5. The Law of Use.

Horace declared use to be the law and rule of speak¬ing. Dr. Campbell has discussed this criterion of speech with great judgment. His essay on the subject is worthy of universal attention.t He defines author¬itative usage to be,
I. Reputable, or the practice of intelligent and educated writers ;
IL National, as opposed to provincial and foreign ; III. Present, or the usage of the generation in which one lives.