sous la figure de Mentor, ne chus was attended, as Minerva, who accompanied him in the shape of Mentor, would not be known by Calypso. 4th. It is used in relation to the present time; but, in this case, it must be preceded by the conjunction si.—EXAMPLES: Si j'avais de l'argent, je vous en | If I had money, I would lend you prêterais. S'il l'aimait, il l'épouserait. S'il arrivait, il entrerait. some. If he loved her, he would marry her. If he should happen to arrive, he would come in. The tenses which correspond with the present anterior or imperfect are, the present anterior or imperfect, the present anterior periodical or preterite, and the past or compound of the present of the indicative.-EXAMPLES: Je lisais quand vous entriez. Je lisais hier quand vous entrátes. Je lisais, il n'y a qu'un instant, quand vous êtes entré. THE PRESENT ANTERIOR PERIODIČAL, OR PRETERITE. This tense is used when speaking of, or alluding to, an action that took place within a period of time specified and entirely past; such as, hier, la semaine dernière, le mois dernier, il y a trois mois, l'année passée, le siècle dernier, &c.—Examples: J'écrivis hier à mes amis, mais le | I worte yesterday to my friends, courrier ne partit point. but the mail did not set off. Je passai chez vous la semaine! I called at your house last week. dernière. Y trouvâtes-vous quelqu'un? Je n'y vis personne. Je fis un voyage en Ecosse l'année dernière. On m'y fit bon accueil. Je le rencontrai il y a trois mois; il parut étonné de me voir. Did you find any body there? I took a journey to Scotland last I met him three months ago; he appeared surprised to see me. Observe that, in order to authorise the use of this tense, there must be the interval of a whole day: we could not, therefore, make use of it, in mentioning a circumstance that took place in the morning of a day not yet elapsed. In lieu of it, the past or compound of the present, J'ai été, &c. should be used. This tense is chiefly used in the historic style, because the events or facts narrated in it are entirely elapsed, as illustrated in the fol lowing passage, in which Telemachus relates the manner of his escape from the Trojan fleet. La douceur et le courage du sage Mentor me charmèrent: mais je fus encore bien plus surpris quand je vis avec quelle adresse il nous délivra des Troyens. Dans le moment où le ciel commençait à s'éclaircir, et où les Troyens nous voyant de près, n'auraient pas manqué de nous reconnaître, il remarqua un de leurs vaisseaux qui était semblable au nôtre, et presque que la tempête avait écarté. La poupe en était couronnée de certaines fleurs: il se háta de mettre sur notre poupe des couronnes de fleurs semblables; il les attacha lui-même avec des bandelettes de la même couleur que celles des Troyens ; il ordonna à nos rameurs de se baisser le plus qu'ils pourraient le long de leurs bancs, pour n'être point reconnus des ennemis. En cet état nous passames au milieu de leur flotte: ils poussèrent des cris de joie en nous voyant, comme en revoyant les compagnons qu'ils avaient cru perdus, &c. The good-nature and courage of Mentor charmed me; but I was still more surprised, when I saw with what dexterity he delivered us from the Trojans. The moment the heavens began to clear up, and when the Trojans, seeing us near, could not but have known us, he observed one of their ships which nearly resembled ours, and had been separated by the storm, whose stern was crowned with certain flowers. He immediately placed garlands of the like flowers upon our stern; he tied them himself with ribbands of the same colour as those of the Trojans, and ordered all our rowers to stoop as close as possible to their benches, that they might not be known by the enemy. In this condition we passed through the most of their fleet, while they shouted for joy at seeing us, as though they had seen their companions, whom they thought they had lost, &c. This tense corresponds with itself, and almost always with the past anterior periodical, or compound of the preterite, as, Quand vous le voulutes, je vins. Quand j'eui fini, j'y allai. When you required it, I came. When I had done, I went ther THE PAST, OR COMPOUnd of the PRESENT. This tense is used indiscriminately to signify a period of time entirely past, or one which is partly so only.-EXAMPLES: Avez-vous voyagé en Allemagne? | Have you travelled in Germany? Nous nous sommes rencontrés en We niet in Russia. Russie. J'ai déjeuné chez lui ce matin. Il est mort cette semaine. I breakfasted this morning at his house. He died this week. It is used sometimes instead of a future just approaching; as, Avez-vous bientôt fini? Have you nearly done? Attendez un peu, j'ai fini dans Stay a little; I shall have done in un petit moment. half a moment. This tense corresponds with itself, the present anterior or imper-' fect, and the past comparative or double compound of the present, as, aussitôt que vous l'avez voulu. J'ai lu pendant que vous écriviez. après que vous avez eu díné. There are cases in which we may indifferently use either of the above three tenses, the differences of which we have been endeavouring to establish; but, as they have been already noticed, page 155, we refer the reader to it. THE PAST ANTERIOR, OR COMPOUND OF the imperfECT. This tense denotes a thing not only past in itself, but also as past with regard to another thing also past; thus, when I say: J'AVAIS DÉJEUNÉ quand vous vÎNTES me demander, I HAD BREAKFASTED when you CAME to ask for me. By this expression, I give you to understand that my breakfast was done with regard to the party's coming, which is itself past or elapsed so far as regards the present utterance of the above sentence. This tense corresponds with the past, present anterior periodical, past anterior periodical, and present anterior, or, in other terms, with the compound of the present, preterite, compound of the preterite, and imperfect of the indicative-EXAMPLES: J'avais lu quand vous êtes entré. PAST ANTERIOR PERIODICAL, OR COMPOUND OF THE PRETERITE. This tense expresses commonly that a thing has been done before another in a time totally past, as is evinced in the following EXAM PLES: Quand j'eus dit ma leçon, vous When I had said my lesson, you began. After loving the sports of childhood, I applied myself to things of more importance. This tense corresponds almost always to the present anterior riodical or preterite. THE CONDITIONAL pe Is used, 1st, to signify that a thing would be done, if certain conditions were granted.-EXAMPLES: Nous goûterions bien des joui- Je le ferais, si je le pouvais. 2d. To express a wish. We should experience many plea- Sunday next. Je voudrais ou je souhaiterais | I wish it may be fair weather on qu'il fit beau dimanche prochain. Voudriez-vous-me faire un plaisir ? Pourriez-vous me prêter de l'argent? Que je serais content d'obtenir votre consentement! Que je erais heureux de lui plaire! Would you do me a piece of kindness? Could you lend me some money? How glad I should be to obtain your consent! How happy I should be to please her! Sd. It is generally used after quand, when it is substituted in lieu ot si, quoique, lors même, quand même.-EXAMPLES: Quand l'histoire serait inutile aux autres hommes, il faudrait la hire aux princes. Were history to be useless to all other men, it would be necessary to read it to princes. Quand vous me haïriez, je ne m'en plaiudrais pas. Quand le malheur ne serait bon LAFONTAINE. It is used with st, when this conjunction expresses a state of doubt or uncertainty; in this case, the past or compound of the conditional, VOL. II. U the past anterior, or compound of the imperfect of the subjunctive stript of the conjunction que, must be used in the following instance, and the like: Demandez-lui s'il serait venu, ou | Ask him whether he would have s'il fût venu avec nous, supposé › come with us, had he not been qu'il n'eût pas eu affaire. busy. 5th. To express that a thing would have been done in a time elapsed, if the condition on which it depended for its execution had been fulfilled; either the past or compound of the conditional, or the past anterior or compound of the imperfect of the subjunctive, deprived of the conjunction que, must be used.-EXAMPLES: Il serait allé à la campagne, si | He would have gone into the son temps le lui avait permis. Il n'ent pas mis au jour son ouvrage, s'il n'eût pas cru qu'il pût être utile. 6th. It is used for various tenses J'aimerais que l'on travaillat à former le cœur de la jeunesse ; ce devrait être le principal but de l'éducation. Pourriez-vous croire votre fils coupable d'ingratitude? L'auriez-vous soupçonné d'un vice si déshonorant? Pourquoi violerait-il un des devoirs les plus saints? I country, if time had allowed it. He would not have published his work, had he not thought that it would be useful. of the indicative.-EXAMPLES: should like that they should aim at giving a proper bias to the heart of youth; it ought to be the principal end of education. Could you, or can you, believe your son guilty of ingratitude? Could you have suspected him of so disgraceful a vice ? Why should he violate one of the most sacred of duties?" In the first and second sentences, the conditional is used for the present; J'AIME qu'on travaille, &c. POUVEZ-vous croire, &c. In the third, it is used for the compound of the present, l'AVEZ VOUS SOUPÇONNÉ, &c. and in the fourth for a future. Pourquoi VIOLERA-T-IL, &c. It is necessary to observe, that the conditional present, and its compound, as well as the future, cannot be used after si, when it means supposé que. Foreigners are apt to fall into the following errors: they will say, for instance,-vous auriez vu le roi, si vous seriez venu.-Les soldats feront bien leur devoir s'ils seront bien commandés. The following rule will, we think, shield them from such mistakes, and, at the same time, throw light upon the subject. RULE. Whenever a verb is preceded by si, in the sense of supposé que, the present anterior, or imperfect of the indicative, is used |