The Comic Latin Grammar

by Percival Leigh

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1840 Excerpt: ...Occlusls evasi oculis nasoque cruento: I came off with my eyes bunged up and a bloody nose. We have here knocked out an i in evasi, on the strength of a synalcepha. 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 JMonstrum horrendum informe Ingens—spectavimus hortis: We saw a horrible, ugly, great monster in the gardens. If every bear and boar were kept in a den—what a fine world this would be. Synasresis is the contraction of two syllables into one, as in alvearia, pronounced alvaria. Stravit humi demens conferta alvearia Juno: 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. Diaeresis is the separation of one syllable into two, as evoluisse for evolvisse. Thus Ovid says, alluding probably to the padding system adopted by dandies and theatrical artists. Debuerant fusos evoluisse su5s: They ought to have unwound their spindles. Caesura 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 Pectoribus inhians"—molles, en, deserit alas: Intent upon the breasts (of the fowls) lo he deserts the tender wings. Of Thk 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 beboveth 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 s...

88 pages, Paperback

First published May 4, 1840

About the author

1813-1889

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

The introductory material makes a big deal of how mirthful the Victorian Age would be remembered as. Alas, this book shan't be remembered so fondly. Published in 1840, it's not the author's fault, per se, that the book is such a dreadful bore that I could barely finish a quarter of it. It's very much a product of its time and place, with humor that is very local and colloquial in nature.

I almost forgot the worst part - at least from the Latin student's perspective. There are numerous clever poems designed to aid memorization, but they rely on rhymes inconsistent with both the restored classical and Ecclesiastical pronunciations. Rather, they employ the English pronunciation, which is an appallingly awful historical anomaly.

TL;DR: If you don't care about proper Latin pronunciation and obscure 19th century references and casual racism are your thing, have fun. I couldn't finish it.

[Harry Collier IV]

A delight.

[Wax · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in MDCCX, the author makes several references to The Pickwick Papers, written by Charles Dickens in 1837.

The witty remarks show a cleverness and facility with the the English language I am unaccustomed to seeing these days.

[Aaron Cummings · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cross Eton Grammar withe devil's Dictionary. You get this. Humorous at moments but the joke gets old quickly.

[Chantal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Either I've lost my sense of humour or it's a ridiculously boring book.