to one noun, in any particular construction
of it. Priestley observes, "Some writers affect to _transpose_ these words,
and place the numeral adjective first; [as,] '_The first Henry_.' Hume's
History, Vol. i, p. 497. This construction is common with this writer, but
there seems to be a _want of dignity_ in it."--_Rudiments of E. Gram._, p.
150. Dr. Webster cites the word _Great_, in "_Alexander the Great_" as a
_name_, or _part_ of a name; that is, he gives it as an instance of
"_cognomination_." See his _American Dict._, 8vo. And if this is right, the
article may be said to relate to the epithet only, as it appears to do.
For, if the word is taken substantively, there is certainly no ellipsis;
neither is there any transposition in putting it last, but rather, as
Priestley suggests, in putting it first.

OBS. 10.--The definite article is often prefixed to _comparatives_ and
_superlatives_; and its effect is, as Murray observes, (in the words of
Lowth,) "to mark the degree _the more_ strongly, and to define it _the
more_ precisely: as, '_The more_ I examine it, _the better_ I like it.' 'I
like this _the least_ of any.'"--_Murray's Gram._, p. 33; _Lowth's_, 14.
"For neither if we eat, are we _the better_; neither if we eat not, are we
_the worse_."--_1 Cor._, viii, 8. "One is not _the more_ agreeable to me
for loving beef, as I do; nor _the less_ agreeable for preferring
mutton."--_Kames, El. of Crit._, Vol. ii, p. 365. "They are not the men in
the nation, _the most_ difficult to be replaced."--_Priestley's Gram._, p.
148. In these instances, the article seems to be used _adverbially_, and to
relate only to the _adjective_ or _adverb_ following it. (See observation
fourth, on the Etymology of Adverbs.) Yet none of our grammarians have
actually reckoned _the_ an adverb. After the _adjective_, the noun might
perhaps be supplied; but when the word _the_ is added to an _adverb_, we
must either call it an adverb, or make an exception to Rule 1st above: and
if an exception is to be made, the brief form which I have given, cannot
well be improved. For even if a noun be understood, it may not appear that
the article relates to it, rather than to the degree of the quality. Thus:
"_The_ deeper the well, _the_ clearer the water." This Dr. Ash supposes to
mean, "The deeper _well_ the well _is_, the clearer _water_ the water
_is_."--_Ash's Gram._, p. 107. But does the text specify a _particular_
"deeper well" or "clearer water?" I thi