"It was observed in a former chapter, that one of the principal bulwarks of civil liberty, or, in other words, of the British constitution, _was_ the limitation of the king's prerogative." The observation had been made in time past, but respecting a fact that exists _now_, and at all times while the British constitution exists. The sentence therefore should run thus; "it _was_ observed that one principal bulwark of civil liberty, _is_ the limitation of the king's prerogative." No fault is more common; we every day hear such expressions as these; "If I thought it _was_ so;" "suppose I should say she _was_ handsome;" "I did not think it _was_ so late," &c. _Was_, in the first and last examples, should be the infinitive, _to be_; and in the second, the present time, _is_. Had proper attention been paid to our language, so many palpable mistakes would not have crept into practice, and into the most correct and elegant writings. Dr. Reid is perhaps the only writer who has generally avoided this error. The Greek and Roman writers were not guilty of such mistakes. Either the varieties of inflection in their languages, or superior care in the writers, made them attentive to the nice distinctions of time. In the following passage, the translators of the Bible, by adhering closely to the original, have avoided the common error before mentioned. "I _knew_ thee that thou art an hard man."--Matth. xxv. 24. "~Egnôn hoti sklêros ei anthrôpos~;" literally, _having known_ that thou _art_ an hard man. So also ver. 26, "Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou _knewest_ that I _reap_, where I sowed not;" "~êdeis hoti therizô~." Had these passages been translated into the careless stile of modern conversation, and even of many excellent writings, they would have stood thus--"I knew thee that thou _wast_ an hard man"--"thou knewest that I _reaped_ where I sow not." But the general character and conduct of the person mentioned in this parable, are supposed to exist at all times while he is living; and this general nature of the fact requires the verb to be in the present time. To confirm this remark let the sentences be inverted; "thou art an hard man, I knew thee to be such, or I knew it." "I reap where I sowed not, thou knewest that." This is an indubitable evidence of the accuracy of the translation.[122] An inversion of the order of the sentence in the passages first quoted, will show the common error in a most striking light.