From
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed, p. 1690) usage note on split infinitives:
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The split infinitive has been present in English ever since the 1300s, but it was not until the 1800s that grammarians labeled and condemned the usage. The only rationale for condemining the construction is based on a false analogy with Latin. . . . But English is not Latin, and distinguished writers have split infinitives without giving it a thought. Noteworthy splitters include John Donne, Daniel DeFoe, George Eliot, Benjamin Franklon, Abraham Lincoln, William Wordsworth, and Willa Cather. . . .
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