Thou wilt go—He will go,
are my (the speaker's) present predictions that the persons mentioned will do a future action; or perhaps more properly, a declaration of their inclination or intention.
I shall go,
is my present prediction of a future action.
Thou shalt go—He shall go,
are my (the speaker's) present promise that the second and third persons will do a future action. But as a man cannot compel a superior, he can promise only for himself or inferiors; therefore these last expressions imply a promise in the speaker, and a right to command the second and third persons to do the thing promised; for which reason they are used only in addressing or speaking of, inferiors or subjects. The same remarks apply to the three persons in the plural number.
Hence we observe the inaccuracy of translating the future tense of the Greeks, Romans, and French, by shall or will indifferently. It is probable that the future tense in those languages, and perhaps in others, where the tense is formed by inflections, was employed merely to foretell. If so, shall only should be used in the first person of the English translation, and will, in the second and third. Thus:
| Latin. | French. | English. |
|---|---|---|
| Habebo, | J'aurai, | I shall have. |
| Habebimus, | nous aurons, | we shall have. |
| Habebis, | tu auras, | thou wilt have. |
| Habebit, | il aura, | he will have. |
| Habebitis, | vous aurez, | you will have. |
| Habebunt, | ils auront, | they will have. |
On the other hand, a promise in the first person expressed in English by will, and a promise or command in the second and third, expressed by shall, seem, in these languages, to be communicated by other words or a circumlocution.