chair?" said John. thought of that." The celebrated Hogarth was one of the most absent men. Soon after he set up his carriage, he had occasion to pay a visit to the lord mayor, When he went the weather was fine; but he was detained by business till a violent shower of rain came on. Being let out of the Mansion House by a different door from that at which he had entered, he immediately began to call for a hackney coach. Not one could be procured; on which Hogarth sallied forth to brave the storm, and actually reached his house in Leicester Fields without bestowing a thought on his own carriage, till Mrs. Hogarth, astonished to see him so wet and hurried, asked him where he had left it.

"Upon my word," said Sir Isaac, smiling, "I never

CHAPTER VI.

ERSKINE DEBATING SOCIETY.*

THE Annual Dinner of this Society took place on Thursday, the 25th ult., at the Inns of Court Hotel, when Mr. J. Erle Benham presided. The dinner was served in the most recherché style.

Several toasts were proposed and responded to in a manner which showed that the society possesses claims of no insignificant a character. As the president observed, in responding to the toast of the "Erskine Debating Society," "the great interest evinced by all the members in attending the debates from time to time made it apparent that there are many aspirants, in all the learned professions, who prefer the inspirations of the poets and gifted orators to the songs of Bacchus or idle revels." He added that "he trusted this institution might continue to flourish till it rises to the highest pinnacles of glory! till its opinions would command respect, and till some, if not all, of its members might become an ornament to society, a solace to their friends, and a mainstay to the British Constitution."

The company began to leave about eleven o'clock, having spent a most enjoyable, and, let us hope, interesting evening.

CHAPTER VII.

THE QUESTIONS ASKED AT THE PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION HELD ON THE 15TH AND 16TH OF JULY, WITH THE ANSWERS.

The Hon. Sec. is Joseph Mandale, Esq., of 61, Lincoln's Inn Fields, of whom intend

ing members may obtain full information.

II. English Language.

1. What are the various elements which at various times have helped to make up the English Language? Give dates.

The original language of England was Keltic, and nearly related to the ancient language of Gaul, the present language of Wales and of the Highlands of Scotland, and of the western and south-western portions of Ireland. Very few Keltic words survive in the English of the present day. The first intermixture of a foreign language with the original Keltic of the island was caused by the Roman occupation of Britain from A.D. 43 to A.D. 418.

Anglo-Saxon was introduced by some tribes from the north of Germany, in the fifth and sixth centuries.

Latin of the second period was introduced from A.D. 596 to A.D. 1066, relating chiefly to ecclesiastical matters.

The Norman French was introduced in the reign of Edward the Confessor, and afterwards under the Norman kings, A.D. 1041 to A.D. 1362.

Latin of the third period was introduced between the battle of Hastings and the Reformation. It relates to religious, learned and legal matters, A.D. 1066 to A.D. 1500.

Latin of the fourth period in the writings of the learned, A.D. 1500 to A.D. 1800. Since 1800 A.D. many words have been introduced from both the Latin and Greek languages.

There are also many miscellaneous words in English introduced at different periods from different languages.

2. Write down the plural of the following words:-Focus, mouse, shelf, donkey, cow, loaf, lady, dwarf, valley.

Foci, focuses; mice; shelves; donkeys; cows or kine; loaves; ladies; dwarfs or dwarves; valleys.

3. Write down the past indicative and the past participle of the following verbs:Cut, burst, whine, win, thrust, loose, lose, bind, wind, find, rid, ride, drive.

4. In what cases should "whether or no" be used in preference to "whether or not," and vice versa. Parse and derive "no."

"No" is either an adjective or an adverb. As an adjective it is an abbreviation of n-one; as an adverb of, not (n'aught). Therefore it is only correct to say "whether or no" when there is a suppressed noun. "Whether or not" should be used when a verb is suppressed.

Examples:-" Whether he is a sinner or no (sinner) I cannot tell."

"Whether love be natural or not, it contributes to the happiness of every society into which it is introduced."— Goldsmith's Citizen.

5. State the nature of adverbs and give a classification of them.

Adverbs are words used to qualify verbs, or any other words that express an attribute; i.e., adjectives, participles, &c., &c.

Adverbs can be classed in two ways:

1st. According to their origin.

Some are originally monosyllabic Saxon words.
Time: now, aye.

Place: in, up, fore, &c.
Quality: ill, well.

2nd. According to their meaning

Adverbs

express

Time: once, always, often, then, &c., &c.
Place: hither, thither, hence, whence, &c.
Degree: how, much, enough, hardly, &c.
Manner: well, ill, thus, therefore, &c.

6. Explain fully and illustrate by examples the different uses of "but.” But is used in four different ways:

(1) As an adverb: only:

"He but mocks you."

(2) As a preposition: except:

"None but the brave deserve the fair."

(3) As a conjunction:—

"The day was warm but cloudy."

(4) As a negative relative (who not):

"There is no man but views such conduct with indignation."

7. Is there a case absolute in English, and if so, what case is it?

The absolute case in English is the dative. "Having read the book he went out." As the case-endings are lost some grammarians prefer to call this construction the nominative absolute.

8. Criticize the following expressions:-" It's me," "That's him," "Who do you speak to," "Many a day," "Is he wiser than me."

66

The expression" it's me" seems indefensible according to the rules of English grammar. Dean Alford tries to defend it on the ground that me "has not the same root as " I," and therefore need not be considered a case of the pronoun of the first person, and also that the expression is equivalent to the French c'est moi. "That's him" is equally indefensible. "Him" is the objective case and properly used after transitive verbs. Love of generalization and disregard of grammatical rules have caused people to forget that the verb substantive has the same case after as before it.

The expression "who do you speak to" is ungrammatical, and ignores the fact that "to" is a preposition and governs the objective case. "To whom do you speak" is correct.

Many a day." It has been suggested that "a" is here a corruption of "of." So that "many a day" is really "many of days," or it may be an inversion of "a many of days," that is, "a number of days." (French, mesnie).

"Is he wiser than me." This expression is correct or not according as we consider "than" to be a preposition or conjunction. It is better to consider it a conjunction, and then it takes the same case after it as before. The expression should be "Is he wiser than I."

9. Name the principal English metres. Quote lines in illustration of each and divide them into feet.

The principal English metres are :—

Iambic, Trochaic, Dactylic, Anapæstic.

The Iambic may be either monometer, dimeter, trimeter, tetrameter, pentameter, hexameter, heptameter or octometer.

We give an example of (1) Iambic Trimeter, and (2) Heptameter :

(1) The king | was on | his throne.

(2) A wail was heard around the bed the death | bed of | the young.

The Trochaic comprises all the variations of the Iambic.

We give an example (1) of Trochaic Tetrameter; (2) of Trochaic Pentameter(1) Cease ye | mourners | cease to | languish.

(2) Chains of care to | lower | earth enthrall me.

The Dactylic has the same variations as the Trochaic.

We give an example (1) of Dactylic Dimeter; (2) of Dactylic Tetrameter-
(1) Bird of the wilderness.

(2) Weary way wanderer | languid and sick at heart.

Anapæstic may be either monometer, dimeter, trimeter, or tetrameter.
We give an example (1) of Anapastic Dimeter; (2) of Anapæstic Tetrs-

meter

(1) Hail to thee, blithe spirit.

(2) Where a band | cometh slow | ly with weep | ing and wail.

10. Give a logical analysis of the following passage :-" As then the senses may and do deceive us, and yet we trust them from a secret instinct, so it need not be weakness or rashness if upon a certain presentiment of mind we trust to the fidelity of testimony offered for a revelation."

1. Relate briefly the incidents in the history of Britain in the time of Agricola. See "Preliminary Examination Journal," No. IV.

2. Write a life of Canute.

Canute was the son and successor of Sweyn, King of Denmark, with whom he invaded England in 1013. The next year, on the death of Sweyn, he was chosen king by the fleet. He contested the kingdom with Edmund Ironside, and on his death became sole king, and to strengthen his title married Emma, widow of Ethelred II. His rule, at first severe, was afterwards mild and just. He several times visited Denmark; made a pilgrimage to Rome in 1027; founded or restored religious houses; and established just laws. Died 1035, A.D.

3. Give an account of the battle of Hastings, and sketch the relations which had previously existed between Normandy and England.

William divided his army into three lines: the first consisted of archers and light-armed infantry; the second was composed of his bravest battalions, heavy

armed and ranged in close order; his cavalry, at whose head he placed himself, formed the third line, and were so disposed that they stretched beyond the infantry, and flanked each wing of the army. Harold had seized the advantage of a rising ground, and having likewise drawn some trenches to secure his flanks, he resolved to stand on the defensive. The Kentish men were placed in the van, a post which they had always claimed as their due; the Londoners guarded the standard; and the king himself-accompanied by his two valiant brothers, Gurth and Leofwindismounting placed himself at the head of his infantry, and expressed his resolution to conquer or to perish in the action. The battle raged for several hours with doubtful success; but ultimately William ordered his heavy-armed infantry to make an assault upon the English, while his archers, placed behind, should gall the enemy, who were exposed by the situation of the ground. By this disposition he at last prevailed. Harold was slain by an arrow while he was combating at the head of his men; his two brothers shared the same fate. Thus on the 14th of October, 1066, was gained by William Duke of Normandy the great and decisive victory of Hastings, which seemed worthy, by the heroic valour displayed by both armies and by both commanders, to decide the fate of a mighty kingdom. For a sketch of the relations which had previously existed between Normandy and England, see " Preliminary Examination Journal," No. XI.

4. On what ground did Edward III. lay claim to the crown of France? With what result was the claim contested?

Edward III. claimed the crown of France in right of his mother Isabella, who was daughter of Phillip IV., son of Phillip III. Phillip of Valois, afterwards Phillip VI., was grandson of Phillip III. As no female was capable of succeeding to the crown, Edward was excluded.

By the Treaty of Bretigny, known as the great peace (1369), it was stipulated that Edward should renounce all claim to the French throne, should give up Normandy, Maine, Anjou and Touraine, and be invested with the sovereignty of Guisnes and retain Calais. It was further agreed that John should be ransomed for 3,000,000 golden crowns to be paid in six years.

5. On the death of Richard II. who was heir to the crown?

Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March, who was descended from Lionel Duke of Clarence, John of Ghent's eldest brother. Henry IV., who succeeded Richard II., was son of John of Ghent.

6. Relate the principal events in the reign of Henry VI.

French and their Scotch allies defeated at Crevant and Verneuil
Seige of Orleans raised by Joan of Arc

Death of Bedford, Regent of France

Cade's insurrection

All the English possessions in France lost, except Calais..
Wars of the Roses

7. What periods of English history are most remarkable for foreign discoveries and colonization.

Sce "Preliminary Examination Journal," No. IV.

8. What king first assumed the title Defender of the Faith? What changes have the titles of English sovereigns undergone since the Conquest to the present time.

Henry VIII. first assumed this title.

Henry II. was acknowledged as superior lord of Ireland. Edward I. conquered Wales and annexed it to the crown. He also claimed to be lord of Scotland. Henry V. was appointed Regent of France during the life of the imbecile Charles, and to succeed to the French throne on the death of that monarch. On the accession of James I., the English and Scottish crowns were united. By the Treaty of Union, Anne was acknowledged as queen of Great Britain. George III. was acknowledged as king of Great Britain and Ireland (1801).

9. Relate the principal incidents in the history of English rule over Ireland from the time of its subjugation?

See "Preliminary Examination Journal," No. IV.