+Examples+.--Being an _artist_, _he_ appreciated it. I proved _it_ to be
_him_.
+Remark+.--When the assumed subject of the participle or the infinitive is
a possessive, the attribute complement is said to be in the nominative
case; as, Its _being he_ [Footnote: The case of _he_ in these examples is
rather doubtful. The nominative and the objective forms of the pronoun
occur so rarely in such constructions that it seems impossible to determine
the usage. It is therefore a matter of no great practical importance.
Some, reasoning from the analogy of the Latin, would put the attribute
complement of the abstract infinitive in the objective, supposing _for_ and
some other word to be understood; as, _For one to be him_, etc. Others,
reasoning from the German, to which our language is closely allied, would
put this complement in the nominative.
The assumed subject of the infinitive being omitted when it is the same in
sense as the principal subject, _him_, in the sentence _I wish_ (_me_ or
_myself_) _to be him_, is the proper form, being in the same case as _me_.]
should make no difference. When the participle or the infinitive is used
abstractly, without an assumed subject, its attribute complement is also
said to be in the nominative case; as, To _be he_ [Footnote: See footnote
above.
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