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 much personality, 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.
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 the House.
The nominative case of pronouns is rarely expressed, except for the sake of distinction or emphasis, as—
Tu es exquisitus, tu es,
You ’re a nice man, you are.
Sometimes a sentence is the nominative case to the verb, as
Ingenuas pugni didicisse fideliter artes,
Mollitos mores non sinit esse viri.
The faithful study of the fistic art
From mawkish softness guards a Briton’s heart.
Who can doubt it? But, besides, we have much to say in praise of boxing. In the first place, it is a classical accomplishment. To say nothing of the Olympic and Isthmian Games, which are of themselves sufficient proof of the elegant and fanciful tastes of the ancients; we need only allude to the fact, that the Corinthians are universally celebrated for their proficiency in this science. Then, of its eminently social tendency, there can be no doubt. What can be more conducive to good fellowship, and conviviality than the frequent tapping 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 the use of our hands. And (which perhaps is the most pursuasive argument of all), it is particularly pleasing to the fair sex, who besides their well known admiration of bravery, are, to a woman, devotedly attached to the ring.
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 a racy observation.
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 left out, as
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 venenum est,
Bitter almonds is poison.
We have written the English beneath the Latin. Perhaps it may be imagined that we think good English beneath us.
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.
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.
Second Concord — The Substantive and the Adjective
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.
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 in gender.
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.
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, as
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.”
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.
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
Pueri tuentur illum librum quæ Latina Grammatices et Comica dicitur.
Boys regard that book which is called the Comic Latin Grammar.
Sometimes a relative agrees with the primitive, which is understood in the possessive, as
Mirabantur impudentiam suam qui ad reginam literas misit.
They wondered at his impudence, who wrote a letter to the queen.
If a nominative case be interposed between the relative and the verb, the relative is governed by the verb, or by some other word which is placed in the sentence with the verb, as
Luciferi quos Prometheus surripuit, ad Jovem cujus numen contempsit, pertinebant.
The Lucifers which Prometheus shirked, belonged to Jupiter, whose authority he despised.
In fact, Prometheus made light of Jupiter’s lightning.
We now take leave of the Concords, observing only how pleasant it is to see relatives agree.
Construction of Nouns Substantive
Which is not quite so amusing as the construction of small boats, paper kites, pinwheels, crackers, or any other mode of displaying the faculty of “constructiveness”—though in one sense the construction of nouns substantive, is not unlike the construction of puzzles.
When two substantives of a different signification meet together, the latter is put in the genitive case, as
Ulysses lumen Cyclopis extinxit:
Ulysses doused the glim of the Cyclops.
This genitive case is sometimes changed into a dative, as
Urbi pater est, urbique maritus. —Gram. Eton.
He is the father of the city, and the husband of the city.
He must have been a pretty fellow, whoever he was.
An adjective of the neuter gender, put without a substantive, sometimes requires a genitive case, as
Paululùm honestatis sartori sufficit:
A very little honesty is enough for a tailor.
A genitive case is sometimes placed alone; the preceding substantive being understood by the figure ellipsis, as
Ubi ad magistri veneris, cave verbum de porco:
When you are come to the master’s (house), not a word about the pig.
The word pig is a very general term, and is used to signify not only the animal so called, and such of the human race as resemble him in habits, appearance, or feelings; but also to denote a variety of little things, which it is sometimes necessary to keep secret. A pedagogue now and then discovers a pig-tail appended to his coat collar—this, or rather the way in which it got there, is one of the little pigs in question. Robbing the larder or the garden is another; so is insinuating horse-hairs into the cane, or putting cobbler’s wax on the seat of learning —we mean the master’s stool. A sort of pig (or rather a rat) is sometimes smelt by the master on taking his nightly walk though the dormitories, when roast fowl, mince pies, bread and cheese, shrub, punch, &c. have been slyly smuggled into those places of repose. Shirking down town is always a pig, and the consequences thereof, in case of discovery, a great bore.
Considering that a secret is a pig, it is singular that betraying one should be called letting the cat out of the bag.
Two substantives respecting the same thing are put in the same case, as
Telemachum, juvenem bonæ indolis, Calypso existimavit.
Calypso thought Telemachus a nice young man.
By the way, what a nice young man Virgil makes out Marcellus to have been!
Praise, dispraise, or the quality of a thing is placed in the ablative, and also in the genitive case—as
Vir paucorum verborum et magni appetitûs:
A man of few words and large appetite.
Paterfamilias. Vir multis miseriis:
A father of a family. A man of many woes.
The man of most woes, however, is a hackney-coachman.
Opus, need, and usus, need, require an ablative case, as
Didoni marito opus erat;
Dido had need of a husband.
Æneæ cœnâ usus erat;
Æneas had need of a dinner.
But opus appears to be sometimes placed like an adjective for necessarius, necessary, as
Regi Anthropophagorum coquus opus est:
The King of the Cannibal Islands wants a cook.
Which would serve his purpose best—a valet-de-chambre who dresses men, or a wit, who roasts them?
The Construction of Nouns Adjective. The Genitive Case After the Adjective
Adjectives which signify desire, knowledge, memory, fear, and the contrary to these, require a genitive case, as
Est natura vetularum obtrectationis avida:
The nature of old women is fond of scandal.
This particularly applies to old maids. As those delightful creatures now-a-days, not content with being grey aspire to be actually blue; we cannot help recommending to them a kind of study, for which their propensity to cutting up renders them peculiarly adapted; we mean Anatomy. And since it is on the foulest and most odious points of character that they chiefly delight to dwell, we more especially suggest to them the pursuit of Morbid Anatomy, as one which is likely to be attended both with gratification and success.
Mens tempestatum præscia:
A mind foreknowing the weather.
A piece of sea-weed has often, heretofore, been used as a barometer; but it is only of late that this purpose has been answered by a murphy.
Immemor beneficii:
Unmindful of a kindness.
The sort of kindness one is least likely to forget is that which our master used to say he conferred upon us, when he was inculcating learning by means of the rod. We cannot help thinking, however, that he began at the wrong end.
Imperitus rerum:
Unacquainted with the world, i.e. Not ‘up to snuff’.
Much controversy has been wasted in attempts to determine the origin of the phrase “up to snuff”. Some have contended that it was suggested by the well-known quality possessed by snuff, of clearing the head; but this idea is far fetched, not to say absurd. Others will have that the expression was derived from Snofe, or Snoffe, the name of a cunning rogue who flourished about the time of the first crusade; so that “up to Snoffe” signified as clever, or knowing, as Snoffe; and was in process of time converted into “up to snuff.” This opinion is deserving of notice; though the only argument in its favour is, that the phrase in question was in vogue long before the discovery of tobacco. Probably the soundest view is that which connects it with the proper name Znoufe, which in ancient High-Dutch is equivalent to Mercury, whose reputation for astuteness among the ancients was exceedingly great. Conf. Hookey-Walk, ii. 13. Hok. Pok. Wonk-Fum. viii. 24. Cheek. Marin. passim, with a host of commentators, ancient and modern.
Roscius timidus Deorum fuit:
Roscius was afraid of the Gods.
Adjectives ending in ax, derived from verbs, also require a genitive case, as
Tempus edax rerum:
Time is the consumer of all things.
Hence Time is sometimes figured as an alderman.
Nouns partitive, nouns of number, nouns comparative and superlative, and certain adjectives put partitively, require a genitive case, from which also they take their gender; as
Utrum horum mavis accipe:
Take which of those two things you had rather.
So Queen Eleanor gave Fair Rosamond her choice between the dagger and the bowl of poison. This, to our mind, would have been like choosing a tree to be hanged on.
Primus fidicinum fuit Orpheus:
Orpheus was the first of fiddlers.
He is said to have charmed the hearts of broomsticks.
Momus lepidissimus erat Deorum:
Momus was the funniest of the Gods.
Other deities may have made Jupiter shake his head. Momus used to make him shake his sides.
Sequimur te, sancte deorum:
We follow thee, O sacred deity.
Namely, the aforesaid Momus. He is the only heathen god that we should have had much reverence for, and certainly the only one that we should ever have sacrificed to at all. The offering most commonly made to the god of laughter was, probably, a sacrifice of propriety.
But the above nouns are also used with these prepositions, a, ab, de, e, ex, inter, ante; as,
Primus inter philosophos Democritus est:
Democritus is the first amongst philosophers.
And why? Because he alone was wise enough to find out that laughing is better than crying. He it was who first proved to the world that philosophy and comicality are, in fact, one science; and that the more we learn the more we laugh. We forget whether it was he or Aristotle who made the remark, that man is the only laughing animal except the hyæna.
Secundus sometimes requires a dative case, as
Haud ulli veterum virtute secundus:
Inferior to none of the ancients in valour.
Surely Virgil in saying this, had an eye to a hero, whose fame has been perpetuated in the verses of a later poet.
“Some talk of Alexander, and some of Pericles,
Of Conon and Lysander, and Alcibiades;
But of all the gallant heroes, there ’s none for to compare,
With my ri-fol-de-riddle-iddle-lol to the British grenadier!”
An interrogative, and the word which answers to it, shall be of the same case and tense, except words of a different construction be made use of; as
Quarum rerum nulla est satietas? Pomorum.
Of what things is there no fulness? Of fruit.
Dr. Johnson used to say that he never got as much wall fruit as he could eat.
The Dative Case After the Adjective
Adjectives by which advantage, disadvantage, likeness, unlikeness, pleasure, submission, or relation to any thing is signified, require a dative case; as
Astaci incocti patriæ idonei sunt in pace; cocti autem in bello.
Raw lobsters are serviceable to their country in peace; but boiled ones in war. Lobster’s claws are nasty things to get into.
The Corporation of London seemed very much afraid of the Police clause.
One of the reasons why a soldier is sometimes called a lobster, probably is, that the latter is a marine animal.
Balænæ persimile:
Very like a whale.
Qui color albus erat nunc est contrarius albo:
The colour which was white is now contrary to white.
Some people will swear white is black to gain their ends; and a man who will do this, though he may not always be—
Jucundus amicis:
Pleasant to his friends; is nevertheless frequently so to his constituents.
Hither are referred nouns compounded of the preposition con, as contubernalis, a comrade; commilito, a fellow soldier, &c. You must con all such words attentively before you can construe well, or the consequence will be, that you will be considerably blown up, if not confoundedly flogged.
Some of these which signify similitude, are also joined to a genitive case, as
Par uncti fulminis:
Like greased lightning.
The familiarity of our transatlantic friends with the nature of the electric fluid, is no doubt owing to the discoveries of their countryman Franklin. Q. Was the lightning which that philosopher drew down from the clouds, of the kind mentioned in the example?
Communis, common; alienus, strange; immunis, free, are joined to a genitive, dative, and also to an ablative case, with a preposition, as
Aures longæ communes asinorum sunt:
Long ears are common to asses.
Though musical ears are not. We even doubt whether they would have the slightest admiration for Bray-ham.
Non sunt communes caudæ hominibus:
Tails are not common to men.
Except coat-tails, shirt-tails, pig-tails, and rats’-tails—to which en-tails may perhaps also be added, though these last are often cut off.
Non alienus a poculo cerevisiæ:
Not averse to a pot of beer.
We should think we were not; and should as soon think of engaging in an unnatural quarrel with our bread and butter.
Natus, born; commodus, convenient; incommodus, inconvenient; utilis, useful; inutilis, useless; vehemens, earnest; aptus, fit, are sometimes also joined to an accusative case with a preposition, as
Natus ad laqueum:
Born to a halter.
Those who are reserved for this exalted destiny, are said to enjoy a peculiar immunity from drowning. Is this the reason why watermen are such a set of rogues?
To prevent mistakes, it should be mentioned, that the watermen here meant are those who, by their own account, are so called from their office being to shut the doors of hackney coaches.
Verbal adjectives ending in bilis, taken passively, and participles made adjectives ending in dus, require a dative case; as
Nulli penetrabilis astro;
Penetrable by no star—
not fond of acting?
O venerande mihi Liston! te luget Olympus:
O Liston, to be venerated by me the Olympic bewails thee.
The Accusative Case After the Adjective
The measure of quantity is put after adjectives, in the accusative, the ablative, and the genitive case, as
Anguis centum pedes longus:
A snake a hundred feet long.
Arbor gummifera, alta mille et quingentis passibus.
A gum-tree a mile and a half high.
Aranea, lata pedum denum:
A spider ten feet broad.
An accusative case is sometimes put after adjectives and participles, where the preposition secundum, appears to be understood, as
Os humerosque asello similis:
Like to a cod-fish as to his head and shoulders.
Some men are exceedingly like a cod-fish, as to their head and shoulders, and they often endeavour to increase this natural resemblance as much as possible, by wearing gills.
The Ablative Case After the Adjective
Adjectives which relate to plenty or want, sometimes require an ablative, sometimes a genitive case, as
Amor et melle et felle est fœcundissimus:
Love is very full both of honey and gall.
The honey of love is—we do not know exactly what. Honey, however, is Latin for love, as the Irishman said.
The gall of love consists in
First. Tight boots, in which it is often necessary to do penance before our Lady’s window. This is at all events very galling.
Secondly. In lover’s sighs, to which it communicates their peculiar bitterness.
Thirdly. Another very galling thing in love is being cut out.
Fourthly. Love is one of the passions treated of by Gall and Spurzheim.
Adjectives and substantives govern an ablative case, signifying the cause and the form, or the manner of a thing, as
Demosthenes vociferatione raucus erat:
Demosthenes was hoarse with bawling.
Nomine grammaticus, re barbarus:
A grammarian in name; in reality a barbarian.
Like many of the old masters—we do not mean painters—though we certainly allude to brothers of the brush—perhaps it would be better to call them brothers of the angle, on account of their partiality to the rod. Does the reader twig? If so, it is unnecessary to branch out into a discussion with regard to the nature of the barbarity hinted at—a kind of barbarity which, though it may proclaim its perpetrators to be by no means allied to the feline race, connects them most decidedly with the canine species.
Dignus, worthy; indignus, unworthy; præditus, endued; captus, disabled; contentus, content; extorris, banished; fretus, relying upon; liber, free; with adjectives signifying price, require an ablative case, as
Leander dignus erat meliore fato:
Leander was worthy of a better fate.
Poor fellow! first to be head over ears in love, and then over head and ears in the sea! Shocking! What an heroic young man he must have been.—What a duck, too, the fair Hero must have thought him as she watched him from her lonely tower, nearing her every moment, as he cleft with lusty arm the foaming herring-pond. We mean the Hellespont—but no matter. What a goose he must have been considered by any one else who happened to know of his nightly exploits! How miserably he was gulled at last! Never mind. If Leander went to the fishes for love, many a better man than he, has, before and since, gone, from the same cause, to the dogs.
Conscientia procuratoris solidis sex, denariis octo, venale est;
A lawyer’s conscience is to be sold for six and eightpence.
Some of these, sometimes admit a genitive case, as
Carmina digna deæ:
Verses worthy of a goddess.
Whether the following verses are worthy of a goddess or not, we shall not attempt to decide; they were addressed to one at all events—at least to a being who, if idolizing constitutes a goddess, may, perhaps, be termed one. We met with them in turning over the pages of an album.
Lines by a Fond Lover
Lovely maid, with rapture swelling,
Should these pages meet thine eye,
Clouds of absence soft dispelling;
Vacant memory heaves a sigh.
As the rose, with fragrance weeping,
Trembles to the tuneful wave,
So my heart shall twine unsleeping,
Till it canopies the grave!
Though another’s smiles requited,
Envious fate my doom should be:
Joy for ever disunited,
Think, ah! think, at times on me!
Oft amid the spicy gloaming,
Where the brakes their songs instil,
Fond affection silent roaming,
Loves to linger by the rill—
There when echo’s voice consoling,
Hears the nightingale complain,
Gentle sighs my lips controlling,
Bind my soul in beauty’s chain.
Oft in slumber’s deep recesses,
I thy mirror’d image see;
Fancy mocks the vain caresses
I would lavish like a bee!
But how vain is glittering sadness!
Hark, I hear distraction’s knell!
Torture gilds my heart with madness!
Now for ever fare thee well!
It would be interesting as well as instructive to settle the difference between love verses and nonsense verses, if this were the proper place for doing so. But we are not yet come to the Prosody; nor shall we arrive there very soon unless we get on with the Syntax.
Comparatives, when they may be explained by the word quam, than, require an ablative case, as
Achilles Agamemnone velocior erat:
Achilles was a faster man than Agamemnon.
Fast men in modern times are very apt to outrun the constable.
Tanto, by so much, quanto, by how much, hoc, by this, eo, by this, and quo, by which; with some other words which signify the measure of exceeding; likewise ætate, by age, and natu, by birth, are often joined to comparatives and superlatives, as
Tanto deformissimus, quanto sapientissimus philosophorum.
By so much the ugliest, by how much the wisest of philosophers.
Such an one was Socrates. It is all very well to have a contemplative disposition; but it need not be accompanied by a contemplative nose.
Quo plus habent, eo plus cupiunt:
The more they have the more they want.
This is a curious fact in the natural history of school-boys, considered in relation to roast beef and plum pudding.
Maximum ætate virum in totâ Kentuckiâ contudi:
I whopped the oldest man in all Kentucky.
The Construction of Pronouns
All those who would understand the construction of pronouns, should take care to be well versed in the distinction between meum and tuum, ignorance of which often gives rise to the disagreeable necessity of becoming too intimately acquainted with quod.
Mei, of me, tui, of thee, sui, of himself, nostri, of us, vestri, of you, (the genitive cases of their primitives ego, tu, &c.) are used when a person is signified, as
Languet desiderio tui:
He languishes for want of you.
You cannot give a more acceptable piece of information than the above, to any young lady. The fairer and more amiable sex always like to have something—if not to love, at least to pity.
Parsque tui lateat corpore clausa meo. —Eton Gram.
And a part of you may lie shut up in my body.
Or rather may it so lie! How forcibly a sucking pig hanging up outside a pork-butcher’s shop always recals this beautiful line of Ovid’s to the mind!
Meus, mine, tuus, thine, suus, his own (Cocknicè his’n), noster, ours, vester, yours, are used when action, or the possession of a thing is signified; as
Qui bona quæ non sunt sua furtim subripit, ille
Tempore quo capitur, carcere clausus erit:
Him as prigs wot isn ’t his’n,
Ven he’s cotch’d ’ll go to pris’n.
These possessive pronouns, meus, tuus, suus, noster, and vester, take after them these genitive cases,—ipsius, of himself, solius, of him alone, unius, of one, duorum, of two, trium, of three, &c., omnium, of all, plurium, of more, paucorum, of few, cujusque, of every one, and also the genitive cases of participles, which are referred to the primitive word understood; as
Meis unius impensis pocula sex exhausi:
I drank six pots to my own cheek.
We wonder that any one should have the face to say so.
Sui and suus are reciprocal pronouns, that is, they have always relation to that which went before, and was most to be noted in the sentence, as—
Jonathanus nimium admiratur se:
Jonathan admires himself too much.
Parcit erroribus suis, He spares his own errors.
Magnoperè Jonathanus rogat ne se derideas, Jonathan earnestly begs that you would not laugh at him.
If you do, take care that he does not blow you up one of these fine days.
These demonstrative pronouns, hic, iste, and ille are thus distinguished: hic points out the nearest to me; iste him who is by you; ille him who is at a distance from both of us.
In making game of the Syntax, we regard them as pointers.
When hic and ille are referred to two things or persons going before, hic generally relates to the latter, ille to the former, as
Richardus Thomasque suum de more bibebant,
Ebrius hic vappis, ebrius ille mero:
Both Dick and Tom caroused away like swine,
Tom drunk with swipes, and Dicky drunk with wine.
The Construction of Verbs — The Nominative Case After the Verb
Verbs substantive, as sum, I am, forem, I might be, fio, I am made, existo, I am; verbs passive of calling, as nominor, I am named, appellor, I am called, dicor, I am said, vocor, I am called, nuncupor, I am named, and the like to them, as videor, I am seen, habeor, I am accounted, existimor, I am thought, have the same cases before and after them, as
Adeps viridis est summum bonum:
Green fat is the chief good.
Even among the ancients, turtles were the emblems of love; which, next to eating and drinking, has always been the first object of human pursuit. This fact proves, very satisfactorily, two things, first, their proficiency in the science of gastronomy; and, secondly, their extreme susceptibility of the tender passion.
Pileus vocatur tegula:
A hat is called a tile.
Likewise all verbs in a manner admit after them an adjective, which agrees with the nominative case of the verb, in case, gender, and number, as
Pii orant taciti. —Eton Gram.
The pious pray silently.
Is this a sly rap at the Quakers?
The Genitive Case After the Verb
Sum requires a genitive case as often as it signifies possession, duty, sign, or that which relates to any thing; as
Quod rapidam trahit Ætatem pecus est Melibœi,
The cattle wot drags the Age, fast coach, is Melibœus’s.
Alas! that such an Age should be banished by the Age of rail-roads!—let us hear the
Coachman’s Lament
Air — “Oh Give Me but My Arab Steed”
Farewell my ribbons, and, alack!
Farewell my tidy drag;
Mail-coach-men now have got the sack,
And engineers the bag.
My heart and whip alike are broke—
I’ve lost my varmint team
That used to cut away like smoke,
But could n’t go like steam.
It is, indeed, a bitter cup,
Thus to be sent to pot;
My bosom boils at boiling up
A gallop or a trot.
My very brain with fury ’s rack’d,
That railways are the rage;
I’m sure you’ll never find them act,
Like our old English stage.
A man whose passion ’s crost, is sore,
Then pray excuse my pet;
I ne’er was overturn’d before,
But now am quite upset.
These nominative cases are excepted from the above rule, meum, mine, tuum, thine, suum, his, noster, our, vester, your, humanum, human, belluinum brutal, and the like, as
Non est tuum aviam instruere:
Don’t teach your grandmother—to suck eggs.
Humanum est inebriari.
It is a human frailty—or an amiable weakness—to get drunk.
Lord Byron proves it to be a human frailty.
“Man being reasonable, must get drunk.”
Another poet (anon.) proves it to be an amiable one, by establishing the analogy which exists between it and an intoxication of another kind—
“Love is like a dizziness,
Never lets a poor man go about his business.”
Verbs of accusing, condemning, advising, acquitting, and the like, require a genitive case which signifies the charge; as
Qui alterum accusat probri, eum ipsum se intueri oportet.
It is fit that he who accuses another of dishonesty should look into himself.
If this maxim were acted up to, what attorney could we ever get to frame an indictment?
Furti damnatus, “tres menses” adeptus est:
Being condemned of theft, he had “three months.”
We do not see much fun in that. We cannot help thinking, however, that “Three Months at Brixton,” would form a taking (at least a thief-taking) title for a novel.
Admoneto magistrum squalidarum vestium:
Put the master in mind of his seedy clothes.
That is if you want a good dressing.
This genitive case is sometimes changed into an ablative, either with or without a preposition, as
Putavi de calendis Aprilibus te esse admonendum:
I thought that you ought to be reminded of the first of April.
Young reader! were you ever, on the above anniversary, sent to the cobbler’s for pigeons’ milk, and dismissed with strap-oil for your pains? Were your domestic and alimentive affections ever sported with by the false intelligence that a letter from home and a large cake were waiting for you below! Or worse, did some waggish, but inconsiderate friend ever send you a fool’s-cap and a hamper of stones?
Reader, of a more advanced age, were you ever?— but we cannot go on—Oh! Matilda—we might have been your slave—but it was cruel of you to sell us in such a manner.
Uterque, both, nullus, none, alter, the other, neuter, neither of the two, alius, another, ambo, both, and the superlative degree, are joined to verbs of that kind only in the ablative case, as
Fratris, an asini, trucidationis accusas me? Utroque, sed sceleris unius:
Do you accuse me of killing my brother or my donkey? Of both; but of one crime.
Satago, to be busy about a thing, misereor and miseresco, to pity, require a genitive case, as
Qui ducit uxorem rerum satagit:
He who marries a wife has his hands full of business.
We hear frequently of lovers being distracted. Husbands are much more so.
O! tergi miserere mei non digna ferentis:
Oh! have pity on my back, suffering things undeserved.
Reminiscor, to remember, obliviscor, to forget, memini, to remember, recorder, to call to mind, admit a genitive or accusative case, as
Reminiscere nonarum Novembrium:
Remember the fifth of November.
No wonder that so many squibs are let off on that day; considering the political feeling connected with it.
Hoc te spectantem me meminisse precor:
When this you see remember me.
How particularly anxious all young men and women who are lovers, and all waiters and chambermaids, whether they are lovers or no, besides coachmen and porters of all kinds, seem to be remembered. A coachman in one respect especially resembles a lover; he always wishes to be remembered by his fare.
Potior, to gain, is joined either to a genitive or to an ablative case, as
Xantippe, marito subacto, femoralium potita fuit.
Xantippe, her husband being overcome, gained the breeches.
Terentius Thrace potitus est:
Terence got a Tartar.
At least he said he did, when he took the prisoner who would n’t let him come.
The Dative Case After the Verb
All verbs govern a dative case of that thing to or for which any thing is gotten or taken away, as
Diminuam tibi caput:
I will break your head.
Eheu! mihi circulum ademit!
Oh dear, he has taken away my hoop!
What a thing it is to be a junior boy!
Verbs of various kinds belong to the above rule. In the first place verbs signifying advantage or disadvantage govern a dative case, as
Judæi ad commodandum nobis vivunt:
The Jews live to accommodate us.
Or accommodate us to live—which?
Of these juvo, lædo, delecto, and some others, require an accusative case, as
Maritum quies plurimum juvat:
Rest very much delighteth a married man—when he can get it.
Verbs of comparing govern a dative case, as
Ajacem “Surdo” componere sæpe solebam:
I was often accustomed to compare Ajax to the “Deaf un,”—not because he was hard of hearing, but hard in hitting.
Sometimes, however, they require an ablative case with the preposition cum; sometimes an accusative case with the prepositions ad and inter, as
Comparo Pompeium cum globo nivali:
I compare Pompey with a snow-ball.
Pompey is called in the schools a proper name. Whether it is a proper name for a nigger or not, may be questioned. It may also be doubted whether a negro can ever rightly be called “snow-ball,” except he be an ice man; in which case even though he should be the knave of clubs, it is obvious that he ought never to be black balled.
Si ad pensum verberatio comparetur nihil est:
If a flogging be compared to an imposition, it is nothing.
A flogging is a fly-blow, or at least a flea-blow to the boy, and a task only to the master; whereas an imposition is a task to the boy, and very often a verse task.
Verbs of giving and of restoring govern a dative case, as
Learius unicuique filiarum dimidium coronæ dedit:
Lear gave his daughters half-a-crown a-piece.
Hence we are enabled to gain some notion of the great value of money in the time of the Ancient Britons.
Verbs of promising and of paying govern a dative case; as
Menelaus Paridi fustuarium promisit:
Menelaus promised Paris a drubbing.
“Gubernatoris” est pendere sartoribus pecuniam:
It is the place of “the governor” to pay tailors.
Hence young men may learn how desirable it is to be “in statu pupillari.” True, in that state of felicity, they are somewhat under control, but the above example, and many others of a like nature, sufficiently prove, that such restriction, compared to the responsibilities of manhood, is but a minor inconvenience.
Verbs of commanding and telling govern a dative case, as
Alexander, vinosus, animis imperare non potuit:
Alexander, when drunk, could not command his temper.
Thus, in a state of beer, he committed manslaughter at least, by killing and slaying his friend Clitus. We could not resist the temptation to mention this fact, since, as we have so often laughed at its narration in those interesting compositions called themes, we thought there must needs be something very funny about it. Alexander the Great, be it remarked, for the special behoof of schoolboys, furnishes an example of any virtue or vice descanted on in any prose task or poem under the sun.
Antonio dixit Augustus Lepidum veteratorem fuisse.
Augustus told Antony that Lepidus was a humbug.
We don’t know exactly where this historical fact is mentioned. Lepidus is a funny name.
Except, from the foregoing rule, rego, to rule, guberno, to govern, which have an accusative case; tempero and moderor, to rule, which have sometimes a dative, sometimes an accusative case; as
Luna regit ministros:
The moon rules the ministers.
That is to say, when it is at the full, and resembles a great O.
Præco pauperes gubernat:
The beadle governs the paupers.
Non semper temperat ipse sibi:
He does not always govern himself.
Non animos mollit proprios, nec temperat iras:
He neither softens his own mind, nor tempers his anger.
Ecce, Ducrow moderatur equos:
Lo, Ducrow manages the horses.
Q. Why is a general officer like a writing-master?
A. Because he is a ruler of lines.
Verbs of trusting govern a dative case, as
Credite, fœmineæ, juvenes, committere menti,
Nil nisi lene decet.
Believe me, young men, it is fit to entrust nothing to a female mind but what is soft.
In fact, soft nothings are fittest for the ear of a lady.
Pomarius poetæ non credit:
The costermonger trusts not the poet.
How wrong, therefore, it is to call him a green grocer.
Verbs of complying with and of opposing govern a dative case, as
Nunquam obtemperat tiro hodiernus magistro:
A modern apprentice never obeys his master.
Verbs of threatening and of being angry govern a dative case, as
Utrique latronum mortem est minitatus:
He threatened death to both of the robbers,—
By presenting a pistol right and left at each of them. This when done by some well-disposed sailor in a melodrame, constitutes a situation of thrilling interest.
Sum with its compounds, except possum, governs a dative case, as
Oculi nigri non semper sunt faciei ornamentum:
Black eyes are not always an ornament to the face.
Verbs compounded with these adverbs, bene, well, satis, enough, male, ill, and with these prepositions, præ, ad, con, sub, ante, post, ob, in, inter, for the most part govern a dative case, as
Saginatio multis hominibus benefacit:
Cramming does good to many men.
For instance, it does good to aldermen, especially in these days of reform, by enlarging the Corporation. Cramming, or rather the effect of it, benefits medical men, who again do good to their patients by cramming them in another way. There is also a species of cramming which is found very serviceable at the Universities, by enabling certain students to pass in a crowd.
In this respect however it differs essentially from aldermanic cramming, which enhances the difficulty of such a feat in a very remarkable manner.
Puellæ, aliæ aliis prælucere student:
Girls endeavour to outshine one another.
And yet they make light, as much as they can, of each other’s charms and accomplishments.
Intempestive parum longe prospicienti Doctori adlusit.
He joked unseasonably on the short-sighted Doctor.
Johnson was not so short-sighted as to be blind to a joke.
Not a few of the verbs mentioned in the last rule, sometimes change the dative into another case; as
Præstat ingenio alius alium:
One exceeds another in ability.
Thus one boy learns Latin and Greek better than the rest; another learns slang. One is a good hand at construing, another at climbing. Some boys are peculiarly skilled at casting accounts, others in casting stones. Here we have a boy of a small appetite and many words, there one of a large appetite and few words. Sometimes precocious talent is evinced for playing the fiddle, sometimes for playing a stick; sometimes, again, a strong propensity is discovered for playing the fool. This boy makes verses, as it were, by inspiration; that boy shows an equal capacity in making mouths. The most peculiar talent, however, and the one most exclusive of all others, is that of riding. Those who are destined to attain great proficiency in this science, can seldom do any thing else; and usually begin their career by being horsed at school.
Est, for habeo to have, governs a dative case, as
Est mihi qui vestes custodit avunculus omnes:
I have an uncle who takes care of all my clothes.
Suppetit, it sufficeth, is like to this, as
Pauper enim non est cui rerum suppetit usus:
For he is not poor, to whom the use of things suffices.
The two last examples must suggest a rather alarming idea to those who are accustomed to propitiate the relation to whom we have just alluded, by relinquishing their habits. Is it possible that he can ever use one’s things? We recommend this query to the serious consideration of theatrical persons, and all others who are addicted to spouting.
Sum with many others admits a double dative case, as
Exitio est avidis alvus pueris:
The belly is the destruction of greedy boys.
Particularly those of Eton College.
Sometimes this dative case tibi, or sibi, or also mihi, is added for the sake of elegance in expression, as
Cato suam sibi uxorem Hortensio vendidit:
Cato sold his own wife to Hortensius.
Some say he only lent her. The fact most probably is, that the lady, being tired of her husband, wished to be a-loan.
The Accusative Case After the Verb
Verbs transitive, of what kind soever, whether active, deponent, or common, require an accusative case, as
Procuratorem fugito, nam subdolus idem est:
Avoid an attorney, for the same is a cunning rogue.
Yet the legal profession are always boasting of their deeds.
Verbs neuter have an accusative case of a like signification to themselves, as
Pomarii asinus duram servit servitutem:
A coster-monger’s donkey serves a hard servitude.
Poor animal! A Sterne heart was once melted by thy sufferings—how then must they affect that of the gentle reader?
There are some verbs which have an accusative case by a figure, as
Nec vox hominem sonat;
Nor does your voice sound like a human creature’s.
This may be said of boys of various kinds—as pot-boys, butcher’s boys, baker’s boys, and other boys who are in the habit of bawling down areas; also of several descriptions of men, as cab-men, coach-men, watch-men, and dust-men. The same may likewise be asserted of some women, such as apple-women, oyster-women, fish-women, and match-women. Here also the singing of charity children of both sexes, and the voices of parish-clerks, may be specified, and, lastly, of many foreigners whose names terminate in ini.
Verbs of asking, of teaching, of clothing, and of concealing, commonly govern two accusative cases, as
Ego docebo te, adolescentule, lectiones tuas:
I’ll teach you your lessons, young man.
This speech is usually the prelude to something which elicits that exemplification of the vocative case which has been given in the first part of the Grammar.
Some verbs of this kind have an accusative case even in the passive voice, as
Bis denos posceris versus de scoparum manubrio:
You are required to make twenty verses on a broomstick.
Why should not a broomstick form the subject of a poetical effusion, when the material of the broom itself is so often used in schools to stimulate inventive genius?
Nouns appellative are commonly added with a preposition to verbs which denote motion, as
Interea ad templum non æquæ Palladis ibant
Crinibus Iliades passis. Virgil.
In the mean time the Trojan woman went to the temple of unfriendly Pallas with their hair about their ears.
How odd they must have looked. Here we take occasion to remind schoolboys never to lose an opportunity of giving a comic rendering to any word or phrase susceptible thereof, which they may meet with in the course of their reading. To say “crinibus passis”,—“with dishevelled hair” would be to give a very feeble and spiritless translation. Vir is literally construed man; some school-masters will have it called hero,—we propose to translate it cove. So dapes may be rendered grub, or perhaps prog; aspera Juno, crusty Juno; animam efflare, to kick the bucket; capere fugam, to cut one’s stick, or lucky; confectus, knocked up; fraudatus, choused; contundere, to whop, &c. &c.
The Ablative Case After the Verb
Every verb admits an ablative case, signifying the instrument, or the cause, or the manner of an action, as
Pulvere nitrato Catilina senatum subruere voluit:
Catiline wished to blow up the Parliament. Catiline was a regular Guy.
A noun of price is put after some words in the ablative case, as
Ovidius solidis duobus fibulas siphonem ascendere fecit:
Ovid pawned his buckles for two shillings.
The sipho was a tube, pipe, or spout, projecting from the shops of pawnbrokers, of whom there is every reason to believe that there were a great many in ancient Rome. Into this sipho the pledges were placed in order to be conveyed to the adytum or secret recess of the dwelling. Vide Casaubon de Avunc: Roman.
Vili, at a low rate, paulo, for little, minimo, for very little, magno, for much, nimio, for too much, plurimo, for very much, dimidio, for half, duplo, for twice as much, are often put by themselves, the word, pretio, price, being understood, as
Vili venit cibus caninus:
Dog’s meat is sold at a low rate.
These genitive cases put without substantives are excepted, tanti, for so much, quanti, for how much, pluris, for more, minoris, for less, quantivis, for as much as you please, tantidem, for just so much, quantilibet, for what you will, quanticunque for how much soever, as
Non es tanti: You’re no great shakes.
Flocci, of a lock of wool, nauci, of a nut-shell, nihili, of nothing, assis, of a penny, pili, of a hair, hujus, of this, teruncii, of a farthing, are added very properly to verbs of esteeming, as
Nec verberationem flocci pendo, nec ferulâ percussionem pili æstimo:
I don’t value a flogging a straw, nor do I regard a spatting a hair.
A boy who can say this, must have a brazen front, and an iron back, and be altogether a lad of mettle.
Verbs of abounding, of filling, of loading, and their contraries, are joined to an ablative case, as
Tauris abundat Hibernia:
Ireland aboundeth in bulls.
This circumstance it most probably was which gave rise to the Tales of the O’Hara family.
We once heard a son of Erin, while undergoing the operation of bleeding from the arm, remark that that would be an easy way of cutting one’s throat.
Some of these sometimes govern a genitive case, as
Optime ostrearum implebantur:
They had a capital blow out of oysters.
We are sorry to remark that these are the only native productions patronized by great people.
Fungor, to discharge, fruor, to enjoy, utor, to use, vescor, to live upon, dignor, to think one’s self worthy, muto, to change, communico, to communicate, supersedeo, to pass by, are joined to an ablative case, as
Qui adipisci cœnas optimas volet, leonis fungatur officiis.
He who shall desire to obtain excellent dinners, should discharge the office of a lion.
In which case he will come in for the “lion’s share.”
Q. Why is the lion of a party like one of the grand sources of prejudice mentioned by Lord Bacon?
A. Because he is the Idol of the den.
Mereor, to deserve, with these adverbs, bene, well, satis, enough, male, ill, melius, better, pejus, worse, optime, very well, pessime, very ill, is joined to an ablative case with the preposition de, as
De libitinario medicus bene meretur:
The doctor deserves well of the undertaker.
Notwithstanding it might at first sight appear, that the doctor, in furnishing funerals, invades the undertaker’s province.
Some verbs of receiving, of being distant, and of taking away, are sometimes joined to a dative case, as
Augustus eripuit mihi nitorem:
Augustus has taken the shine out of me.
Last Dying Speech of M. Antony.
An ablative case, taken absolutely, is added to some verbs, as
Porcis volentibus lætissime epulabimur:
Please the pigs we’ll have a jolly good dinner.
The pig had divine honours paid to it by the ancient Greeks. —Jos. Scalig. de Myst. Eleusin.
An ablative case of the part affected, and by the poets an accusative case, is added to some verbs, as
Qui animo ægrotat, eum aera risum moventem ducere oportet.
He who is sick in mind should breathe the laughing gas.
Much learned controversy has been expended in endeavouring to determine whether this gas was the exhalation by which it is supposed that the ancient Pythonesses were affected.
Rubet nasum:
His nose is red. Candet genas:
His cheeks are pale.
Some of these words are used also with the genitive case, as
Angitur animi juvenis iste, et mundum indignatur.
That young man is grieved in mind and disgusted with the world.
Such a man is called by the ladies an interesting young man.
Verbs Passive
An ablative case of the doer (but with the preposition a or ab going before), and sometimes also a dative case, is added to verbs passive, as
Darius eleganter ab Alexandro victus est:
Darius was elegantly licked by Alexander.
The other cases continue to belong to verbs passive which belonged to them as verbs active, as
Titanes læsæ majestatis accusati sunt:
The Titans were indicted for high treason.
And being found guilty were quartered in a very uncomfortable manner, as well as drawn by various artists, whose skill in execution has been much commended.
Vapulo, to be beaten, veneo, to be sold, liceo, to be prized, exulo, to be banished, fio, to be made, neuter passives, have a passive construction, as
A præceptore vapulabis. Eton Gram.
You will be beaten by the master.
It appears to us that vapulo, to be beaten, is here at all events more susceptible of a passive construction than a funny one.
Malo a cive spoliari quam ab hoste venire. Eton Gram.
I had rather be stripped by a citizen than sold by an enemy.
The Romans were regularly sold by the enemy for once, when they had to go under the yoke.
Verbs of the Infinitive Mood
Verbs of the infinitive mood are put after some verbs, participles, and adjectives, and substantives also by the poets, as
Timotheus ursos saltare fecit:
Timotheus made the bears dance.
This was done in ancient as it is in modern times, by playing the Pandean pipes.
Inconcinnus erat cerni Telamonius Ajax;
Ajax (ut referunt) vir bonus ire minor:
The Telamonian Ajax was a rum un to look at;
The lesser Ajax (as they say) a good un to go.
The Grecians used to call Ajax senior, the fighting cock, and Ajax junior, the running cock.
Verbs of the infinitive mood are sometimes placed alone by the figure ellipsis, as
Siphonum de more oculis demittere fluctus Dardanidæ:
The Trojans (began understood) to pipe their eyes.
As for Æneas he might have been a town crier.
Gerunds and Supines govern the cases of their own verbs, as
Efferor studio pulices industrios videndi:
I am transported with the desire of seeing the industrious fleas.
Gerunds
“When Dido found Æneas would not come,
She mourned in silence, and was Di-do-dum.”
Gerunds in di have the same construction as genitive cases, and depend both on certain substantives and adjectives, as
Londinensem innatus amor civem urget edendi:
An innate love of eating excites the London citizen.
People are accustomed to utter a great deal of cant about the intellectual poverty of civic magistrates, and common councilmen in general; but it must be allowed that those respectable individuals have often a great deal in them.
Gerunds in do have the same construction with ablative, and gerunds in dum with accusative cases, as
Scribendi ratio conjuncta cum loquendo est:
The means of writing are joined with speaking.
Some things are written precisely after the writer’s way of speaking. We once, for example, saw the following notice posted in a gentleman’s preserve.
Whear ’as Gins and Engens are Set on Thes Grouns for the Destruction Of Varmint, Any trespussing Will be prossy-Cuted a-cordin Too Law.
Locus ad agendum amplissimus:
A place very honourable to plead in.
It may be questioned whether Cicero would have said this of the Old Bailey.
When necessity is signified, the gerund in dum is used without a preposition, the verb est being added.
Cavendum est ne deprênsus sis:
You must take care you ’re not caught out.
A piece of advice of special importance to schoolboys on many occasions, such as the following: shirking down town; making devils, or letting off gunpowder behind the school, or in the yard; conducting a foray or predatory excursion in gardens and orchards; emulating Jupiter, à la Salmoneus,—in his attribute of Cloud-Compelling—by blowing a cloud, or to speak in the vernacular, indulging in a cigar; hoisting a frog; tailing a dog or cat, or in any other way acting contrary to the precepts of the Animals’ Friend Society; learning to construe on the Hamiltonian system; furtively denuding the birch-rods of their “budding honours.” Cum multis aliis quæ nunc perscribere longum est.
Gerunds are also changed into nouns adjective, as
Ad faciendos versus molestum est:
It is a bore to make verses.
This being a self-evident proposition, we shall not enlarge upon it.
The supine in um signifies actively, and follows a verb expressing motion to a place, as
Spectatum veniunt, veniunt spectentur ut ipsæ:
They come to see, they come that they themselves may be seen.
So said, or sung the poet Ovid. Was there an opera at Rome in his time?
The supine in u signifies passively, and follows nouns adjective, as
Quod olfactu fœdum est, idem est et esu turpe:
That which is foul to be smelled, is also nasty to be eaten.
Except venison, onions, and cheese.
Nouns of Time and Place — Time
Tempus—time. There is a story, mentioned (we quote from memory) by the learned Joe Miller; of a fellow who seeing “Tempus Fugit” inscribed upon a clock, took it for the name of the artificer.
Persons who have lived a long time in the world, are generally accounted sage; and are sometimes considered to have had a good seasoning.
Nouns which signify a part of time are put more commonly in the ablative case, as
Nemo mortalium omnibus horis sapit:
No mortal man is wise at all hours.
The excuse of a philosopher for getting married.
But nouns which signify the duration of time are commonly put in the accusative case, as
Pugna inter juvenem Curtium et Titum Sabinum tres horas perduravit.
The fight between young Curtius and Sabine Titus lasted three hours.
It is an error to suppose that Roman mills were only water-mills and wind-mills. The above mill must have been rather a “winder” though, and must have cost the combatants much pains.
We say also: in paucis diebus, in a few days: de die, by day, de nocte, by night, &c.
A jest upon the nouns of Time would, perhaps, be somewhat ill timed: we hope, however, to have Space for one presently.
The Space of a Place
The space of a place is put in the accusative, and sometimes also in the ablative, as
Cæsar jam mille passus processerat, summâ diligentiâ.
Cæsar had now advanced a mile with the greatest diligence—
not on the top of the vehicle so named, as a young gentleman was once flogged for saying.
Qui non abest a scholâ centenis millibus passuum, balatronem novi.
I know a blackguard who is not absent a hundred miles from the school.
“Cantare et apponere” to sing and apply, is the maxim we would here inculcate on our youthful readers.
Every verb admits a genitive case of the name of a city or town in which any thing takes place, so that it be of the first or second declension, and of the singular number, as
Quid Romæ faciam? mentiri nescio:
What shall I do at Rome? I know not how to lie.
What a bare-faced perversion of the truth that cock and bull story is of Curtius jumping into the hole in the forum. How the Romans managed to get credit from any body but the tailors is to us a mystery.
These genitive cases, humi, on the ground, domi, at home, militiæ, in war, belli, in war, follow the construction of proper names, as
Parvi sunt foris arma nisi est consilium domi:
Arms are of little worth abroad unless there be wisdom at home.
Cicero must have said this with a prospective eye to Canada.
But if the name of a city or town shall be of the plural number only, or of the third declension, it is put in the ablative case, as
Aiunt centum portas Thebis fuisse:
They say there were an hundred gates at Thebes.
You needn’t believe it unless you like.
Egregia Tibure facta videnda sunt:
Fine doings are to be seen at Tivoli.
The name of a place is often put after verbs signifying motion to a place in the accusative case without a preposition, as
Concessi Cantabrigiam ad capiendum ingenii cultum:
I went to Cambridge to become a fast man.
After this manner we use domus, a house, and rus, the country, as Rus ire jussus sum, I was rusticated. Domum missus eram, I was sent home.
Going too fast at Cambridge sometimes necessitates, in two senses, a dose of country air.
The name of a place is sometimes added to verbs signifying motion from a place, in the ablative case without a proposition, as
Arbitror te Virginiâ veteri venisse:
I reckon you’ve come from old Virginny.
Verbs Impersonal
Verbs impersonal have no nominative case, as
Scenas post tragicas multum juvat ire sub umbras:
After a tragedy it is very pleasant to go under the Shades.
The worst of these “Shades” is, that people are now and then apt to get rather “too much in the sun” there.
These impersonals, interest, it concerns, and refert, it concerns, are joined to any genitive cases, except these ablative cases feminine, meâ, tuâ, suâ, nostrâ, vestrâ, and cujâ, as
Interest magistratûs tueri insulsos, animadvertere in acres.
It concerns the magistrate to defend the flats; to punish the sharps.
These genitive cases also, are added, tanti, of so much, quanti, of how much, magni, of much, parvi, of little, quanticunque, of how much soever, tantidem, of just so much; as
Tanti refert honesta agere;
Of such consequence is it to do honest things.
By this course of conduct, you certainly render yourself worthy of the protection of the magistrate; although whether you thereby constitute yourself a flat or not, is perhaps a doubtful question. Much may be said on both sides. Dishonesty, it is true, may lead to being taken up; but then honesty often leads to being taken in. Yet honesty is said to be the best policy. Policy is a branch of wisdom, and “wisdom” they say “is in the wig.” Certain wigs are retained at the head—of affairs, by a good deal of policy; perhaps the best they could adopt—a fact that throws considerable doubt on the truth of the old maxim.
Impersonal verbs which are put acquisitively, require a dative case; but those which are put transitively an accusative, as—
A ministris nobis benefit:
We enjoy blessings from Ministers.
For instance—No—We cannot think of any just at present.
Me juvat per lunam errare, et “Isabellam” cantare:
I like to wander by moonlight, and sing “Isabelle.”
The connexion between love and moonlight is as interesting as it is certain. We shrewdly suspect that the said planet has more to do with the tender passion than lovers are aware of.
But the preposition ad is peculiarly added to these verbs—attinet, it belongs, pertinet, it pertains, spectat, it concerns, as
Spectat ad omnes bene vivere:
It concerns all to live well—
When they can afford it.
An accusative case with a genitive is put after these verbs impersonal—pœnitet, it repents, tædet, it wearies, miseret, miserescit, it pities, pudet, it shames, piget, it grieves, as—
“Nihil me pœnitet hujus nasi”—Trist: Shand:
“My nose has been the making of me.”
A verb impersonal of the passive voice may be elegantly taken for each person of both numbers; that is to say, by virtue of a case added to it.
Thus statur is used for sto, stas, stat, stamus, statis, stant. Statur a me; it is stood by me, that is, I stand; statur ab illis: it is stood by them, or they stand.
King George the Fourth’s statue at King’s Cross is a standing joke.
The Construction of Participles
Participles govern the cases of the verbs from which they are derived, as—
Duplices tendens ad sidera palmas,
Talia voce refert:
Stretching forth his hands to heaven, he utters such things.
This reminds us of the Italian opera.
A dative case is sometimes added to participles of the passive voice, especially when they end in dus, as—
Sollicito nasus rutilans metuendus amanti est:
A fiery nose is to be feared by an anxious lover.
Participles, when they become nouns, require a genitive case, as—
Vectigalis appetens, linguæ profusus:
Greedy of rint, lavish of blarney.
Exosus, hating, perosus, utterly hating, pertæsus, weary of, signifying actively, require an accusative case, as—
Philosophus exosus ad unam mulieres:
A philosopher hating women in general, i.e. a Malthusian.
Exosus, hated, and perosus, hated to death, signifying passively, are read with a dative case, as
Comœdi sanctis exosi sunt:
The comedians are hated by the saints.
We mean the spiritual Quixotes, or Knights of the Rueful Countenance. We “calculate” that they will be the greatest patrons of rail roads, considering their dislike to the stage.
Natus, born, prognatus, born, satus, sprung, cretus, descended, creatus, produced, ortus, risen, editus, brought forth, require an ablative case, and often with a preposition, as—
Taffius, bonis prognatus parentibus, cerevisiam haud tenuem de sese existimat:
Taffy, sprung of good parents, thinks no small beer of himself.
De Britannis Antiquis se jactat editum:
He boasts of being descended from the Ancient Britons.
Q. Why is the eldest son of a King of England like a Leviathan?
A. Because he is the Prince of Wales.
The Construction of Adverbs
En and ecce, adverbs of showing, are joined most commonly to a nominative case, to an accusative case but seldom, as
En Romanus: See the Roman (q. rum-un.)
Ecce Corinthium: Behold the Corinthian.
Modern Corinthians, we fear, know but little Greek, except that of the Ægidiac, or St. Giles’s dialect.
En and ecce, adverbs of upbraiding, are joined most commonly to an accusative case only, as—
En togam squamosam!
Look at his scaly toga!
Ecce caudam! Twig his tail!
Certain adverbs of time, place, and quantity, admit a genitive case, as
Ubi gentium est Quadra Russelliana?
Where in the world is Russell Square?
We must confess that this question is exquisitely absurd.
Nihil tunc temporis amplius quam flere poteram:
I could do nothing more at that time than weep.
Talking of weeping—how odd it is that an affectionate wife should cry when her husband is transported for life.
Satis eloquentiæ, sapientiæ parum:
Eloquence enough, wisdom little enough.
This quotation applies very forcibly to domestic oratory as practised by small boys at the instigation of their mamma, for the amusement of visitors. Those on whom “little bird with boothom wed,” “deep in the windingths of a whale,” or “my name is Nawval,” and the like recitations are inflicted, have “satis eloquentiæ”—enough of eloquence, in all conscience; and we cannot but think that “sapientiæ parum,” “wisdom little enough” is displayed by all the other parties concerned.
Some adverbs admit the cases of the nouns from which they are derived, as
Juvenis benevolus sibi inutiliter vivit:
The good-natured young man lives unprofitably to himself—
Especially if he have a large circle of female acquaintance.
These adverbs of diversity, aliter, otherwise, and secus, otherwise; and these two, ante, before, and post, after, are often joined to an ablative case, as—
Plure aliter. More t’other.
Multo ante. Much before.
Paulo post. Little behind.
Those who are much before, are guilty of a great waste—of time; and those who are little behind should make it up by a bustle.
Instar, like or equal to, and ergo, for the sake of, being taken as adverbs, have a genitive case after them, as—
Instar montis equum divina Palladis arte
Ædificant:
By the divine assistance of Pallas they build a horse as big as a mountain.
This may appear incredible; yet the learned Munchausenius relates prodigies much more astonishing.
Mentitur Virgilius leporis ergo:
Virgil tells lies for fun.
As may be sufficiently seen in the example before the last, and also in the sixth book of the Æneid, passim.
The Construction of Conjunctions
Conjunctions copulative and disjunctive, couple like cases, moods, and tenses, as
Socrates docuit Xenophontem et Platonem geographiam, astronomiam, et rationem globorum:
Socrates taught Xenophon and Plato geography, astronomy, and the use of the globes.
Q. How may a waterman answer the polite interrogation “Who are you?” correctly, and designate at the same time, an educational institution.
A. By saying A-cad-am-I.
The foregoing rule (not riddle) holds good, unless the reason of a different construction requires it should be otherwise, as
Emi librum centussi et pluris:
I bought a book for a hundred pence, and more,
“100d. are 8s. 4d.” —Walkinghame.
The conjunction, quam, than, is often understood after amplius, more, plus, more, and minus, less, as
Amplius sunt sex menses:
There are more than six months.
For this interesting piece of information we are indebted to Cicero. The author to whom reference has just been made, has somewhere, if we mistake not, a similar observation. In thus ushering the Tutor’s Assistant into notice, we feel that we are citing a work of which it is impossible to make too comical mention.
Thank goodness there are not more than six months in a half year!
To What Moods of Verbs Certain Adverbs and Conjunctions Do Agree
Ne, an, num, whether put doubtfully or indefinitely, are joined to a subjunctive mood, as—
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 with tallow are likely to get more whacks than they like on their fingers. Secondly—That a master whose hand is in Grease cannot be expected to be at the same time in A-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, as
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.
Were skating and sliding classical accomplishments? Ambition, we know, led many of the Romans to tread on slippery ground: 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, as
Cave cui incurras, inepte:
Mind who you run against, stupid.
Such may have been the speech of a Roman cabman. A very curious specimen of the tessera, or badge, worn on the breast by this description of persons, has lately been discovered at Herculaneum.
The Construction of Prepositions
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.
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.
This was not only an ungentlemanly, but also an ungodly act 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, as
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
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 of making much of 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.
We say beyond the seas, lest it should be questioned whether Mr. I. was transported as 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 Indos
Proferet imperium:
He will extend the empire both beyond the Africans and the Indians.
A wide rule expressed in poetical measure.
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.
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 the legs.
Which it is very necessary to be at Epsom and Ascot.
The Construction of Interjections
Interjections are often put without a case, as
Spem gregis, ah! silice in nudâ connixa reliquit:
Having yeaned, she left the hope of the flock, alas! upon the bare flint stones.
And exposed to the steely-hearted world, which, as an Irishman remarked, was a dangerous situation for tinder infancy. It must have been, to say the least, a most uncomfortable berth.
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! Oh cry! 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? The Fagin system 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 a tiger is the readiest way to make a beast of 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.
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 a virgin has inflicted, what remedy could be prescribed more reasonable than the Virginian weed;—besides, love generally ends in smoke.
Væ misero capiti, madefacto, sæpe fenestræ
Imbribus immundis, Lydia cara, tuæ:
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.