdom. Poverty turns our thoughts too much upon the supplying [Noun] of our wants, and riches upon enjoying [Gerund] our superfluities." (Addison, Spect. No. 464.) ̧

"The planting [Noun] of woods." (Fuller, Holy St. ii. 9.) "The attaining [Noun] of happiness.” (Ib. 10.)

"The making [Noun] of saleable drugs.” (F. Holt, ch. xxxvii.) "The tolling [Noun] of the curfew." (Ivanhoe, ch. iii.)

"The bursting [Noun] of a night storm.” (Ib. ii.)

"The posing [Noun] of figures and drapery; the dexterous copying [Noun] of the line." (Newc. ch. xxxviii.)

"The smoking [Noun] of a certain number of pipes." (Ib.)

"A great whacking [Noun] of whips, blowing [Noun] of horns, and whirring [Noun] of wheels . . . (Ib. xxxvii.)

Obs. Our older writers show an irregularity in the use of the forms in -ing. Sometimes (1) These forms, even when marked as Nouns by having an Adjective or Article prefixed, are followed by an Objective Case: at other times (2), although not marked in this way as Nouns, they are followed by the Preposition of: as,

1. Adjective or Article prefixed and Objective following.

"God, who... didst teach the hearts of thy faithful people, by the sending to them the light of Thy Holy Spirit." (Collect, Whitsunday.)

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... no tyrannical penance, no whipping themselves." (Fuller, Holy St. i. 11.) "The giving a bookseller a price for his book has this advantage." (Selden, in Morris, p. 178.)

"The leaving a neighbourhood in which we had enjoyed so much happiness, was not without a tear." (Vicar of W. iii.)

2. No Adjective or Article prefixed and Preposition of following. "Sent to prepare the way

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...

by preaching of repentance."

(Collect, St. John Baptist.)

Quoting of authors is most for matter of fact." (Selden, in Morris, p. 178.) she can make the sun rise by lighting of a candle." (Fuller, 1. c. 1.)

"To prove him, in defending of myself,

A traitor to my God, my king, and me.” (Sh. Rich. II. i. 3.)

N.B.-These constructions are now obsolete.

§ 271. The following is the modern rule for the use of the Verbals in -ing:

When the precedes, of must follow; or both the and of must be omitted together: namely,—

Either,

"By the sending of the light."

"By the preaching of repentance."

Or,

"By sending the light."

"By preaching repentance."

In the former case the forms in -ing are parsed as Nouns, in the latter case, as Gerunds.

§ 272. A Gerund is often preceded by the Possessive Case of a Noun or Pronoun, denoting the Subject [compare Latin, Subjective Genitive]: as

"How brooks your Grace the air

After your late tossing on the breaking seas?" (Rich. II. iii. 2.) "The gooseberries were of her gathering." (Vicar of W. ch. xvi.) "I remember his pointing with the wooden sword.” (Ivan, ch. ii.) "If you do not disapprove of Miss Lyon's granting us this favour." (F. Holt, ch. xxxviii.)

"Who gave you knowledge of your wife's being there?"

(B. Jons. in Mätz.)

Obs. In the three last of the above examples the same sense might be expressed by means of a Participle in agreement with the Noun or Pronoun preceding. Thus

might be

I remember his pointing [Ger.]

I remember him pointing [Part.], &c.

at his ward [not ward's] appearing in public

Compare the following examples :

"Cedric, though surprised

on this occasion." (Ivan. ch. iv.)

"When we had dined, to prevent the ladies [not ladies'] leaving us, I generally ordered the table to be removed." (Vicar of W. ii.)

§ 273. The compound Gerund forms with having, being, having been, are used in the same way as the simple Gerund: as

"I shall cheerfully bear the reproach of having descended below the dignity of history (Mac. H. E. i. 3.)

"You cannot be in their company a moment without being made to feel... that you are not the object of this preference." (Lamb, Ess.)

"Doubtless the pleasure is as great

Of being cheated, as to cheat." (Hudibr. II. iii.)

"It was that mixture of pushing forward and being pushed forward, which is a brief history of most human things." (F. Holt, ch. xxxiii.)

"His being involved in the riot, and his fatal encounter with the constable..." (Ib. xlvi.)

[N.B.-This last construction is scarcely elegant.]