Cap. 5.
1. Case is an affection of a noun for distinction of person; as, the
corner stone fel on me; stone is the nominative case. The corner of a
stone hurt me; stone is the genitive case. Quhat can you doe to a stone;
stone is the dative case. He brak the stones; it is the accusative case.
Quhy standes thou stone; it is the vocative. And he hurt me with a
stone; it is the ablative case.
2. This difference we declyne, not as doth the latines and greekes, be
terminationes, but with noates, after the maner of the hebrues, quhilk
they cal particles.
3. The nominative hath no other noat but the particle of determination;
as, the peple is a beast with manie heades; a horse serves man to manie
uses; men in auctoritie sould be lanternes of light.
4. Our genitive is alwayes joyned with an other noun, and is noated with
of, or s.
5. With of, it followes the noun quhar w_i_th it is joined; as, the
house of a good man is wel governed.
6. With s it preceedes the word quherof it is governed, and s is devyded
from it with an apostrophus; as, a gud man’s house is wel governed.
7. This s sum haldes to be a segment of his, and therfoer now almost al
wrytes his for it, as if it wer a corruption. But it is not a segment of
his; 1. because his is the masculin gender, and this may be fœminin;
as, a mother’s love is tender; 2. because his is onelie singular, and
this may be plural; as, al men’s vertues are not knawen.
8. The dative is noated w_i_th to, and for; as, geve libertie evin to
the best youth and it wil luxuriat. Al men doeth for them selves; few
for a frende.
9. The accusative hath noe other noat then the nominative; as, the head
governes the bodie.
10. The vocative is the person to quhom the speach is directed; as,
quhence cumes thou Æneas.
11. The ablative is noated w_i_th prepositiones in, with, be, and sik
lyke; as, be god al thinges wer made; God w_i_th his word his warkes
began; in my father’s house are manie mansiones.