Nihil refert fecerisne an persuaseris:It matters nothing whether you have done it or persuaded to it—as the school-master said when he got hold of the wrong end of the cane.Here it may be remarked—First, that the young gentlemen who play tricks withtalloware likely to get morewhacksthan they like on their fingers. Secondly—That a master whose hand is inGreasecannot be expected to be at the same time inA-merry-key.Dum, for dummodo, so that, and quousque, until, requires a subjunctive mood, as—Dum felix sis, quid refert?What’s the odds, so long as you’re happy.Qui, signifying the cause, requires a subjunctive mood, asStultus es qui Ovidio credas:You are a fool for believing Ovid.Ut, for, postquam,after that, sicut, as, and quomodo, how, is joined to an indicative mood; but when it signifies quanquam, although,utpote, forasmuch as, or the final cause, to a subjunctive mood, asUt sumus in Ponto ter frigore constitit Ister:Since that we are in Pontus the Danube has stood frozen three times.Were skating and sliding classical accomplishments? Ambition, we know, led many of the Romans to tread onslipperyground: many of them struck out new paths, but none (that we have heard of) ever struck out a slide. Imagine Cato or Seneca “coming the cobbler’s knock.”Te oro, domine, ut exeam:Please, sir, let me go out.Lastly, all words put indefinitely, such as are these, quis, who, quantus, how great, quotus, how many, require a subjunctive mood, asCave cui incurras, inepte:Mind who you run against, stupid.two shabbily dressed RomansSuch may have been the speech of a Roman cabman. A very curious specimen of thetessera, or badge, worn on the breast by this description of persons, has lately been discovered at Herculaneum.badgeThe construction of Prepositions.A preposition being understood, sometimes causes an ablative case to be added, asHabeo pigneratorem loco avunculi;i.e.in loco:I esteem a pawnbroker in the place of an uncle: that is,in loco.A preposition in composition sometimes governs the same case which it also governed out of composition, asJupiter Olympo Vulcanum calce exegit:Jupiter kicked Vulcan out of Olympus.This was not only an ungentlemanly, but also anungodlyact on Jupiter’s part. Reasoning à posteriori, one would think it must have been very unpleasant to Vulcan.Præteriit me in Quadrante insalutatum:He cut me in the Quadrant.Verbs compounded with a, ab, de, e, ex, in, sometimes repeat the same prepositions with their case out of composition, and that elegantly, asAbstinuerunt a vino:They abstained from wine.This properly is an allusion to the Tiber-totallers. It should be remembered that tea was unknown in Rome, except as the accusative case of a pronoun.In, for, erga, towards, contra, against, ad, to, and supra, above, requires an accusative case, asQuietumAccipit in pueros animum mentemque benignam:He admits kind thoughts and inclinations towards the boys.The master does—when he gives them a half holiday or a blow out. Mr. Squeers (vide Nicholas Nick: illustriss. Boz.) was in the habit ofmaking muchof the young gentlemen intrusted to his care.Sub, when it relates to time, is commonly joined to an accusative case, asSub idem tempus—Isaaculus trans maria deportatus est:About the same time—Ikey was transported beyond the seas.We saybeyond the seas, lest it should be questioned whether Mr. I. wastransportedas a necessary or contingent consequence of cheating.Super, for, ultra, beyond, is put with an accusative case, for de, concerning, with an ablative case, asSuper et Garamantas et IndosProferet imperium:He will extend the empire both beyond the Africans and the Indians.A wideruleexpressed in poeticalmeasure.Quid de domesticis Peruviorum rebus censeas?What may be your opinion concerning the domestic economy of the Peruvians?Tenus, as far as, is joined to an ablative case, both in the singular and plural number, asCervice, auribusque tenus Marius in luto inveniebatur:Marius was found up to his neck and ears in mud.What a lark! or rather a mud lark. But tenus is joined to a genitive only in the plural, and it always follows its case, asCrurum tenus: up to thelegs.Which it is very necessary to be at Epsom and Ascot.The Construction of Interjections.Interjections are often put without a case, asSpem gregis, ah! silice in nudâ connixa reliquit:Havingyeaned, she left the hope of the flock, alas! upon the bare flint stones.And exposed to thesteely-hearted world, which, as an Irishman remarked, was a dangerous situation fortinderinfancy. It must have been, to say the least, a most uncomfortableberth.O! of one exclaiming, is joined to a nominative, accusative, and vocative case, asO lex! Oh law! O alaudas!Oh larks! Oh meum! Oh my! O care! Oh dear!We cannot find out what is Latin for oh Crikey!Heu! and proh! alas! are joined, sometimes to a nominative, sometimes to an accusative, and occasionally to a vocative case, as—Heu bellis! Lack-a-daisy. Heu diem! Lack-a-day. Proh Clamor! Ohcry! Proh deos pisciculosque! Oh, ye gods and little fishes!Heu miserande puer!Oh, boy, to be pitied!What boy is more to be pitied than a junior boy? TheFaginsystem described in Oliver Twist is nothing compared to that adopted in public schools. People may say what they will of the beneficial effect which it produces on the minds of those who are subjected to it—we contend that to breed a gentleman’s son up like atigeris the readiest way to make abeastof him.Hei! and væ! alas, are joined to a dative case, asHei mihi quod nullis amor est medicabilis herbis:Woe is me that love is curable by no herbs.boy tossed in a blanketHEU! MISERANDE PUER!Ovid never would have said that, if he had smoked a cigar or chewed tobacco. The ancients believed that love might be excited by certain articles taken from the vegetable kingdom. Why then should it be considered impossible to allay the same feeling in a similar manner?Every bane has its corresponding antidote; if so, there may be physic even for a philter. And for the pangs which avirginhasinflicted, what remedy could be prescribed more reasonable than theVirginianweed;—besides, love generally ends in smoke.man with feet on mantelpieceA CURE FOR THE HEARTACHE.Væ misero capiti, madefacto, sæpe fenestræImbribus immundis, Lydia cara, tuæ:Woe to my wretched head, often wetted, dearLydia, by the unclean showers of your window.This would be a proper place for introducing a few remarks on the ancient mode of serenading; which we are prevented from doing by the very imperfect state of our present information on this interesting point. It is, however, pretty generally admitted that the Romans always took care to provide themselves with an umbrella on these occasions, and this for a reason which the above distich will have rendered sufficiently obvious. It appears to us that so salutary a precaution is well worthy of being sometimes adopted in these modern days—and with this hint we conclude the Syntax.PROSODY.All you that bards of note would be,Must study well your Prosody.As Comparative Anatomy teaches what the sound of a cod-fish is; so Prosody teaches what is the sound of syllables.Sound and quantity mean the same thing; though how that fact is to be reconciled with the proverb, “greatcryand littlewool,” we do not know.Prosody is divided into three parts. Tone, Breathing, and Time. As to tone—boys are usually required to repeat it in a loud one, without stammering or drawling; and with as little breathing and time, or breathing-time, as possible.We shall leave tone to the consideration of pianoforte and fiddle-makers; and breathing to doctors and chemists, who cananalyzeit a great deal better than we can. In this place we think proper to treat only of Time.Now of Time a very great deal may be said, taking the word in all the senses in which it is capable of being used.In the first place, Time flies—but this we have had occasion to observe before; as also that Time is a very great eater.In the second, Time is a very ill-used personage; he is spent, wasted, lost, kicked down, and killed—the last as often as an Irishman is—but for all that he never complains.It is a question whether keeping Time, or losing Time, is the essential characteristic of dancing.Then we might expatiate largely about the value of Time, and of the propriety of taking him by the forelock—but for two reasons.One of them is, that all this has been said long ago; the other, that it is nothing at all to the purpose.We might also quote extensively from Dr. Culpeper’s Herbal, and from Linnæus and Jussieu; but thetimewe speak of, (although we hope it will betwiggedby the reader,) is noplant; nevertheless it is a necessary ingredient in grammaticalstuffing.Time in prosody is the measure of the pronouncing of a syllable.Like whist, it is divided into Long and Short. A long time is marked thus, as sūmēns, taking: a short time thus; as pĭlŭlă, a pill.A foot is the placing together of two or more syllables, according to the certain observation of theirtime, the organ of which should be well developed for that purpose.Ordinary feet are long feet, short feet, broad feet, splay feet, club feet, and bumble feet, to which may be added cloven feet in the case of certain animals, and an “old gentleman.”There are several kinds of Latin feet; here, however, we shall only notice spondees and dactyls.A spondee is a foot of two syllables, as īnfāns, an infant.A dactyl is a foot of three syllables, as āngĕlŭs, an angel, pōrcŭlŭs, a little pig.Scanning is measuring a verse as you are measured by your tailor—by thefoot, according torule. To scanning there belong the figures called Synalœpha, Ecthlipsis,Synæresis, Diæresis, and Cæsura.Synalœpha is the cutting off a vowel at the end of a word, before another at the beginning of the next; asŌcclūsīs ēvāsi ŏcŭlīsnāsōquĕcruēntō:I came off with my eyes bunged up and a bloody nose.We have hereknocked out an iin evasi, on the strength of a synalœpha.But heu and o are never cut off—at least there are no cases on record in which this operation has been performed.Ecthlipsis is as often as the letter m is cut off with its vowel; the next word beginning with a vowel, asMōnstrum hōrrēndum īnfōrme īngēns—spectāvĭmŭs hōrtīs:We saw a horrible, ugly, great monster in the gardens.If everybearandboarwere kept in a den—what a fine world this would be.Synæresis is the contraction of two syllables into one, as in alvearia, pronounced alvaria.Strāvĭt hŭmī dēmēns cōnfērta ālveārĭă Jūnō:Mad Juno threw the crowded beehives on the ground.Hydrophobia occurring in a queen bee from the bite of a dog would be an interesting case to the faculty.Diæresis is the separation of one syllable into two, as evoluisse for evolvisse. Thus Ovid says, alluding probably to thepaddingsystem adopted by dandies and theatrical artists,Dēbŭĕrant fūsōs ēvŏlŭīssĕ sŭōs:They ought to have unwound theirspindles.Cæsura is when after a perfect foot (though not one like Taglioni’s), a short syllable is made long at the end of a word, asPēctŏrĭbūs ĭnhĭāns—mōllēs, ēn, dēsĕrĭt ālās:Intent upon the breasts (of the fowls) lo! he deserts the tender wings.Of the Kinds of Verses.Should any one seek here for an account of every kind of verse used by the Latin poets, all we can say is—we wish he may get it. As it behoveth no one to be wiser than the law, so it behoveth not us to be wiser than the Eton Grammar.The verses which boys are commonly taught to make are hexameters and pentameters.An hexameter verse consists of six feet. As the ancient heroes were at least six feet high, this is probably the reason why it is also called anheroicverse.The fifth foot in this kind of verse should be a dactyl, the sixth a spondee; the other feet may be either dactyls or spondees; asŌbstāntī plŭvĭīs vēnīt cūm tēgmĭnĕ Sāmbō:Sambo came with his Macintosh.The fifth foot also is sometimes a spondee, asClāvĭgĕrĀlcīdēs, māgnūm Jŏvĭs īncrēmēntūm.Hercules, king of clubs, great offspring of Jupiter.The last syllable of every verse is acommonaffair.An elegiac, lack-a-daisical, or pentameter verse, consists of four feet and two long syllables, one of which is placed between the second and third foot, and the other at the end of the verse. The two first feet may be dactyls, spondees, or both; the two last are always dactyls, asRēs ēstīnfēlīx, plēnăquĕ frāudĭs ămōr:Love is an unlucky affair, and full of humbug.We feel compelled, notwithstanding what has been before said, to make a few additions to what is contained in the Eton Grammar with respect to verses.The rhythm of Latin verses may be easily learned by practising (out of school), exercises on the principle of the examples following—Dūm dĭdlĕ, dī dūm, dūm dūm, dēedlĕdy, dēēdlĕ dĕ, dūm dum;Dūm dĭdlĕ, dūm dum, dē, dēedlĕdy̆, dēedlĕdy̆, dūm.N.B. The following familiar piece of poetry would not have been admitted into the Comic Latin Grammar, but that there being many various readings of it, we wished to transmit the right one to posterity.Patres conscripti—took a boat and went to Philippi.Trumpeter unus erat qui coatum scarlet habebat,Stormum surgebat, et boatum overset–ebat,Omnes drownerunt, quia swimaway non potuerunt,Excipe John Periwig tied up to the tail of a dead pig.Here, also, this poetical curiosity may perhaps be properly introduced.Conturbabantur Constantinopolitani,Innumerabilibus sollicitudinibus.Of the Quantity of thefirstSyllable.There is a river in Macedon and a river in Monmouth: in like manner there are positions in dancing and positions in Prosody.The following vowels are long by position.1. A vowel before two consonants, or before a double consonant in the same word—as pīnguis, fat, īngens, great,Ājax, the name of a hero.2. A vowel coming before one consonant at the end of a word, and another at the beginning of the next, asMajōr sūm quām cui possīt tua virga nocere:I’m a bigger boy than your rod is able to hurt.The syllablesjor,sum,quam, andsit, are long by position.men in a boatPATRES CONSCRIPTI TOOK A BOAT AND WENT TO PHILIPPITRUMPETER UNUS ERAT QUI COATUM SCARLET HABEBAT.3. Sometimes, but seldom, a short vowel at the end of a word placed before two consonants at the beginning of the next; asOccultā spolia hi Croceo de Colle ferebant:These persons brought the secret spoils from Saffron Hill.Ashortvowel before a mute, a liquid following, is rendered common, as in the wordpatris.Sunt quibus ornatur Jenkins femoralia pātris:The breeches that Jenkins is rigged out in are his father’s.A vowel before another is always short, as tŭa, thy, memorĭa, memory.Except the genitive cases of pronouns in ius, where the i is a common i, although alterĭus has always a shortiand alīus a longi.Punch with large red noseExcept, likewise, those genitive and dative cases of the fifth declension where the vowele, like Punch’s nose, is made long between twoi’s, as faciēi, of a face.The syllablefialso in fīo is long, except e and r follow together, as fĭerem, fĭeri.Fīent quæ “Fĭeri Facias” mandata vocantur:The writ which is called “Fieri Facias” will be made.Fi. fa. is a legal instrument that deprives a poor man of his mattress that a rich one may lounge on his ottoman. Ca. Sa. is a similar benevolent contrivance for punishing misfortune as felony.Dīus, heavenly, has the first syllable long;—Diana, common: and so has the interjection Ohe!Thus there’s a common medium of connexion,Between a goddess and an interjection.A vowel before another in Greek words is sometimes long, asCærula, Pīerides, sunt vobis tegmina crurum:Oh, Muses, your stockings are blue.Also in Greek possessives, asSomniculosa fuit, pinguisque Ænēia nutrix:Æneas’s nurse was sleepy and fat.Æneas has often enough been represented inarms.In Latin mark, that everydipthong’S as long as any stage-coach whip-thong;Except before a vowel it goes,When ’tis as short as Elsler’s clothes.Words derived from others are tarred with the same stick, that is, are assigned the same quantity as those which they are derived from, with somefew exceptions, which we must trouble the student to fish for.Compounds follow the quantity of their simple words, as from lĕgo lĕgis, to read, comes perlĕgo, to read through.By the way,readingdoes not always inducereading through; though we hope it may in the case of the C. L. G.If to a preterperfect tense belongTwo only syllables, the first is long;As vēni, vīdi, vīci, speech so cool.Which Cæsar made to illustrate our rule;To which we need not cite exceptions small.Look in your Gradus and you’ll find them all.Consult also the Eton Grammar, and works of the poets, passim, as well for exceptions to the above as to the two following rules:1. Words that double the first syllable of the preterperfect tense have the first syllable short—as cĕcĭdī from cădŏ, &c.Fortis Higinbottom cĕcidit terramque mŏmordit:Brave Higinbottom fell and bit the ground.2. A supine of two syllables has the first syllable long—As vīsum lātum lōtum mōtum:And many more if we could quote ’em.Of the Quantity of the last Syllable.We have had a poetical fit gradually growing upon us for some time—’tis of no use to resist—so here goes—Oh! Muse, thine aid afford to me,Inspire my Ideality;Thou who, benign, in days of yore,Didst heavenly inspiration pourOn him, who luckily for usSang Propria Quæ Maribus;Teach me to sound on quiv’ring lyre,Prosodial strains in notes of fire;Words’ ends shall be my theme sublime,Now first descanted on in rhyme.Come, little boys, attention lend,All words are long in a that end:(In proof of which I’ll bet a quart,)Excepting those which must be short—As pută, ită, posteă, quiă,Ejă, and every case in iă;Ora, save such as we must classWith Grecian vocatives in as,And ablatives of first declension—Besides the aforesaid, we may mentionNouns numeral that end in ginta,Which common, as a bit of flint are.Some terminate inb,d,t;All these are short; but those incForm toes—I mean, form ends of feetAs long—as long as Oxford Street.Though nĕc and donĕc every bardHath written short as Hanway yard,Fac, hic, and hoc are common, thoughTh’ ablative hōc is long you know.Now “efinita” short are reckon’d,Like to a jiffey or a second,Though we must call theGraduswrong,Or these, of fifth declension, long.As also particles that comeIn mode derivative therefrom.Long second persons singularOf second conjugation are,And monosyllables ine.Take, for example, mē, tē, sē,Then, too, adverbial adjectivesAre long as rich old women’s lives—If from the second declinationOf adjectives they’ve derivation:Pulchrē and doctē, are the kindOf adverbs that I have in mind.Fermē is long, and ferē also—Benĕ, and malĕ, not at all so.Lastly, each finaletaGreek,Is long on all days of the week—To wit—(for thus we render nempe)Lethē, Anchisē, cetē, Tempē.Those words as long we classifyWhich end, likeegotists, ini,Rememb’ring mihi, tibi, sibiAre common, so are ubi, ibi;Nisĭ is always short, and quasĭ’sShort also, so are certain casesIn i—Greek vocatives and datives(At least if we may trust the natives;)Making their genitives in os,For instance—Phyllis, Phyllidos.(A name oft utter’d with a sigh,)Whereof the dative ends in ĭ.Words inlending short are all,Save nīl for nihil, sāl, and sōl,And some few Hebrew words t’were wellTo cite; as Michaēl, Raphaēl.Your n’s are long, save forsitănĬn, tamĕn,attamĕn, and ănVeruntamĕn and forsăn, whichAre short as any tailor’s stitch;These, therefore, we except, and thenContractions “per apocopen”—As vidĕn’? mĕn’? and audĭn?—so inExĭn’ and subĭn’, deĭn’,proĭn’.An, from a nominative inaEnding a word is short, they say,But everyanfor long must passDerived from nominative in as.Nouns, too, in en are short whose finisDoth in the genitive makeinis.And so are n’s that dodelight ĭnAniandy—Alexĭn, Ity̆n.Greek words are short I’d have you know,That end inonwith littleo,Common are terminating o’s,Cases oblique except from those,Adverbial adjectives as falsōAre long,—take tantō,—quantō also;Save mutuo, sedulo, and crebro.Common as vestment vending Hebrew.Modŏ and quomodŏ amongShort o’s we rank—nor to be long.Nor citŏ, egŏ, duŏ; no norAmbŏ and Homŏ ever prone are;But monosyllables ino,Are counted long. Example—stō.And omega, the whole world over,’S as long as ’tis from here to Dover.Ifrshould chance a word to wind up,’Tis short in general, make your mind up;But fār, lār, nār, and vīr, and fūrPār, compār, impār, dispār, cūr,As long must needs be cited here,With words from Greek that end in er;Though ’mong the Latins from this fate areThese two exempted—patĕr, matĕr;Short in the finalerwe state’em,Namely, “auctoritate vatum.”Now, s, the Eton Grammar says,Ends words in just as many waysAs there are vowels—five—as thusIn order,as,es,is,os,us.As, in a general way appearsLong unto all butasses’ears,But some Greek words take care to mark asShort,—for example—Pallăs, Arcăs—And nouns increasing plural sportAnasaccusative that’s short.Es in the main’s a long affair,Anchisēs, such, and patrēs are,Though of the third declension youAs short such substantives must view,The genitives of which increase,Derived from nominatives in es,And have an accent short uponThe syllable that’s last but one.As milĕs, segĕs, divĕs, (whichMeans what a Poet is n’t,)—rich:But pēs is long, with bipēs, tripēs,Like to a hermit munching dry pease.To these add Cerēs, Saturn’s cub,(Name of a goddess, and for grubThe figure Metonymy through,)And ariēs, abiēs, pariēs, too.Sum with its compounds forming ĕs,Are short, join penĕs, if you please,Item Cyclopĕs Naiadĕs.Greek nominatives and plural neuters,For lists of which consult your tutors.Is, we call short, as Parĭs, tristĭs,Save all such words as mensīs, istīs.Plurals oblique that end inis,Adding thereto for quibus quīs.Theisin Samnīs long by right isBecause its genitive’s Samnītis,Where you observe a lengthened stateOf syllable penultimate.The same to all such words applies,And īs contracted, meaningeis,Long too,—and pray remember thisAre monosyllables inis.Save ĭs the nominative pronoun,Andquĭs, and bĭs, which last is no noun.When verbs byisconcluded are,In second person singular;But in the pluralitismake,Theisis long, and no mistake—Provided always that the pe-Nultimate plural long shall be.Os, saving compŏs, impŏs, ŏsIs long—as honōs dominōs.The Greek omicron ’s short, and that inAll conscience must be so in Latin.Words should be short inus, unlessAuthority has laid a stressOn the penultimate of anyWord that increases in the geni-Tive case when us is long, the samePronunciation nouns may claim—Declined like gradūs or like manūsThough here exceptions still detain us.The first case and the fifth are thoseSingular; short as monkey’s nose.Long are mūs, crūs, and thūs and sūsAll monosyllables in ūs,And Grecian nouns by diphthongous,Translatedusby men ofnous.Lastly, all words inuare long,And so we end our classic song.And not our song only, but our work—the companion of our solitude—the object of our cares—for which alone we live, for which we consumed our midnight oil; and not only that, but also burnt a great deal of daylight.—Our work, we say, is ended—and such as it is we commit it to the world. Horace says Carm. Lib. iii, Ode XXX. (an ode which by some strange association of ideas, is always connected in our mind with the visionary image of a jug of ale,) “Exegimonumentum ære perennius,” I have perfected a work more durable than brass. Whether our production is characterized by thedurabilityof that metal or not, is a question which we leave to the decision of posterity; we cannot, however, help thinking that, considering the boldness of our attempt, it possesses figuratively at least, something in common with the substance in question—and we would fain hope that that something does not consist inhardness.And now farewell to the reader—farewell, “a word that must be and hath been”—said a great many times when once would have been quite sufficient. We need not, therefore, repeat it; nor need we say how much we hope that we have amused, instructed him, and so forth; that being as much an understood thing to put at the end of a book, as “Love to papa, mamma, brothers and sisters,” in a holiday letter.Nothing, then, remains for us now to do, but to kick up our hat and cry“ALL OVER.”FINIS.LIST OF ETCHINGS.1.Vocative case (schoolmaster spatting a boy)to face page222.Schoolmaster beating a drum, and boys singing in chorus523.Ingenuas pugni didicisse fideliter artes (fight)644.Prometheus Vinctus (vagabond in the stocks)725.Smelling a Pig (boys at supper in the bed room)746.Domestic Oratory (small boy spouting in a chair)1357.Heu miserande Puer (boy tossed in a blanket)1448.Patres conscripti152COE, PRINTER, 27, OLD CHANGE, ST.PAUL’S.Except for the words “to face page”, all text shown initalicswas damaged in the original; content was supplied from elsewhere in the book.
Nihil refert fecerisne an persuaseris:It matters nothing whether you have done it or persuaded to it—
Nihil refert fecerisne an persuaseris:
It matters nothing whether you have done it or persuaded to it—
as the school-master said when he got hold of the wrong end of the cane.
Here it may be remarked—First, that the young gentlemen who play tricks withtalloware likely to get morewhacksthan they like on their fingers. Secondly—That a master whose hand is inGreasecannot be expected to be at the same time inA-merry-key.
Dum, for dummodo, so that, and quousque, until, requires a subjunctive mood, as—
Dum felix sis, quid refert?What’s the odds, so long as you’re happy.
Dum felix sis, quid refert?
What’s the odds, so long as you’re happy.
Qui, signifying the cause, requires a subjunctive mood, as
Stultus es qui Ovidio credas:You are a fool for believing Ovid.
Stultus es qui Ovidio credas:
You are a fool for believing Ovid.
Ut, for, postquam,after that, sicut, as, and quomodo, how, is joined to an indicative mood; but when it signifies quanquam, although,utpote, forasmuch as, or the final cause, to a subjunctive mood, as
Ut sumus in Ponto ter frigore constitit Ister:Since that we are in Pontus the Danube has stood frozen three times.
Ut sumus in Ponto ter frigore constitit Ister:
Since that we are in Pontus the Danube has stood frozen three times.
Were skating and sliding classical accomplishments? Ambition, we know, led many of the Romans to tread onslipperyground: many of them struck out new paths, but none (that we have heard of) ever struck out a slide. Imagine Cato or Seneca “coming the cobbler’s knock.”
Te oro, domine, ut exeam:Please, sir, let me go out.
Te oro, domine, ut exeam:
Please, sir, let me go out.
Lastly, all words put indefinitely, such as are these, quis, who, quantus, how great, quotus, how many, require a subjunctive mood, as
Cave cui incurras, inepte:Mind who you run against, stupid.
Cave cui incurras, inepte:
Mind who you run against, stupid.
two shabbily dressed Romans
Such may have been the speech of a Roman cabman. A very curious specimen of thetessera, or badge, worn on the breast by this description of persons, has lately been discovered at Herculaneum.
badge
A preposition being understood, sometimes causes an ablative case to be added, as
Habeo pigneratorem loco avunculi;i.e.in loco:I esteem a pawnbroker in the place of an uncle: that is,in loco.
Habeo pigneratorem loco avunculi;i.e.in loco:
I esteem a pawnbroker in the place of an uncle: that is,in loco.
A preposition in composition sometimes governs the same case which it also governed out of composition, as
Jupiter Olympo Vulcanum calce exegit:Jupiter kicked Vulcan out of Olympus.
Jupiter Olympo Vulcanum calce exegit:
Jupiter kicked Vulcan out of Olympus.
This was not only an ungentlemanly, but also anungodlyact on Jupiter’s part. Reasoning à posteriori, one would think it must have been very unpleasant to Vulcan.
Præteriit me in Quadrante insalutatum:He cut me in the Quadrant.
Præteriit me in Quadrante insalutatum:
He cut me in the Quadrant.
Verbs compounded with a, ab, de, e, ex, in, sometimes repeat the same prepositions with their case out of composition, and that elegantly, as
Abstinuerunt a vino:They abstained from wine.
Abstinuerunt a vino:
They abstained from wine.
This properly is an allusion to the Tiber-totallers. It should be remembered that tea was unknown in Rome, except as the accusative case of a pronoun.
In, for, erga, towards, contra, against, ad, to, and supra, above, requires an accusative case, as
QuietumAccipit in pueros animum mentemque benignam:
Quietum
Accipit in pueros animum mentemque benignam:
He admits kind thoughts and inclinations towards the boys.
The master does—when he gives them a half holiday or a blow out. Mr. Squeers (vide Nicholas Nick: illustriss. Boz.) was in the habit ofmaking muchof the young gentlemen intrusted to his care.
Sub, when it relates to time, is commonly joined to an accusative case, as
Sub idem tempus—Isaaculus trans maria deportatus est:About the same time—Ikey was transported beyond the seas.
Sub idem tempus—Isaaculus trans maria deportatus est:
About the same time—Ikey was transported beyond the seas.
We saybeyond the seas, lest it should be questioned whether Mr. I. wastransportedas a necessary or contingent consequence of cheating.
Super, for, ultra, beyond, is put with an accusative case, for de, concerning, with an ablative case, as
Super et Garamantas et IndosProferet imperium:
Super et Garamantas et Indos
Proferet imperium:
He will extend the empire both beyond the Africans and the Indians.
A wideruleexpressed in poeticalmeasure.
Quid de domesticis Peruviorum rebus censeas?What may be your opinion concerning the domestic economy of the Peruvians?
Quid de domesticis Peruviorum rebus censeas?
What may be your opinion concerning the domestic economy of the Peruvians?
Tenus, as far as, is joined to an ablative case, both in the singular and plural number, as
Cervice, auribusque tenus Marius in luto inveniebatur:Marius was found up to his neck and ears in mud.
Cervice, auribusque tenus Marius in luto inveniebatur:
Marius was found up to his neck and ears in mud.
What a lark! or rather a mud lark. But tenus is joined to a genitive only in the plural, and it always follows its case, as
Crurum tenus: up to thelegs.
Which it is very necessary to be at Epsom and Ascot.
Interjections are often put without a case, as
Spem gregis, ah! silice in nudâ connixa reliquit:Havingyeaned, she left the hope of the flock, alas! upon the bare flint stones.
Spem gregis, ah! silice in nudâ connixa reliquit:
Havingyeaned, she left the hope of the flock, alas! upon the bare flint stones.
And exposed to thesteely-hearted world, which, as an Irishman remarked, was a dangerous situation fortinderinfancy. It must have been, to say the least, a most uncomfortableberth.
O! of one exclaiming, is joined to a nominative, accusative, and vocative case, as
O lex! Oh law! O alaudas!Oh larks! Oh meum! Oh my! O care! Oh dear!
We cannot find out what is Latin for oh Crikey!
Heu! and proh! alas! are joined, sometimes to a nominative, sometimes to an accusative, and occasionally to a vocative case, as—Heu bellis! Lack-a-daisy. Heu diem! Lack-a-day. Proh Clamor! Ohcry! Proh deos pisciculosque! Oh, ye gods and little fishes!
Heu miserande puer!Oh, boy, to be pitied!
Heu miserande puer!
Oh, boy, to be pitied!
What boy is more to be pitied than a junior boy? TheFaginsystem described in Oliver Twist is nothing compared to that adopted in public schools. People may say what they will of the beneficial effect which it produces on the minds of those who are subjected to it—we contend that to breed a gentleman’s son up like atigeris the readiest way to make abeastof him.
Hei! and væ! alas, are joined to a dative case, as
Hei mihi quod nullis amor est medicabilis herbis:Woe is me that love is curable by no herbs.
Hei mihi quod nullis amor est medicabilis herbis:
Woe is me that love is curable by no herbs.
boy tossed in a blanketHEU! MISERANDE PUER!
boy tossed in a blanket
HEU! MISERANDE PUER!
Ovid never would have said that, if he had smoked a cigar or chewed tobacco. The ancients believed that love might be excited by certain articles taken from the vegetable kingdom. Why then should it be considered impossible to allay the same feeling in a similar manner?Every bane has its corresponding antidote; if so, there may be physic even for a philter. And for the pangs which avirginhasinflicted, what remedy could be prescribed more reasonable than theVirginianweed;—besides, love generally ends in smoke.
man with feet on mantelpiece
A CURE FOR THE HEARTACHE.
Væ misero capiti, madefacto, sæpe fenestræImbribus immundis, Lydia cara, tuæ:
Væ misero capiti, madefacto, sæpe fenestræ
Imbribus immundis, Lydia cara, tuæ:
Woe to my wretched head, often wetted, dearLydia, by the unclean showers of your window.
Woe to my wretched head, often wetted, dear
Lydia, by the unclean showers of your window.
This would be a proper place for introducing a few remarks on the ancient mode of serenading; which we are prevented from doing by the very imperfect state of our present information on this interesting point. It is, however, pretty generally admitted that the Romans always took care to provide themselves with an umbrella on these occasions, and this for a reason which the above distich will have rendered sufficiently obvious. It appears to us that so salutary a precaution is well worthy of being sometimes adopted in these modern days—and with this hint we conclude the Syntax.
All you that bards of note would be,Must study well your Prosody.
All you that bards of note would be,
Must study well your Prosody.
As Comparative Anatomy teaches what the sound of a cod-fish is; so Prosody teaches what is the sound of syllables.
Sound and quantity mean the same thing; though how that fact is to be reconciled with the proverb, “greatcryand littlewool,” we do not know.
Prosody is divided into three parts. Tone, Breathing, and Time. As to tone—boys are usually required to repeat it in a loud one, without stammering or drawling; and with as little breathing and time, or breathing-time, as possible.
We shall leave tone to the consideration of pianoforte and fiddle-makers; and breathing to doctors and chemists, who cananalyzeit a great deal better than we can. In this place we think proper to treat only of Time.
Now of Time a very great deal may be said, taking the word in all the senses in which it is capable of being used.
In the first place, Time flies—but this we have had occasion to observe before; as also that Time is a very great eater.
In the second, Time is a very ill-used personage; he is spent, wasted, lost, kicked down, and killed—the last as often as an Irishman is—but for all that he never complains.
It is a question whether keeping Time, or losing Time, is the essential characteristic of dancing.
Then we might expatiate largely about the value of Time, and of the propriety of taking him by the forelock—but for two reasons.
One of them is, that all this has been said long ago; the other, that it is nothing at all to the purpose.
We might also quote extensively from Dr. Culpeper’s Herbal, and from Linnæus and Jussieu; but thetimewe speak of, (although we hope it will betwiggedby the reader,) is noplant; nevertheless it is a necessary ingredient in grammaticalstuffing.
Time in prosody is the measure of the pronouncing of a syllable.
Like whist, it is divided into Long and Short. A long time is marked thus, as sūmēns, taking: a short time thus; as pĭlŭlă, a pill.
A foot is the placing together of two or more syllables, according to the certain observation of theirtime, the organ of which should be well developed for that purpose.
Ordinary feet are long feet, short feet, broad feet, splay feet, club feet, and bumble feet, to which may be added cloven feet in the case of certain animals, and an “old gentleman.”
There are several kinds of Latin feet; here, however, we shall only notice spondees and dactyls.
A spondee is a foot of two syllables, as īnfāns, an infant.
A dactyl is a foot of three syllables, as āngĕlŭs, an angel, pōrcŭlŭs, a little pig.
Scanning is measuring a verse as you are measured by your tailor—by thefoot, according torule. To scanning there belong the figures called Synalœpha, Ecthlipsis,Synæresis, Diæresis, and Cæsura.
Synalœpha is the cutting off a vowel at the end of a word, before another at the beginning of the next; as
Ōcclūsīs ēvāsi ŏcŭlīsnāsōquĕcruēntō:I came off with my eyes bunged up and a bloody nose.
Ōcclūsīs ēvāsi ŏcŭlīsnāsōquĕcruēntō:
I came off with my eyes bunged up and a bloody nose.
We have hereknocked out an iin evasi, on the strength of a synalœpha.
But heu and o are never cut off—at least there are no cases on record in which this operation has been performed.
Ecthlipsis is as often as the letter m is cut off with its vowel; the next word beginning with a vowel, as
Mōnstrum hōrrēndum īnfōrme īngēns—spectāvĭmŭs hōrtīs:We saw a horrible, ugly, great monster in the gardens.
Mōnstrum hōrrēndum īnfōrme īngēns—spectāvĭmŭs hōrtīs:
We saw a horrible, ugly, great monster in the gardens.
If everybearandboarwere kept in a den—what a fine world this would be.
Synæresis is the contraction of two syllables into one, as in alvearia, pronounced alvaria.
Strāvĭt hŭmī dēmēns cōnfērta ālveārĭă Jūnō:Mad Juno threw the crowded beehives on the ground.
Strāvĭt hŭmī dēmēns cōnfērta ālveārĭă Jūnō:
Mad Juno threw the crowded beehives on the ground.
Hydrophobia occurring in a queen bee from the bite of a dog would be an interesting case to the faculty.
Diæresis is the separation of one syllable into two, as evoluisse for evolvisse. Thus Ovid says, alluding probably to thepaddingsystem adopted by dandies and theatrical artists,
Dēbŭĕrant fūsōs ēvŏlŭīssĕ sŭōs:They ought to have unwound theirspindles.
Dēbŭĕrant fūsōs ēvŏlŭīssĕ sŭōs:
They ought to have unwound theirspindles.
Cæsura is when after a perfect foot (though not one like Taglioni’s), a short syllable is made long at the end of a word, as
Pēctŏrĭbūs ĭnhĭāns—mōllēs, ēn, dēsĕrĭt ālās:Intent upon the breasts (of the fowls) lo! he deserts the tender wings.
Pēctŏrĭbūs ĭnhĭāns—mōllēs, ēn, dēsĕrĭt ālās:
Intent upon the breasts (of the fowls) lo! he deserts the tender wings.
Should any one seek here for an account of every kind of verse used by the Latin poets, all we can say is—we wish he may get it. As it behoveth no one to be wiser than the law, so it behoveth not us to be wiser than the Eton Grammar.
The verses which boys are commonly taught to make are hexameters and pentameters.
An hexameter verse consists of six feet. As the ancient heroes were at least six feet high, this is probably the reason why it is also called anheroicverse.
The fifth foot in this kind of verse should be a dactyl, the sixth a spondee; the other feet may be either dactyls or spondees; as
Ōbstāntī plŭvĭīs vēnīt cūm tēgmĭnĕ Sāmbō:Sambo came with his Macintosh.
Ōbstāntī plŭvĭīs vēnīt cūm tēgmĭnĕ Sāmbō:
Sambo came with his Macintosh.
The fifth foot also is sometimes a spondee, as
ClāvĭgĕrĀlcīdēs, māgnūm Jŏvĭs īncrēmēntūm.Hercules, king of clubs, great offspring of Jupiter.
ClāvĭgĕrĀlcīdēs, māgnūm Jŏvĭs īncrēmēntūm.
Hercules, king of clubs, great offspring of Jupiter.
The last syllable of every verse is acommonaffair.
An elegiac, lack-a-daisical, or pentameter verse, consists of four feet and two long syllables, one of which is placed between the second and third foot, and the other at the end of the verse. The two first feet may be dactyls, spondees, or both; the two last are always dactyls, as
Rēs ēstīnfēlīx, plēnăquĕ frāudĭs ămōr:Love is an unlucky affair, and full of humbug.
Rēs ēstīnfēlīx, plēnăquĕ frāudĭs ămōr:
Love is an unlucky affair, and full of humbug.
We feel compelled, notwithstanding what has been before said, to make a few additions to what is contained in the Eton Grammar with respect to verses.
The rhythm of Latin verses may be easily learned by practising (out of school), exercises on the principle of the examples following—
Dūm dĭdlĕ, dī dūm, dūm dūm, dēedlĕdy, dēēdlĕ dĕ, dūm dum;Dūm dĭdlĕ, dūm dum, dē, dēedlĕdy̆, dēedlĕdy̆, dūm.
Dūm dĭdlĕ, dī dūm, dūm dūm, dēedlĕdy, dēēdlĕ dĕ, dūm dum;
Dūm dĭdlĕ, dūm dum, dē, dēedlĕdy̆, dēedlĕdy̆, dūm.
N.B. The following familiar piece of poetry would not have been admitted into the Comic Latin Grammar, but that there being many various readings of it, we wished to transmit the right one to posterity.
Patres conscripti—took a boat and went to Philippi.Trumpeter unus erat qui coatum scarlet habebat,Stormum surgebat, et boatum overset–ebat,Omnes drownerunt, quia swimaway non potuerunt,Excipe John Periwig tied up to the tail of a dead pig.
Patres conscripti—took a boat and went to Philippi.
Trumpeter unus erat qui coatum scarlet habebat,
Stormum surgebat, et boatum overset–ebat,
Omnes drownerunt, quia swimaway non potuerunt,
Excipe John Periwig tied up to the tail of a dead pig.
Here, also, this poetical curiosity may perhaps be properly introduced.
Conturbabantur Constantinopolitani,Innumerabilibus sollicitudinibus.
Conturbabantur Constantinopolitani,
Innumerabilibus sollicitudinibus.
There is a river in Macedon and a river in Monmouth: in like manner there are positions in dancing and positions in Prosody.
The following vowels are long by position.
1. A vowel before two consonants, or before a double consonant in the same word—as pīnguis, fat, īngens, great,Ājax, the name of a hero.
2. A vowel coming before one consonant at the end of a word, and another at the beginning of the next, as
Majōr sūm quām cui possīt tua virga nocere:I’m a bigger boy than your rod is able to hurt.
Majōr sūm quām cui possīt tua virga nocere:
I’m a bigger boy than your rod is able to hurt.
The syllablesjor,sum,quam, andsit, are long by position.
men in a boatPATRES CONSCRIPTI TOOK A BOAT AND WENT TO PHILIPPITRUMPETER UNUS ERAT QUI COATUM SCARLET HABEBAT.
men in a boat
PATRES CONSCRIPTI TOOK A BOAT AND WENT TO PHILIPPITRUMPETER UNUS ERAT QUI COATUM SCARLET HABEBAT.
3. Sometimes, but seldom, a short vowel at the end of a word placed before two consonants at the beginning of the next; as
Occultā spolia hi Croceo de Colle ferebant:These persons brought the secret spoils from Saffron Hill.
Occultā spolia hi Croceo de Colle ferebant:
These persons brought the secret spoils from Saffron Hill.
Ashortvowel before a mute, a liquid following, is rendered common, as in the wordpatris.
Sunt quibus ornatur Jenkins femoralia pātris:The breeches that Jenkins is rigged out in are his father’s.
Sunt quibus ornatur Jenkins femoralia pātris:
The breeches that Jenkins is rigged out in are his father’s.
A vowel before another is always short, as tŭa, thy, memorĭa, memory.
Except the genitive cases of pronouns in ius, where the i is a common i, although alterĭus has always a shortiand alīus a longi.
Punch with large red nose
Except, likewise, those genitive and dative cases of the fifth declension where the vowele, like Punch’s nose, is made long between twoi’s, as faciēi, of a face.
The syllablefialso in fīo is long, except e and r follow together, as fĭerem, fĭeri.
Fīent quæ “Fĭeri Facias” mandata vocantur:The writ which is called “Fieri Facias” will be made.
Fīent quæ “Fĭeri Facias” mandata vocantur:
The writ which is called “Fieri Facias” will be made.
Fi. fa. is a legal instrument that deprives a poor man of his mattress that a rich one may lounge on his ottoman. Ca. Sa. is a similar benevolent contrivance for punishing misfortune as felony.
Dīus, heavenly, has the first syllable long;—Diana, common: and so has the interjection Ohe!
Thus there’s a common medium of connexion,Between a goddess and an interjection.
Thus there’s a common medium of connexion,
Between a goddess and an interjection.
A vowel before another in Greek words is sometimes long, as
Cærula, Pīerides, sunt vobis tegmina crurum:Oh, Muses, your stockings are blue.
Cærula, Pīerides, sunt vobis tegmina crurum:
Oh, Muses, your stockings are blue.
Also in Greek possessives, as
Somniculosa fuit, pinguisque Ænēia nutrix:Æneas’s nurse was sleepy and fat.
Somniculosa fuit, pinguisque Ænēia nutrix:
Æneas’s nurse was sleepy and fat.
Æneas has often enough been represented inarms.
In Latin mark, that everydipthong’S as long as any stage-coach whip-thong;Except before a vowel it goes,When ’tis as short as Elsler’s clothes.
In Latin mark, that everydipthong
’S as long as any stage-coach whip-thong;
Except before a vowel it goes,
When ’tis as short as Elsler’s clothes.
Words derived from others are tarred with the same stick, that is, are assigned the same quantity as those which they are derived from, with somefew exceptions, which we must trouble the student to fish for.
Compounds follow the quantity of their simple words, as from lĕgo lĕgis, to read, comes perlĕgo, to read through.
By the way,readingdoes not always inducereading through; though we hope it may in the case of the C. L. G.
If to a preterperfect tense belongTwo only syllables, the first is long;As vēni, vīdi, vīci, speech so cool.Which Cæsar made to illustrate our rule;To which we need not cite exceptions small.Look in your Gradus and you’ll find them all.
If to a preterperfect tense belong
Two only syllables, the first is long;
As vēni, vīdi, vīci, speech so cool.
Which Cæsar made to illustrate our rule;
To which we need not cite exceptions small.
Look in your Gradus and you’ll find them all.
Consult also the Eton Grammar, and works of the poets, passim, as well for exceptions to the above as to the two following rules:
1. Words that double the first syllable of the preterperfect tense have the first syllable short—as cĕcĭdī from cădŏ, &c.
Fortis Higinbottom cĕcidit terramque mŏmordit:Brave Higinbottom fell and bit the ground.
Fortis Higinbottom cĕcidit terramque mŏmordit:
Brave Higinbottom fell and bit the ground.
2. A supine of two syllables has the first syllable long—
As vīsum lātum lōtum mōtum:And many more if we could quote ’em.
As vīsum lātum lōtum mōtum:
And many more if we could quote ’em.
We have had a poetical fit gradually growing upon us for some time—’tis of no use to resist—so here goes—
Oh! Muse, thine aid afford to me,Inspire my Ideality;Thou who, benign, in days of yore,Didst heavenly inspiration pourOn him, who luckily for usSang Propria Quæ Maribus;Teach me to sound on quiv’ring lyre,Prosodial strains in notes of fire;Words’ ends shall be my theme sublime,Now first descanted on in rhyme.Come, little boys, attention lend,All words are long in a that end:(In proof of which I’ll bet a quart,)Excepting those which must be short—As pută, ită, posteă, quiă,Ejă, and every case in iă;Ora, save such as we must classWith Grecian vocatives in as,And ablatives of first declension—Besides the aforesaid, we may mentionNouns numeral that end in ginta,Which common, as a bit of flint are.Some terminate inb,d,t;All these are short; but those incForm toes—I mean, form ends of feetAs long—as long as Oxford Street.Though nĕc and donĕc every bardHath written short as Hanway yard,Fac, hic, and hoc are common, thoughTh’ ablative hōc is long you know.Now “efinita” short are reckon’d,Like to a jiffey or a second,Though we must call theGraduswrong,Or these, of fifth declension, long.As also particles that comeIn mode derivative therefrom.Long second persons singularOf second conjugation are,And monosyllables ine.Take, for example, mē, tē, sē,Then, too, adverbial adjectivesAre long as rich old women’s lives—If from the second declinationOf adjectives they’ve derivation:Pulchrē and doctē, are the kindOf adverbs that I have in mind.Fermē is long, and ferē also—Benĕ, and malĕ, not at all so.Lastly, each finaletaGreek,Is long on all days of the week—To wit—(for thus we render nempe)Lethē, Anchisē, cetē, Tempē.Those words as long we classifyWhich end, likeegotists, ini,Rememb’ring mihi, tibi, sibiAre common, so are ubi, ibi;Nisĭ is always short, and quasĭ’sShort also, so are certain casesIn i—Greek vocatives and datives(At least if we may trust the natives;)Making their genitives in os,For instance—Phyllis, Phyllidos.(A name oft utter’d with a sigh,)Whereof the dative ends in ĭ.Words inlending short are all,Save nīl for nihil, sāl, and sōl,And some few Hebrew words t’were wellTo cite; as Michaēl, Raphaēl.Your n’s are long, save forsitănĬn, tamĕn,attamĕn, and ănVeruntamĕn and forsăn, whichAre short as any tailor’s stitch;These, therefore, we except, and thenContractions “per apocopen”—As vidĕn’? mĕn’? and audĭn?—so inExĭn’ and subĭn’, deĭn’,proĭn’.An, from a nominative inaEnding a word is short, they say,But everyanfor long must passDerived from nominative in as.Nouns, too, in en are short whose finisDoth in the genitive makeinis.And so are n’s that dodelight ĭnAniandy—Alexĭn, Ity̆n.Greek words are short I’d have you know,That end inonwith littleo,Common are terminating o’s,Cases oblique except from those,Adverbial adjectives as falsōAre long,—take tantō,—quantō also;Save mutuo, sedulo, and crebro.Common as vestment vending Hebrew.Modŏ and quomodŏ amongShort o’s we rank—nor to be long.Nor citŏ, egŏ, duŏ; no norAmbŏ and Homŏ ever prone are;But monosyllables ino,Are counted long. Example—stō.And omega, the whole world over,’S as long as ’tis from here to Dover.Ifrshould chance a word to wind up,’Tis short in general, make your mind up;But fār, lār, nār, and vīr, and fūrPār, compār, impār, dispār, cūr,As long must needs be cited here,With words from Greek that end in er;Though ’mong the Latins from this fate areThese two exempted—patĕr, matĕr;Short in the finalerwe state’em,Namely, “auctoritate vatum.”Now, s, the Eton Grammar says,Ends words in just as many waysAs there are vowels—five—as thusIn order,as,es,is,os,us.As, in a general way appearsLong unto all butasses’ears,But some Greek words take care to mark asShort,—for example—Pallăs, Arcăs—And nouns increasing plural sportAnasaccusative that’s short.Es in the main’s a long affair,Anchisēs, such, and patrēs are,Though of the third declension youAs short such substantives must view,The genitives of which increase,Derived from nominatives in es,And have an accent short uponThe syllable that’s last but one.As milĕs, segĕs, divĕs, (whichMeans what a Poet is n’t,)—rich:But pēs is long, with bipēs, tripēs,Like to a hermit munching dry pease.To these add Cerēs, Saturn’s cub,(Name of a goddess, and for grubThe figure Metonymy through,)And ariēs, abiēs, pariēs, too.Sum with its compounds forming ĕs,Are short, join penĕs, if you please,Item Cyclopĕs Naiadĕs.Greek nominatives and plural neuters,For lists of which consult your tutors.Is, we call short, as Parĭs, tristĭs,Save all such words as mensīs, istīs.Plurals oblique that end inis,Adding thereto for quibus quīs.Theisin Samnīs long by right isBecause its genitive’s Samnītis,Where you observe a lengthened stateOf syllable penultimate.The same to all such words applies,And īs contracted, meaningeis,Long too,—and pray remember thisAre monosyllables inis.Save ĭs the nominative pronoun,Andquĭs, and bĭs, which last is no noun.When verbs byisconcluded are,In second person singular;But in the pluralitismake,Theisis long, and no mistake—Provided always that the pe-Nultimate plural long shall be.Os, saving compŏs, impŏs, ŏsIs long—as honōs dominōs.The Greek omicron ’s short, and that inAll conscience must be so in Latin.Words should be short inus, unlessAuthority has laid a stressOn the penultimate of anyWord that increases in the geni-Tive case when us is long, the samePronunciation nouns may claim—Declined like gradūs or like manūsThough here exceptions still detain us.The first case and the fifth are thoseSingular; short as monkey’s nose.Long are mūs, crūs, and thūs and sūsAll monosyllables in ūs,And Grecian nouns by diphthongous,Translatedusby men ofnous.Lastly, all words inuare long,And so we end our classic song.
Oh! Muse, thine aid afford to me,
Inspire my Ideality;
Thou who, benign, in days of yore,
Didst heavenly inspiration pour
On him, who luckily for us
Sang Propria Quæ Maribus;
Teach me to sound on quiv’ring lyre,
Prosodial strains in notes of fire;
Words’ ends shall be my theme sublime,
Now first descanted on in rhyme.
Come, little boys, attention lend,
All words are long in a that end:
(In proof of which I’ll bet a quart,)
Excepting those which must be short—
As pută, ită, posteă, quiă,
Ejă, and every case in iă;
Ora, save such as we must class
With Grecian vocatives in as,
And ablatives of first declension—
Besides the aforesaid, we may mention
Nouns numeral that end in ginta,
Which common, as a bit of flint are.
Some terminate inb,d,t;
All these are short; but those inc
Form toes—I mean, form ends of feet
As long—as long as Oxford Street.
Though nĕc and donĕc every bard
Hath written short as Hanway yard,
Fac, hic, and hoc are common, though
Th’ ablative hōc is long you know.
Now “efinita” short are reckon’d,
Like to a jiffey or a second,
Though we must call theGraduswrong,
Or these, of fifth declension, long.
As also particles that come
In mode derivative therefrom.
Long second persons singular
Of second conjugation are,
And monosyllables ine.
Take, for example, mē, tē, sē,
Then, too, adverbial adjectives
Are long as rich old women’s lives—
If from the second declination
Of adjectives they’ve derivation:
Pulchrē and doctē, are the kind
Of adverbs that I have in mind.
Fermē is long, and ferē also—
Benĕ, and malĕ, not at all so.
Lastly, each finaletaGreek,
Is long on all days of the week—
To wit—(for thus we render nempe)
Lethē, Anchisē, cetē, Tempē.
Those words as long we classify
Which end, likeegotists, ini,
Rememb’ring mihi, tibi, sibi
Are common, so are ubi, ibi;
Nisĭ is always short, and quasĭ’s
Short also, so are certain cases
In i—Greek vocatives and datives
(At least if we may trust the natives;)
Making their genitives in os,
For instance—Phyllis, Phyllidos.
(A name oft utter’d with a sigh,)
Whereof the dative ends in ĭ.
Words inlending short are all,
Save nīl for nihil, sāl, and sōl,
And some few Hebrew words t’were well
To cite; as Michaēl, Raphaēl.
Your n’s are long, save forsităn
Ĭn, tamĕn,attamĕn, and ăn
Veruntamĕn and forsăn, which
Are short as any tailor’s stitch;
These, therefore, we except, and then
Contractions “per apocopen”—
As vidĕn’? mĕn’? and audĭn?—so in
Exĭn’ and subĭn’, deĭn’,proĭn’.
An, from a nominative ina
Ending a word is short, they say,
But everyanfor long must pass
Derived from nominative in as.
Nouns, too, in en are short whose finis
Doth in the genitive makeinis.
And so are n’s that dodelight ĭn
Aniandy—Alexĭn, Ity̆n.
Greek words are short I’d have you know,
That end inonwith littleo,
Common are terminating o’s,
Cases oblique except from those,
Adverbial adjectives as falsō
Are long,—take tantō,—quantō also;
Save mutuo, sedulo, and crebro.
Common as vestment vending Hebrew.
Modŏ and quomodŏ among
Short o’s we rank—nor to be long.
Nor citŏ, egŏ, duŏ; no nor
Ambŏ and Homŏ ever prone are;
But monosyllables ino,
Are counted long. Example—stō.
And omega, the whole world over,
’S as long as ’tis from here to Dover.
Ifrshould chance a word to wind up,
’Tis short in general, make your mind up;
But fār, lār, nār, and vīr, and fūr
Pār, compār, impār, dispār, cūr,
As long must needs be cited here,
With words from Greek that end in er;
Though ’mong the Latins from this fate are
These two exempted—patĕr, matĕr;
Short in the finalerwe state’em,
Namely, “auctoritate vatum.”
Now, s, the Eton Grammar says,
Ends words in just as many ways
As there are vowels—five—as thus
In order,as,es,is,os,us.
As, in a general way appears
Long unto all butasses’ears,
But some Greek words take care to mark as
Short,—for example—Pallăs, Arcăs—
And nouns increasing plural sport
Anasaccusative that’s short.
Es in the main’s a long affair,
Anchisēs, such, and patrēs are,
Though of the third declension you
As short such substantives must view,
The genitives of which increase,
Derived from nominatives in es,
And have an accent short upon
The syllable that’s last but one.
As milĕs, segĕs, divĕs, (which
Means what a Poet is n’t,)—rich:
But pēs is long, with bipēs, tripēs,
Like to a hermit munching dry pease.
To these add Cerēs, Saturn’s cub,
(Name of a goddess, and for grub
The figure Metonymy through,)
And ariēs, abiēs, pariēs, too.
Sum with its compounds forming ĕs,
Are short, join penĕs, if you please,
Item Cyclopĕs Naiadĕs.
Greek nominatives and plural neuters,
For lists of which consult your tutors.
Is, we call short, as Parĭs, tristĭs,
Save all such words as mensīs, istīs.
Plurals oblique that end inis,
Adding thereto for quibus quīs.
Theisin Samnīs long by right is
Because its genitive’s Samnītis,
Where you observe a lengthened state
Of syllable penultimate.
The same to all such words applies,
And īs contracted, meaningeis,
Long too,—and pray remember this
Are monosyllables inis.
Save ĭs the nominative pronoun,
Andquĭs, and bĭs, which last is no noun.
When verbs byisconcluded are,
In second person singular;
But in the pluralitismake,
Theisis long, and no mistake—
Provided always that the pe-
Nultimate plural long shall be.
Os, saving compŏs, impŏs, ŏs
Is long—as honōs dominōs.
The Greek omicron ’s short, and that in
All conscience must be so in Latin.
Words should be short inus, unless
Authority has laid a stress
On the penultimate of any
Word that increases in the geni-
Tive case when us is long, the same
Pronunciation nouns may claim—
Declined like gradūs or like manūs
Though here exceptions still detain us.
The first case and the fifth are those
Singular; short as monkey’s nose.
Long are mūs, crūs, and thūs and sūs
All monosyllables in ūs,
And Grecian nouns by diphthongous,
Translatedusby men ofnous.
Lastly, all words inuare long,
And so we end our classic song.
And not our song only, but our work—the companion of our solitude—the object of our cares—for which alone we live, for which we consumed our midnight oil; and not only that, but also burnt a great deal of daylight.—Our work, we say, is ended—and such as it is we commit it to the world. Horace says Carm. Lib. iii, Ode XXX. (an ode which by some strange association of ideas, is always connected in our mind with the visionary image of a jug of ale,) “Exegimonumentum ære perennius,” I have perfected a work more durable than brass. Whether our production is characterized by thedurabilityof that metal or not, is a question which we leave to the decision of posterity; we cannot, however, help thinking that, considering the boldness of our attempt, it possesses figuratively at least, something in common with the substance in question—and we would fain hope that that something does not consist inhardness.
And now farewell to the reader—farewell, “a word that must be and hath been”—said a great many times when once would have been quite sufficient. We need not, therefore, repeat it; nor need we say how much we hope that we have amused, instructed him, and so forth; that being as much an understood thing to put at the end of a book, as “Love to papa, mamma, brothers and sisters,” in a holiday letter.
Nothing, then, remains for us now to do, but to kick up our hat and cry
COE, PRINTER, 27, OLD CHANGE, ST.PAUL’S.
Except for the words “to face page”, all text shown initalicswas damaged in the original; content was supplied from elsewhere in the book.