(3) We will send the worst of the slaves into prison.
(4) Brothers defend girls with stones and javelins.
(5) The very kind master asks for water.

(6) The very hard stones will hurt the heads of the
soldiers.

(7) Dead men do not fear the most savage animals.
(8) He was killing the seer with a dagger more like a
sword than a knife.

(9) The father-in-law keeps a javelin (which is) longer

than a sword.

(10) To us indeed the leader gives the heads of very small mice; to you, however, a swift hawk.

CHAPTER XXVII.

English-The good Balbus washes the table.
Latin-Balbus, vir optimus, mensam lavat.

Let us examine the difference between these sentences. In English we have the adjective 'good' in the Positive degree; in Latin, on the contrary, the Superlative is used. Which is really the more exact ? If we say 'the good Balbus,' we mean that Balbus deserves special notice, because he possesses the quality of goodness in a degree beyond most men, or in a Superlative degree-i.e. he is superlatively good; therefore the Superlative is more exact. Remember, Latin is always as near to the exact truth as possible, and often uses Superlative where English uses Positive. Henceforward we must follow.

Rule

An adjective in the Positive degree in English must be translated by the Superlative in Latin when it is used to mark any person off from his fellows.

From this we learn that many of the sentences which we have translated in the earlier parts of this book, though not absolutely incorrect, are not such as a Roman would have used. In future, however, the rule given above must be obeyed.

Justus

=

just. Injustus

=

unjust. Hortus = a garden.

(1) Balbus, judex benignissimus, nos liberabit.
(2) Caius, homo ignavissimus, flagellum timebat.
(3) Vos, pueri stultissimi, taurum magnum parvo ru-
dente coercebatis.

(4) Ego et tu, Balbe, ducem optimum laudabimus.
(5) Servos, genus ignavissimum, flagella non verba
terrebunt.

(6) Hostes Caium, hominem improbissimum, in carcere
trucidabunt.

(7) Armiferos duces cornigeri capri terrent.

(8) Lacerum puerum pardo dux optimus liberabat.

(1) The unjust judge condemns the king of a prosperous city.

(2) The enemy were laying waste the garden of the kind Caius.

(3) Savage panthers slay the prosperous lord's poor sheep.

(4) You and I, foolish boy, will put on slave's garments.

(5) The long showers were hurting the shrubs in the wicked father-in-law's garden.

(6) We praise the songs of the seer and the works of
Liber.

(7) The just Caius restrains the son-in-law.
(8) The kind woman will cover the dead horse's body
with a net.

The first thing we notice about these words is that,

although they have all different stems, they all have the same endings. They are therefore all of the same tense.

Next we notice that each word has two quite different

meanings. (1) tells us that something happened yesterday, or in the past time; (2) tells us that something has just happened. We see that neither of them is like the Imperfect in speaking (Cap. IX.)

of something happening and not being finished, because it is nonsense to say either

'I punished the boy, when some one interrupted me ;' or 'I have punished the boy,

Rule

Therefore, whichever English we choose, these words speak of something finished, completed, or perfect; they are therefore said to be Perfect tense.

N.B. They are, of course, Active voice (Cap. I.), Indicative mood.

The Perfect tense speaks of

(1) Action complete at the Present time, e.g. I have praised.

(2) Action in Past time, e.g. I praised.

We shall see as we go on that it is most important to
remember both these ways of translating the Per-
fect, and that sometimes we can tell which to use,
though we cannot always do so.
For the present
it will be advisable to translate every Perfect we
meet in both ways.

Again, if we look carefully at the Latin words, we shall

see that the stem (Cap. IX.) is in each word different from the Present stem, which we have been accustomed to see in the Present, Future Simple, and Imperfect tenses; therefore, this tense is not formed from the Present stem, but from another called the Perfect stem.

The Perfect stem of most verbs of the First con

jugation is like the Perfect stem of laudo; thus

All the verbs of the First conjugation which we have met with so far, except do and lavo, have their Perfect stems formed in this way, and are therefore called Regular verbs.

Again, terreo is a Regular verb of the Second conjugation; all verbs of the Second conjugation which we have met with so far are formed like it, as

Pres. Stem.

Timeo
Coerceo

Time-
Coerce-

Perf. Stem.
Timu-

Coercu

The Perfect stem of verbs of the Third conjugation varies so much, according to the different character letters of the different verbs, that it is best not to lay down any rule, but to learn each as it is met with.

Punio is a Regular verb of the Fourth conjugation; like