Ego, mei, mihi,Hoist the frog up sky-high.Tu, tui, tibi,In Chancery they fib ye.Ille, illa, illud,Cows chew the cud.Is, ea, id,Always do as you’re bid.Qui, quæ, quod,Or else you’ll taste the rod.Every donkey can decline is, ea, id. We heard one the other day on Hampstead Heath, repeat distinctlyE—o! e—a! e—o!man sitting sideways on a donkeyTHE FIRST LESSON IN LATIN.When you decline quis quæquid, beware of any temptation to indulge in dirty habits.Eschew pig-tail instead of chewing it. Never have anyquidin your mouth, but a quid pro quo.OF A VERB.A verb is the chief word in everysentence, asSuspendaturper collum, let him be hanged by the neck.It expresses the action or being of a thing. Egosumsapiens, I am a wise man. Tuesstultus, thou art a fool. Non hic amice,pernoctas, you don’t lodge here, Mr. Ferguson.Verbs have two voices, like the gentleman who was singing, a short time since, at the St. James’s Theatre.The active ending ino—as amo, I love.The passive ending inor—as amor, I am loved.In these two words is contained the terrestrial summum bonum—In short, love beats everything—cock-fighting not excepted. Amo! amor! How happy every human being, from the peer to the pot-boy, from the duchess to the dairy-maid, would be to be able to say so.They wouldconjugateimmediately. Except, however, certain modern political economists of the Malthusian school, who, albeit they are great advocates for the diffusion of learning, are violently opposed to unlimited conjugations.Of verbs ending inosome are actives transitive. A verb is called transitive when the action passeson to the following noun, as Seco baculum meum, I cut my stick.Numerous examples of this kind of cutting, which may be called acomic section, are recorded in history, both ancient and modern. Even Hector cut his stick (with Achilles after him) at the siege of Troy. The Persians cut their stick at Marathon. Pompey cut his stick at Pharsalia, and so did Antony at Actium. Napoleon Bonaparte cut his stick at Waterloo.Other verbs ending inoare named neuters and intransitives. A verb is called intransitive, or neuter, when the action does not pass on, or require a following noun, as curro, I run. Pistol cucurrit, Pistol ran. But to say, “Falstaff voluitcurrere eum per,†“Falstaff wishedto run him through,†would be making a neuter verb, a verb active, and would therefore be Latin of the canine species, or Dog-Latin; so would Meus homo Gulielmuscucurrit caput suumplenum sed contra te homo dic pax, My man Williamran his headfull but against the mantel-piece. This, it is obvious, will not do after Cicero.Verbs transitive ending inobecome passive by changingointoor, as Secor, I am cut. Cæsar was cut by his friend Brutus in the capitol. “This,†as Antony very judiciously observed on the hustings, “was the most unkindestcutof all,â€â€”much worse,indeed, than any of the similar operations which are daily performed in Regent Street.two black menBRUTUS AND CÆSAR.Verbs neuter and intransitive are never made passive. We may say, Crepo, I crack, but we cannot say, Crepor, I am cracked.The ancient heroes appear, from what Homer says, to have got into a way ofcrackingaway most tremendously when they were going to engage in single combat.Orestes was certainlycracked.Some verbs ending inorhave an active signification—as Loquor, I speak.Q.Why are such verbs like witnesses on oath?A.Because they are called “Deponents.â€Of these some few are neuters, as Glorior, I boast.Cæsar boasted that he came, saw, and overcame. Bald-headed people (like Cæsar) do not, in general, makeconquestsso easily.Neuter Verbs ending inor, and verbs deponent, are declined like verbs passive; but with gerunds and supines like verbs active; thus presenting a curious combination ofactivityandsupineness.There are some verbs which are called verbs personal. A verb personal resembles a mixed group of old maids and young maids, because it hasdifferent persons, as Ego irrideo, I quiz. Tu irrides, thou quizzest.A verb impersonal is like a collection of tombstone angels, or small children; it has notdifferent persons, astædet, it irketh, oportet, it behoveth.It irketh to learn Greek and Latin, nevertheless it behoveth to do so.OF MOODS.Moods in verbs are like moods in man, they have each of them a peculiarexpression. Here,however, the resemblance stops. Man has many moods, verbs have but five. For instance, we observe in men the merry mood, the doleful mood, (or dumps), the shy, timid, or sheepish mood, the bold, orbumptiousmood, the placid mood, the angry mood, whereto may be added the vindictive mood, and the sulky mood; the sober mood, as contradistinguished from both the serious and the drunken mood; or as blended with the latter, in which case it may be called the sober-drunk mood—the contented mood, the grumbling mood; the sympathetic mood, the sarcastic mood, the idle mood, the working mood, the communicative mood, the secretive mood, and the moods of all the phrenological organs; besides the monitory or mentorial mood, and the mendacious, or lying mood, with the imaginative, poetical, or romantic mood, the compassionate, or melting mood, and many other moods too tedious to mention.very tall man talking to woman on ladderA LONG COURTSHIP.We must not however omit the flirting mood, the teazing or tantalizing mood, the giggling mood, themaggingor talkative mood, and the scandalizing mood, which are peculiarly observable in the fair sex.The moods of verbs are the following:1. The indicative mood, which either affirms a fact or asks a question, as Ego amo, Idolove. Amas tu?Dostthou love?The long and short of all courtships are contained in these two examples.2. The imperative mood, which commandeth, or entreateth. This two-fold character of the imperative mood is often exemplified in schools, the command being on the part of the master, and the entreaty on that of the boy—as thus, Veni huc! Come hither! Parce mihi! Spare me! The imperative mood is also known by the signlet—as in the well-known verse in the song Dulce Domum—“Eja! nunc eamus.â€â€œHurrah! now let us be offâ€â€”meaning for the vacation. N.B. This mood is one much in themouth of beadles, boatswains, bashaws, majors, magistrates, slave drivers, superintendents, serjeants, and jacks-in-office of all descriptions—monitors, especially, and præfects of public schools, are very fond of using it on all occasions.uniformed man chasing boysTHE IMPERATIVE MOOD.3. The potential mood signifies power or duty. The signs by which it is known are, may, can, might, would, could, should, or ought—as, Amem, I may love (when I leave school).Amavissem, I should have loved (if I had not known better,) and the like.4. The subjunctive differs from the potential only in being always governed by some conjunction or indefinite word, and in being subjoined to some other verb going before it in the same sentence—as Cochleare eram cum amarem, I was aspoonwhenI loved—Nescio qualis sim hoc ipso tempore, I don’t know what sort of a person I am at this very time.The propriety of the above expression “cochleare,†will be explained in a Comic System of Rhetoric, which perhaps may appear hereafter.5. The infinitive mood is like a gentleman’s cab, because it has no number.We have not made up our minds exactly, whether to compare it to the “picture of nobody†mentioned in the Tempest, or to the “picture of ugliness,†which young ladies generally call their successful rivals. It may be like one, or the other, or both, because it has noperson.Neither has it a nominative case before it; nor, indeed, has it any more business with one than a toad has with a side pocket.It is commonly known by the signto. As, for example—Amare, to love; Desipere, to be a fool; Nubere, to marry; PÅ“nitere, to repent.OF GERUNDS AND SUPINES.Ever anxious to encourage the expansion of youthful minds, by as general a cultivation as possible of the various faculties, we beg to invite attention to the following combination of Grammar, Poetry, and Music.Air.—Believe me if all those endearing young charms. —Moore.The gerunds of verbs end in di, do, and dum,But the supines of verbs are but two;For instance, the active, which endeth inum,And the passive which endeth inu.Amandi, of loving, kind reader, beware;Amando, in loving, be brief;Amandum, to love, ifyou ’redoom’d, have a care,In the goblet to drown all your grief.Amatum, Amatu, to love and be loved,Should it be your felicitous (?) lot,May the fuel so needful be never removedWhich serves to keep boiling the pot.OF TENSES.In verbs there are five tenses, or times, expressing an action, or affirmation.1. The present tense, or time. There is no time (or tense) like the present. It expresses an action now taking place. Examples—Act.I love, or am loving. Amo, I am loving. —Pass.I am made drunk, or am drunk. Inebrior, I am drunk.2. The preterimperfect tense denotes something, or a state of things, partly, but not entirelypast. —Examp. I did love or was loving. Amabam, I was loving. I was made drunk an hour ago. Inebriabar, I was made drunk.3. The preterperfect tense expresses a thing lately done, but now ended. —Examp. I have loved, or I loved. Amavi, I loved. I have been made drunk, or have been drunk. Inebriatus sum, I have been drunk.4. The preterpluperfect tense refers to a thing done at some time past, but now ended. —Examp. Amaveram, I had loved. Inebriatus eram, I had been drunk.5. The future tense relates to a thing to be done hereafter, as, Amabo, I shall or will love.Inebriabor, I shall get drunk—say to-morrow.OF NUMBERS AND PERSONS.Verbs have two numbers. No. 1, Singular, No. 2, Plural.In most matters it is usual to pay exclusive attention to number one. In learning the verbs, however, it is necessary to regard equally number two.—Thepersonsof verbs are generally considered very disagreeable. Verbs have three persons in each number. Thus, for instance, at a dancing academy—Sing.Ego salto,Tu saltas,Ille saltat,I dance,Thou dancest,He danceth.Plur.Nos saltamus,Vos saltatis,Illi saltant,We dance,Ye dance,They dance.At an academy onFree-knowledge-icalprinciples—or a Comic Academy.Ego rideo,Tu rides,Ille ridet,I laugh,Thou laughest,He laugheth.Nos ridemus,Vos ridetis.Illi rident,We laugh,Ye laugh,They laugh.Laughter, too, is very common at other academies, but generally occurs on the wrong side of the mouth. The right sort of laughter (which may be presumed to be on therightside of the mouth), is most frequent about the time of the holidays. What does the song say?“Ridet annus, prata ridentNosque rideamus.â€â€œThe year laughs, the meadows laugh,—suppose we have a laugh as well.â€Note—That all nouns are of the third person except Ego, Nos, Tu, and Vos. Hence we seehow absurdly the man who drew a couple of donkeys acted in endeavouring to prevail uponusto call the picture “WeThreeâ€â€”Ille,he,—may, perhaps, have been qualified to make athird personin the group, and have “written himself down an ass†with some correctness.Ego,I, andNos,we, have certainly nothing in common with that animal, and it is to be hoped that neither Tu, thou, nor Vos, ye, can be said to partake of his nature.Notealso. That all nouns of the vocative case are of the second person. So that if we should say, O asine, O thou donkey; or O asini, O ye donkeys, we should have grammar at least on our side.Be it your care to prevent us from having justice also.Of the Verb Esse, to be.Before other verbs are declined, it is necessary to learn the verb Esse, to be. And before we teach the verb Esse, to be, it is necessary to make a few remarks on verbs in general.In the first place we have to observe, that they are rather difficult; and in the next, that if any one expects that we are going to consider them in detail, he is very much mistaken.But our skipping a very considerable portion of the verbs, is no reason why boys should do thesame. Were we all to follow the examples of our teachers, instead of attending to their precepts, where would be the world by this time?Whirling away, no doubt, far from the respectable society of the neighbouring planets, and blundering about right and left, pell-mell, helter-skelter among the fixed stars—itself, “and all which it inherit†in that glorious state of confusion so admirably described by the poet Ovid—“Quem dixere Chaos,â€which men have called Shaos. It would indeed be little better than a broken downShay-horse.But “revenons à nos moutons,†that is, let us get back to our verbs. We recommend the most attentive and diligent study of all of them as set forth in the Eton Grammar, assisted by that kind of association of ideas, of which we shall now proceed to give a few specimens.Sum, es, fui, esse, futurus, to be,—or not to be—that is the question.Rule1. To each person of a verb, singular and plural, join a noun, according to your taste or comic talent. Should you be deficient in the inventive faculty, apply for assistance to one of the senior boys, which, in consideration of your fagging for him, he will readily give you. If yourself a senior boy, apply to the master.Examples.Indicative Mood.Present Tense.  Am.Sing.Sum,Es,Est,I am,Thou art,He is,Vir,Stultus,Latro,a man,a fool,a thief.Plu.Sumus,Estis,Sunt,We are,Ye are,They are,Patricii,Plebeii,Errones,gentlemen,snobs,vagabonds.We would proceed in this way with Sum, but that we are afraid of being tire-sum.Verbs Regular.First Conjugation.  Amo.Sing.Amo,Amas,Amat,I love,Thou lovest,He loveth,Puellam,Fartum,Carnemporcinam,a lass,a pudding,pork.Plu.Amamus,Amatis,Amant,We love,Ye love,They love,Doctrinam,Leporem,Poesin,learning,comicality,poetry.The consideration of which three things leads us toRule2. In repeating the different tenses of verbs, be careful to be provided with a short Englishverse, contrived so as to rhyme with the third person singular, and another to rhyme with the third person plural. In this way your powers of composition as well as of memory will be profitably exercised.Example.Second Conjugation.  Moneo.Sing.Moneo, mones, monet,Reid & Co.’sheavy wet.Plu.Monemus, monetis, monent,Beats that from the firmament.Third Conjugation.  Rego.Sing.Rego, regis, regit,A statesman for office unfit.Plu.Regimus, regitis,regunt,Is much like a bear in a punt.Rule3. Should you be desired to give the English of each person in the tense which you are repeating, you may (we mean a class of you), follow a plan adopted with great success and striking effect in that kind of dramatic representation entitled “A Grand Opera,†that ofsingingwhat you have tosay. Hold up your head, turn out your toes, clear your voices, and begin. A-hem!Schoolmaster beating a drum, and boys singing in chorusGOING THROUGH THE VERBS.AUDIO—I HEAR.Fourth Conjugation.  Audio.Trio.Sing.Audio,Audis,Audit,I hear the Tartar drum!Thou hearest the Tartar drum!He hears the Tartar drum!—the Tartar drum! the Tartar drum!Chorus.He hears!He hears!He h - - e - - - a - - rs the Tar - tar drum!Plu.Audimus, We hear the Tartar drum, &c.Verbs Irregular—Areregularbores. The above Rules are equally applicable to them, and also to theDefective Verbs;Concerning which it may be asserted, that though almost all of them have tenses more or less imperfect, there are some which have not a singleImperfect Tense.Impersonal Verbs.Such as delectat, it delighteth; decet, it becometh, &c., answer to such English verbs as take the worditbefore them. When we consider thatitisa term of endearment used in speaking to babies, as “it’s a pretty dear,†we cannot help thinking that Verbs Impersonal ought to bepetverbs. Such however, is not, as far as we know, the fact.nursemaid holding babyPRETTY DEAR.OF A PARTICIPLE.A participle is a hybrid part of speech; a kind of mongrel-cross, between a noun and a verb. It is two parts verbs, and four parts noun; wherefore its composition may be likened unto the milk sold in and about London, which is usually watered in the proportion of four to two. The properties of the noun belonging to it, are, number, gender, case, and declension; those of the verb, tense, and signification.As a horse hath four legs, so hath a verb four participles.Air.—Bonnets of Blue.There ’s one of the present,—and then,There ’s one of the future inrus;Of the tense preterperfect a third,—and again,A fourth of the future indus.Participles are declined like nouns adjective, as—but no! how can we ask our fair (blue) readers to declinea-man’s(amans) loving.Now here we feel called upon to say a few words on the difference between a man’s loving and a woman’s loving. It has often been a question, whether do men or women love mostdearly? To us the matter does not appear to admit of a doubt. We defy any of our male readers to be in love (when they are old and silly enough) for six months without finding themselves most grievously out of pocket. We have a friend who was in that unfortunate condition for about a month, and it cost him at least seven and sixpence a week in fees to the maid servant, and that without once being enabled to exchange a word with the object of his affections. At last he began to think that he was paying rather too dear for his whistle; so he gave it up. What girl would have held on so long, and laid out so much money without a return—not of soft affection, but of hard cash? Women, indeed, instead of loving dearly, love, according to our own experience, particularly cheaply. Think of what they save, by taking their admirers “shopping†with them, in ribands, bracelets, and the like, to say nothing of coach-hire, pastry-cooks, and the price of admission, when they go with them to the play. And we should like to hear of the young lady who in these days would dispose of her hand at any thing less than a good round sum if she could help it—no, no. To lovedearlyis the precious prerogative of the lords of the creation alone.But we are forgetting our participles.The participle of the present tense ends inans, orens; as Flagellans, whipping; Lædens, hurting.That of the future inrus, signifies a likelihood, or design of doing something, as Flagellaturus, about to whip; Læsurus, about to hurt.That of the preterperfect tense has generally a passive signification, and ends inus, as Flagellatus, whipped; Læsus, hurt.That of the future indushas also a passive signification, as Flagellandus, to be whipped; Lædendus, to be hurt.Note1. All participles are declined like nouns adjective. We recommend the above participles to be declined likewinking.2. There are three things that are not hurt by whipping—a top, a syllabub, and a cream.OF AN ADVERB.Convex and concave spectacles are contrivances used to increase or diminish the magnitude of objects.Adverbs are parts of speech used to increase or diminish the signification of words.Spectacles are joined to the bridge of the nose.Adverbs are joined to nouns adjective, and verbs. Benè, well; multùm, much; malè, ill, &c. are adverbs.Cæsarmultûmconturbavit indigenas:Cæsar much astonished the natives.boys watching black man eatingCÆSAR ASTONISHING THE NATIVES.OF A CONJUNCTION.A conjunction is a part of speech that joineth together; wherefore it may be likened unto many things; for instance—To glue, to paste, to gum arabic, to mortar, (for it joins words and sentences togetherlike bricks), to Roman cement, (Latinconjunctions more especially), to white of egg, to isinglass, to putty, to adhesive plaster, to matrimony.Conjunctions are thus used.Ovaetlardum, eggs and bacon. Dimidium dimidiumque, half-and-half. Amoretdementia, love and madness.boys pouring beer from spigotHALF-AND-HALF.OF A PREPOSITION.A Preposition is a part of speech commonlyset beforeanother word. Words, however, do not eat each other, though men have been known to eat words. Ab, ad, ante, &c.prepositions.Sometimes a preposition is joined in composition with another word, asprostratus, knocked down—floored.Tullius ab aquarioprostratus est:Tully was knocked down by a waterman.OF AN INTERJECTION.An interjection is a word expressing a sudden emotion or feeling, as Hei! Oh dear!—Heu! Lack-a-day!—Hem! Brute, Hollo! Brutus.—Euge! Tite, Bravo! Titus.We here find ourselves approaching the delightful subject of the three Concords, with which we shall make short work, first, for fear of furtherAccidence, and, secondly, because we are no fonder than boys are ofrepetitions, which, were we to follow the Eton Grammar in the Concords, we should be obliged to make in the Syntax.However, there are just one or two points to be mentioned.Rule.(Text-hand copy-books.) “Ask no questions.â€Exception.When you want to find where the concord should be, ask the following—Who? or what?—to find the nominative case to the verb.Whom? or what? with the verb, for the accusative after it.Who? or what? with the adjective, for the substantive to the adjective.Who? or what? with the verb, for the antecedent to the relative.But remember, that the use of the interrogatives who? and what? however justifiable in grammar, is very impertinent in conversation. What, for example, can be more ill-bred than to say, Who are you? Indeed, most questions are ill mannered. We do not speak of such expressions as, Has your mother sold her mangle? and the like, used only by persons who have never asked themselves where they expect to go to? but of all unnecessary demands whatever. “Sir,†said the great Dr.Johnson, “it is uncivil to be continually asking, Why is a dog’s tail short, or why is a cow’s tail long.â€OF THE GENDERS OF NOUNS,Commonly known by the name of“Propria Quæ Maribus.â€As the “Propria Quæ Maribus†is no joke, and the “As in Præsenti†is too much of a joke, we must do with them as we did with the verbs. Singing a song is always esteemed a valid substitute for telling a story; and the indulgence which we would have extended to us in this respect, is that universally granted to civilized society.Let the “Propria Quæ Maribus†be turned into a series of exercises, thus, or in like manner—Air.—“Here ’s to the maiden of bashful fifteen.â€All names of the male kind you masculine call,Ut sunt (for example), Divorum,Mars, Bacchus, Apollo, the deities all,And Cato, Virgilius, virorum.Latin ’s a bore, and bothers me sore,Oh how I wish that my lesson was o’er.Fluviorum, ut Tibris, Orontes likewise,Fine rivers in ocean that lost are,And Mensium—October an instancesupplies;Ventorum, ut Libs, Notus, Auster.Latin ’s a bore, &c.We do not pretend that the mode of study here recommended, is perfectly original. The genuinePropria Quæ Maribus, and As in Præsenti, like the writings of the most remote antiquity, consist of certain useful truths recorded in harmonious numbers. It has been a question among commentators, whether these interesting compositions were originally intended to be said or sung. Analogy (we mean that derived from the works of Homer and Virgil) would incline us to the latter opinion, which however does not appear to have been generally entertained in the schools. We shall give one more specimen in the above style; and we beg it may be remembered, that in so doing, we have no wish to detract in any way from the merit of the illustrious poet in the Eton Grammar; all we think is, that he might have introduced a little morecomicalityinto his work, while he was about it.OF THE PRETERPERFECT TENSE, &c. OF VERBS.Otherwise the “As in Præsenti.â€As in Præsenti—Preterperfect—avi,Oh! send me well done, lean, and lots of gravy,Save lavo, lavi, nexo, nexui.Ah! me—how sweet is cream with apple-pie,Juvi from juvo, secui from seco,Could n’t I lie and tipple, more Græco!From neco, necui, and mico,wordWhich micui makes, Oh! roast goose, lovely bird!Plico which plicui gives. Delightful grub!And frico, fricas, fricui, to rub—So domo, tono, domui, tonui make.And sono, sonui.—Lead me to the stake,I mean the beef-stake—crepo, crepui too,Which means tocrack(as roasted chestnuts do,)Then veto, vetui makes—forbiddingsound,Cubo, to lie along (these verbs confoundYe gods) makes cubui, do gives rightly dedi;What viler object than a coat that ’s seedy?—Sto to form steti has a predilection;Well—let it if it likes, I’ve no objection.&c. &c. &c.SYNTAXIS,or the Construction of Grammar.Q.What part of the grammar resembles the indulgences sold in the middle ages?A.Sin-tax.The first Concord;The Nominative case and the Verb.Where there is muchpersonality, there is generally little concord.However, a verb personal agrees with its nominative case in number and person, as Sera nunquam est ad bonos mores via, The way to good manners is never too late. Mind that, brother Jonathan.men loungingAMERICAN GENTLEMEN.Note—The above maxim is especially worthy of the attention of neophytes in law and medicine; of the gods in the gallery, and of Members of theHouse.stick figuresThe nominative case of pronouns is rarely expressed, except for the sake of distinction or emphasis, as—Tues exquisitus,tues,You’re a nice man,youare.Sometimes a sentence is the nominative case to the verb, asIngenuas pugni didicisse fideliter artes,Mollitos mores non sinit esse viri.The faithful study of the fistic artFrom mawkish softness guards a Briton’s heart.fistfight in the streetINGENUAS PUGNI DIDICISSE FIDELITER ARTESMOLLITOS MORES NON SINIT ESSE VIRI.Who can doubt it? But, besides, we have much to say in praise of boxing. In the first place, it is aclassicalaccomplishment. To say nothing of the Olympic and Isthmian Games, which are of themselves sufficient proof of the elegant andfancifultastes of the ancients; we need only allude to the fact, that theCorinthiansare universally celebrated for their proficiency in this science. Then, of its eminentlysocialtendency, there can be no doubt. What can be more conducive to good fellowship, and conviviality than the frequenttapping of claret, attendant both on its study and practice? Nor can its beneficial influence on the fine arts be called in question, seeing that its immediate object is to teach us theuse of our hands. And (which perhaps is the mostpursuasiveargument of all), it is particularly pleasing to the fair sex, who besides their well known admiration ofbravery, are, to a woman, devotedly attached to thering.Sometimes an adverb with a genitive case stands in the place of the nominative, as—Partim astutorum mordebantur,Part of the knowing ones were bit.We must contend that the above is aracyobservation.Exceptions to the Rule.Verbs of the infinitive mood—but hold. Remember that there is scarcely any rule without an exception; and this axiom particularly applies to the Syntax. We used to wish it did not; because then we should not have had so much to learn—to resume however—Verbs of the infinitive mood often have set before them an accusative case instead of a nominative; the conjunction quod, or ut, being leftout, asAnnam reginam aiunt occubuisse:They say that Queen Anne’s dead.A verb placed between two nominative cases of different numbers, is not like a donkey between two stacks of hay, it makes choice of one or the other, and agrees with it, asAmygdalæ amaræ venenumest,Bitter almondsispoison.We have written the English beneath the Latin. Perhaps it may be imagined that we think good Englishbeneathus.A singular noun of multitude is sometimes joined to a plural verb; asPars puerorum philosophum secuti sunt,Part of the boys followed the philosopher.boys running around philosopherAnd so they would now, particularly if they saw one in costume.Verbs impersonal have no nominative case before them, asTædet me Grammatices, I am weary of Grammar.Pertæsum est Syntaxeos, I am quite sick of Syntax.Mirificum visum est Socratem in gyrum saltantem videre,It seemed wonderful to behold Socrates jumping Jim Crow.philosopher dancing on stageSecond concord.The substantive and the adjective.man walking with umbrellaA TEA SPOON.Adjectives, participles, and pronouns agree with the substantive in gender, number, and case, asVir exiguo conventui, sobrioque idoneus:A nice man for a small tea-party.The Spartans, probably, were men of this kind; their aversion to drunkenness being well known.Observe how close the concord is between substantive and adjective. The ties of wedlock are nothing to it; for, besides that in that happy state there is very often not a little discord, it is quite impossible that man and wife should ever agree ingender.Sometimes a sentence supplies the place of a substantive; the adjective being placed in the neuter gender, asAudito reginam leones cÅ“nantes visisse:It being heard that Her Majesty had gone to see the lions at supper.Third Concord.The relative and the antecedent.The relative and antecedent hit it off very well together; they agree one with the other in gender, number, and person, asQui plenos haurit cyathos, madidusque quiescit,Ille bonam degit vitam, moriturque facetus.“He who drinks plenty, and goes to bed mellow,Lives as he ought to do, and dies a jolly fellow.â€three men enjoying themselves at a tableHorace was the fellow for this kind of thing. Cato must have been a regular wet blanket.bust of Roman emperorHELIOGABALUS.Sometimes a sentence is placed for an antecedent, asHeliogabalus, spiritu contento, viginti quatuor ostrearum demersit in alvum, quod Dandoni etiam longé antecellit.Heliogabalus, at one breath, swallowed two dozen of oysters, which beats even Dando out and out.Many of the ancients could swallow a good deal.A relative placed between two substantives of different genders and numbers, sometimes agrees with the latter, as
Ego, mei, mihi,Hoist the frog up sky-high.Tu, tui, tibi,In Chancery they fib ye.Ille, illa, illud,Cows chew the cud.Is, ea, id,Always do as you’re bid.Qui, quæ, quod,Or else you’ll taste the rod.
Ego, mei, mihi,
Hoist the frog up sky-high.
Tu, tui, tibi,
In Chancery they fib ye.
Ille, illa, illud,
Cows chew the cud.
Is, ea, id,
Always do as you’re bid.
Qui, quæ, quod,
Or else you’ll taste the rod.
Every donkey can decline is, ea, id. We heard one the other day on Hampstead Heath, repeat distinctly
E—o! e—a! e—o!
man sitting sideways on a donkey
THE FIRST LESSON IN LATIN.
When you decline quis quæquid, beware of any temptation to indulge in dirty habits.Eschew pig-tail instead of chewing it. Never have anyquidin your mouth, but a quid pro quo.
A verb is the chief word in everysentence, asSuspendaturper collum, let him be hanged by the neck.
It expresses the action or being of a thing. Egosumsapiens, I am a wise man. Tuesstultus, thou art a fool. Non hic amice,pernoctas, you don’t lodge here, Mr. Ferguson.
Verbs have two voices, like the gentleman who was singing, a short time since, at the St. James’s Theatre.
The active ending ino—as amo, I love.
The passive ending inor—as amor, I am loved.
In these two words is contained the terrestrial summum bonum—In short, love beats everything—cock-fighting not excepted. Amo! amor! How happy every human being, from the peer to the pot-boy, from the duchess to the dairy-maid, would be to be able to say so.
They wouldconjugateimmediately. Except, however, certain modern political economists of the Malthusian school, who, albeit they are great advocates for the diffusion of learning, are violently opposed to unlimited conjugations.
Of verbs ending inosome are actives transitive. A verb is called transitive when the action passeson to the following noun, as Seco baculum meum, I cut my stick.
Numerous examples of this kind of cutting, which may be called acomic section, are recorded in history, both ancient and modern. Even Hector cut his stick (with Achilles after him) at the siege of Troy. The Persians cut their stick at Marathon. Pompey cut his stick at Pharsalia, and so did Antony at Actium. Napoleon Bonaparte cut his stick at Waterloo.
Other verbs ending inoare named neuters and intransitives. A verb is called intransitive, or neuter, when the action does not pass on, or require a following noun, as curro, I run. Pistol cucurrit, Pistol ran. But to say, “Falstaff voluitcurrere eum per,†“Falstaff wishedto run him through,†would be making a neuter verb, a verb active, and would therefore be Latin of the canine species, or Dog-Latin; so would Meus homo Gulielmuscucurrit caput suumplenum sed contra te homo dic pax, My man Williamran his headfull but against the mantel-piece. This, it is obvious, will not do after Cicero.
Verbs transitive ending inobecome passive by changingointoor, as Secor, I am cut. Cæsar was cut by his friend Brutus in the capitol. “This,†as Antony very judiciously observed on the hustings, “was the most unkindestcutof all,â€â€”much worse,indeed, than any of the similar operations which are daily performed in Regent Street.
two black men
BRUTUS AND CÆSAR.
Verbs neuter and intransitive are never made passive. We may say, Crepo, IÂ crack, but we cannot say, Crepor, IÂ am cracked.
The ancient heroes appear, from what Homer says, to have got into a way ofcrackingaway most tremendously when they were going to engage in single combat.
Orestes was certainlycracked.
Some verbs ending inorhave an active signification—as Loquor, I speak.
Q.Why are such verbs like witnesses on oath?
A.Because they are called “Deponents.â€
Of these some few are neuters, as Glorior, IÂ boast.
Cæsar boasted that he came, saw, and overcame. Bald-headed people (like Cæsar) do not, in general, makeconquestsso easily.
Neuter Verbs ending inor, and verbs deponent, are declined like verbs passive; but with gerunds and supines like verbs active; thus presenting a curious combination ofactivityandsupineness.
There are some verbs which are called verbs personal. AÂ verb personal resembles a mixed group of old maids and young maids, because it hasdifferent persons, as Ego irrideo, IÂ quiz. Tu irrides, thou quizzest.
A verb impersonal is like a collection of tombstone angels, or small children; it has notdifferent persons, astædet, it irketh, oportet, it behoveth.
It irketh to learn Greek and Latin, nevertheless it behoveth to do so.
Moods in verbs are like moods in man, they have each of them a peculiarexpression. Here,however, the resemblance stops. Man has many moods, verbs have but five. For instance, we observe in men the merry mood, the doleful mood, (or dumps), the shy, timid, or sheepish mood, the bold, orbumptiousmood, the placid mood, the angry mood, whereto may be added the vindictive mood, and the sulky mood; the sober mood, as contradistinguished from both the serious and the drunken mood; or as blended with the latter, in which case it may be called the sober-drunk mood—the contented mood, the grumbling mood; the sympathetic mood, the sarcastic mood, the idle mood, the working mood, the communicative mood, the secretive mood, and the moods of all the phrenological organs; besides the monitory or mentorial mood, and the mendacious, or lying mood, with the imaginative, poetical, or romantic mood, the compassionate, or melting mood, and many other moods too tedious to mention.
We must not however omit the flirting mood, the teazing or tantalizing mood, the giggling mood, themaggingor talkative mood, and the scandalizing mood, which are peculiarly observable in the fair sex.
The moods of verbs are the following:
1. The indicative mood, which either affirms a fact or asks a question, as Ego amo, Idolove. Amas tu?Dostthou love?
The long and short of all courtships are contained in these two examples.
2. The imperative mood, which commandeth, or entreateth. This two-fold character of the imperative mood is often exemplified in schools, the command being on the part of the master, and the entreaty on that of the boy—as thus, Veni huc! Come hither! Parce mihi! Spare me! The imperative mood is also known by the signlet—as in the well-known verse in the song Dulce Domum—
“Eja! nunc eamus.â€
“Hurrah! now let us be offâ€â€”meaning for the vacation. N.B. This mood is one much in themouth of beadles, boatswains, bashaws, majors, magistrates, slave drivers, superintendents, serjeants, and jacks-in-office of all descriptions—monitors, especially, and præfects of public schools, are very fond of using it on all occasions.
uniformed man chasing boys
THE IMPERATIVE MOOD.
3. The potential mood signifies power or duty. The signs by which it is known are, may, can, might, would, could, should, or ought—as, Amem, I may love (when I leave school).Amavissem, I should have loved (if I had not known better,) and the like.
4. The subjunctive differs from the potential only in being always governed by some conjunction or indefinite word, and in being subjoined to some other verb going before it in the same sentence—as Cochleare eram cum amarem, I was aspoonwhenI loved—Nescio qualis sim hoc ipso tempore, I don’t know what sort of a person I am at this very time.
The propriety of the above expression “cochleare,†will be explained in a Comic System of Rhetoric, which perhaps may appear hereafter.
5. The infinitive mood is like a gentleman’s cab, because it has no number.
We have not made up our minds exactly, whether to compare it to the “picture of nobody†mentioned in the Tempest, or to the “picture of ugliness,†which young ladies generally call their successful rivals. It may be like one, or the other, or both, because it has noperson.
Neither has it a nominative case before it; nor, indeed, has it any more business with one than a toad has with a side pocket.
It is commonly known by the signto. As, for example—Amare, to love; Desipere, to be a fool; Nubere, to marry; Pœnitere, to repent.
Ever anxious to encourage the expansion of youthful minds, by as general a cultivation as possible of the various faculties, we beg to invite attention to the following combination of Grammar, Poetry, and Music.
The gerunds of verbs end in di, do, and dum,But the supines of verbs are but two;For instance, the active, which endeth inum,And the passive which endeth inu.Amandi, of loving, kind reader, beware;Amando, in loving, be brief;Amandum, to love, ifyou ’redoom’d, have a care,In the goblet to drown all your grief.Amatum, Amatu, to love and be loved,Should it be your felicitous (?) lot,May the fuel so needful be never removedWhich serves to keep boiling the pot.
The gerunds of verbs end in di, do, and dum,
But the supines of verbs are but two;
For instance, the active, which endeth inum,
And the passive which endeth inu.
Amandi, of loving, kind reader, beware;
Amando, in loving, be brief;
Amandum, to love, ifyou ’redoom’d, have a care,
In the goblet to drown all your grief.
Amatum, Amatu, to love and be loved,
Should it be your felicitous (?) lot,
May the fuel so needful be never removed
Which serves to keep boiling the pot.
In verbs there are five tenses, or times, expressing an action, or affirmation.
1. The present tense, or time. There is no time (or tense) like the present. It expresses an action now taking place. Examples—Act.I love, or am loving. Amo, I am loving. —Pass.I am made drunk, or am drunk. Inebrior, I am drunk.
2. The preterimperfect tense denotes something, or a state of things, partly, but not entirelypast. —Examp. I did love or was loving. Amabam, I was loving. I was made drunk an hour ago. Inebriabar, I was made drunk.
3. The preterperfect tense expresses a thing lately done, but now ended. —Examp. I have loved, or I loved. Amavi, I loved. I have been made drunk, or have been drunk. Inebriatus sum, I have been drunk.
4. The preterpluperfect tense refers to a thing done at some time past, but now ended. —Examp. Amaveram, I had loved. Inebriatus eram, I had been drunk.
5. The future tense relates to a thing to be done hereafter, as, Amabo, I shall or will love.Inebriabor, I shall get drunk—say to-morrow.
Verbs have two numbers. No. 1, Singular, No. 2, Plural.
In most matters it is usual to pay exclusive attention to number one. In learning the verbs, however, it is necessary to regard equally number two.—Thepersonsof verbs are generally considered very disagreeable. Verbs have three persons in each number. Thus, for instance, at a dancing academy—
At an academy onFree-knowledge-icalprinciples—or a Comic Academy.
Laughter, too, is very common at other academies, but generally occurs on the wrong side of the mouth. The right sort of laughter (which may be presumed to be on therightside of the mouth), is most frequent about the time of the holidays. What does the song say?
“Ridet annus, prata ridentNosque rideamus.â€
“Ridet annus, prata rident
Nosque rideamus.â€
“The year laughs, the meadows laugh,—suppose we have a laugh as well.â€
Note—That all nouns are of the third person except Ego, Nos, Tu, and Vos. Hence we seehow absurdly the man who drew a couple of donkeys acted in endeavouring to prevail uponusto call the picture “WeThreeâ€â€”Ille,he,—may, perhaps, have been qualified to make athird personin the group, and have “written himself down an ass†with some correctness.Ego,I, andNos,we, have certainly nothing in common with that animal, and it is to be hoped that neither Tu, thou, nor Vos, ye, can be said to partake of his nature.
Notealso. That all nouns of the vocative case are of the second person. So that if we should say, OÂ asine, OÂ thou donkey; or O asini, OÂ ye donkeys, we should have grammar at least on our side.
Be it your care to prevent us from having justice also.
Before other verbs are declined, it is necessary to learn the verb Esse, to be. And before we teach the verb Esse, to be, it is necessary to make a few remarks on verbs in general.
In the first place we have to observe, that they are rather difficult; and in the next, that if any one expects that we are going to consider them in detail, he is very much mistaken.
But our skipping a very considerable portion of the verbs, is no reason why boys should do thesame. Were we all to follow the examples of our teachers, instead of attending to their precepts, where would be the world by this time?
Whirling away, no doubt, far from the respectable society of the neighbouring planets, and blundering about right and left, pell-mell, helter-skelter among the fixed stars—itself, “and all which it inherit†in that glorious state of confusion so admirably described by the poet Ovid—
“Quem dixere Chaos,â€
which men have called Shaos. It would indeed be little better than a broken downShay-horse.
But “revenons à nos moutons,†that is, let us get back to our verbs. We recommend the most attentive and diligent study of all of them as set forth in the Eton Grammar, assisted by that kind of association of ideas, of which we shall now proceed to give a few specimens.
Sum, es, fui, esse, futurus, to be,—or not to be—that is the question.
Rule1. To each person of a verb, singular and plural, join a noun, according to your taste or comic talent. Should you be deficient in the inventive faculty, apply for assistance to one of the senior boys, which, in consideration of your fagging for him, he will readily give you. If yourself a senior boy, apply to the master.
We would proceed in this way with Sum, but that we are afraid of being tire-sum.
Carnemporcinam,
The consideration of which three things leads us to
Rule2. In repeating the different tenses of verbs, be careful to be provided with a short Englishverse, contrived so as to rhyme with the third person singular, and another to rhyme with the third person plural. In this way your powers of composition as well as of memory will be profitably exercised.
Rule3. Should you be desired to give the English of each person in the tense which you are repeating, you may (we mean a class of you), follow a plan adopted with great success and striking effect in that kind of dramatic representation entitled “A Grand Opera,†that ofsingingwhat you have tosay. Hold up your head, turn out your toes, clear your voices, and begin. A-hem!
Schoolmaster beating a drum, and boys singing in chorusGOING THROUGH THE VERBS.AUDIO—I HEAR.
Schoolmaster beating a drum, and boys singing in chorus
GOING THROUGH THE VERBS.AUDIO—I HEAR.
He hears the Tartar drum!—the Tartar drum! the Tartar drum!
Areregularbores. The above Rules are equally applicable to them, and also to the
Concerning which it may be asserted, that though almost all of them have tenses more or less imperfect, there are some which have not a singleImperfect Tense.
Such as delectat, it delighteth; decet, it becometh, &c., answer to such English verbs as take the worditbefore them. When we consider thatitisa term of endearment used in speaking to babies, as “it’s a pretty dear,†we cannot help thinking that Verbs Impersonal ought to bepetverbs. Such however, is not, as far as we know, the fact.
nursemaid holding baby
PRETTY DEAR.
A participle is a hybrid part of speech; a kind of mongrel-cross, between a noun and a verb. It is two parts verbs, and four parts noun; wherefore its composition may be likened unto the milk sold in and about London, which is usually watered in the proportion of four to two. The properties of the noun belonging to it, are, number, gender, case, and declension; those of the verb, tense, and signification.
As a horse hath four legs, so hath a verb four participles.
There ’s one of the present,—and then,There ’s one of the future inrus;Of the tense preterperfect a third,—and again,A fourth of the future indus.
There ’s one of the present,—and then,
There ’s one of the future inrus;
Of the tense preterperfect a third,—and again,
A fourth of the future indus.
Participles are declined like nouns adjective, as—but no! how can we ask our fair (blue) readers to declinea-man’s(amans) loving.
Now here we feel called upon to say a few words on the difference between a man’s loving and a woman’s loving. It has often been a question, whether do men or women love mostdearly? To us the matter does not appear to admit of a doubt. We defy any of our male readers to be in love (when they are old and silly enough) for six months without finding themselves most grievously out of pocket. We have a friend who was in that unfortunate condition for about a month, and it cost him at least seven and sixpence a week in fees to the maid servant, and that without once being enabled to exchange a word with the object of his affections. At last he began to think that he was paying rather too dear for his whistle; so he gave it up. What girl would have held on so long, and laid out so much money without a return—not of soft affection, but of hard cash? Women, indeed, instead of loving dearly, love, according to our own experience, particularly cheaply. Think of what they save, by taking their admirers “shopping†with them, in ribands, bracelets, and the like, to say nothing of coach-hire, pastry-cooks, and the price of admission, when they go with them to the play. And we should like to hear of the young lady who in these days would dispose of her hand at any thing less than a good round sum if she could help it—no, no. To lovedearlyis the precious prerogative of the lords of the creation alone.
But we are forgetting our participles.
The participle of the present tense ends inans, orens; as Flagellans, whipping; Lædens, hurting.
That of the future inrus, signifies a likelihood, or design of doing something, as Flagellaturus, about to whip; Læsurus, about to hurt.
That of the preterperfect tense has generally a passive signification, and ends inus, as Flagellatus, whipped; Læsus, hurt.
That of the future indushas also a passive signification, as Flagellandus, to be whipped; Lædendus, to be hurt.
Note1. All participles are declined like nouns adjective. We recommend the above participles to be declined likewinking.
2. There are three things that are not hurt by whipping—a top, a syllabub, and a cream.
Convex and concave spectacles are contrivances used to increase or diminish the magnitude of objects.
Adverbs are parts of speech used to increase or diminish the signification of words.
Spectacles are joined to the bridge of the nose.
Adverbs are joined to nouns adjective, and verbs. Benè, well; multùm, much; malè, ill, &c. are adverbs.
Cæsarmultûmconturbavit indigenas:Cæsar much astonished the natives.
Cæsarmultûmconturbavit indigenas:
Cæsar much astonished the natives.
boys watching black man eating
CÆSAR ASTONISHING THE NATIVES.
A conjunction is a part of speech that joineth together; wherefore it may be likened unto many things; for instance—
To glue, to paste, to gum arabic, to mortar, (for it joins words and sentences togetherlike bricks), to Roman cement, (Latinconjunctions more especially), to white of egg, to isinglass, to putty, to adhesive plaster, to matrimony.
Conjunctions are thus used.
Ovaetlardum, eggs and bacon. Dimidium dimidiumque, half-and-half. Amoretdementia, love and madness.
boys pouring beer from spigot
HALF-AND-HALF.
A Preposition is a part of speech commonlyset beforeanother word. Words, however, do not eat each other, though men have been known to eat words. Ab, ad, ante, &c.prepositions.
Sometimes a preposition is joined in composition with another word, asprostratus, knocked down—floored.
Tullius ab aquarioprostratus est:Tully was knocked down by a waterman.
Tullius ab aquarioprostratus est:
Tully was knocked down by a waterman.
An interjection is a word expressing a sudden emotion or feeling, as Hei! Oh dear!—Heu! Lack-a-day!—Hem! Brute, Hollo! Brutus.—Euge! Tite, Bravo! Titus.
We here find ourselves approaching the delightful subject of the three Concords, with which we shall make short work, first, for fear of furtherAccidence, and, secondly, because we are no fonder than boys are ofrepetitions, which, were we to follow the Eton Grammar in the Concords, we should be obliged to make in the Syntax.
However, there are just one or two points to be mentioned.
Rule.(Text-hand copy-books.) “Ask no questions.â€
Exception.When you want to find where the concord should be, ask the following—
Who? or what?—to find the nominative case to the verb.
Whom? or what? with the verb, for the accusative after it.
Who? or what? with the adjective, for the substantive to the adjective.
Who? or what? with the verb, for the antecedent to the relative.
But remember, that the use of the interrogatives who? and what? however justifiable in grammar, is very impertinent in conversation. What, for example, can be more ill-bred than to say, Who are you? Indeed, most questions are ill mannered. We do not speak of such expressions as, Has your mother sold her mangle? and the like, used only by persons who have never asked themselves where they expect to go to? but of all unnecessary demands whatever. “Sir,†said the great Dr.Johnson, “it is uncivil to be continually asking, Why is a dog’s tail short, or why is a cow’s tail long.â€
As the “Propria Quæ Maribus†is no joke, and the “As in Præsenti†is too much of a joke, we must do with them as we did with the verbs. Singing a song is always esteemed a valid substitute for telling a story; and the indulgence which we would have extended to us in this respect, is that universally granted to civilized society.
Let the “Propria Quæ Maribus†be turned into a series of exercises, thus, or in like manner—
All names of the male kind you masculine call,Ut sunt (for example), Divorum,Mars, Bacchus, Apollo, the deities all,And Cato, Virgilius, virorum.Latin ’s a bore, and bothers me sore,Oh how I wish that my lesson was o’er.Fluviorum, ut Tibris, Orontes likewise,Fine rivers in ocean that lost are,And Mensium—October an instancesupplies;Ventorum, ut Libs, Notus, Auster.Latin ’s a bore, &c.
All names of the male kind you masculine call,
Ut sunt (for example), Divorum,
Mars, Bacchus, Apollo, the deities all,
And Cato, Virgilius, virorum.
Latin ’s a bore, and bothers me sore,
Oh how I wish that my lesson was o’er.
Fluviorum, ut Tibris, Orontes likewise,
Fine rivers in ocean that lost are,
And Mensium—October an instancesupplies;
Ventorum, ut Libs, Notus, Auster.
Latin ’s a bore, &c.
We do not pretend that the mode of study here recommended, is perfectly original. The genuinePropria Quæ Maribus, and As in Præsenti, like the writings of the most remote antiquity, consist of certain useful truths recorded in harmonious numbers. It has been a question among commentators, whether these interesting compositions were originally intended to be said or sung. Analogy (we mean that derived from the works of Homer and Virgil) would incline us to the latter opinion, which however does not appear to have been generally entertained in the schools. We shall give one more specimen in the above style; and we beg it may be remembered, that in so doing, we have no wish to detract in any way from the merit of the illustrious poet in the Eton Grammar; all we think is, that he might have introduced a little morecomicalityinto his work, while he was about it.
As in Præsenti—Preterperfect—avi,Oh! send me well done, lean, and lots of gravy,Save lavo, lavi, nexo, nexui.Ah! me—how sweet is cream with apple-pie,Juvi from juvo, secui from seco,Could n’t I lie and tipple, more Græco!From neco, necui, and mico,wordWhich micui makes, Oh! roast goose, lovely bird!Plico which plicui gives. Delightful grub!And frico, fricas, fricui, to rub—So domo, tono, domui, tonui make.And sono, sonui.—Lead me to the stake,I mean the beef-stake—crepo, crepui too,Which means tocrack(as roasted chestnuts do,)Then veto, vetui makes—forbiddingsound,Cubo, to lie along (these verbs confoundYe gods) makes cubui, do gives rightly dedi;What viler object than a coat that ’s seedy?—Sto to form steti has a predilection;Well—let it if it likes, I’ve no objection.&c. &c. &c.
As in Præsenti—Preterperfect—avi,
Oh! send me well done, lean, and lots of gravy,
Save lavo, lavi, nexo, nexui.
Ah! me—how sweet is cream with apple-pie,
Juvi from juvo, secui from seco,
Could n’t I lie and tipple, more Græco!
From neco, necui, and mico,word
Which micui makes, Oh! roast goose, lovely bird!
Plico which plicui gives. Delightful grub!
And frico, fricas, fricui, to rub—
So domo, tono, domui, tonui make.
And sono, sonui.—Lead me to the stake,
I mean the beef-stake—crepo, crepui too,
Which means tocrack(as roasted chestnuts do,)
Then veto, vetui makes—forbiddingsound,
Cubo, to lie along (these verbs confound
Ye gods) makes cubui, do gives rightly dedi;
What viler object than a coat that ’s seedy?—
Sto to form steti has a predilection;
Well—let it if it likes, I’ve no objection.
&c. &c. &c.
Q.What part of the grammar resembles the indulgences sold in the middle ages?
A.Sin-tax.
Where there is muchpersonality, there is generally little concord.
However, a verb personal agrees with its nominative case in number and person, as Sera nunquam est ad bonos mores via, The way to good manners is never too late. Mind that, brother Jonathan.
men lounging
AMERICAN GENTLEMEN.
Note—The above maxim is especially worthy of the attention of neophytes in law and medicine; of the gods in the gallery, and of Members of theHouse.
stick figures
The nominative case of pronouns is rarely expressed, except for the sake of distinction or emphasis, as—
Tues exquisitus,tues,You’re a nice man,youare.
Tues exquisitus,tues,
You’re a nice man,youare.
Sometimes a sentence is the nominative case to the verb, as
Ingenuas pugni didicisse fideliter artes,Mollitos mores non sinit esse viri.
Ingenuas pugni didicisse fideliter artes,
Mollitos mores non sinit esse viri.
The faithful study of the fistic artFrom mawkish softness guards a Briton’s heart.
The faithful study of the fistic art
From mawkish softness guards a Briton’s heart.
fistfight in the streetINGENUAS PUGNI DIDICISSE FIDELITER ARTESMOLLITOS MORES NON SINIT ESSE VIRI.
fistfight in the street
INGENUAS PUGNI DIDICISSE FIDELITER ARTESMOLLITOS MORES NON SINIT ESSE VIRI.
Who can doubt it? But, besides, we have much to say in praise of boxing. In the first place, it is aclassicalaccomplishment. To say nothing of the Olympic and Isthmian Games, which are of themselves sufficient proof of the elegant andfancifultastes of the ancients; we need only allude to the fact, that theCorinthiansare universally celebrated for their proficiency in this science. Then, of its eminentlysocialtendency, there can be no doubt. What can be more conducive to good fellowship, and conviviality than the frequenttapping of claret, attendant both on its study and practice? Nor can its beneficial influence on the fine arts be called in question, seeing that its immediate object is to teach us theuse of our hands. And (which perhaps is the mostpursuasiveargument of all), it is particularly pleasing to the fair sex, who besides their well known admiration ofbravery, are, to a woman, devotedly attached to thering.
Sometimes an adverb with a genitive case stands in the place of the nominative, as—
Partim astutorum mordebantur,Part of the knowing ones were bit.
Partim astutorum mordebantur,
Part of the knowing ones were bit.
We must contend that the above is aracyobservation.
Verbs of the infinitive mood—but hold. Remember that there is scarcely any rule without an exception; and this axiom particularly applies to the Syntax. We used to wish it did not; because then we should not have had so much to learn—to resume however—
Verbs of the infinitive mood often have set before them an accusative case instead of a nominative; the conjunction quod, or ut, being leftout, as
Annam reginam aiunt occubuisse:They say that Queen Anne’s dead.
Annam reginam aiunt occubuisse:
They say that Queen Anne’s dead.
A verb placed between two nominative cases of different numbers, is not like a donkey between two stacks of hay, it makes choice of one or the other, and agrees with it, as
Amygdalæ amaræ venenumest,Bitter almondsispoison.
Amygdalæ amaræ venenumest,
Bitter almondsispoison.
We have written the English beneath the Latin. Perhaps it may be imagined that we think good Englishbeneathus.
A singular noun of multitude is sometimes joined to a plural verb; as
Pars puerorum philosophum secuti sunt,Part of the boys followed the philosopher.
Pars puerorum philosophum secuti sunt,
Part of the boys followed the philosopher.
boys running around philosopher
And so they would now, particularly if they saw one in costume.
Verbs impersonal have no nominative case before them, as
Tædet me Grammatices, I am weary of Grammar.Pertæsum est Syntaxeos, I am quite sick of Syntax.Mirificum visum est Socratem in gyrum saltantem videre,It seemed wonderful to behold Socrates jumping Jim Crow.
Tædet me Grammatices, I am weary of Grammar.
Pertæsum est Syntaxeos, I am quite sick of Syntax.
Mirificum visum est Socratem in gyrum saltantem videre,
It seemed wonderful to behold Socrates jumping Jim Crow.
philosopher dancing on stage
Adjectives, participles, and pronouns agree with the substantive in gender, number, and case, as
Vir exiguo conventui, sobrioque idoneus:A nice man for a small tea-party.
Vir exiguo conventui, sobrioque idoneus:
A nice man for a small tea-party.
The Spartans, probably, were men of this kind; their aversion to drunkenness being well known.
Observe how close the concord is between substantive and adjective. The ties of wedlock are nothing to it; for, besides that in that happy state there is very often not a little discord, it is quite impossible that man and wife should ever agree ingender.
Sometimes a sentence supplies the place of a substantive; the adjective being placed in the neuter gender, as
Audito reginam leones cœnantes visisse:It being heard that Her Majesty had gone to see the lions at supper.
Audito reginam leones cœnantes visisse:
It being heard that Her Majesty had gone to see the lions at supper.
The relative and antecedent hit it off very well together; they agree one with the other in gender, number, and person, as
Qui plenos haurit cyathos, madidusque quiescit,Ille bonam degit vitam, moriturque facetus.
Qui plenos haurit cyathos, madidusque quiescit,
Ille bonam degit vitam, moriturque facetus.
“He who drinks plenty, and goes to bed mellow,Lives as he ought to do, and dies a jolly fellow.â€
“He who drinks plenty, and goes to bed mellow,
Lives as he ought to do, and dies a jolly fellow.â€
three men enjoying themselves at a table
Horace was the fellow for this kind of thing. Cato must have been a regular wet blanket.
Sometimes a sentence is placed for an antecedent, as
Heliogabalus, spiritu contento, viginti quatuor ostrearum demersit in alvum, quod Dandoni etiam longé antecellit.Heliogabalus, at one breath, swallowed two dozen of oysters, which beats even Dando out and out.
Heliogabalus, spiritu contento, viginti quatuor ostrearum demersit in alvum, quod Dandoni etiam longé antecellit.
Heliogabalus, at one breath, swallowed two dozen of oysters, which beats even Dando out and out.
Many of the ancients could swallow a good deal.
A relative placed between two substantives of different genders and numbers, sometimes agrees with the latter, as