some salt, that his father might perceive (pour que son père s'aperçût, imperf. subjunctive; see next Lesson) that he had no meat, and that he might give him some, (et qu'il lui en donnât, imperf. subjunctive; see next Lesson.)

Do you wish me to relate to you another anecdote ?—You will greatly (beaucoup) oblige me.-Some one purchasing some goods of a shopkeeper, (un marchand,) said to him: "You ask too much; you should not sell so dear to me as to another, because I am a friend, (puisque je suis des amis de la maison.") The merchant replied: “Sir, we must gain something by (avec) our friends, for our enemies will never come to the shop."

237.

A young prince, seven years old, was admired by everybody for his wit, (à cause de son esprit ;) being once in the society of an old officer, the latter observed, in speaking of the young prince, that when children discovered so much genius (avoir tant d'esprit) in their early days, they generally grew very stupid (en ont ordinairement fort peu) when they came to maturity, (quand ils sont avancés en åge.)—" If that is the case," said the young prince, who had heard it," then you must have been very remarkable for your genius (avoir infiniment d'esprit) when you were a child, (dans votre enfance.”)

An Englishman, on first visiting France, met with a very young child in the streets of Calais, who spoke the French language with fluency and elegance, (couramment et avec élégance.)—" Good Heaven, (Mon Dieu!) is it possible?" exclaimed he, "that even children here speak the French language with purity, (la pureté.")

Let us seek (rechercher) the friendship of the good, and avoid (éviter) the society of the wicked (le méchant ;) for bad company corrupts (les mauvaises sociétés corrompent) good manners, (les bonnes mœurs.)—What sort of weather is it to-day ?—It snows continually, (toujours,) as it snowed yesterday, and, according to all appearances, will also snow to-morrow.-Let it snow; I should like it to snow (qu'il neigeât, imperf. subjunctive; see next Lesson) still more, for I am always very well when it is very cold.—And I am (et moi, je me porte) always very well when it is neither cold nor warm.-It is too windy to-day, and we should do better if we stayed at home. Whatever weather it may be I must go out; for I promised to be with my sister at a quarter past eleven, and I must keep my word, (tenir parole.) (See end of Lesson XXIV.)

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SEVENTY-NINTH LESSON.-Soixante-dix-neuvième Leçon.

IMPERFECT OF THE SUBJUNCTIVE.

THE imperfect of the subjunctive is formed from the preterit definite (Lesson LXVIII.) by changing the final ai into asse for the verbs of the first conjugation, and by adding se to all those of the other three conjugations. This rule has not a single exception throughout the French language.

I spoke that I might speak.

I finished-that I might finish.

I received that I might receive.

I sold that I might sell.

Je parlai-que je parlasse, que tu parlasses, qu'il parlat, que nous parlassions, que vous parlassiez, qu'ils parlassent.

Je finis que je finisse, que tu finisses, qu'il finit, que nous finissions, que vous finissiez, qu'ils finissent. Je reçus que je reçusse, que tu reçusses, qu'il reçût, que nous recussions, que vous reçussiez, qu'ils reçussent.

Je vendis que je vendisse, que tu vendisses, qu'il vendit, que nous vendissions, que vous vendissiez, qu'ils vendissent.

Obs. A. As to the formation of the preterit, or preterperfect and pluperfect of the subjunctive, it is exactly the same as in the indicative; the former being compounded of the present subjunctive of the auxiliary, and the past participle of another verb, the latter of the imperfect subjunctive of the auxiliary and the past participle of another verb.

Ex.

Obs. B. The past tenses of the subjunctive are used whenever those terms which govern it are in the past tense or in the conditional.

REMARK D. ON THE USE OF THE SUBJUNCTIVE.-After the following conjunctions the verb is always put in the subjunctive mood:

Will you stay here until I can go out | Voulez-vous rester ici jusqu'à ce que

with you?

I will go out before he comes back.

If you had what you have not, you would be rich.

je puisse sortir avec vous ?

Je sortirai avant qu'il ne revienne. En cas que vous eussiez ce que vous n'avez pas, vous seriez riche.

I send you my book, that you may Je vous envoie mon livre, afin que read it. vous le lisiez. Unless you accompany her, she will 'A moins que vous ne l'accompagniez, not go out. elle ne sortira pas. Though your children are idle yet Bien que vos enfants soient pares

they improve.

If a man had ever so little acquaint

ance with another, he was bound to take a part in the dispute, and venture his person as much as if he had himself been angry.

Be it as it may. Though she is little and bad-looking, she is nevertheless amiable.

I would not have her for a wife, though she is rich, and has a great deal of wit, because she is not goodhearted.

1

seux, ils font des progrès.

Pour peu qu'un homme fût connu d'un autre, il fallait qu'il entrât dans la dispute, et qu'il payât de sa personne, comme s'il avait été lui-même en colère.

Quoiqu'il en soit.

Quoiqu'elle soit petite et qu'elle ait mauvaise mine, elle ne laisse pas d'être aimable.

Je ne la voudrais pas pour femme, quoiqu'elle soit riche, et qu'elle ait beaucoup d'esprit, parce qu'elle n'a pas bon cœur.

Malgré que may be added to these conjunctions; but as such it is used only with en avoir in the following expressions: Malgre que j'en aie, que tu en aies, qu'il en ait, &c.; malgré que j'en eusse, que tu en eusses, &c. &c.; in spite of me, of thee, of him, &c. Ex. Il l'a fait malgré que j'en eusse, he has done it in spite of me; il me faudra partir, malgré que j'en aie, I shall be obliged to set out in spite of me.

Provided you are my friend I am | Pourvu que vous soyez de mes amis satisfied. je suis content. Whether you are in the right or in Soit que vous ayez raison ou tort.

Obs. C. Some conjunctions govern the indicative when the sentence affirms positively that the thing in question is or will be, and the subjunctive when it is not certain or only wished for. They are the following:

Behave in such a manner that you Subj. Conduisez-vous de façon que may be loved.

Obs. D. The conjunction que, employed in the second member of a sentence to avoid repetition of a conjunction occurring in the first, governs the same mood as the word it stands for. Ex

Since you know him and are respon- Ind. Dès que vous le connaissez et

Obs. E. The word que, used to avoid the repetition of si, governs the subjunctive. Ex.

If your friend were here, and would Si votre ami était ici et qu'il voulût

venir me voir.

call upon me. If he loved me, and sincerely wished S'il m'aimait et qu'il désirât sincèremy welfare.

ment mon bonheur.

If anybody come, and I should not Si quelqu'un venait et que je ne be at home, send for me. fusse pas à la maison envoyez-moi chercher

If your brother writes to you, and you are satisfied with his letter, I beg of you to let me know it.

Si votre frère vous écrit et que vous soyez content de sa lettre, je vous prie de m'en faire part.

Obs. F. The subjunctive is used after the conjunction que when it is substituted for various conjunctions, such as: afin que, soit que, sans que, avant que, à moins que, jusqu'à ce que. Ex.

Be industrious, that your parents may | Appliquez-vous, que vos parents be satisfied. soient contents, (que stands for afin que.)

Whether I read or write it is always Que je lise ou que j'écrive on y found fault with.

trouve toujours à redire, (que stands here instead of soit que.)

I can say nothing without your know- Je ne puis rien dire que tu ne le ing it.

Do not begin before I give you no

tice.

saches, (que stands here for sans que.)

Ne commencez pas que je ne vous avertisse, (que stands here for avant

que.)

He is never punished unless he has Jamais on ne le punit, qu'il ne l'ait

deserved it.

Wait till your father returns.

mérité, (que stands for à moins que.)

Attendez que votre père revienne,

(que stands for jusqu'à ce que.)

EXERCISES.

238.

M. de Turenne would never buy any thing on credit of tradesmen, (le marchand,) for fear, he said, they should lose a great part of it, if he happened to be killed. All the workmen (un ouvrier) who were employed about his house had orders (avait ordre) to bring in their bills (un mémoire) before he set out for the campaign, (se mettre en campagne,) and they were regularly paid.

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You will never be respected (respecter) unless you forsake (abandonner) the bad company you keep.-You cannot finish your work to-night, unless I help you.-I will explain to you (expliquer) every difficulty, that you may not be disheartened (décourager) in your un