Whirling away, no doubt, far from the respectable society of the neighbouring planets, and blundering about right and left, pell-mell, helter-skelter among the fixed stars—itself, “and all which it inherit” in that glorious state of confusion so admirably described by the poet Ovid—

“Quem dixere Chaos,”

which men have called Shaos. It would indeed be little better than a broken down Shay-horse.

But “revenons à nos moutons,” that is, let us get back to our verbs. We recommend the most attentive and diligent study of all of them as set forth in the Eton Grammar, assisted by that kind of association of ideas, of which we shall now proceed to give a few specimens.

Sum, es, fui, esse, futurus, to be,—or not to be—that is the question.

Rule 1. To each person of a verb, singular and plural, join a noun, according to your taste or comic talent. Should you be deficient in the inventive faculty, apply for assistance to one of the senior boys, which, in consideration of your fagging for him, he will readily give you. If yourself a senior boy, apply to the master.

Examples.
Indicative Mood.
Present Tense. Am.
Sing.
Sum,
Es,
Est,		I am,
Thou art,
He is,		Vir,
Stultus,
Latro,		a man,
a fool,
a thief.
Plu.
Sumus,
Estis,
Sunt,		We are,
Ye are,
They are,		Patricii,
Plebeii,
Errones,		gentlemen,
snobs,
vagabonds.

We would proceed in this way with Sum, but that we are afraid of being tire-sum.

Verbs Regular.
First Conjugation. Amo.
Sing.
Amo,
Amas,
Amat,		I love,
Thou lovest,
He loveth,		Puellam,
Fartum,

Carnem
porcinam,

a lass,
a pudding,
pork.
Plu.
Amamus,
Amatis,
Amant,		We love,
Ye love,
They love,		Doctrinam,
Leporem,
Poesin,		learning,
comicality,
poetry.

The consideration of which three things leads us to