ARTICLE

ARTICLE,Articulus, a little Part or Division of a Book, Writing, or the like—Aquinas divides his Sum of Theology, into several Questions; and each Question into divers Articles—Such an Account consists of so many Articles. Article is also used for the several Clauses, or Conditions of a Convention, ‘Treaty of Peace, or the like. See Treaty, Convention, &c. In this Sense we say, Articles of Marriage, Articles of Capitulation, Preliminary Articles, &c.—The Establishment of an East-India Company at Ostend, is a direct Breach of the eighth and ninth Articles of the Treaty of Munster. Articles of the Clergy, Articuli Cleri, are certain Statutes touching Persons and Causes ecclesiastical, made under Edward II, and III. Article of Faith, is some Point of Christian Doctrine which we are obliged to believe, as having been revealed by God himself, and allowed and established as such by the Church. See FAITH, &c. Article, Articulus, in Anatomy, is a Joint, or Juncture, of two or more Bones of the Body. See BONE, JOINT, &c. see also Articulation. Articles of Death, Articulus Mortis, the last Pangs, or Agony of a dying Person. See AGONY. The Pope usually sends his Benediction to the Cardinals, &c. in Articulo Mortis. Article,in Arithmetic, signifies the Number 10, or any Number justly divisible into ten Parts; as 20, 30, 40, &c.—These are sometimes called Decads, and sometimes round Numbers: Harris. Article,in Grammar, is a Particle used in most Languages, for the declining of Nouns, and denoting the several Cases and Genders thereof. See Particle, Noun, Case, Gender, &c. The Use of Articles arises hence, that in Languages which have not different Terminations to express the different States and Circumstances of Nouns; there is something required to supply that Office. See TERMINATION. The Latins have no Articles; but the Greeks, and most of the modern Languages, have had Recourse hereto, for fixing and ascertaining the Vague Signification of common and appellative Names. See NAME and ATTRIBUTIVE. The Greeks have their το, the eastern Tongues their be Emphaticum; the Italians their il, lo, and la.—The French their le, la, and les.—The English also have two Articles, A and The; which being prefixed to Substantives, apply their general Signification to some particular Thing.—Thus we say, A Man; that is, some Man or other: The Man; that is, that certain Man.— Hence it appears that A is used in a larger, and more general Sense, being applied indifferently to any particular Person or Thing.— Whereas, The distinguishes individually, and shows what particular Thing is spoken of.—If the Substantive to which the Particle A is affixed, begin with a Vowel, or an H; we write and speak it, An: So we say, An Eye, an Hour, &c. Some Grammarians make the Article a distinct Part of Speech; others will have it a Pronoun; and others, with Mr. Greenwood, a Noun adjective. See Speech, Pronoun, Adjective, &c. Articles are Things of great Service in a Language, as they contribute to the more neat and precise expressing of several Properties and Relations which must otherwise be lost. —And hence one great Disadvantage of the Latin, above other Languages which have Articles; in that the Article, being either expressed, or left out, makes an Alteration in the Sense, which the Latins cannot distinguish.—Thus when the Devil said to our Saviour, Si tu es filius Dei, it may either be understood, if you are a Son of God, or, if you are the Son of God.—Scaliger, from the Want of Articles in the Latin, concluded them useless. The Italians even prefix Articles to proper Names; which don't naturally need any, in regard they do of themselves signify Things individually.—Thus they say, Il Ariosto, Il Tasso, Il Petrarcha.—Even the French join the Article to the proper Names of Kingdoms, Provinces, &c. as la Suede, la Normandie.— And we ourselves do it to the Names of certain Mountains and Rivers; as the Rhine; the Danube, the Alps, &c. Indefinite Article.



The Article A is said to be indefinite, because applied to Names taken in their more general, and confused Signification; as, He travelled with the Port and Equipage of a Prince; where the Word Prince may be understood of any Prince in the general. Definite Article.

The Article The is said to be definite, or demonstrative, as fixing the Sense of the Word it is put before, to one individual Thing. See DEFINITE. Fa. Buffier distinguishes a third kind of Articles in the French, which he calls intermediate, or Partitive; serving to denote part of the Items expressed by the Substantives they are added to:As, Des Scavans ont cru, some learned Men have supposed, &c. I want, De la lumiere, some Light, &c. The Use and Distinction of the definite and indefinite Articles le or la, and de or dit, make one of the greatest Difficulties in the French Tongue, as being utterly arbitrary, and only to be acquired by Practice.—We may add, that in the English, though the Articles be so few, yet they are of such frequent Use, that they easily discover any Stranger, from a natural Englishman, See ENGLISH and FRENCH.

ARTICLE