auspices of Sir Richard Steele; or, as it is generally said, written by him.

In the first person simply shall foretels ;

In will, a threat, or else a promise dwells.
Shall, in the second and the third does threat;
Will simply then foretels the future feat.

In the expression I shall have walked, or I will have walked, we have an example of what is called the second future, or the future perfect; to which may be applied the same mode of analysis that has been employed in other instances. Shall, or will, expresses a state of mind; have possession, walked an action in a completed state; so that the phrase is equivalent to I determine to possess walked, (that is, the completed act expressed by that word,) without any other regard to time than what is implied in the one thing's following the other, as already explained.

Of Moods.

In most languages, verbs have a difference of termination, which is not intended to signify time, but rather the manner in which the being, action, or passion, is represented. This peculiarity has been denominated mode, or mood. The moods of verbs are, the indicative, the imperative, the potential, the subjunctive, and the infinitive.

The paucity of termination in an English verb scarcely admits of this distinction. In the expression of our thoughts, we do, indeed, put together various

words, and to this combination our grammarians have given the name of mood; but this term, as signifying a different form of the verb, is only to be found in one instance, and there the difference is confined to the second and third persons singular. Thus, when a thing is considered as certain, or affirmed positively, these persons of the verb have a termination, by which they are distinguished from the first, as, when we say, I walk, thou walkest, he walks; but when the thing is stated conditionally, all the persons of the verb are alike, and the condition is expressed by a conjunction, as, if I walk, if thou walk, if he walk. The former is called the indicative, because it simply affirms; the latter, the subjunctive, because it requires to be joined to another verb expressive of an action or event, that will necessarily follow the performance of that which is represented as conditional.

In such sentences as the following, the verbs printed in italics are said to be in the imperative mood, because the things expressed by them are commanded, enjoined, or recommended to be done by the person addressed.

Resolve, resolve, and to be men aspire :
Exert that noblest privilege alone,

Here to mankind indulged; control desire!

Let godlike Reason, from her sovereign throne,

Speak the commanding word—I will!—and it is done.

THOMSON'S Cast. of Indol.

In these and similar instances, it is obvious that

no change takes place in the verb; and the change in meaning from affirmation to command, is entirely owing to a change in the position of the words. Ye resolve, and resolve ye, are the same words; but, from the association to which our minds are accustomed, we consider the former phrase as affirming, the latter as commanding.

When the power or liberty of performing an action is intended to be expressed, we are obliged to have recourse to such words as may, can, might, could, &c.; which, being joined to the radical part of the verb, or in connection with have to the past participle, form the various tenses of what is called the potential mood. I may write, I can write, I might write, I could write, I may have written, I can have written, I might have written, I could have written, are examples of this mood.

Of Auxiliaries.

THE words do, be, have, shall, will, may, can, let, and must, are generally called auxiliary or helping verbs; because, in conjunction with other verbs, they form phrases equivalent to the tenses or variations of verbs in other languages. Of the three first, some notice has been taken already; do, is expressive of action in general, be of existence, and have of possession; and independently of their application as auxiliaries, each of them is used by itself. Shall, will, may, and can, are employed as auxiliaries only, and

each of them has an imperfect tense.

Shall, it has will, determi

been observed, implies obligation; and nation or resolution. The imperfect of shall, is should, and of will, would, probably corruptions of shalled, and willed, or formed so in the Saxon agreeably to what has been already stated; should and would express the same idea in a state of completion that shall and will express in a state of continuance. Hence it might be expected that they should always, in connection with other words, convey an idea of completed action or state of existence, and consequently of past time but, on the contrary, they are in general indicative of futurity, probably on account of some ellipsis with which we are not at present acquainted; and, in many instances, should is used merely to express obligation, and would, inclination, without any particular reference to time.

May, was originally expressive of liking, or favourable disposition towards a thing, and consequently might expressed the same kind of feeling in a completed state; but by one of those unknown circumstances, that in course of time produce a change in the application of words, it is now uniformly employed to signify liberty on the part of the agent; a liking, or disposition to do, or be, that which the following word expresses being merely implied.

Can, retains its original import. I can, is equivalent to the phrase I am able; I could, to the phrase I was able; but, as has been observed of should, could

is often used without any direct regard to the time or state of the action intended to be expressed.

Let, is generally considered an auxiliary, and in connection with the radical form of another verb, is by most grammarians, called the imperative mood. This mood, however, can only be used with propriety in the second person; its nature is to command, or enjoin that which the verb expresses, and no command or injunction can properly be given, but to the person or persons addressed. In the phrases, let me read, let him read, we have examples of what are called the first and third persons of the imperative mood; but it is admitted as a first principle in grammar that, "every verb, except the infinitive mood, or a participle, must have a nominative case either expressed or implied." Now, in both of these examples, instead of a nominative, we have an objective case, a thing contrary to every received principle of grammar, but which may be easily explained by admitting, what is the fact, that let, is an active verb in the imperative mood, with thou or you understood; hence it governs me or him in the objective case, and the verb read is, in the infinitive mood, governed by let, according to the general rule, that when two verbs come together, the latter of which has no nominative, it is governed by the former in the infinitive mood. To this it may be objected, that when one verb governs another in the infinitive mood, the latter verb is preceded by the word to, but it is one of the anoma